Reincarnated as a Duck: A beast progression litrpg isekai

Both Lorry and Manager Kil shifted their position, looking happy and expectant.

Then, the fingers moved and clutched them firmly. "I detest you for what you kept from me! That happened and changed as we talked, but I am not forgetting this," Levandis pointed her gaze to Manager Kil first.

"For the starters, both of you, forget about Ozeki and the politics of these Gates. Let them be. Paradise takes priority as it is possible it will turn into the closure of this discussion. I don't want another loss of my Rising Stars, so put forth careful defenses. Excuses, they are called. Screw the repuation."

"Another issue is the Mother. Give me her rundown, rumors, or more reasonable legends. I know her, sure, but not all the time or very well at bad angles. Her tone is apparent as she pursues her Child, so... that is that. This particular Anatidae is a bother, so that goes to her end. As for the Old One who is here..." Levandis hummed and wondered where this talk could even end.

"Think twice over his actions, Kil. This point goes to Lorry as well. Thread carefully, as I can't know what she plans for, but I don't need to know because it is justified. Lastly, steady the current rise in distrust and Hunt. I don't want to see any unhappiness with my subjects. Be forceful if you wish."

Both nodded, even if one couldn't.

"What about the outside?" Manager Kil demanded.

"Lordis will wait. He will. He has no other choice." Levandis said, making the points rather vague, but Manager Kil more than understood what she meant. She took his suggestion to heart.

Levandis then turned to Lorry, the small, yet interesting variable that wasn't all that important in her plan. She ignored his happy expression for now and got him a couple of tasks, alongside confirmation to work with Mindarch in seeking sensitive information about Murai's current circumstances, his Mother, and other matters.

"Lorry, you will go back to do your job. I got your opinion that Hellscape is rather poor, but it is my definition of a Challenge and you won't be complaining. Why? Lint doesn't do it either, so what does that make you?"

[Holy shit!] Mindarch said, laughing like a maniac. [What a blackmail this is...]

Lorry rolled his eyes, sizzling and growing restless within them. "He did what?! That shitty skeleton better knows what is good for him! I will do it! Oh, I will do it all!"

"Of course you will. The same course is good, but it isn't the same as Kil's. Threat things lightly. Last thing is simple: do the same shit as Lint. Help your little Challenger with whatever you can and while you will be at it, don't be stingy with giving hints. Your task is to help this Anatidae to get out of the temple quickly. Help him give up, or... what else is there? I might be missing something..."

"LADY!" Lorry scowled and shouted, and his Soul Flames surged in a deep red light and turned crisper and wider. His change had come!

Levandis jolted, surprised, and almost squashed him to pieces. "Don't shout like this... I was a beat away from turning you into a soul."

"Nay! I have ideas about a couple of things."

"You, again? Kil and Archie aren't enough to think? Well, you can do that too, I suppose. What is it?"

"Leave me."

Levandis hesitation.

"Just touch little." He pled confidently, which was weird coming from him of all Guides.

Levandis eased her clasp, letting him float towards her face.

"I have been with my Challenger the longest out of those around you. I see him change and grow. I know what they can do and what sort of situation forced them. The little angel also whispered to me many things, so..."

Levandis took his voice with quite a surprise for a reason. "Oh, now I am much more interested."

"Then what about this..." Lorry whispered something after gesturing for her to move him closer so only she could hear him.

Both doubted it had any validation, considering Kil was an Overlord and Mindarch was the mastermind over this whole temple. She could sense him with his Will alone, but she couldn't bother with such measly tasks right now.

In the following minute, Lorry told her his ideas that weren't his alone. Many tones made Levandis frown or nod in return, yet she barely spoke when she heard his voice. There were a lot of interesting theories to see. He almost tried them and failed them.

After a while, she clutched him again, giving him a rare smile since his ideas were intruding on nothing but luck and time. And this time was fine spending on something, though not on everything.

Levandis learned that the hard way. She will see through it no matter what, even if they seem to possess qualities that shouldn't have come out of his mind. Even to the most common of godly standards, bearing plans like fruits came with care or sudden hunger.

How many of the others were the same, or waiting, afraid, and willing to do what she was thinking about? Frankly, she shouldn't judge anyone. Levandis should be glad for her subjects who had at least some guts and were willing to test her.

"Lorry..." She gave him a long look. "Where did this come from? Is this the influence that came from those Gates, or speaking to someone else? How nursing and surprising to know you are afraid. I fear you are getting smarter by a year. Should I degrade you?" She smiled, giving Lorry a surprising shock that turned into soft screams. This was one of the few things he didn't wish for. He dreaded the praises like stinking souls of Skies.

