It was said that the sum total of one's choices and experiences made up who they were.
But in the case of the one who had been known as the Overseer for over seventeen thousand years…this was definitely not the case.
It had been born on the Mainland, long, long ago, and it had already lived for thousands of years before the time came when it was chased out.
By then…it had already turned into how it was now: driven by a singular emotion which did not let up, no matter what, and this was the reason behind it succeeding in existing for so long, even though many would either go mad or give up if they had to do the same thing.
It had no gender. No bias. No weakness. And most importantly…it was in no hurry, which was what allowed it to plan with timespans of thousands of years.
It had actually made the preparation long ago, even before it had thought that it would have to shed its physical body as it did not have enough talent to reach the next level: hence, when the time came, it had been ready, even though it was abrupt.
By shedding all of these things and living to fulfill a singular goal, it had achieved what many wished for, but almost never succeeded in: to become an immortal being who would never have any reason to die.
Its motive would keep pushing it forward, and if it lost its way, there was even a safety mechanism with which it could open the lockbox in which all of its memories were stored away. Like someone taking a vacation to relax, it could spend time in that place, before returning to its existence and continuing towards its goals.
As for the reason why anyone would want to live like this…it was the unwillingness to let go.
Life was a gift. The ability to live, think and function on a high enough order of intelligence was a boon that only some could enjoy, and once their time was done, one could never be sure whether they would get the chance again. For many, the longer they lived, the more there was a chance that this ultimate fear would become rooted in their minds, and if that was the case, then they would attempt in every way they could to cling on, in at least some form, to this gift that they did not want to lose.
In such cases, these entities would usually be known by the motive they had chosen, which connected most with their character, and how they had lived their lives.
As for the entity that had come to Angaria, it had been known…as 'Greed'.
As it felt its knees buckle under it unwillingly due to the pressure of the two hundred Heroes who had somehow been turned into monstrosities and were thus apparently no longer under its control, the entity dipped into the vault where its memory lay, as it had ordered itself to do whenever faced with a situation that was completely unanticipated.
In life, it had been a woman known as…Olivia.
Oliva had been born in a simple family in the Mainland, and her parents had been staunch supporters of the force which controlled the place they lived in.
The Mainland was a place that was always in conflict, and once, Olivia's parents had been conscripted to fight.
Although they were farmers, they had been strong Warriors who could wield a spear as well as the magical hoe they used to till the earth.
It hadn't been the first time it had happened, so she hadn't paid much import to it. They had gone to fight, and then they had returned, and all seemed normal.
However…day by day, Olivia started to notice changes in her parents.
Their habits, their words, their actions-all seemed to change bit by bit until they were no longer identical to those who had left, and eventually, Olivia discovered that just like she was doubting them, they had begun to doubt her, as they found her to be completely unalike to them.
For any child, the love of their parents was always paramount, especially if they had content with it until a certain age. At that point, they would not want to lose it, no matter what, and they would be prepared to do whatever was necessary to keep it with them.
Olivia did the same. Her parents, who had been humble people, had somehow turned into moneygrubbers who suddenly wanted all the money and power in the world, and to keep their love, she changed herself in this way, too.
For years, she kept doing this, while her parents succeeded time after time. From simple farmers, they rose to become the stewards of the land who bowed to few and lorded over most, and by that time, she had completely turned into someone who had even more blind desire than her parents, as this was what had been necessary to make them proud.
A child's drive to make their parents proud was a dangerous thing, and she had given herself up completely to this new character who was she felt was necessary.
One day…it all changed.
A man appeared at their doorstep, and after carefully examining her parents, he had flicked his fingers…and made their heads burst, like ripe lemons.
She saw it happen, and with a glow in his eyes, the man had bent to examine her before saying, "Fascinating. I only infected your parents with my Mind Control Virus of 'Greed' to see how far they would go, as normal people. That was foreign influence, but they ended up infecting you indirectly! You made this different person, but now that the truth is revealed, what will you do? Will you kill that person, who is no longer needed? Or will they take over? Oh, I wish to see what happens! Farewell, little girl. We shall meet again."
15 years later, that man found the answer.
While he was gurgling the blood that came from his throat, where Olivia had stabbed him without mercy.
In his eyes, she saw the answer, too.
She had killed herself, and allowed the one with 'Greed' to take over.
