Chapter 467: A Threat with More Than They’re Fair Share of Lifetimes
"Yes, she’s a granny."
"A real old woman, for sure."
"Are you sure you should be moving those old bones so energetically, Grandmother?"
Sakura, Violette, and Elara respectively verbally stabbed the formerly smug fairy queen, their words landing like perfectly aimed arrows, each one finding its mark with devastating precision.
Titania’s face cycled through several shades of grimace, her cheeks flushing pink, then red.
"Stop that! I’m forever a young maiden no matter how much time passes!" She nagged, then began munching on barbecue.
"But who IS the strongest man in the world currently?" Tamar wondered aloud, her silver eyes darting between the assembled women with genuine curiosity.
She had just learned more about Namadris, the legendary figure who had once walked Elyndor as its greatest champion, and now her mind was racing with questions about the present.
Who had taken up that mantle, and now stand at the pinnacle of power among mortal men?
"I would say... Renard," Elara twirled the wine in her cup slowly, watching it turn into a miniature whirlpool of deep crimson liquid.
The motion was hypnotic, the wine catching the fading sunlight and creating patterns of light and shadow on the wooden table before her.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she considered her own words, weighing them against centuries of experience and observation.
"For the entire time I’ve known him, he has been wholly invulnerable to anything. I have seen him withstand attacks that would have far easily leveled mountains. Nothing seems to faze or harm him."
Violette’s head snapped toward Elara, her dark violet eyes narrowing with confusion.
"What? You mean Lazarus?" she asked, her voice carrying a note of disbelief. Her hand, which had been reaching for another piece of roasted meat, froze mid-air. "If we’re talking about a ’strong man,’ I don’t think Lazarus counts as one... I mean, he’s not a man, at all."
Tamar blinked, her silver eyes wide with confusion as she processed Violette’s words.
"Eh? What does that mean?" she asked, her voice sounding bewildered.
She knew full well the person they were discussing, the figure she had seen on more than one occasion in Verdant Spire.
He had always seemed undeniably male to her, with all the physical characteristics and mannerisms that would suggest such a classification.
Sakura sighed heavily and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, her fox ears drooping slightly with exasperation.
"Violette, there’s no need to start any weird mind twisters," she said, her voice ringing with a note of patient weariness that came from millennia of dealing with complicated metaphysical discussions. Her amber eyes met Tamar’s with a reassuring warmth. "To this generation, he is a man. He presents himself as a man, he lives as a man, and that is what matters for practical purposes. But I do think he shouldn’t be considered when we’re talking about a strong man, as well. His nature is too... complicated. Too far removed from what we normally mean when we use that term."
She paused, taking another bite of roasted corn before continuing, the kernels crunching softly between her teeth.
"I think Euclid meets the criteria now. He has always been powerful, but in recent times, he has grown into something truly formidable. His mastery of magic is unparalleled, his knowledge of the arcane arts exceeds that of any mortal living today. If we are speaking of strength in the traditional sense, the ability to shape the world through will and power, then Euclid is the clear choice."
"Ah, you mean Moses, right?" Titania perked her face towards Sakura, her butterfly wings fluttering with recognition as old memories seemed to bob in her mind like driftwood on the surface of a deep lake.
Her small hands clasped together in front of her chest, her expression one of fond recollection. "I remember him from the old days. He was always so serious and dedicated to his cause. He never smiled, never relaxed, nor allowed himself a moment of peace. And yet there was something admirable about him, one that commanded respect even from those who disagreed with his methods."
"Why... can’t they stick to one name...?" Tamar smiled awkwardly, her lips curving into a nervous grin as she tried to make sense of the multiple monikers being thrown around.
She glanced between the older women, wondering if this was simply a trend among ancient beings, to be known globally by different names depending on who was speaking and when.
"It seems like everyone in this room might have at least three names, as well."
Sakura turned to Tamar, her expression softening with patience as she prepared to explain the complexities of immortal naming conventions.
"These men are extremely ancient," she said, her voice taking on the cadence of a soft teacher, "so people who knew them before are different from people who know them now. Names change over time, identities shift, and what was once a secret becomes common knowledge. Euclid is one of the first mortals to ever walk Elyndor, a being who existed before most civilizations were even formed, and is often called the father of magic. His contributions to the arcane arts are so foundational that they have become woven into the very fabric of how current humans understand magic itself."