"But, Lorry, I agree with most of what you said, which comes at a price. I am shocked. Isn't that right, Kil?"

"Most definitely," Manager Kil said on his knees. "For you to accept him, the world is no longer right. Perhaps this is what shall happen from now on. Should I summon others? What about your armies, or those serving you for their benefits, or something immoral? Who to trust? I suspect Chaos is not right. It never will be. Many would betray you in an instant!"

[Like you, for example.]

Manager Kil struggled, trembled, and lost his voice. "N....No..."

Levandis chuckled and thought so as well.

"Things will commence with an unusual pace. Some Mother have done her duty. I shall do mine, but I am not a Mother. I am not a Child either. I am... who? Who shall I become? Well, under my precious rules, everyone should just get what they deserve. Nothing changed with me. Nothing will, for those who shan't know. But Lorry has now things to do outside of what I've said. I will change things accordingly as they happen, or not. It can be fair, or out of my grasp already. So, both of you, get to work. I will see your success."

Both of her subjects glanced at one another, taking this whole discussion as a beginning to an end.

Then, the figures on top of her palms trembled and became one with swirling matter of crimson air and twisting waves. They disappeared in an instant, traveling where they belonged, albeit not out of their own willingness.

She teleported them away under her guidance, which left her alone, yet not really.

[Was that clever to not change at least a few plans or touch on oaths? The Old One is an interesting subject, but history repeats like waves in some hearts. Loop does that too. The Grand Cycle might be more than that.] Mindarch said, taking the lack of those subjects as a good thing. Now, he could position himself as a whispering devil over both her shoulders.

"Does it matter? I am interested in his circumstances because she is. Now, that body is bathed in a new light, so what does that mean to us?"

[He is a victim of a much broader concern, and so is that Mother.]

"Who? Ah. Don't let me. Who isn't? Living is often described as suffering. Where it ends is often blissful End."

[You don't believe in that, do you?]

"Who knows? Perhaps I don't, and never had." Sighing, Levandis got up from her throne, ignoring the fact that her room seemed to be in even more ruins and holes.

"Zeko?" She asked, and upon her call, a figure appeared behind no pillar, but from the shadows that lingered over the walls. It was a devil, wearing draconian armor, looking lean and powerful.

"My Lady." he bowed as his body appeared from the shadow. His horns glowed in red hues in the relative darkness.

"How's Paradise in your opinion?"

"It's a lovely place."

"I didn't ask that," Levandis said, walking toward him.

Zeko didn't shift his stance. He let her lift his chin, watching her face and soft silk over her figure. It was enchanting and menacing at the same time. Her palm was soft and big, and her stature was bigger than his. In some capacity, he didn't like that fact. He would love to protect her in bigger flesh, yet she didn't like that, nor did she make it disproportionate.

"Are you afraid of Lordis?" she asked. "Or at my plans? At myself?"

"Yes," he answered honestly. "But for my Lady..."

"Hush," she clutched her other palm around his mouth, lifting him from the ground. "I like the sincerity of others when they show fear, hunger, and charm. You never showed much but a fervent crush. Am I that pretty?"

"No."

"I like how it sounds."

"You are mighty, Lady. Power flows through my heart and shall never falter. I serve and see you. Followers do that. It is an obligation."

"Ain't it a curse? You can stop that further down the road. Make me regret it. Make me cry. It can go away. Like Ozeki, you see, devils are often hard to convince and think about. Oh, and you are a devil. I almost forgot, counting your tail and eyes and horns, and... you get my point. My Legions are full of them, yet what choice is there when they drive me crazy? Blood is strong where it is, and it should be always close, right? Are you my subjects, or a thief waiting for my teeth?"

"I... don't know," Zeko whispered against her fingers.

"It's a good change to see the truth, for once. Now, you will take the matter away, and don't lose more forces against this mess. We have new players here. Paladins and Priestess called Ceila, who...well, she doesn't matter to me. Vermillion does, but you can't touch her. I can, though, can I do that?"

"Is this a WAR!?" Zeko grew his horns in excitement and shivered. "Please! Speak the words! We aren't afraid of you! We can help. We should all help."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Don't know. Is death so much good for your kind? I doubt death is good for anyone but one. If someone wants a War with me, they can have it. It just so happens that the situation in Hellscape may come to Paradise, so I will gift you choices and freedom of radiance."

