My Players Are So Fierce

While chasing the shadows of the sea, I faced the many shadows of subspace. I saw the worlds destroyed by them, those desolate objects and desolate endings… It terrified me, and I don’t want our side of the world to encounter the same fate.

But following the predetermined fate offers no hope—change…

Change!

The only thing I want to see is ‘change’ itself!

For this, I pretended to submit to subspace just to seize that fleeting opportunity for change. For this, I abandoned Gaia’s faith and turned to join under Dagon.

The Evil God of the Wave Fishman let me survive in that dire crisis where souls erupted, and it’s because of this that I can use those filthy fish tricks to complete the symbolic ritual required by the God of Wealth.

Those filthy smokes are not meant to hurt anyone, merely to prevent interference from some annoying fellows and to demonstrate the power of wealth to our people!

Let me tell you!

The so-called Evil God Daguan, the arrogant Father of Fish, and the God of the Abyss are just a failed creation of the subspace shadows!

The cunning creator embedded certain restrictions within those wonderful pieces of knowledge, causing the creations of subspace to appear idiotic and witless, but their failures showed me new possibilities with subspace power.

With my acuity, I finally seized that fleeting opportunity.

Burning Gold!

The strange items tainted by subspace power—I saw the potential in these things, and from the Witch Cult, you received a gift… ah, that Crimson Witch’s research and exploration into the mysteries of divine spirits and faith were enough to push my ‘creation’ to the realm of perfection.

She should have been my most perfect companion. Sadly, Lady Triss has now become an unremarkable Bloodline Duke. Hah, heaven is jealous of geniuses.

But it also proved…

Me!

I am the chosen one! I am the messenger who can bring change.

My cooperation with Dusk is built solely on mutual interests—they help me mold the God of Wealth and spread that forbidden knowledge across the Continent. After all this is completed, I will abandon the protection of Brass Fortress and allow them to complete the invasion of this city.”

Banok explained very seriously, and the stone in his hand continued to change throughout this process, ultimately forming the classic shape of a Burning Gold Ore.

He said to Hadlan:

“Look! Your Majesty, you need not worry about your depleted treasury anymore; you hold endless wealth, all granted by Lord Dutna. I have already taught you how to awaken the courage in people’s hearts.

With these, you absolutely don’t need to worry about the Wolf People’s attack on Brass Fortress.

This is power!

This is the power of wealth, your power, and the power of all Brass Dwarves!

As long as you use it wisely…”

“To hell with your wealth and your creations!”

Hadlan roared, swung his war hammer, and smashed Banok and the Burning Gold in his hand flying away.

This strike showed no mercy, causing Banok to spew blood upon landing, but the eyes of that subspace worshipper showed no pain—only a trace of regret.

“Hmm, it seems you are not someone who understands the mighty power of wealth. You are refusing to accept this change, still wearing Gaia’s Sacred Emblem on your chest. So, are you one of those fools hoping to return to a pleasant past when encountering trouble, burying your head pretending the world hasn’t changed?”

The guy wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and got up.

He looked at Hadlan with contempt and said:

“Stubborn fools deserve harsh lessons, just like those shadows on the battlefield of subspace most hate the stubborn iron-stone-like Gaia. You people who refuse change will never create a new era, and in this regard, even Dusk has more potential than you!

At the very least, on the path to world destruction, they never reject any means beneficial to achieving their goals.

But they were not the first to obtain knowledge from me. Long ago, this forbidden knowledge was already spread by my hand.

The Wave Fishman received ‘guidance.’

The Father of Fish, Daguan, is about to undergo a rebirth transformation!

The Shadow Elves received ‘enlightenment.’

Their Lady Spider is about to escape that eternal bondage!

The Vampires received ‘gift.’

Their Midnight Mother is just one step away from being complete!

But I left the most precious ‘freedom’ for my compatriots!

I crafted all of these meticulously!

Look, Lord Dutna is about to walk into the hollow hearts of our people, and my master will fetch a great victory against Gaia due to this!

The servants of the most stubborn ones are about to become the first lives to embrace change.

The best part is, the God of Wealth is neutral.

You understand, don’t you, Your Majesty?

This means our race will not be bound by the new faith; they will no longer have to choose to fight solely for Gaia’s glory as before.

You can make friends with the civilization camp for the benefit of your race, or you can abandon them for the same reason—no Divine Spirit will berate you, because all this is based on transactions of interest.

Lord Dutna will favor you more because of this.

I have given you the best thing I can create, ensuring our race will not be homeless in the coming era of change, yet you scold me as a ‘traitor.’

What a disappointment.”

“I don’t understand your nonsense; I think you’ve already gone mad!”

Hadlan, holding the war hammer in both hands, stepped forward and roared: