The Oracle Paths

"It's a fake," Cho Min Ho declared apathetically, handing back the golden goblet to Nathan, who had presented it to him with deference. "Even with our Oracle System acting up, I had mentally braced myself for such a setback."

Currently, only the Korean idol and the insectoid man were in the room where they had just met. In this isolated environment, where no one could surveil them, the two Evolvers also acted according to their master-slave relationship. Nathan was submissive, never criticizing or doubting the Korean's observations.

Though there was nothing abnormal in this, it was noticeable that, although each was loyally confined to their role, Cho Min Ho didn't disrespect his slave either. At the very least, he seemed to hold him in high regard. He could have punished him for his failure, but instead, he took the news with a regal calm.

"As expected, it's the Celestial who holds the true relic." Nathan confirmed with a mechanical nod, his lidless obsidian eyes making his emotions unreadable, assuming he felt any.

His spiritual and Aetheric fluctuations were just as immovable, making his emotions about as discernible as those of a rock. If it were Jake in Cho Min Ho's place, he would never have trusted such an alien. He needed tangible anchors to trust someone.

But for the Korean, that didn't seem to be an issue. The cold, inhuman mask of the insectoid creature left him unfazed.

Beyond that, the latter's grating voice, somewhere between a consumptive's rattle and a cricket's chirp, could repel even the most tolerant of antispeciesists. His vocal cords, if he had any, weren't meant to be used in such a way.

"Indeed, it can only be him," Cho Min Ho agreed with the insect man. "This complicates things for us. The good news is that the Oracle Knights from the other Mirror Universe also failed to steal the Chalice of Nethershade. Pathetically."

"Which Abyssal Revenant?" Nathan rasped laconically.

"Bones."

The insect man asked no further questions, but the Korean continued to elaborate on his own initiative.

"In addition to the Players accompanying you on the Lustris raid, we lost another million Players last night," Cho Min Ho informed him somberly, a shadow of mute hatred crossing his face. "This time, it was mainly our King's Idol Alliance and its vassal factions that were targeted. This brings our camp's total losses to nearly 75%. I limited our senior officers' losses by lending them my power and forbidding them from leaving their encampments, but I've only delayed our agony a little. Our enemies have undoubtedly taken advantage to perform as many Lumyst baptisms as they dared. Starting tomorrow, the difference will be immediately felt on the battlefield when the war resumes."

The insect man remained motionless for a long time, his unblinking eyes casting doubt on whether he had truly listened. When the conversation stalled, Nathan analyzed,

"As expected, our defeat is inevitable if we continue to be drawn into the enemy's rhythm. We need a big move. A sacrifice... One capable of diverting the enemy's attention with a glitter screen while you execute your real plan. Thus, even if we lose the Ordeal, you and I will emerge victorious."

Cho Min Ho's eyes narrowed sinisterly, grasping what his slave and confidant was suggesting, but he didn't outright reject the idea.

"This sacrifice... I've already planned something about it. Sacrificing most of the King's Idol Alliance to bolster the enemy's illusory confidence is obviously part of it, if that's what you're insinuating, but that won't be enough. Even if I did everything in my power to save all our members, I wouldn't succeed, unless I focus on a very small elite minority. These elites are already the ones I've been focusing my efforts on saving. As you can see, I'm already thinking as rationally as possible."

For the first time since the conversation began, Nathan showed a hint of confusion. It couldn't be read on his face, devoid of most of the numerous facial muscles that allow for the expression of emotions, but the scorpion tail arching over his head twitched for a fleeting instant.

"If you already planned to sacrifice the King's Idol Alliance, what sacrifice are you talking about?" He finally asked, his raspy voice trembling with a hint of interest.

Before answering, Cho Min Ho prolonged the suspense by pouring himself a glass of wine from a well-made Chalice of Nethershade replica he had somehow acquired, likely thanks to his current status as a substitute Soulmancer King. Between the Chalice in his hands and the Goblet he had returned to the insect man, the resemblance was uncanny.

After sipping the tannin-laden beverage as slowly as possible, the Korean idol declared with a cruel smile,

"While you were escaping from Lustris with that fake Goblet, the Players you abandoned were freed by Jake Wilderth."

"Hmm... The Oracle Knight from the same planet as you, Kang Jun, Lee Yoon, and Amanda?" Nathan nodded calmly, remembering mostly his blinding Aetheric signature. To his eyes, these humans all looked alike. "Speaking of the latter two, I encountered them before the raid and forcibly enlisted them for the operation. Was that inappropriate?"

Cho Min Ho would have been delighted had he received this news a few hours earlier, but he had already heard about the prisoners freed by Jake. Even excluding those executed by Jake, the rest, like Amy and Lee Yoon, were part of his faction.

They tried to keep a low profile, but now that I know where they are, they won't escape me. Even better, now that they're with him, executing my scheme will be even easier.

The nature of his powers made him almost omnipotent and omniscient regarding his 'subjects', but his Spirit and Soul Strength unfortunately limited the distance and number of subjects he could monitor at the same time. When his subjects were far from him, he could still vaguely sense the direction they were in, but it was terribly imprecise.

At least on this point, he willingly conceded that his power was inferior to a simple Oracle Slave Contract. However, it had its perks too...

"No, you did well to force them to participate," Cho Min Ho finally congratulated him. "They are part of the grand sacrifice I have planned. Amy and Lee Yoon were among the prisoners who suffered to escape after the Celestial's entrance. They are currently with Jake. Knowing Amy, she will do everything to reside away from me as much as she can and stay with him instead. As if I cared about her insignificant betrayal..."

"The glitter screen, the grand sacrifice you plan to divert our enemies' attention from you, is Jake Wilderth himself?" Nathan finally realized.

The insect man wasn't omniscient regarding the other participants of their faction like the Korean, but his cognitive faculties and instincts were incomparably superior. Jake was the only other identified Rank 17 Player fighting for their camp.

Even without all the information, throwing him to the antagonist was indeed a good way to keep them occupied. With that power... He wouldn't die so easily.

"Indeed," Cho Min Ho chuckled ominously, excitedly swirling his glass. "The King's Idol Alliance took a beating last night, but an unexpected miracle occurred. Jake and several of his Myrtharian elites took action. I expected them to be ambushed and trapped as miserably as our own members, but that's not what happened. Most of the ambushes planned by the antagonist on his faction participants bore fruit, but the most important ones suffered catastrophically. Jake and Hephais alone eliminated over a million of their Players last night. That was when they were moving together. After Jake entered the Lustra Plains to act solo, the death count only increased further. Yesterday, our losses were at 60 and 15% respectively. This morning, the defeat report stands at 75% for us and over 40% for the enemy camp. If I allow myself a burst of optimism, I'd say our situation has improved.

"My scheme will be to inform our enemies of his actions, offering them a bait they can't refuse. In exchange, to continue receiving this intel, they'll have to leave me alone to focus on him. No doubt, between him and me, since no Oracle Paths can predict his actions while mine are predictable, they'll have no problem accepting this deal.

"All this because of Jake? I see the logic now. It's a good plan," Nathan finally understood the logical foundation behind the Korean's decision.

No matter how much power Jake concealed within him, he was only a Rank 17 Player like his master. That shouldn't allow him to outwit the Oracle Paths predicted by the enemy's bracelets. In that case, the only remaining option was...

A Digestor Trojan?

If that was the case, and considering the losses the antagonist just suffered... It could work!