Azimuth: The Elden Throne

Sudden no?

Well, this is the perfect place to stop.

This Arc was a bit smaller than the other Arc, but it was good enough.

First Volume 65 chapters.

Second Volume 40 chapters.

While the first Volume had the Mc being exposed to this new world for the first time, the second Volume started to show that the game world wasn't the only thing he should be paying attention to.

While Volume 3 would expand both sides at the same time, leading to Volume 4... Whatever that will be.

It'll also be way bigger then Volume 1 and 2 combined.

I hope you all enjoyed it so far.

Peace!

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/Chaos/

Quickly, amidst the burning fire, cries, and falling debris from the nearby buildings, Dale approached the overturned van.

He had to be quick as he could see the lights of the houses lighting up and people rushing outside to find out what was going on, some already gazing at the street to see what was going on.

The sirens of the police cars and firefighters were also fast approaching, albeit this time, they were surprisingly fast as if they were ready for such a thing...

To avoid their gaze, Dale dashed forward with great speed, trying to avoid the people's eyes as he ran ahead.

"..."

'There.'

He quickly saw who he was looking for, the person that had tried to shoot him with the railgun but was stopped when he kicked the van away.

He was bleeding severely as the van itself seemed to have been hit by a train, bent in several areas and broken almost beyond recognition...

For a split moment, Dale thought to himself if he had overdone it as the sight of the blood and gore on the ground, the broken electric cars burning and overturned, the screams and sounds of stone and glass shattering made him feel... Strange.

As his hormones went back to normal levels, his rationale as a Modern man started to kick in...

But in the end, he forgot about it and focused on his task as their condition was irrelevant to Dale.

Although he had just gone through the experience of killing a real man, Dale felt no bad qualms about beating these people up a 'bit'.

He felt calm, perhaps due to his Skills, or simply due to his mental resilience. Whatever it was, it was working. He kept his focus and pressed on, despite this being his first time in such a real situation.

Perhaps playing those shooter games in Virtual Reality helped him get used to this...

But if so, then wouldn't this be the same for all others?

/Slap…/

He grabbed the collar of the second man and slapped him, but he didn't wake up, so after making sure he didn't have any sort of weapon, Dale placed him on his shoulder before turning around.

"..."

'I might as well take one.'

However, he took a glance at the van, and he decided to grab one of the black assault rifles and a black bag full of tools, ammo, and a strange cloth-like material he couldn't quite tell what it was, as having an extra weapon wouldn't be bad.

/FWOOSH!/

He rushed back to the other side of the street that wasn't as dark as before due to the lights of the houses, grabbing his simple bag of groceries as he disappeared into the darkness of the alley where a body now rested…

/Wee woo wee woo.../

Not long after, the streets were flooded with ordinary police officers and other personnel, including a group of Swat operatives that immediately locked the area and started to apprehend all of the people in the surrounding vicinity.

They were mostly preventing them from leaving while also trying to reduce web exposition of this matter as much as possible, which was rather easy thanks to the fact all internet access had been cut off or was malfunctioning for the last 20 or so minutes ever since Dale left his home.

They looked around and one of them said to the radio:

"Cobra 3, no signs of Prime-Omega. Over."

"Heard that, secure the area and proceed as planned, Cobra 9 to 13, advance." Replied a girl from beyond the radio

"Support is on the way, once the Representatives arrive, switch authority to them as instructed. Over."

He nodded, giving a few hand-sign orders to the other soldiers before making their way to the people, asking them to go back to their houses where it was safe while giving them standardized answers to their questions.

Of course, this wasn't welcomed as some resisted while some others simply watched from afar…

What can you say, these would be the same people that would cry to the government if they were to be caught in a crossfire.

But all of that was irrelevant to Dale…

…

/A few minutes ago…/

/BAM!/

"WHAT?! CAN YOU REPEAT WHAT YOU JUST SAID TO ME?!" Exclaimed Roger angrily as he received a report from his scout team

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR THEN?! MOVE! I WANT THE PERIMETER S-..."

He took a deep breath and continued after calming down:

"Secure the area, lockdown all local servers to prevent information outflow, and make sure the civilians are okay!"

"Cooperate with the local force, do not deny them of anything, do not give them a reason to complain of anything at all!"

"I want this case to be closed within 10 minutes!"

As he said that, he started to walk to the door.

"SIR!" Said his assistant in a serious tone as she got up from her chair

She grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back when she noticed he was planning to leave.