She had done it because it was the only way not to forget the memories of her parents, and this…allowed her to forge forward with singular determination.
She wanted to make them proud, even in death. She would obtain all she could, whether it be money, power or status, and she would hoard it until it was humanly possible to do so.
Thus began her saga. She went through many difficulties, but her determination had always allowed her to see it through. She obtained bloodlines, treasures and unmeasurable wealth, and her tale had even been immortalized in the tales on the Mainland.
But had she gone through all of that…to die here, at the hands of this little rascal?
"NO!"
In the outside world, only a moment had passed, and the wind blade that would end its life was whistling through the air.
However…with a single scream, it changed everything.
[Temporary hold lost. Oaths are back in effect.]
As Daneel got this message in his mind, he could only watch on as the one in front of him rose.
The wind blade was too close, so it still managed to cut through half of its body diagonally while pulverizing everything in its path, but it…was not enough.
All of a sudden, the pressure caused by the two hundred Hero-turned-monsters vanished, and they began to look around with confusion.
After taking the blow, the being moved back and bent before enclosing itself in the same pearl-like object from which it had emerged, and seeing this, Daneel got an expression of extreme frustration on his face.
He wished he could go forward and continue his attacks, but he knew what was coming next.
If he stuck to that course of actions…it would only mean suicide.
Immediately, hleapedpt back, and just a moment later, the ground on the spot where he had been standing caved in, as if it had been stamped down by an unstoppable force.
If he had stuck around, his fate would have been the same as the one whom he had made to kneel, and unlike that being which had somehow escaped, he would have been at the mercy of the two hundred Heroes.
After all, so many Heroes were no joke, and hence, the King retreated to his own force.
The situation hadn't turned out very ideally…but he wasn't the Daneel of old to not plan for everything.
Right away, he activated the second form of his Champion Path, and as the power of each Hero behind him started to rise, he heard a shocked gasp from the pearl.
"You! That Path! Y-"
The rest of the sentence was cut off by the roars of the Heroes behind Daneel, who had all set out to strike first.
Each of them had at least doubled their power, and seeing this, Daneel was satisfied.
If it had been before his trip, his power level would not have been enough to power up so many. After all, the number of people he could have an effect on was directly proportional to the power he wielded, so empowering even 10 Heroes would have been a stretch.
Now, though…one hundred Heroes whistled through the air with ferocious might, and Daneel wasn't even breaking a sweat.
With pride for the strides he had made over all this while, he waited for his group to collide with that of his opponent.
BOOM!
With the sound of an explosion, the two forces met in the air in a spot in between where Daneel stood, and where the pearl in which the entity was recovering.
Even with the very first blow, it became clear that even though each Hero on his side was outnumbered 2-1, it was no problem.
Each of Daneel's Heroes moved fast enough and struck hard enough to contend with two of their counterparts with ease, and soon, it became apparent that a stalemate would be reached, with a slight advantage even being on Daneel's side as the amplification he gave was, in reality, just a bit above 2x.
It was only after he had commanded his force to travel higher and higher to leave him a blank space that he could use did Daneel step forward, and seeing him do so, that same rumble of a voice appeared from the pearl.
"Even I have to admit that its impressive. If my Heroes had been normal, they would actually have had an easy time dealing with yours, as monsters who just use brute strength and instincts can be handled quite efficiently using magic and intelligence. Now, though…you evened out the playing field by 'dumbing down' my Heroes, and giving power to yours. That leaves the two of us. You must be thinking that it would be easy, but did you think I had no backup plans?"
With that, five individuals appeared in the space in between Daneel and the entity.
They were all familiar, and at the same time, unfamiliar.
A pang of loss struck Daneel as he saw these six who looked like they had changed so much even though only a few months had passed since he had left, and knowing what was coming, he readied his heart.
"The most classic trick in the book. You die, or they do. I've removed the backup unconsciousness switches you placed in their minds…so you have no option but to fight. Have fun!"
That hacking laughter was heard again, and raising his fists, Daneel shook his head.
However, there was also a hint…of anticipation in his eyes.
The five in front of him all had unwilling expressions on their faces, as if they had known what would come but had hoped that there might be some way in which it wouldn't happen.
Seeing this, Daneel smiled and spoke, and hearing his words…the five smiled, too.
"No long faces, sovereigns. Raise those fists, and show me what you've been up to. I hope…that you don't disappoint me. Come!"