Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 13 - Chapter 6.1

Interlude: The Assault on Altea 
 
An electronic sound rang out from a device in the corner of the room. 
It was heard by a single woman — King of Thieves, Zeta. 
She was doing little besides listening to it. The device had been given to her by the imperator, but despite that, it was profoundly simple. Paired with a couple of switches, its only function was to make one of two electronic noises, depending on which switch was pressed. 
It was so specialized in range and counter-jamming that this was the only thing it could do — but knowing its purpose, that was more than enough. 
The device was intended to inform Zeta in case the negotiations went awry or if the operation was canceled. The sound that had rung out a moment earlier indicated the former. 
Their peaceful-yet-subtle plan A had been called off in favor of their more direct plan B. 
“Shame,” Zeta said. “This means my desire wasn’t fulfilled.” 
Dryfe’s second condition, in its original form, had been Zeta’s own request. Sechs Würfel — the leader of I.F. — was currently in the gaol, and she saw this condition as a way of getting him (and Gerbera) out of it. 
However, she did say that she wouldn’t mind it much if Altar refused her demand, or if the entire negotiation process failed as it apparently had just now. If it had actually passed, Zeta would’ve helped Dryfe in their anti-Caldina efforts, but it was fine by her if it didn’t. In her mind, Sechs could get out of the gaol by himself anyway. 
All that was left for her was to commence the anti-Altar operation Dryfe had already paid her for — her first and final job for the imperium. 
“Very well. Commencing. I will do as requested,” she said, taking out a Jewel... and shattering it. 
Motes of light rose up from the remains of the Jewel, then gathered together to form four humanoid figures. 
“Demonstration. I will have you show me your power.” Zeta spoke to the people she’d smuggled into Altea. “Expectation. You were already given your instructions. I have high expectations. I’m certain La Crima did fine work with you all.” 
Three of the four smiled in response. They were all eager for the chance to show off their power. 
The last one, however, was merely staring at the giant castle outside the window with a somewhat distant look. 
“...Is that where he is?” Empty as his eyes were... there was a strong will burning deep within them. 
 
Royal Capital, Altea, Rose Garden 
The castle at the heart of Altea had been built in the time of the founding king, the first Azurite. It was the work of his friend who held the title of Great Chief Carpenter, the Superior Job from the carpenter grouping, and it possessed numerous qualities that displayed that fact quite clearly. Some were security measures, but there were also features that merely served to improve the quality of life within the building’s walls. 
The most noticeable of these was the rose garden blooming within the indoor courtyard. 
The walls of the castle reflected sunlight, meaning that the enclosed garden was as brightly lit as anything outside. Ever since the days of the first Azurite, it was a royal family tradition to have tea parties here with their closest friends and family. 
After the death of the previous king, Eldor Zeo Altar, only the gardener frequented this place; but now, by the desire of the royal family, a tea party was being held here once again. 
The participants were quite unusual, however. 
“Wow! Cang, I’ve never had anything like the tea you brought!” 
“I imagine not. It’s Huang He tea. We still had some leaves left untouched, so I thought this tea party would be the perfect time to brew them.” 
Sipping tea from a white porcelain cup was the organizer of this little party — Second Princess of Altar, Elizabeth. The smiling boy sitting at the table with her was the Third Prince of Huang He, Canglong. 
The two were betrothed, and Elizabeth had invited him to this tea party as a guest of honor. 
But they obviously weren’t the only participants. 
“...Why’s therE popcorn at a teA party?” asked Master Jiangshi, Xunyu, as she gobbled up the popcorn in question. The Superior was here as Canglong’s bodyguard, and she had removed her Tenaga-Ashinaga. They just weren’t fitting for the occasion, after all. 
“Umm! I bought it from a bear I met in town the day before yesterday!” said the guest who’d brought the popcorn, all smiles. She was Milianne — the little sister of the royal guard’s vice-commander, Liliana Grandria. She had a habit of sneaking into the castle. That was exactly what she’d been doing today, but Elizabeth had discovered her — and since they were friends, she was invited to join. The popcorn was her way of thanking Elizabeth for the invitation. 
“I had it in my inventory!” Milianne added. Liliana herself was also here to guard the tea party, and she was deeply surprised by the presence of her little sister. Part of her couldn’t help but worry that Milianne would cause some trouble. 
She was also completely certain that the castle’s security was functioning properly, so Milianne’s presence here didn’t make any sense to her. 
Anyhow, this children’s tea party had two more participants — though it was questionable whether one of them counted. 
“...They’re delicious. I suppose Shu made these?” 
“Dor...” The person commenting on the popcorn was Elizabeth’s little sister and the Third Princess of Altar, Theresia. Instead of a chair, she was sitting on a giant hamster she called “Dor,” and she was also here by Elizabeth’s invitation. 
“Theresia! Drink the tea Cang brought!” Elizabeth insisted. 
“Certainly. Thank you Elizabeth. I’ll try it right away.” 
Like the good sisters they were, they were enjoying tea together. It almost seemed as though this whole tea party had been arranged just for the purpose of inviting Theresia. 
...Your Highness, Liliana thought to herself, thinking back to the day before yesterday. 
The day before Altimia left for the peace talks, Elizabeth had told her that she would marry Canglong. That was the conclusion she’d come upon after much thought both during and after the Love-Duel Festival. 
This will surely be her last tea party here, Liliana thought. If today’s peace talks went well, Elizabeth would join Canglong on his departure back to Huang He tomorrow. But even if peace was established, the world would still be in turmoil. Once Elizabeth was in Huang He, returning to the kingdom would be difficult. 
That was exactly why she’d invited Theresia to this tea party. 
She wanted to give her sickly little sister, who probably didn’t have much time left in this world, just one last tea party with her. 
She wanted to show Theresia her fiancé and let the little girl see them both having fun together, to assure her that they would be just fine. 
Just thinking of all the emotion that Elizabeth had poured into this event made Liliana tear up. 
“Dor, dor!” Dor suddenly made some noises that sounded... really fake. It actually seemed like someone who could speak just fine trying to mimic the sound they thought an animal might make. 
“Dor...? Ohh, right,” said Theresia. 
“Theresia? What’s wrong?” Elizabeth asked. 
“...It’s almost time to take my medicine, but it seems that I left it in my room. I’ll go get it.” 
“Why not gEt a maid to dO it?” 
“The medicine is precious, so I keep it locked up. I’ll be back in a moment.” 
Once Theresia said that, Dor stood up on all fours and walked out of the rose garden. Xunyu watched them until they were out of sight. 
“...You know, I’ve beEn thinking... Why doEs a sickly princess hAve a rodent as a pet? It dOesn’t make sensE.” 
To someone with a weak constitution, small rodents could be dangerous carriers of pathogens, and Dor wasn’t even a “small” rodent. 
“Who gave it to hEr, anyway?” Xunyu wondered. “There are mOre sensible pets to cHoose, aren’t thEre? Your dragOn’s a good example.” 
After Franklin’s Game, Count Gideon had gifted Elizabeth a Pure-Dragon for her protection. 
...Though, she’d used it to run away once, so now it was carried around by her bodyguards instead. 
“I don’t know where she got him, either,” said Elizabeth. “He was there by Theresia’s side before we even realized it.” 
“...WhAt?” Elizabeth’s answer only confused Xunyu further. 
“...Are you saying that a monster snuck into the castle and got close to her?” asked Canglong. 
“Father said, ‘Such things are to be expected with Theresia... It must have come to protect her,’ and then declared him Theresia’s pet.” 
Elizabeth’s answer just made both Xunyu and Canglong think for a long time. Specifically, they were both trying to figure out what the previous king meant by ‘Such things are to be expected with Theresia,’ but neither of them could come up with an answer. 
The weight of the mystery almost made the air between them feel heavier, but then... 
“But Dor is really cute!” 
...Milianne, clueless as she was, completely dispelled that atmosphere. 
“Indeed,” said Elizabeth. 
“...Well, I cAn understand why childrEn would like it,” Xunyu shrugged. 
“Are you not a child yourself?” Canglong asked her. 