"You can't leave like that!"

/Bam!/

He punched the wall in anger, but it was enough, he had calmed down.

"Dammit Larissa!... Just... Just fix this damn situation." He said with a frown as he sat down on the couch, frustrated

'Mother fu…... So that was where they were hiding.'

'Those sons of bitches... Did they plan for this from the start, or did they improvise?

'No... Something is wrong.'

'They sent their weakest teams against my strongest squads, while they sent their strongest against my weakest...'

'It could be a coincidence but... It seems too coincidental... Much less with this.'

'How did they improvise a plan of this caliber within such a short period of time?'

'They had a team breach the net and lay an ambush… In fucking plain sight... In another damn Nation!'

'I knew the USA was having problems with regional security problems, but I did not expect it to be this bad... There could be enemy agents within their forces...'

'I don't know what they were planning to do after kidnaping him, but it had to be one hell of a ballsy plan to think they thought they could do all of it in front of my eyes!'

'The problem is… How do I explain this to him?... The very purpose of this operation was to limit their contact…'

'And now, I've realized that my own team may have been comprised already...'

He then thought of something.

"Larissa, give me control of a drone."

"A… Drone?"

"Unless you want me to go there myself and cause even bigger trouble... I need a drone, there's something I ought to do... Besides, change your clothes, I have a task for you."

But she quickly realized his plan, so she protested:

"Sir…"

"No Larissa, it doesn't matter anymore, it is a risk I'm willing to… A risk I have to take."

"We've already come this far, there's no point in trying to mitigate things with them now, they'll regard us as enemies regardless."

'Besides, I never liked them, to begin with, for 3 decades we've been at odds, a battle of wits in the dark.'

'Once it fully starts, we would aim at each other's necks almost immediately.'

'In that case, I must thank them, better an enemy of mine make a move than someone I have no relations with.'

'But with this, they've successfully tensed my relations with the USA, and if my worries are correct, they already have people within them to make things worse.'

"So we better go all in." He said seriously

"Alright, I'll make sure no interference gets in your way." She said professionally with a confident smile

He nodded, thankful.

"In the meantime, make sure no one approaches him, and remind Brime-Prime to keep an eye out, there may be more out there."

'If they get their hands on his family it's over, if it's his friends, he may still be willing to listen, but worse comes to worst...'

'If he decides to just lay haste the promised day may just come ahead of time, and no one is ready for that yet.'

'Neither do I want to be one of the people responsible for rushing it ahead of time!'

"Understood sir!"

…

/Sometime later…/

At the top of a 6-story tall house, Dale could be seen sitting in front of a knocked-out man.

He seemed upset though…

"... Sigh..."

'Although I brought him with me, I've never done this before… What I'm I supposed to do now?'

'Slap him until he gives me answers? Okay, but how do I wake him up?'

'If I pressured him, would he even speak? Perhaps he's one of those trained assassins, they did have quite a few weapons on their van…'

'Besides…'

He looked down towards the streets, gazing at a large digital clock hanging on the street and at the soldiers moving around.

'It's getting late and dangerous... I'm strong, but not stealthy...'

He looked towards the North, he could see his house from here.

'I never did parkour before, but I probably can go back by jumping around like the guy that tried to kidnap me, right?'

'But if a camera spots me... If one hasn't already...'

Dale turned his attention to the man, getting close to him.

He started small, shaking his shoulder and arms, but he didn't wake up.

Next, he tried pinching his arms and even twisting his skin, a slightly more stimulant approach, but nothing.

Finally, he tried slapping the man until his teeth came falling off, but the man did not wake up, he only kept bleeding…

"Damn… Did he suffer a concussion or something?"

But the man said nothing.

"Of course he did, what did you expect by smashing his car like that?"

"?!"

Dale turned his head quickly, trying to pinpoint the newcomer.

'I didn't hear a thing…'

'Haa... This night keeps getting better.' He thought ironically as he raised his black assault rifle

"Huh?"

But Dale became surprised when he turned, he saw an old man in a brown suit staring at him with a deep gaze.

However, Dale couldn't hear his breathing, nor could he hear his heartbeat… It was strange as if he was there and at the same time not.

"..."

"Aren't you going to ask me who I am?" The man asked as he raised his right eyebrow

"..."

"You're far more silent than I expected." The old man said with a small smile as he put his hands behind his back

'He's wary of me, it's normal, but I need to first break the ice, and then display how I'm not on his enemy's side...'