"Which means... what? WAR?!"

Levandis sighed, thinking she had asked for the wrong devil. "No. What Lorry said was interesting to me, but that means I will be taking a stance with the Old One. Which makes me... a thief. A wanderer? What could she pretend... No. I think I will take that chance over the others. Better than no stance. It will depend on what our little Lorry will manage with his little ploys, and... what she does..." She whispered the latter parts; Zeko couldn't hear that, or he had but tried his hardest not to.

Zeko gulped, not stating anything against her seemingly calm mood, which was hiding an utter monstrosity that was impossible to quench. He could tell that. She was beaming with fury and weird emotions he had never seen in her before.

Her Authority was leaking. Her Hunger was apparent by lines crawling in the ground, slowly disappearing and creating lines like chaotic paintings of old magic, runes, and words long forgotten. Something terrible was awakening, coming from Nowhere.

Even when she was all so smiling and dealing with figures that were like ants before her, she was terrifying. More so than Lordis.

"You are dismissed." Dropping Zeko, Levandis turned to the entrance. "Lastly, you have been watching too much, haven't you?"

From the curtains, a figure walked forward, revealing an enchanting figure of Villan, who wore an anxious face. "I refrained my discussions or words for a good reason, my Lady."

"Like a coward, huh?" Levandis stood straight, posing her hands below her breasts and knitted her fingers together.

Villan walked forward, afraid of her. She was insane today. What could've changed that?

"I wanted to hear you as well, Villan. Give you a chance after what my two little friends helped me get. You were always close to me, correct?"

"I waited for that, actually." Villan stood before her, a couple of steps away. She felt like an ant. Small. Insignificant.

"You see, I gave you a job. Guess what does that?"

"Price and success, is that proper?" Villan said, and she was shocked to speak coherently.

"What was it again?" Levandis asked.

"V-Vermillion, and... your family."

"They did nothing, right? Nothing at all, and you couldn't even get a blip out of the Vermillion or her Divine Kingdom, or anything. Why?"

"Well, Hellscape is different, and I did let Mindarch do his calculations regarding Vermillion, and sending troops or ways out hadn't been very successful. Apparently, everything about Vermillion is a giant mess The Sky knows it. The Surface doesn't. Why?"

"Oh, I don't deny that. It's about internal strifes and Lordis is an absolute moron who thinks reputation can kill gods. It can't. It won't." Levandis stepped forward. The turning lines in the ground were slowly creeping towards Villan's feet, looking like long snakes crawling on the robust ground.

"What... can I do for you this time?"

"Take a punishment."

"Wh..."

The world was halved.

Villan spluttered blood, feeling as if her world had shifted apart. Then, she died. Her body wasn't in pieces. There was a hole. Her whole torso went missing, and a chunk of her head and limbs splattered on the ground.

[Oh. Splendid!] Mindarch cheered. [Wished I would do that myself.]

Levandis cursed at the spirit, moved her fingers, and revealed a thin bracelet made of many crossed chains the width of a grain of rice. Many rocks were etched into it, looking, and drawing formation so small, one couldn't read it.

She tapped one, retrieving a small metallic arrowhead from within.

She crashed it over Villan's dead body.

Then, the world spun, and her body was whole again, circling back to her standing position.

Villan dropped to her knees, almost fainting, fearing Death, and dreading that pulse that wanted to drag her away. Silently, she felt her collapse with all of her mind. The Pressence and destruction of the Attributes felt worse.

"L-lady..." she whispered. "I didn't... I haven't..."

"Don't ever touch the Old One, for my family doesn't need that. That sort of business is mine. What have you wanted with that one anyway?"

"Gift.. For you, Anatidae matters a lot. Story... Page... Picture. Wasn't it foretold and—"

A foot kicked her face, knocking her to the ground. "You have no idea what that is, do you? How nice, eh? Blissful ignorance. How it would end, Archie?"

[Nowhere, frankly. But she did make one massive blunder and numerous silly misconceptions.]

"How many?" Levandis asked curiously. All the blood was nowhere to be seen.

Villan felt the ground, creeping lines, and her head pressed down because of those lofty feet. She could hear the grinding noise of disappearing ground and her. She was slipping. Dying. "I had no ulterior motives over that one. It was just a curious way of things, for he was touched by Battlewill, and I thought it was good to see it too. I was mistaken and offered way to let him close. I..."

"By making mistakes and blunders, what does that make me?" an odd voice said above her, distorting her perception.

