"Not at all. What I've done so far barely counts as the beginning. It's all been a coincidence."
Muria shook his head. He understood what Mikaela was implying. The Yokai Power he now possessed was, in fact, one of the fragments of power left behind by the self-dismantled Epic who had fallen in this world.
Mikaela assumed that Muria was intentionally collecting fragments of the Epic's power, but in truth, his possession of such power was mere happenstance. A stray yokai, carrying the Epic's residual energy, had wandered into the Ymir Plains and—by some twist of fate—ended up in Muria's grasp.
"However, now that I understand the source of the world's chaos, I do have an idea—something new to try."
Having learned of the Epic that could potentially revive in this world, Muria's interest was piqued.
"What's your idea?" Mikaela asked curiously.
"Before I explain, tell me—what was your original plan for dealing with this Epic? Or rather, what expectations did your grandfather have when he arranged for your reincarnation here?"
"He didn't set any strict requirements. But I'm sure you can guess: his primary goal was for me to prevent this Epic's resurrection."
"And how did you plan to achieve that?"
"My plan was simple—purge every creature in this world that had absorbed significant fragments of the Epic's power."
"…That's far too extreme."
"It's the only way. The Epic is the root of this world's chaos. Its power must be eradicated entirely for peace to be restored."
"In that case, I propose an alternative. Hear me out before deciding."
"I'm listening."
"Think about this: Theoretically, as long as the Epic's power ceases to exist in this world, the chaos will end, correct?"
"That's correct."
"So, what if we instead collect the Epic's fragmented power—gathering it all to fully revive the Epic—wouldn't that achieve the same result?"
"Do you even hear yourself, Muria?" Mikaela stared at him, calling him by name with a rare seriousness.
"I hear myself loud and clear." Muria chuckled. "Don't get worked up—let me explain."
"Fine. Go on."
"I once descended into a world alongside my mother, where I witnessed her steal the power of a god—a god with no consciousness. I watched her entire process, and I've been envious of her ever since."
"So you want to replicate what your mother did? You intend to steal the power of this fallen Epic?"
"Precisely. That's my plan."
"You're mad, Muria. Do you have any idea how strong this Epic was?"
"From what I've heard, it doesn't sound all that terrifying."
"The Epic wasn't defeated in a one-on-one battle. It was hunted down by a coalition of my ancestor and several other Epics. Together, they cornered it and forced it to dismantle itself."
"In other words, the Epic didn't fall in a fair fight—it was outnumbered and ultimately overwhelmed?" Muria's smile grew more confident.
"Yes, but you're not understanding the point! Even in defeat, this Epic was far more powerful than you imagine." Mikaela facepalmed, clearly frustrated.
"Isn't that all the more reason to proceed? The stronger the prey, the sweeter the spoils." Muria's resolve remained unshaken.
"Have you even considered the consequences if things spiral out of control?" Mikaela pressed, her expression darkening.
"I'm a living Epic, Mikaela. And what I'm facing is an Epic that's already fallen—without consciousness, without a body."
"So you're dead set on stealing the Epic's power."
"Stealing? That's an unpleasant way to put it. I prefer the term plundering." Muria grinned, clearly enjoying himself.
"Call it what you want. But are you truly going to go through with this?"
"Your plan was wasteful and overly cautious. Mine has far more potential."
"…Fine." Mikaela thought for a moment before nodding. "Let's go with your plan."
"That's it? You're agreeing already?" Muria was surprised. "Aren't you going to try harder to stop me?"
"When have I ever been able to talk you out of something you've already decided on?" Mikaela sighed, fully aware of her husband's stubborn nature. The allure of an Epic's power was not something he could easily resist.
"Good point." Muria smirked.
"If you insist on pursuing this, then be careful. Whatever you do, don't let the Epic's consciousness fully reassemble. You know better than anyone how terrifying an Epic's reconstructed body can be."
"My plan is to collect small fragments of its power first. If it starts to regain awareness, I'll eliminate it and proceed step by step, slowly devouring its strength. What do you think?"
"That's up to you to decide."
"Alright. But to gather this power, I'll need to wage war—conquering and expanding."
"I've already started doing that."
"By the way, I've been wondering—those other Epics who joined your ancestor in the battle against this one… did they all leave traces of themselves in this world as well?"
"Yes. Nearly all of them left fragments of their power and legacies behind to suppress the fallen Epic. My ancestor's strength alone wouldn't have been enough."
"Got it." Muria nodded. He now fully understood. The chaos in this world wasn't solely caused by the fallen Epic. The other Epics, including Mikaela's ancestor, also played a significant role.
The Epic, in its desperation to avoid total annihilation, had fragmented its divine body and merged with the world. This fragmented power, driven by instinct, led creatures infused with it to slaughter and assimilate one another, with the ultimate goal of reuniting its dispersed essence.
But the Epics who had defeated it weren't about to let it rise again. They had each left behind countermeasures, slowing the process of its resurrection.
As a result, the world had been plunged into endless chaos—a testament to the destructive consequences of Epic-level battles.
"By the way, I should mention—I've come here because of a delegation from the Creek Mountain Kingdom," Muria said, steering the conversation back to worldly matters. He recounted the absurd series of events that had led his yokai form to Mikaela.
When knowledge was asymmetric, such misunderstandings were inevitable. For Muria and Mikaela, who now held all the cards, it was little more than a joke to laugh at.
"The Creek Mountain Kingdom, huh? What about them?"
"They appeared in my territory, apparently searching for a new refuge. And they described you as some sort of villainous demon queen." Muria chuckled as he recounted the Creek Mountain delegation's request for his aid.
Hearing this, Mikaela couldn't help but laugh. "How amusing. They were fleeing from me and unknowingly ran straight to my husband."
"Does this country have any connection to the fallen Epic? From what I've seen, their rulers don't seem to possess fragments of its power."
Muria was confident in this assessment. While his yokai form had followed his envoy to the Creek Mountain Kingdom, he hadn't sensed the kind of resonance that would indicate the presence of Epic fragments.
"No, they don't. The Creek Mountain Kingdom derives its power from the world itself, not the Epic. But their very existence contributes to the chaos plaguing this realm."
"Understood." Muria didn't need to ask why Mikaela was attacking them. Between nations, morality was often irrelevant. In this fractured world, unification was the only just cause.
"The Creek Mountain Kingdom has requested my cooperation. Should I accept, only to betray them later? Or should I outright reject their plea and attack immediately?"
"Accept their offer, for now. It'll reduce casualties," Mikaela suggested.
"Fair enough. But I'll let your forces handle the main assault. My nation is still recovering from its previous wars and can't sustain more conflict right now."
"How pitiful. After all this time, your country is still so weak?" Mikaela teased.
"Weak? Do you know how dire my starting point was? Given the circumstances, I've done remarkably well. Not all of us are as lucky as you."
"Lucky?" Mikaela raised an eyebrow before recounting her near-death experience upon reincarnating. If anyone was unlucky, it was her.
"Fine, fine. At least your starting nation was stronger than mine." Muria attempted to console her, then shared his own struggles with using source energy early on.
"Why are we competing over who's had it worse?" Mikaela finally cut the conversation short, her expression exasperated.
"Hahaha."
"Let's leave it at that. I assume your main body has been following this entire conversation through your yokai form?"
"Of course." Muria's grin widened.
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