"Well then, since you're not asking, allow me to introduce myself and offer an apology… While I still can."

"For several reasons, I'm restricted from sharing my full name, but you may call me Robert for now. Old man will do as well." He said with a small smile as he nodded in satisfaction

Dale finally opened his mouth to say:

"I imagine you already know my name then."

"... Yes I do."

"So?..."

'Since he knows my name and came here with that in mind, what is his purpose?'

"Sigh, I can't blame you for being cautious and hostile, and I can't lie, it's annoying to be on the receiving end of it."

He looked away, and a nostalgic expression took over his face.

"I've been there once too."

"I would like to share the full story with you, but I'll have to keep it short."

"Why?"

'He's pressed for time, but for what exactly?'

"Ah… Finally decided to ask questions…" He said with a smile with a slight chuckle

"..."

"Not a man of words…"

'I need to wrap this up, I've taken long enough in this willy-nilly talk.'

"It's a bit off-topic, but young man… Just like you, I have a family I wish to keep safe, and by being here, I'm putting them in danger."

"The longer I remain here the higher the danger…"

Dale did not react to it though, instead, he asked:

"Is it worth it though?"

"... Yes. Yes, it is, you deserve some answers for my own incompetence."

'Looks like it's working, but this is only the start.'

"Alright then... What do you have to do with all of this?"

The old man immediately refused as he shook his head.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not together with those morons."

"So who are you? And who are they?"

"..."

"I would like to say that, but it's not the time for that yet I'm afraid…"

"For now, it would be appropriate to say we're on the same side, and that they are your enemies... No matter how much you try to look into this matter, their goals will never align with yours, but mine can very easily so."

"What they wish and what I want..."

"Old man... You can say whatever you want, it's not like they have a representative here to say their part either." Dale replied as he interrupted the old man

'Not that I would listen either way.'

The old man closed his eyes with an amused smile.

"Indeed, they have not, but even if there was, wouldn't you just beat him up as well?"

"For now, you can only trust my words and believe that I'm on your side."

"Your words?... I don't want to sound ruder than I already am, but your words mean nothing to me."

"I know, but do you have any choice on the matter? You either listen or not, but you won't choose the latter."

"You sound oddly confident about that... Do you know me?"

"Not quite, and not as much as you think."

Dale pondered deeply and said:

"... Hum... To your previous question, No I don't have a choice, but still, how can I trust the words of a man that isn't even here?"

"..."

The old man smiled.

/Bzz!/

Suddenly the man's figure started to flicker, and a small drone appeared in its place…

It was a hologram, a very lifelike one.

The drone zipped into the sky at high speeds, disappearing into the faint cold rain that had started to fall.

"What about now?"

Dale looked to the side towards the stairs leading down, there, he saw the same old man slowly walking towards him.

From his expression, breathing, heartbeat... It was the real deal.

"Are my words more believable now?"

"Why the drone when you were so close?"

Robert went silent for a few seconds as he closed his eyes.

"There was a promise, an Oath I made many, many years ago..."

"To be here, in the flesh, partly breaks it, and it puts me and many others in a terrible position."

"Does that concern me?"

"... Honestly, young man, if you understood the severity and rudeness of the words you just uttered, I wonder how your reply would change." Robert replied, annoyed

"Albeit political fights rarely have a right and wrong side, there's the moral sides."

"Those who fight for the people, and those who fight for something else."

"I'm willing to believe I'm part of the first... As I'm too old to fight for the latter anymore." He said as he shook his head

"You can listen or not, I already did my part, and even if it pains me to leave without concluding this matter, I'm willing to take this loss and forget we ever interacted."

"The only one seeking answers here is you, not me." He said deeply as he looked at Dale

"We'll see, it'll depend on what you have to say." Dale replied coldly, not really scared by the old man, even if his words weren't a threat by themselves

There was no need for him to say anything else, it was the old man's cue to start talking.

Dale was being very arrogant right now, if the old man was powerful and didn't have patience, he might've very well stopped and left right there, leaving him to deal with the consequences of his own actions alone...

Although in the first place, that would end up causing him even more trouble in the long run...

Besides, Dale knew that from the moment the old man came here with his own body, he wouldn't be leaving so easily, as such, he acted distant as a way to drive out his secrets.

But that was under the idea the old man was patient and valued him...