The question was shelved, and the tea party continued. 
A few minutes after Theresia left, someone spoke to Liliana. It was Sir Lindos, one of the royal guards who was also tasked to act as a bodyguard. 
“Lady Grandria,” he addressed her. 
“What is it?” 
“There’s trouble at the main gate. Someone is trying to enter the castle without permission.” 

“Huh? Why not merely confirm that they do not have permission and then ask them to leave?” 
“The problem is this person’s identity, actually. The individual at the gate is...” 
Upon hearing the name, Liliana widened her eyes. 
“Huh?! Are you certain it’s him?!” 
“We need you to confirm. You are among those who were present at the battle a few years ago.” 
Those words were enough for Liliana to understand that she was needed immediately at the gate. 
“Your Highnesses, I must briefly pass my bodyguard duties to someone else,” Liliana told Elizabeth and Canglong. 
“Very well!” 
“Sir Lindos, keep the rose garden safe. You too, Miss Xunyu. We will be counting on you if something happens.” 
“Understood,” Sir Lindos nodded. 
“Well, I’m Cang’s bodYguard. I can protEct Elizabeth and yoUr little sistEr on the side.” 
“...Thank you. Milianne, make sure you do not trouble them.” 
“Okaay!” And so, Liliana headed out to the main gate, completely unaware of what awaited her there... 
 
Liliana arrived at a hallway from which she could see the main gate. Looking down, she caught sight of the guards who had encountered trouble — and the three men who faced them. 
They were all clad in caster-like robes, with hoods hiding their faces — the very definition of “shady-looking.” 
However, the old man at the front stood out to her more than the others. 
He was clad in a red robe and had a long, flowing beard — the very picture of a true master magician. His aura, as well, was completely unlike that of the other two... 
“Is that... truly him?” 
...And Liliana recognized his face. 
It would have been embarrassing not to recognize such an illustrious individual. After all, this was the man who had rivaled the Arch Sage for the title of the greatest spellcaster in the kingdom a mere four years ago. 
“Mr. Feuer... Lazburn.” King of Blaze, Feuer Lazburn. He was one of the tians Azurite had been looking for, and a true expert on fire magic. 
However, he was supposed to be missing. 
Liliana had already been informed of that fact, and it made his sudden appearance here in the capital — the castle itself, at that — even more of a mystery. 
“Umm, Mr. Feuer Lazburn? What business do you have here?” one of the gate guards who recognized him asked. 
However, Feuer wasn’t even looking at him. His mouth twitched as he whispered, “...Where?” 
“Eh?” 
“Where is... the Arch Sage?” Neither the guards nor Liliana could understand what he was saying. 
After all, the Arch Sage had died in the previous war. There wasn’t a single Altarian in the world who didn’t know that. 
“Umm, the Arch Sage is—” 
“He must be here... If he isn’t... he will surely come soon... Does he need... a signal fire?” 
The gate guard tried to explain, but before he could finish, Feuer just kept whispering as if he couldn’t even hear him. 
The guard looked at his partner, but he too seemed confused about what to do. 
The only person who knew the best course of action for this situation... was Liliana, who was still watching the interaction from above. 
“...GET AWAY!” she screamed. 
However, before the guards could react to her words... 
“A signal fire... can be arranged.” 
...Two extra hands sprouted from Feuer’s back. 
That was only the beginning of his transformation. 
Something seemed to be rippling under his skin as his body gained more volume and his silhouette warped grotesquely. Soon, he’d grown an entire twisted extra pair of arms and stood so large that he no longer looked like an old man... or even human. His skin had also turned a blazing, unnatural red. 
He then aimed his four arms at the guards and the gate behind them before speaking the words “Crimson Sphere.” 
In an instant, four giant orbs of fire shot out from the hands of the creature that had once been Feuer. They easily incinerated the two guards and exploded against the gate. 
These flaming orbs were far more powerful than standard Crimson Spheres, and even the magic-protected gate melted before them like butter. 
The deafening roar of the fire and the rising black smoke signaled to the castle... and the entire city... that something major was happening. 
