The banner guardian took out a large, beautiful crystal scepter. Probably because the crystal didn't match his warrior style, he placed the crystal scepter on the ground and said to EeDechi, "This is the scepter of the undead legion, you..."
"Vorath Ironreave, one World Item is enough. No need to give a second." The man in golden-red armor raised his hand, stopping the banner guardian's action.
"But... it's no use for me to keep it. The undefeated undead legion can't sleep forever in the scepter; that would be a torment for them." The banner guardian argued.
"We cannot give away World Items. That's the rule I set. Giving one already breaks the rule." The man in golden-red armor shook his head slightly.
"What's the big deal with giving one more? We're the empire's last bit of prestige—don't let others think we're stingy. Anyway, we have so many World Items." The giant bear guardian said discontentedly.
"World Items aren't like cabbages—you can't just give them away like that. What dignity would we have left? Are we just NPCs in charge of handing out props? We'd have no presence at all." A silver-shining guardian chimed in, supporting the man.
"World Items are rare treasures..."
"No matter how rare, if they're not used, what's the difference from scrap iron... When the emperors return, we can just forge a few more..."
"...I oppose..."
The 30 level-100 guardians argued nonstop, talking over each other and raising a ruckus. The scene turned chaotic in an instant, transforming the majestic great hall into a noisy flea market.
EeDechi helplessly sat cross-legged, waiting for these 30 goofballs to hash out a result.
After who knows how long...
"Hey? Where's my scepter? Where'd my big ol' scepter go?" The banner guardian shouted in alarm.
Everyone's eyes snapped to the ground in unison, only to find the spot where the Undead Legion Scepter had been sitting was now totally empty!
"Who? Who stole my scepter?"
The crowd scanned around with their gazes. EeDechi and the others were equally stunned, since during the 30 level-100 guardians' squabble, they hadn't budged an inch and wouldn't have swiped the scepter.
Finally, in the corner, everyone spotted the fate of the Undead Legion Scepter.
The priceless crystal scepter had been gulped down into Cheeko's belly...
All eyes locked onto Cheeko like spotlights, turning it into the undisputed star of the great hall.
Cheeko's obsidian-like round eyes bulged wide as it huddled into a quivering ball in the corner. Its cheeks puffed out like chipmunk pouches, and even though it was scared stiff, it forced down a hard swallow, sending the last bit of the scepter's tail into its mouth.
The dazzling glow of the Undead Legion Scepter swirled around inside Cheeko's gut!
"AH! AH! AH! AH! ... My legion scepter! Gobbled up by this fat cat!" The banner guardian's mouth gaped long in shock, bellowing in total horror.
EeDechi wore a totally blank look, clueless on how to deal with this mess.
Her own kitty had screwed up big time—what now?
In a pinch, EeDechi crouched down and shouted at Cheeko, "Cheeko, get over here! I'll protect you!"
Cheeko pumped its stubby little legs, hauling its glowing, ball-shaped body as it scrambled desperately toward EeDechi.
"Dissect this cat—we can still salvage the scepter!" A skeleton guardian spread his palm wide, and a suction vortex erupted. Cheeko got yanked by the powerful pull, jerked up sharply, and sent flying right into his grasp.
"No hope for it—we've gotta stew this fat cat and reclaim the magic!" Another wizard guardian slammed his staff on the ground, and Cheeko got dragged toward him instead.
The two massive forces tugged wildly at Cheeko, stretching its plump, spherical body almost flat as a pancake.
"Dissect it!"
"Stew it!"
"Dissect it!"
"Stew it!"
In the back-and-forth yanking between the two, Cheeko's body stretched longer and longer. Its round eyes bulged huge, brimming with terror.
"HISS... ROAR..."
With the long wail of war horns, countless shadowy figures spiraled up from the ground, clutching all sorts of weapons—longswords, massive spears, crossbows... their edges gleaming like new.
It was the soldiers of the undead legion! Their numbers were countless as grains of sand, packing the entire great hall to the brim.
The soldiers swung their blades, eyes cold and dead, charging straight at the skeleton guardian and wizard guardian perched on their thrones!
"Oh crap! This fat cat's got some otherworldly traits—it's already devoured the Undead Legion Scepter! Now, the cat is the Undead Legion Scepter! The undead legion's kicking in to protect its new master!" The banner guardian blurted out in total shock.
The skeleton guardian and wizard guardian released the suction from their hands, and the undead legion halted their attack.
"Ah, what's done is done." The banner guardian sighed helplessly.
"Wow! Such a cute kitty! Sky blue—how rare!" The rabbit-eared guardian hopped down from her throne, scooped up the shivering Cheeko in one swoop, and nuzzled it against her face, utterly doting.
A few other guardians eyed Cheeko with intent, but they were all glared back by the rabbit-eared guardian. Yep, being cute lets you get away with anything.
EeDechi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; it seemed things were heading in a different direction.
At this point, there was no turning back. The 30 level-100 guardians buzzed with discussion. Finally, they reached a consensus.
Gifting the World Item: Undead Legion Scepter to EeDechi was absolutely out of the question. But giving the Undead Legion Scepter to Cheeko, presenting it to this adorable fat kitty, that was acceptable.
"Little kitty, go for it!" The banner guardian cradled Cheeko, his brilliant golden eyes locking with Cheeko's black ones, and he said earnestly, "You must lead the undead legion to conquer the world, making this land remember the fear of being dominated by us!"
Cheeko nodded cluelessly, its tail swishing back and forth.
EeDechi wasn't worried that Cheeko, now wielding this power, would do anything evil. After all, Cheeko's Justice Value was 368—a total goody-two-shoes cat.
The storm settled, and Barrett's sword was forged. The group waved goodbye to the 30 guardians and left the temple.
"Come visit when you have time." The rabbit-eared guardian poked her head out from behind the door, watching Cheeko leave with a reluctant gaze.
...
EeDechi, Barrett, Franco, Antilene, Cheeko—four people and one cat—paddled a canoe down the stream, reaching the edge of the oasis. Then they left the oasis and boarded the Ride the Wind and Break the Waves magic-powered yacht once more.
"First, head to Baharuth to revive our old companions. Then to the City Alliance! Fix the Apocalyptic Mourning Bell skyship, fly to the gods-fallen lands, wipe out the World's Will, shatter the shackles, and break past level 100!"
EeDechi stood on the yacht's deck, brimming with gusto and resolve.
"Um... could you drop me off at the Sevenfold Heavens?" Antilene fidgeted nervously with her hands. "I need to retrieve something from the ancient ruins."
"What is it?" EeDechi asked.
"I can't say—it's a secret of our Slane Theocracy." Antilene lowered her head.
EeDechi then remembered that Antilene was an extra seat in the Slane Theocracy's Black Scripture. She wasn't an adventurer, but the top fighting force of the Slane Theocracy, burdened with the nation's missions and tasks.
"No problem, hand me the map. Let's head to the Sevenfold Heavens."