This baffling character card she drew had her covered in question marks.
Every one of those words she knew. But how was it that when put together, they became incomprehensible?
The prevailing theory had always been that Screwllum was the most likely candidate to be Rubert III.
How did it end up being Herta?
Furthermore, wasn't Irontomb the Lord Ravager specifically targeting Nous?
Weren't people saying its missing head wanted to devour Nous? How did it end up devouring Herta?
And besides… what kind of back-alley path was this anyway? It was just too strange.
And the most important point: the title 'Rubert III' was far too special.
The upheavals brought by the first two Emperors had nearly triggered a mass extinction of inorganic life across the universe.
If not for Screwllum's unexpected rise, who knew what state inorganic life would be in now?
The identity of Rubert III was incredibly sensitive.
Putting everything else aside, if this identity were to become known to the IPC, then all of Screwllum's efforts over so many years would be completely wasted.
This inherently restricted the identity from being used for any high-profile, grandiose deeds.
She decided she would talk to Screwllum and Herta about it later.
Honestly, she had no idea what this 'Rubert Herta' was even capable of.
After being devoured by Irontomb, did it still retain the genius intellect?
After all, the prefix on this character card was 'Lord Ravager', not 'Genius Society'.
Shaking her head, she pushed these thoughts down.
'Sparkle' looked towards Oswaldo, who was stubbornly tanking the fleet's main cannons while dismantling a transport ship.
Then, transforming into an Arbiter, she appeared before him.
The cowboys were currently stunned by Oswaldo's strength.
They had thought seizing the warship was a sure thing, never expecting Oswaldo to be this powerful. And the sudden appearance of 'Sparkle' caused both sides to pause temporarily.
"Who are you?" one of them demanded.
"An Arbiter of no consequence,"she replied, her voice adopting a detached, formal cadence.
"Oswaldo Schneider, you have taken up a power you should never have touched."
'Sparkle' recalled the precise tone of the Arbiter she had once witnessed. She took out that chessboard and unfolded it right before Oswaldo's eyes.
"...I know of your kind," Oswaldo said, his voice wary.
"Maintaining that nonsensical balance across the universe. What do you want?"
He stared at this Arbiter who had appeared out of nowhere.
A moment ago, he had harbored some doubt, wondering if it was a Fool in disguise. But when she unfurled that chessboard, brimming with the unmistakable scent of Equilibrium, that suspicion was entirely dispelled.
'Sparkle' saw the wary look in his eyes and knew he had bought the act.
"For the sake of balance, both sides must cease hostilities,"she declared. "And you, Oswaldo, require a zero-sum conflict."
"On what grounds?" he challenged.
Oswaldo could feel the power of the crystal growing stronger, and as the price, the detection device showed the planet's precious mineral deposits turning to worthless stone at an alarming rate.
Once the power reached a certain threshold, he could choose to halt the process. But after a brief hesitation, he had chosen power.
Compared to this ruined backwater of Aeragan-Epharshel, the power of an Emanator of Preservation was enough to secure him a pivotal position within the IPC.
Moreover, if he destroyed this planet for no reason now, it would only draw the Land of Light's attention, with a chance of birthing an Ultraman—a phenomenon that had occurred many times over the centuries due to such arrogance.
He hadn't planned to go that far; he just intended to destroy the stolen weapons, kill these cowboys, and leave.
However, choosing to stop himself was one thing.
Being told to stop by someone else was entirely another.
His pride wouldn't allow him to back down on the word of some random interloper.
"On no grounds other than balance,"'Sparkle' stated flatly. "If you insist on acting, then I shall have no choice but to forcibly detain that power here."
She continued, her tone matter-of-fact.
"This crystal harbors a failed divine fetus. The Amber Lord personally sealed away its remains. Relinquish the crystal, and I shall depart. Or else… accept this zero-sum conflict, and leave with the crystal."
As she spoke, the chessboard in her hand expanded, transforming into a vast, demarcated battlefield.
She raised her hand and pointed gently towards the crystal on Oswaldo's person.
"...Is Your Honor perhaps recounting some fabricated myth?" Oswaldo's breathing grew ragged.
A failed divine fetus? Sealed by the Amber Lord? What the hell… Hearing that, letting go was the last thing on his mind.
Not only would he keep this one, he'd find a way to seize the other crystal from that Fool, too!
'Sparkle' shook her head at his question.
"A tedious challenge. This power left behind by the Amber Lord—you may choose to relinquish it, or you may take it and leave."
As she spoke, an inverted reflection identical to Oswaldo appeared upon the chessboard, an identical crystal held in its hand.
"..."
It really was an Arbiter. As an IPC executive, Oswaldo knew their capabilities and that they acted under the direct will of the Aeon of Equilibrium.
Fighting one was futile, even with a full squad.
"I choose… conflict," he stated, the decision made.
"Granted."
'Sparkle' gave a slight nod and withdrew from the chessboard, leaving the battlefield to Oswaldo and his reflection.
The ensuing battle went rather poorly for the executive.
The reflection 'Sparkle' summoned was of an Emanator's caliber, and Oswaldo was thoroughly thrashed.
Yet, though he lost badly, the intense conflict allowed his crystal to save several days' time, rapidly completing its accumulation of power.
So much so that he eventually thanked 'Sparkle', bruised and battered, before hastily making his exit.
As for the cowboys, 'Sparkle' did not intervene further.
She merely informed them that Oswaldo had temporarily withdrawn but might return.
The aftermath could be left to the Land of Light, who had personnel for such diplomatic clean-up.
As for Boothill… whether he would even go by that name in the future was an open question.
Rumor had it he had a daughter. It was possible he might leave the path of the Galaxy Rangers behind.
The starship departed Aeragan-Epharshel.
The one who had been 'Sparkle' still toyed with the crystal in her hand. It was a tool—both a beacon to track Oswaldo and the potential key to shattering the grand illusion.
Her companion, the true Sparkle, watched the fidgeting and posed a question. "So, when do you plan to pop his little bubble of lies?"
A playful hum was the initial reply.
"Hmm~ Let's wait until after his promotion, I think. He's absolutely going to scheme and plot to take this little rock from me."
A grin spread across her face.
"Honestly, who told you to spin such a whopper? The best part is he actually swallowed it. I wonder if the Amber Lord himself knows he's supposedly capable of such a thing."
Having heard the outrageous tale her counterpart had concocted, Sparkle couldn't resist.
She raised her hand, giving the other her a firm, impressed thumbs-up.
It was a gesture of pure appreciation for the sheer audacity of the performance.
--+--