She paused, popping another kernel of corn into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully before continuing. "He definitely has no connection to a certain Euclid who loved geometry, just for context. That was a different person entirely."
"I honestly expected you to mention Kurosawa Ren," Elara glanced at Sakura, her eyes narrowing slightly with curiosity.
She set down her wine cup and leaned back on her cushion, her gaze fixed on the Beast Queen with an intensity that suggested she was testing a theory. "He definitely is a powerful man, no? He has demonstrated feats of strength and skill that would be impossible for most beings, mortal or sometimes otherwise. His mastery of Kyūdo alone places him in a category above the vast majority of warriors in Elyndor."
"Yes, but compared to Euclid?" Sakura raised a brow, her fox ears twitching with amusement at the comparison. Her amber eyes sparkled with mischief as she watched Elara’s reaction. "Right. Even you don’t know that much of Euclid’s exploits. His true power has rarely been displayed in public, and the few times he has unleashed his full capabilities, the results have been catastrophic for those who opposed him. In fact, even I don’t know Euclid in his prime. I have heard stories, rumors, fragments of accounts passed down through the ages, but the full extent of what he is capable of remains a mystery to me."
Tamar leaned forward, her silver eyes gleaming with renewed curiosity.
"Is he a king or a warrior?" she asked, her tone one of interest. She was trying to place this mysterious figure in the framework she understood, to categorize him in a way that made sense to her Amazon sensibilities. "Does he rule a kingdom? Does he lead armies into battle? I mean, what is his position in the world?"
"No, he serves an ancient human kingdom quite far away from here," Titania explained to her, her butterfly wings fluttering gently as she spoke.
The fairy queen had settled onto a nearby cushion, her small legs dangling over the edge as she addressed Tamar directly. "And while they have a king, they basically see Elyndor herself as their Queen. The kingdom is very old, older than most races in fact, and its people have developed a philosophy that elevates the world itself above any mortal ruler. Euclid, on the other hand, is the leader of a global, millennia old organization known as the Old Testament; an organization that, honestly, targets people like Benjamin, who casually threatens to destroy the world. Among other things."
Titania paused, her expression growing more serious as she considered the implications of her own words. "They are watchers, guardians of a sort, who have decided that certain threats cannot be allowed to exist. Benjamin, with his power and his unpredictability, should have been on their radar for some time. I think we should expect them anytime soon. They do not announce their arrivals, but simply appear."
"Wh-What, are we supposed to be calm about that?" Elara nervously nudged Sakura, her voice rising with barely contained anxiety.
She heard what seemed like an incoming war with a mega kingdom, an organization so powerful that it had persisted for about a million years, and her Amazon instincts were screaming at her to prepare for battle.
Her hands gripped the edge of her cushion, her knuckles whitening with tension. "This is not the kind of news one receives casually! We should be mobilizing, preparing defenses, sending scouts to gather intelligence!"
"Don’t worry, I think Benjamin can hold his own against Euclid," Sakura shrugged, lightly munching some roasted crop with apparent unconcern.
Her amber eyes remained calm, her posture relaxed, as if the threat of an ancient mage and his global organization was nothing more than an inconvenience. "...At least, until we can find a solution. Benjamin has a tendency to exceed expectations and accomplish the impossible when it seems most unlikely. He has survived threats that should have destroyed him, and he has grown stronger each time. I have faith in his ability to weather this storm."
"That doesn’t make me feel better!" Elara whined, pulling on Sakura’s sleeve with increasing desperation.
Her composed demeanor had completely crumbled, replaced by the frantic energy of someone who had just learned of an impending catastrophe. "You are too calm about this! Too casual! Do you understand what you are saying?"
Elara didn’t know who Euclid truly was, beyond that he was a total monster who has lived far more than his share of lifetimes.
She had heard whispers, fragments of stories, half-remembered tales that painted a picture of something terrible.
But the full scope of his power remained unknown to her, a darkness lurking at the edges of her understanding, and that uncertainty made the threat all the more terrifying.