Paragon Online我

-Helveto Mountains, Paragon Online-

Over a colossal mountain peak, stood a rectangular hunk of chiseled stone.

This was a building that lacked any distinctive cultural or human identity.

It was simply a gray rectangle with windows.

Despite its ugliness and unflattering looks, inside of the building, an outstanding cast of characters had gathered.

Around a long table that stretched from one end of a hall to the other, various men and women dressed in extravagant and unique clothing examined each other.

Usually, some of them were enemies to each other, or indifferent, but today, under the umbrella of the Neutrality Ascetics, the largest neutral force in the world, they all gathered to discuss an unknown, but likely very important matter.

As the tension and awkwardness increased inside of the hall, a bald woman entered it and attracted everyone's attention.

Her attire was the signature uniform of NA, a simple white full-body suit that represented their neutrality from the world.

The woman halted in front of one end of the table, and said, "I welcome you all today."

On one side of the table, a bearded, handsome middle-aged man calmly remarked, "For the Neutrality Ascetics to involve itself in any matter, it must be quite important."

The bald woman replied with an indifferent expression, "Indeed, Shahanshah."

This man was a great ruler of a great empire, but the woman simply addressed him by his universal title.

However, the man didn't seem bothered at all.

Suddenly, two people entered the hall.

When the others saw them, their eyes widened.

One of them was a young man.

He had clear eyes, a head of black hair, and most uniquely, a flowery black tattoo covered his entire face.

He walked with confidence into the den of lions despite his apparent age, which stood in contrast to the other guests.

Besides him, a middle-aged woman also entered the room.

She had a few wrinkles on her dark-skinned face, yet her piercing green eyes were not droopy, but instead, confidently navigated the room.

She wore a simple light-green robe, while her braided black hair reached the ground.

The middle-aged man from earlier muttered, "Mother of the Occident, Vivi."

On the opposite side of the table, a woman wearing a grey-and-white kimono and a thick blindfold exclaimed, "Theomancer Sivo!"

These two newcomers were not unknown people.

One of them was a high-profile woman from another continent entirely, while the other had powers that allowed him to stand on equal footing with a god.

The two ignored the obvious glances of the others and took a seat.

The hostess said, "As you might have understood, we have a very important matter today."

"I could speak of it, but I will let one of our guests discuss it in greater detail," Her pupils moved over to the seat of the man who had a flowery tattoo on his face, Theomancer Sivo.

Sivo nodded and politely remarked, "Thank you, Female Member 01, you've done a great job. Would you be able to send my greetings to your superior?"

The bald woman kept an indifferent expression and simply replied, "I shall...consider it."

Sivo expected this reply and grimaced.

Then, he stood up and began speaking very eloquently.

"On an auspicious day, I met with Kohei, The goddess of justice."

At the mention of 'Kohei', the blindfolded woman clenched her fists.

'How dare he call Lady Kohei her true name without any honorifics?!' This woman was the High Priestess of the Kohei Faith, and even she wouldn't dare address her goddess that way.

However, she quickly calmed down.

This man could do it, as he was the only person who could freely communicate with the gods, The Theomancer.

Her frustration turned into astonishment, and then, admiration as she looked at his inked face.

Sivo continued, "Kohei has found of the existence of a strange universal piece of law simply titled, the algorithm."

There wasn't any reaction from the guests, who didn't understand what he was saying.

Sivo smiled and said, "I understand it doesn't mean much on its own, but through her inquiry, the goddess has found an existential threat to our world."

These words were more piercing and comprehensible, hence they stirred up curiosity within the others.

"Existential threat? What could that be?" Kosei wondered as she stared attentively at the man.

"There exists a group of malevolent gods from another world, that call themselves, 'the developers," Sivo halted his words and glanced at the atmosphere in the room.

The mere mention of divinity was enough to wreak havoc, as the guests whispered to themselves.

"What do these gods plan to do, and how do they present an existential threat, may I ask?" The middle-aged Shahanshah calmly asked.

Theomancer Sivo replied, "They are sending over a massive group of immortals that they call 'the players'."

"Players? Are they gamblers or what?" A teenage-looking blond man wearing a luxurious red toga frowned.

"No, they are people who wish to extort the resources of this world through their immortality, and they grow in strength very rapidly."

"I'd say I'm more interested in the part about them being immortals," Vivi, Mother of the Occident spoke for the first time.

"As I've said, from what the goddess has deciphered, these immortals simply resurrect upon death, only losing a small portion of their strength each time."

"!!!"

Greed showed in the eyes of most of the guests.

Immortality was a trait everyone in this world wanted to achieve, as age and strength were commonly related, one example of which was the Mother of the Occident, who was reputed to have lived centuries upon centuries.

"I understand how that would pose an existential threat now," The Shahanshah rubbed his goatee and nodded.

Silence befell the hall.

If these immortals were allowed to do as they please in their world, chaos was the only possible endgame.

Then, Vivi was the one to speak up.

She sternly stated, "I suggest setting up a resistance front composed of these very immortals to gain their favor through gifts and resources, while also showing them who rules this world."

A humming sound resounded throughout the hall.

Everyone agreed.

The bald woman said, "I suppose you've reached a conclusion."

Suddenly, similarly-clothed women and men entered the hall with platters on their hands.

They put down the platters in front of every guest, and each time, the latter had an incredulous expression as they looked at the food.

This was a pale, slimy, and unappetizing bar of food.

In truth, this was also a symbol of their neutrality.

The bar was composed of oatmeal, sugar, and salt, which were all universal and didn't have any unique spices or distinctive cooking techniques.

Most of the guests frowned and didn't touch their food.

However, the Shahanshah, Vivi, and Sivo immediately dug in.

An attendant behind the former exclaimed, "Lord Shahanshah, you don't have to eat thi-

"I've eaten much worse, this is nothing."

Over on the other side, the teenage boy's attention wasn't on the food, but the person who presented the food.

He looked at the woman with lustful eyes and said, "You're pretty, leave this place for monks or something and come to my palace."

His hands placed themselves on her lower back, and she halted her steps.

The Shahanshah besides him chuckled dryly and remarked sarcastically, "Does the smallest dog bark the loudest?"

"Huh?"

"I'd suggest you restrain yourself, Atmian Emperor, Agameon."

The teenage boy grimaced and replied, "Why should I do so? I simply have an amazing eye for beauty, and I know this woman would live better under my wing than this place."

"You dare touch a woman without consent as the Chief Justice of the Orient watches you, lad?" Kosei, the blindfolded woman, giggled.

She was not only the mortal leader of her faith, but she was also the highest judge of the International Court, which proudly judged war criminals and other criminals charged with atrocious crimes.

The teenage man grit his teeth and removed his hands from the woman's body.

After that, they ate their meal, and each and every one of these outstanding guests left for their respective residences.