"No! The world... changed. Before that, I felt correct. The Gates... did as well. The family is nervous. They feared you would do something improper."

"Family?!" Levandis shouted. "They know no burdens, right, Archie?"

[Oh, yes. Yes. Bunch of suckers. What is even flesh? They should drop and think of what has become of you. Becoming better might no longer be a possibility. It is a law!] Mindarch laughed at both of them.

Levandis barely blinked when she saw Villan beneath her, gasping for breath and life. "I am tasking you with a nice mission, even when you are so curious, it almost broke you. Shame you don't even know why it is so fucked. Either way, research about the Mother and Amelius. Find me something good, and you are left with a slap on your wrist. You are dismissed."

Levandis turned to Zeko, who wasn't all that surprised by anything that had happened. He knelt, observing the lines and madness that stirred under Levandis's feet.

He never saw this technique. This magic. This power. Zeko feared seeing Villan meeting her End and coming back in a span of a few seconds.

"As for you, you know what to do." Levandis left the room, figuring there were very important matters for her waiting not that far away. Above all else, the chains broke free.

And Mindarch was singing praise of the Gods and Death.

That ended this small episode of lofty talks, punishment, and voices that escaped or hadn't reached the ruler of this God.

It was not sane anymore.

Mindarch was very happy with how it all turned out, though he had yet to know what sort of madness he was overlooking, or what might be long slipping to unknown.

Now, Levandis returned, bearing a certain unstable awareness. There was no coming back from it, and there was no telling what else he was missing or misplacing by showing her the way.

***

Back under the Ip'ur Mountain, a couple of hours had passed since Resonance swallowed Murai, one of the Old Ones.

Lisa floated before him, trying to spare no thoughts on the obligations of this place, ground, or crystals. She hadn't had enough time to think anything other than feel the light with her body, reach conclusions, and get that it was happening against all Wills. It was broader, larger than the skies of the men and demons.

By this point, Itrosh and Bagus moved to somewhere else, mining and digging for their own wealth or dealing with troubles arriving at their destinations in one form or another.

Although this place was usually off-limits, it wasn't fine being ignored anymore. It was a source of flickering change and fleeting moments, albeit protected by unlikely protectors.

They tried to do what they ought to do, regardless of the betrayals that were all so common in every land. This wasn't even a proper time to play a game. After they remained in the same spot for hours, Hunters came over but stopped by the dedication of Bagus alone. For the most part, that is.

If anywhere, this was the time for his shining, and while Itrosh could use herself less, it didn't make her weak. The walls and vastness of most mining shafts allowed both of them to fight as much as they could. The same went for most Hunters.

Lisa didn't care about it; she was way too busy doing what she wanted to observe and do. She was still sensing how Murai was nowhere to be sensed. Where was he? At what panorama?

Looking at all that light and the bigger cave, it wasn't a terrible situation to be in, yet she didn't know that Razmund was digging toward them, though a long distance remained between them.

That was why she allowed Itrosh and Bagus to go out of this cave and shaft behind her. They didn't have time to waste, nor watch this madness they didn't want to see. They remained loyal and close to this cave as much as it was possible.

Frankly, they wanted to go far away just because of Murai and that Resonance alone, or the realization that stemmed from the sheer panic of their souls. They couldn't take the power of the greater realms to their eyes. It wasn't clever.

While they were his Helpers and guards, they didn't want to sit like ducks waiting for nothing. So they dug for Ultra Gems, killed cheeky bastards hunting them, and waited for the end of this madness.

It didn't stop. It won't for a good while, Lisa feared.

It would be stupid to think otherwise, especially for Itrosh since she didn't sign the contract that Bagus did. How to get back wasn't even part of their plan; they just hoped for the best and hadn't planned very far. If they were clever with the way of these mines, getting richer than a cause of the Encounter, which she hadn't doubted since her pledge, was possible.

She should doubt it, however, even if that Pledge was real, similar to the purpose and mission of their lives. However, not everything was part of the truth.

They were all being used, yet it was also honest if all parties understood it. It was fair and real even if there was some distrust behind them, which Lisa recognized, but she didn't know about Vermillion or others at all. She was here to do a job. It was worth it.

Itrosh went ahead with greed for Gems, but she was still a slower miner and killer than Bagus, whose beak, wings, and tail worked a couple of times faster than she would ever manage. No matter how many weapons she yanked or threw, her whole being wasn't worth going against a Grifhart.

