Athanasia: My Hacker System-Chapter 203: Blue Sacred Challenge and the Holy Right!

No one questioned how John possessed such detailed information. They had long ago reached a silent consensus to let John do his magic and provide the results. However, the description of the Krogers triggered a simultaneous thought in everyone’s mind.

"If it’s like that," Elena said, her eyes scanning the faces of her companions, "then isn’t it better to try and take control over them first instead of the Bulltors? Why save a dying race when a fully equipped one is right there?"

"I know we’ve built a strong base here," Ricky added, gesturing to their silver walls, "but as you said, they already have an entire territory lined with superior defences. It’s way better to gain their allegiance and use their base instead as ours."

"And they are positioned right next to the human territory," Luke chimed in, pointing towards the south with a finger. "We could simply gather the six thousand humans there and migrate them directly into the Krogers’ territory. It’s a much shorter trip."

"What do you think, John?" Cissel asked. She, too, was clearly in favour of this pivot.

John listened and eventually sighed. He had considered this exact move before he even woke them up. However, when he had subtly questioned the Bulltors about the Krogers while his friends were still asleep, he had received the same frustrating answer every time.

"That race won’t yield to anyone until after a race has officially won the trial pocket," John sighed, rubbing his temples. "I asked the Bulltors multiple times about this last night, and they stressed the same warning. If we try to take over the Krogers by force before the trial is concluded, we’ll lose, like terribly lose against them."

"..."

The group fell silent, recalling how Lanmar and the others had spoken of the Krogers with a mix of reverence and caution. It seemed the Krogers were a golden gem waiting for the final victor, not a weapon to be wielded in the middle of the struggle. They were the final prize.

Before anyone could propose a counter-argument, the eleven Bulltors drew closer to them, led by Lanmar and Reody. The air grew heavy with the weight of their decision.

"We are willing to help," Reody said, pausing to glance at Lanmar with a weary sigh. "But... There is a condition. A non-negotiable one..."

"You need to promise us that you’ll help our people get revenge on those maniacs first!" Lanmar shouted, his rage as explosive as ever. Even after taking almost an hour in debating, the news of his people’s slaughter looked like a fresh, bleeding wound.

"Sure, we have to kill the Hivemind eventually..." John started to say, aiming for a neutral, non-committal stance. He hadn’t quite grasped the specific depth of Lanmar’s demand yet.

But Lanmar interrupted him, his fist shaking as he pointed toward the Hivemind’s southeastern direction. "I don’t mean eventually, I mean once you’ve gained our people’s trust and loyalty, you must move at once to kill those bastards! No delays, no waiting for the perfect moment. We move, we hit their base, and we kill them all!"

"Well..." John looked at the faces of the eleven Bulltors. Their resolve was ironclad; he could see it in the set of their jaws and the tension in their massive frames. This wasn’t a request; it was the price of their allegiance. And yet the request was way too much to ask from only five humans.

"I can promise you that," John finally said, his voice low and serious. "But on one condition of my own: you’ll have to do it my way. No blind charging, no attack without proper planning and preparation. We move when I say, and we strike where I point. Do we have a deal?"

And before Lanmar could find his breath to interrupt again and object, John leaned forward, his eyes narrowing into a cold, threatening glare that pinned the giant Bulltors where they stood.

"Don’t you dare expect me to lead two thousand Bulltors in a blind charge against the full force of the Hivemind," John purposefully paused, to let his words seep deeper into their souls and minds.

"If you plan to simply march into their backyard and wait for me to magically kill ten thousand properly prepared Hiveminds, then your plan is suicidal. If you are so eager to join your dead comrades in the afterlife, just give me the sign. I’ll save the Hivemind the trouble and kill you right here, on the spot!"

The icily cold words acted like a lightning blow. Lanmar, usually a fountain of boisterous rage, found himself swallowing his retort, his throat suddenly tight.

The other Bulltors shifted uncomfortably, feeling a chill they hadn’t felt since they first met John. Only Reody remained still, his eyes watching John with a terrifying calm and curiosity, waiting for the human’s next move.

