Reborn As Noble

Chapter 1338: Assessing the Enemy ( 1338 )

Armand Nation.

Armand Estate.

Garius’s Private Room.

Garius leaned back in his chair, watching his son Javier as he sat at the side table, reviewing the printed information about the summoned heroes from the other continent.

”So... what do you think, my son?” Garius asked, his voice calm but curious. ”Thanks to your invention, the mind-printing machine, I was able to extract and print all the information from Jaigar and Gorak, as well as their girls. We now have a clear picture of their strengths, weaknesses, and plans.”

Javier nodded, his eyes scanning the pages before he mumbled to himself.

”Julius... huh? So what Gorak said before is true. He has the ability to summon divine warriors, wears golden divine armor, wields a colossal golden divine sword, and carries a massive golden tower shield.”

He rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowing as he studied the printed image of Julius, a handsome young man with a kind, gentle smile.

”A good-looking face that looks kind... is far worse than an openly wicked one,” Javier muttered with clear distaste. ”I don’t know why, but his face makes me want to punch him straight with my knuckle.”

Alf, standing near Garius, shook his head with a faint smile as Erinette poured tea for Garius.

Javier continued, swiping his hair back and wiggling his brows with a playful grin.

”Well... not as handsome as me~”

Javier reached for the second document, his eyes scanning the pages as he mumbled to himself.

”Hmm... this Julius guy. The data isn’t enough. All the information we have about him comes from what the others experienced or heard. Not enough to form a full picture.”

He glanced at the second document, his eyes scanning the pages.

”Ah... this Vane guy. According to this, he’s a strategist, huh? He’s supposed to be the brain behind their operations.”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then reached into his dimensional storage, pulling out a thick, worn notebook. He flipped it open, comparing the information from his own interrogations with what Garius had extracted.

”According to the intel I gathered from one of Jaigar’s girls during interrogation, Vane is the one who was supposed to plan and direct their entire campaign. He’s the one who coordinates their movements, analyzes their enemies, and formulates their strategies.”

He paused, his eyes narrowing as he compared the two sets of information.

Javier furrowed his brow, tapping the notebook with his fingers.

”But what’s weird is... during the interrogations, none of them really seemed to care when I asked about Vane. They answered like it was nothing important. It’s almost as if they don’t respect him, or maybe they just don’t give a damn about him. The only reason they follow his orders is because he’s stronger than them and he’s the vice leader of Julius’s team. But aside from that... he’s like an outsider to them. No loyalty. No bond.”

Garius leaned back in his chair, a faint smile playing on his lips as he watched his son sift through the files.

”If only we could get more information on them. But without experiencing it ourselves, or facing them directly, or bringing them here, we wouldn’t actually know their true power. Just like with Jaigar and Gorak’s powers before. And the way they can absorb and fuse other heroes’ powers to upgrade themselves...”

He reached for the third document, mumbling under his breath.

”Whatever... their power still isn’t that strong. If we compare Jaigar’s absorbed power before, they’re probably at the level of our frontline soldiers. Unlike Kenjirou and his team from before, their level is far beyond that.”

He took a sip of his coffee, savoring the bitter taste as his eyes fell on the third person’s picture:

Angrar.

”Ugh! Just looking at him makes me want to crush this guy completely. I don’t know why, but looking at this person’s picture makes me want to tie him to a tree and hit him with a mana cannon nonstop until he’s gone.”

He scowled, his voice dripping with disgust.

”He’s the kind of person who manipulates others, a shithead who chases power and doesn’t care how dirty his hands get. The kind of person who would stab his own allies in the back if it meant gaining more power, and doesn’t care who he steps on to get what he wants. Absolutely disgusting.”

Javier exhaled heavily, still reading the documents with a bored expression.

”This Angrar guy is the leader of a team of five, including Jaigar, under Goddess Maekaria. Julius has nineteen members under him, including Gorak and Vane. Why is it that every enemy Armand faces or has faced before has such disgusting weapons, disgusting actions, and disgusting personalities? It’s like they’re competing to see who can be the worst.”

He flipped to the next page, his expression growing more annoyed.

”And here’s another one. A female leader who has twelve summoned heroes on her team under their ’Goddess’ Rafazelia. Just looking at her face, I want to make Liana slap and kick her. Not only that, their weapons are supposedly ’divine,’ but the gleam, the structure, the power they emanate... there’s nothing divine about them. They look like cheap imitations.”

Javier leaned back, glancing up at the ceiling, his tone shifting to a more respectful one as he addressed Garius.

”It makes me wonder if these goddesses they claim to serve are real goddesses at all. Their so-called ’divine’ power doesn’t feel divine at all, and the heroes they’ve summoned don’t represent anything divine. They’re just... twisted.”

He shook his head before looking back at his father.

”Kenjirou’s weapon is still glowing to this day. Its light hasn’t faded. The weapons of the other five heroes from his group still pulse with power. But these so-called ’divine weapons’ we’ve captured... they’re dull. Lifeless. It’s like they’ve been drained or manufactured, not blessed.”

Garius smirked, leaning back in his chair as he took a slow, regal sip of his tea.

”As you assume, Javier. These ’goddesses’ they claim to serve aren’t real goddesses at all.” He set his cup down, his eyes sharpening.

”They are what we call Abyss Spirits. Different from Ari and Aria themselves, these spirits are known for their arrogance, their greed, and their insatiable desire for power. They think themselves divine, but they are nothing more than parasites feeding on the faith and energy of others.”

He crossed his arms, his gaze steady on Javier.

”So they’re just Abyss Spirits, huh?” Javier mumbled, his voice thoughtful. ”But how were they able to summon so many heroes from another world if they aren’t real goddesses? Summoning heroes on that scale requires immense power.”

Garius smirked again, his attention shifting back to the documents on his desk.

”The one who summoned them is likely not the spirits themselves, but the humans from the nations on the other continent. The summoning rituals were probably performed by the kings or high priests of those nations, using ancient rites that predate the spirits’ arrival. The Abyss Spirits simply attached themselves to the ritual, claiming credit and presenting themselves as the source of power.”

( End Of Chapter )