Chapter 42: Little Jibril Joins the Team

The moment Jibril appeared, both Schwi and Riku instantly tensed up.

The gap between lower-tier and mid-tier races was already enormous, and the gap between mid-tier and upper-tier races was simply insurmountable.

In front of a Flügel, neither Riku—who had fused with Crystal Remnants—nor Schwi—as an Ex-Machina—would stand a chance against Jibril.

Even if the two joined forces, it would be of little significance.

So, both of them turned their gaze to Origami Tobiichi.

Though they didn't know the true extent of Origami power, as the embodiment of the collective will of the Elf race, she should have no problem dealing with a Flügel.

They regarded Origami as their anchor, quietly waiting for her next move.

However, to their surprise, Origami neither chose to fight nor to flee.

She didn't even frown. As if nothing had happened, she calmly repositioned the game pieces scattered from the map and said, "You've frightened my followers."

"Are you blaming me?"

Jibril, who had suddenly appeared in the middle of the military camp and thrown thousands of Corpse Hunterss and Werebeast into panic, didn't care in the slightest about the effects of her actions.

Descending from the sky, she tossed a beast-hide-bound copy of the Codex of Spirits onto the table, crossed her arms, and asked, "Why don't you explain this thing before we talk about anything else?"

"Is there anything I need to explain?"

Seeing Origami completely expressionless face, Jibril wasn't sure if she was feigning ignorance or genuinely didn't understand what needed explaining, which only made her angrier.

"Of course there is! You randomly labeled me as the 'Angel of War' without even discussing it with me first!"

"Oh? So you came all the way here just for something that trivial? You must be really bored."

"I am bored, yes! But this isn't just some minor issue!" Jibril glared at her. "Sure, I want to kill the God of War, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to worship some other Spirit God—especially one I've never even met!"

"I simply borrowed your name and wrote a background story to help gather faith more effectively. No need to make a big fuss over it," Origami replied flatly. "I know you don't actually worship Tokisaki Mio. That's fine—neither does Schwi."

At the mention of the third of the Three Great Angels, Jibril finally turned to look at Schwi.

After examining her for a moment, a glimmer of interest sparked in Jibril eyes. She clicked her tongue and said in amazement, "So this is the true identity of the Angel of Machinery? A rogue Ex-Machina? Where did you find her?"

"You don't need to know."

Seeing Jibril taking an interest in Schwi, Origami raised her hand and placed it on Jibril shoulder. "Let's speak in private."

In the next instant, the two of them vanished from the spot.

Riku and Schwi exchanged glances, their tense nerves slightly relaxing.

From the conversation earlier, they could tell that this Flügel seemed to know Origami—and wasn't an enemy.

In fact, the "Angel of War" listed under Tokisaki Mio in the Codex of Spirits had been modeled after this very Flügel.

Riku had long wondered who the Angel of War, Jibril, actually was. Now he finally had the answer.

"Strange... when did Origami start working with a Flügel?" Riku muttered in confusion. "Wasn't the Flügel race one of her main targets for revenge?"

"That Flügel individual just now claimed she wanted to kill the God of War," Schwi analyzed. "Perhaps that's why Origami is willing to cooperate with her. Though it's unclear why a loyal Flügel would act this way, if her intentions are genuine, having a Flügel as an insider would significantly raise our chances of ending the Great War."

"I see… no wonder the Codex of Spirits describes the Angel of War as the one to ring the bell that ends the Great War," Riku said thoughtfully. "In that case, why did Origami need to talk to her alone?"

"Insufficient information. I cannot give a reliable answer," Schwi replied.

"Forget it. We'll just have to wait and see."

Riku sighed and stepped out of the torn-open command tent.

"Schwi, come help me calm the frightened soldiers. We need to explain what just happened."

Meanwhile, 50 kilometers outside the military camp…

After teleporting Jibril away, Origami let go of her shoulder.

"Was that really necessary?" Jibril didn't resist but spoke with a tone of helplessness and mild annoyance. "Sure, that Ex-Machina is really rare, and I'd love to take her back home, but since she's yours, I wouldn't steal her, okay?"

"You'd better not." Origami voice was expressionless. "She is very important to my plan. If you take him away, it will put me in big trouble."

"Important? How so?" Jibril asked curiously. "Sure, she's rare, but that's only because she's a lone Ex-Machina unit. Deep down she's still just a pile of scrap metal. What use could she be to you?"

"You've surely seen people who've fused with Crystal Remnants since arriving here, haven't you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Schwi is the assistant who helped me create the Crystal Remnants," Origami said. "She's essential for refining them further and developing new abilities. Without her, my followers' combat capabilities would stagnate."

At first, the Corpse Hunterss could only use the crystals to enhance their weapons or shape them into throwing knives for ranged attacks.

But thanks to Schwi constant analysis and improvement, both the offensive and defensive techniques of the Bone Warriors had become increasingly diverse.

This was the key reason they were able to conquer all the southern beastman tribes and dominate the southern half of the Lucia continent within just two to three months.

"I can do all that too, you know."

Jibril chuckled and pointed at herself. "Among the Flügel, no one is better at improving formulas and spell designs than me. Most of the techniques in my body were self-modified. If you need help, I can give you a hand."

"You?" Origami looked her up and down. "What's the price?"

"That Ex-Machina…"

"No."

"Aww, come on! You're so stingy!"

Jibril pouted and crossed her arms like a sulking child.

Origami, however, was having none of it. She turned, ready to activate the Absolute Metatron : Mal'akh ability to teleport back.

"Wait, wait!"

"What now?"

"Fine, fine! You can keep your pile of junk, alright? I don't want her anymore, happy?"

"Then what do you want?"

"Nothing. You don't need to give me anything," Jibril sighed. "I've just been so bored lately. Rather than sitting around collecting dust at home, I figured I might as well help you complete your god-creation plan faster."

Seeing Jibril say this, Origami didn't refuse.

After all, the more free high-level labor, the better.

"Fine by me."

Origami nodded.

"As long as you promise to follow my instructions, I'll allow you to join us."