"I promise we’ll take them down. I promise we will kill them all," John continued, his tone shifting from a threat to a vow.

"On top of that, I promise your people will be our primary fighting force. They will have the satisfaction of painting the walls of your base with Hivemind blood and filling it with a carpet of their corpses. But, and this is not a suggestion, you need to play by my rules, follow my orders, and stick to my plan! Is that crystal clear?"

The heavy, suffocating silence that followed was more definitive than any vocal agreement. John let the tension simmer for a moment before shifting gears.

"Now, before we even dream about going that far, I need to know something first. Is there a way to take over the remnants of your people without the need to slaughter half of them just to demonstrate my prowess? If I show up as a conqueror and kill your warriors to scare the rest into submission, I’m just shooting myself in the foot."

This was the crux of why he had pushed for their voluntary cooperation. If he relied solely on these eleven as diplomats, the suspicious survivors back at the Bulltor base would likely view them as traitors or puppets.

If he used raw strength, he would destroy the very resource he was trying to acquire. He needed a backdoor, a loophole that would grant him legitimate authority over the race without the need for a war.

He had gambled that a race as ancient and martial as the Bulltors had some tradition for such things. And as he watched the expressions on their faces change, he knew his gamble had paid off.

"Ahem... There is a way," Lanmar finally spoke. His voice was harsh, stripped of its usual bravado. "It is an ancient ritual of our people. But it is a path of madness. It is... Very dangerous."

"He’ll take the shot," Reody interrupted, patting Lanmar’s broad back with a faint, knowing smile. "You can tell just by looking at him, this human is crazy enough to try anything if the reward is high and the prize is guaranteed."

"You’ve got me curious," John admitted, his mind already craving for more information about whatever ritual they were talking about. "What exactly are you implying?"

"It is a deadly challenge against the leaders of our Holy Bloodlines," Lanmar explained, pausing to heave a heavy sigh. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"It is considered an impossible challenge by our standards, but I will tell you. To initiate it, you must first bring the head of one of our greatest enemies as an offering to prove you are worthy. Then, you must invoke the Blue Sacred Challenge.

There are currently twelve descendants from the Holy Bloodlines remaining in our race, and they have representatives in our group that came to this trial pocket. Whoever is still breathing among them will be called to face you in a life-or-death struggle."

"And what do I gain from all this risk?" John asked. He liked the sound of a sacred challenge, but he needed to know the payout.

"The winner gains the Holy Right," Reody intervened, cutting through Lanmar’s hesitation to sum up the prize. "The winner becomes the supreme authority, ruling over our people in the trial pocket."

"In other words," Lanmar continued, picking up the thread, "when you kill those twelve leaders, or force them to submit willingly, which is practically impossible given their legendary arrogance, you become the sole and supreme leader of every Bulltor in this pocket trial. You’ll gain the two thousand Bulltors you need, but...."

John’s eyes shone with a fierce light. This was exactly what he was looking for. To lead the race by the right of ancient ritual was infinitely better than leading them by the collar of a magical contract.

"Yet... You need to know the constraints of this challenge," Lanmar warned, seeing the look on John’s face.

"Once the Blue Sacred Challenge begins, the rules of the old world take over. You will have to fight all twelve of them at once. It is not a duel; it is a one against all type of fight.

On top of that, as the challenger, you are restricted: you can only use one single item or weapon of your choosing. They, however, are permitted to use every weapon and relic in their arsenal."

"One weapon is more than enough for me," John interrupted, his voice flat and brimming with an earned arrogance that made the Bulltors flinch. He didn’t care about the look of distress on Lanmar’s face or the worried glances Elena and Cissel were exchanging behind him.

"I’m going to do it this way," John declared, standing up and dusting off his gear. "I’ll initiate the Blue Sacred Ritual and earn the Holy Right. Then, and only then, we’ll start the real moves against the Hivemind. We’ll wipe them off the map, every last one of them. This pocket trial is ours."