Leaving their trust behind, Lisa was left alone with Murai after a long time being in a party.

She floated close to the mountain of Brightness, wondering what Murai was even experiencing, thinking amidst this sight, and how far his great Will mended this picture. This insanity. His Will was no longer losing or gaining any focus to retain those Callings. Mother was long gone. Panics were the same.

It got flooded away the moment his Will diverted, disappearing without a trace.
"Where have you gone? How far can this possibly go?" Lisa said, eyes twitching, and hands quenching nothing but her stressed sona.

She doubted he heard the plead of his Mother, which might be concerning, or extremely satisfactory. Thinking about it, considering options of words and acts, the matter of that Mother left no small matters on her face.

She wasn't afraid though. The Old One should know what to do. He always did bring disasters and knew how to kill.

"You've probably dispersed all that was to it, hadn't you? You went against that Mother without knowing, because what else would do that? Brink of a new Anatidaes makes a new advent, but this timing... Oh, in hells and demons, this is all starting to click together. What have I involved myself with? Is this....luck or just Karma that hunts me down?"

Lisa cursed no one and contemplated his ways, wondering how far she could go with everything going on.

Being all alone was truly freeing. Her thoughts cleared, sona energized, her feelings clicked and intensified, and her eyes had never felt more refined. It should be fine even with this Resonance, which hid reasons she couldn't watch, but its time could become very impervious to what they owed.

The fastest successful Resonance she ever witnessed still took four hours. Could Murai exceed another course of her experiences? Well, the number wasn't an important metric when it came to bathing in primordial ignorance, susceptible gifts, blessings, and tales as old as the epochs themselves.

Sometimes, longer Resonances meant a better experienced process, thus better advancements. Other times, the faster success meant that the efficiency and understanding of said Resonance was heaven's better than one would expect.

In failure, however, one would gain nothing, get lost, gain little, and in rarer cases, one could wake up in a heartbeat, or a whole lot later.

It was a variable that Lisa understood, while none dared to seek why it all worked the way it did. Lisa at least did know their laws, and how they were subjective and strong depending on all sorts of realms.

Despite the certainty of their processes and what they meant, individuality could make vast discrepancies. She was invested in them for two whole lifetimes, with one being quite special and old.

This one was the third, and from the looks of it, it was full of unknown moments and purposes that no one else but she comprehended. Now, facing the abnormality with the codename Old One, she wondered how exactly this would and should go.

It was a curious time, partially because she noticed many rising thoughts and confusing sights just before Murai went through the Resonance. But before it all started with Ultra Materium, she barely knew what was right and wrong.

Now, she had bits to piece together into a very interesting picture, so she was mumbling to herself for the past hour, devoid of him to listen to her.

"You know so many secrets. Codes. Enigmas. Ways and Paths that I hoped to see, yet I died before I got to catch them twice over. How many failures were in you, Old One? How many worlds have you described in your wake of madness, all the while you were trying to die over and over again?"

"Did they stop you as well as they did me? Did they laugh in failure, taunt your hefty self, and call you an epitome of necessary evil? Or... was it all just about the Chaos and this Cycle they call necessary?" She asked herself, speaking out loud, filled with melancholy and ideas that made her glad. She wasn't sure about the right answer. She was probably wrong to think of them anyway.

If it were right, wouldn't it be laughable in the grief of her End?

The being before her could've met so many grievances, she might as well call herself a moral and righteous person. It was so crazy to her many times over, and she was like a foolish child before those facts.

Lisa despised that fact. Murai's life and memories were like a blossoming fruit to her, yet they were also a lot to take in, even for her. Life Companions were supposed to know all about their masters to move on with life in the Battleworld. Perhaps it would be stranger if it were easy. Lisa wasn't sure what she should've expected or felt.

Perhaps it was meant to fall to pieces before connecting, like everything usually did.

She itched closer to him, hands reaching toward the sitting duck wearing a hoodie that glowed in its feather patterns, fibers, eyes, and beak. Feathers looked enchanting and bright, looking full of life.

Even that laughable beak of his seemed like material from Endless Skies, shaking Lisa's sense of perception of what was right and wrong. Perhaps these little monstrosities that were created on this planet were worth quite a large charm.

In most rightfully glorious cases, it was true, if only he weren't a Child.

In the end, she didn't dare to wait. She touched him again, trying and doing what she was entitled to. "I won't let it go. Never!"

The Resonance kept going, flooding and stopping Lisa's curiosity and desires that aimed quite deep.