“SHOW YOURSELF! ARCH SAGE!” This would certainly do for a signal fire. The thing that was once Lazburn had committed this brutal act to summon the person he was looking for. 
However, he wasn’t the only one who had undergone a terrible transformation. 
The appearance of the men who accompanied him had also changed drastically. One had become some sort of hybrid between man and spider, while the other now appeared to be part bat. 
Needless to say, they had left humanity far, far behind. 
“What... What are they?!” Liliana’s horrified shout surely echoed the feelings of anyone who had ever laid eyes on these creatures. 
However, there was one key fact that she could not have known. 
Even if she instinctively recognized these beings as abominations, she could never guess that they were the work of a single person... a single Superior Embryo. 
 
 
There existed a Superior Embryo called “True Form Alteration, Idea.” It was a Type Legion composed of parasitic organisms that snuck into the bodies of animals and altered the abilities of their hosts. This Embryo could make them beautiful, healthy, or even grant them new capabilities. 
It could give someone powers that no human had ever possessed — as well as make them human no longer. 
Some of its hosts were like Lazburn, who might still qualify as humanoid, but no one would say he was actually human. Regardless of how they were classified, these kinds of mutated hosts shared very little with mankind. 
Others simply had their bodies modified to give them abilities far beyond those of their original forms, while still others had their brains modified to hinder their will. Some of its hosts even ended up transformed in both body and mind. 
They had all been modified by the Master of True Form Alteration, Idea... La Crima “The Source of Errors.” 
They were the subjects of this Superior Embryo, as well as extensions of it. According to Platonism, they could be described as its “forms” or “ideas.” 
In one corner of the noble district, a figure watched over these Ideas with emotionless eyes. This figure was none other than the woman who had shattered the Jewel and unleashed these beings upon the capital. Covered in bandages like she had just stepped out of a crypt, she was King of Thieves, Zeta. 
“Excellent,” she said. “This is the first time we’ve deployed specimens that were originally Superior Jobs, and despite some minor mental disturbances, their physical state seems acceptable. They can also still tell friends and enemies apart. I will have to send this data to La Crima.” 
Her tone was neutral, showing how unshaken she was by the tragedy she had unleashed upon the castle and its guards. 
“Beginning. Ignis Idea, Aranea Idea, and Vespertilio Idea have infiltrated the castle.” 
The creatures she had released served as assassins. Zeta tended to operate alone, so La Crima — a fellow I.F. member — had given these creatures to her, and she now employed them as combatants in her act of terrorism. 
They were also intended to test how such creatures would perform in future I.F. operations, to gather data for La Crima — who was currently in Tenchi, a country full of quality specimens — and to complete the task given to her by the imperator of Dryfe. 
“Favorable. Even tian Superior Jobs can be improved to a level above pre-Superior Masters.” 
Perhaps the strongest among those she’d been given — “King of Blaze, Feuer Lazburn,” codename “Ignis Idea” — was beginning to push into the castle itself, blasting fire from all four of his hands. The spider-like Aranea Idea and bat-like Vespertilio Idea had also passed through the shattered gates and entered the castle grounds. 
“Simultaneous. Regina Apis Idea and Apis Idea have also begun their attacks around the castle.” 
Black smoke rose and screams echoed from the capital townscape behind Zeta. 
To keep the Masters outside the castle in check, she had also created chaos in town by releasing one Idea with a Superior Job as a starting point, along with many of its underlings, all of which were based on high-rank jobs. 
The Rabbit had killed many of the bodyguards who were supposed to guard the peace talks, so their ranks had been replenished with Masters who would’ve originally stayed in the capital. Zeta believed that those who were left would find it difficult to handle what she had dispatched. 
“Action. The order had already been given. The timing may have changed, but my job remains the same,” said Zeta — the Superior to whom the imperator had given this final request. “Goal. Infiltrate the castle, steal what must be stolen, and erase what must be erased. That is all.” 
She leaped from roof to roof in the noble district before heading into the chaotic castle herself. 
Set off by the peace talks, the imperium’s fangs had finally begun to close on their throats. 
They would take what was to be taken and kill what had to be killed.