"As I told you before, our time is limited, so I will be brief."

"Right now, you're being targeted by an off-country organization due to your recent actions, and this will repeat in the future... Multiple times, not only by them but by others as well..."

"I cannot tell you the reason why this is such, but I can tell you aren't the only one that has been thrown in this crossfire."

"It would be wise if you even treated your own nation with a certain degree of suspicion."

"The US isn't known for treating people like you kindly unless you wish to become a selfless puppet."

"There is no such thing as trust here, only corporate business, though of course, if you're confident in dealing with them, you're very much allowed to try."

"Alright then... Let's say I believe that, who is this organization? What is their goal? Why me? Why now? What do they wish to gain from all of this?"

"..."

The old man remained silent for a few moments before replying:

"What this organization does and its aims… I can't share it… Not until you fulfill the requirements, I deeply apologize for being so... Cryptic about it all."

"For now, take them as an unethical group that has an even more unethical goal... If that means anything to you at all."

"On this note, I'm also part of an off-country organization, although my goals of mine aren't as unethical as theirs or so I believe."

"And it's also one of the reasons our time here is so limited, I follow the rules, they do not."

"Another reason why I shouldn't be here is the fact that the United States isn't really welcoming to outside powers like us."

"But there is something I can assure you… At least for now and in the near future, your family and friends will be completely okay."

'At least for now... Once the US sniffs out his existence, they'll strike... Which won't take long.'

'And it'll be at that moment... I'll be there for him.'

'He doesn't need to know that though, what I said should be enough to convey my meaning to him.'

"Initially, I came here to impede these people from acting without you being dragged into it, but it ended up as such."

"Do you do this frequently? What do you gain from all of this?" Dale asked as he crossed his arms

"I don't usually do this kind of thing, much less appear directly, this is probably the first time I moved out of my way to resolve such an issue in the past decade..."

"I'm honored." Dale joked with a serious gaze

Roger smiled, he pointed at the man on the ground and said:

"For now, you don't need to worry about backlash from them, I'll be the focus of their attention."

"That I can understand... But there's still one thing bothering me..."

"Why do so much for me?"

Roger looked at the bright moon in the sky hidden behind the clouds and said:

"For an opportunity..."

'The future.'

"Because I believe you to be worthy of that."

"As I have believed before and before that as well... For 6 decades I've been doing so."

"Gathering people for what's to come..."

"..."

'6... 6 decades?...'

"How should I take that? And what is coming?" Dale asked seriously

"... You'll understand, eventually."

"I'm not recruiting you, nor am I trying to control you."

"I'm simply... Extending you a hand."

'Since it came to this, you'll be approached by someone one day or another like today, let that person be me.'

He took out a pair of cards.

"This is the most I can do for you."

"Go to South America, figure out what is going on, and acquire the requirements, once you do, come to me in Japan."

Dale didn't pay attention to the cards as he asked:

"There is one last thing I wish to ask. What was..."

But Roger put his finger on his own mouth.

"Be careful of what you say in public, no one is hearing us right now, but in the future, that may not be the case for you."

"There is too much to say, too little time to talk."

"And if I were to start now, you would be leaving with more questions than answers, grow more, as much as you can, and once you feel strong enough, or that you've hit a wall, go to South America, follow the card."

"The other card will be proof of your 'Status'."

"..."

Dale started to read the card, but with each word, he became more and more shocked.

The first card was a simple black card with no words on it, taking a closer look showed Dale that it was made of metal and it was probably filled with electronic devices.

But the second one was a plain plastic business card… But Dale did not remove the possibility of this also being tampered with.

It read: Robert XX CEO of Elden Throne.

"CEO of... Elden Throne?!"

'They of all people?!'

"Wait! You are… Huh?"

But when Dale lifted his head, he was gone.

"..."

'Robert... That Robert?!...'

"My head hurts..."

'Looks like there is someone to investigate once I get home.'

He turned around, but once he did, he realized that the man and the bag of weapons he had placed aside had disappeared.

Only his grocery bag was left.

"He took my things?... How cheap!!"

Dale crouched and grabbed his grocery bag, thankfully, the eggs he bought were still intact.

"This keeps getting weirder, and I now feel oddly stuffy and uncomfortable."

'Is this the feeling of being paranoid?'

Dale frowned.

'I don't like it.'

Silently, Dale jumped from the ceiling of the building.

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Notes

Volume end! Yay!

See you all soon!

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