"By the way, Erik, the geniuses from the different factions are quite proud, and it's hard for them to listen to anyone. So, it's very important that you assert your authority when you speak to them."
As she walked alongside Erik towards the "auditorium," Zoe couldn't help but comment upon seeing the relaxed, thoughtful face of the star-haired young man. Curious, Erik turned to look at the beautiful young woman with black hair and blue eyes and asked in a pensive voice.
"Assert authority…?"
"Yes, they are all geniuses who have been revered by everyone their whole lives and therefore have always been in the position of leading and making decisions. It's quite difficult for them to submit, and even worse to someone they consider weaker." Zoe commented in a serious tone, looking Erik in the eyes. He nodded and, after thinking for a few moments, said.
"…If that's the case, the easiest way to achieve it would be through fear… And if that's the case, I'll need your help, Zoe."
"Tell me what you need; I am at your complete disposal." Zoe replied with a radiant smile, to which Erik nodded, satisfied, and then commented calmly.
"Do you remember when we captured that 'hunter'…?"
…
…
…
Frowning, Alvar, seated in the highest-tier cabin, looked at the other young people around him and then at the golems guarding them and again couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh. Although he wasn't sure how much time had passed since he arrived in that place, he could tell at least several days had gone by, and in all that time, no one had deigned to explain anything to them.
Furthermore, the cabins were more like cells than resting places, as they didn't let anyone leave. All exits were blocked by several golems, and even the walls were magical artifacts with offensive and restrictive capabilities. This, although it didn't bother him much at first—since after seeing the infiltrator they had, he understood it was necessary—was now starting to get under his skin, threatening to make him explode.
He wasn't just some random person who could be pushed around by others; he was a proud genius who had to be treated with respect. While it was true that he owed his life to those young people from the Arcane Order, everything had a limit. Therefore, he had already reached a conclusion: if in a couple more days he had no news or information, he would take up his weapon and take control of the situation by force.
[Please follow the Golems to the 'auditorium.' We will have a brief conference.]
While Alvar pondered with a dangerous look in his eyes, a flying metal sphere entered the cabin, and the melodious voice of a young woman resonated in the place, catching everyone's attention. At the same time, Alvar could see almost all his teammates looking at him for confirmation, except for the young people from the Arcane Order. They ignored him completely and walked to the entrance while chatting calmly among themselves.
Annoyed, Alvar couldn't help but click his tongue, but he quickly nodded to his other teammates, and they all arrived at the entrance. Escorted by 4 golems, the group advanced through the wide hallway, meeting other groups of young people, also escorted by golems, coming out of the other rooms.
Feeling like a prisoner, Alvar couldn't help but clench his fists, but he quickly took a deep breath to calm down, as he didn't want to start a conflict when he was clearly at a disadvantage. Shortly after, the group descended some stairs and soon arrived at a door, which one of the golems opened, revealing a wide square hall on the other side.
In the hall, which had more runes than any previous place, to the point that the mana vibrated heavily, there were at least 50 golems surrounding all the walls. Meanwhile, at the back of the hall, there was what seemed to be a metallic platform, on which, even from a distance, Alvar could tell there were deployed formations.
On that platform stood a beautiful young woman with short blonde hair and green eyes, the same one who had appeared in the hologram, Elara Belmonte. Heavily guarded by golems and three knights, the beautiful young woman announced in a calm, measured voice that reached all present with the same intensity.
"Welcome, young geniuses from the different factions. Please wait a few minutes for everyone to gather; the conference will begin shortly. If you have questions, wait until the end; we will try to answer them as much as possible."
With the young woman's announcement, everyone nodded and began to look around, seeing how young people and golems arrived through three different doors. After a while, at least a hundred young people and golems entered the wide square hall, at which point Elara took a step forward and announced in a serious voice.
"Now that everyone is here, we will begin. But for this conference, joining us will be our leader and the person who made all of this possible."
With Elara's announcement, a door next to the platform opened, drawing the attention of everyone present. Through the door first entered several golems that shone intensely, completely different from the subtle glow of the other golems. They were followed closely by a man with blue hair whom all present could recognize, Tomás Arismendi.
The moment Tomás entered the hall, the air suddenly filled with solemnity, as the blue-haired young man was vibrating his mana powerfully, causing great pressure to descend on everyone due to his immense power. Along with Tomás, Knights and Mages entered, also vibrating their mana, as if ready for war, or more like guards of death.
But soon, behind Tomás's group, two imposing wolves entered the hall, one silver and one black, each measuring nearly two meters in height. But at that moment, as everyone's curiosity peaked, a pressure several times greater than that emitted by Tomás and the others descended upon the hall. That pressure made the air seem to thicken to the point that it felt like it could be cut with a knife, and even breathing became difficult.
Along with the terrifying pressure that instilled fear and respect, almost as if announcing the arrival of a superior being, a young man stepped into the hall. Clenching his fists to avoid trembling, Alvar watched as a young man dressed in an elegant yet functional suit entered, with long pants and a long-sleeved shirt rolled up to the forearms. He had bright-green eyes that seemed like two emeralds and black hair adorned with thousands of stars and galaxies, almost like a crown decreeing him king of the cosmos.
Inevitably, everyone's gaze was fixed on the star-haired young man, to the point of almost completely ignoring the beautiful young woman with black hair and blue eyes walking beside him with an imposing fox spirit. Somehow, everyone instinctively knew that terrifying pressure came from him, but more importantly, they could feel the danger he represented, almost as if he held a knife to their throats, even from a distance.
But with his calm expression, the young man simply stood at the center of the platform and silently swept his gaze over everyone present. Meanwhile, 16 young people, knights, and mages, fully combat-ready and armed to the teeth with gleaming equipment, stood by his side along with the two wolves and the fox spirit.
After looking over everyone present, almost as if he could see each person directly in the eyes, the star-haired young man nodded, satisfied. Then, the young man took a step forward and began to speak in a calm voice, filled with authority and command. This, along with the terrifying pressure he emitted despite having his mana completely calm, made everyone straighten their posture and listen attentively.
"Hello everyone, I am Erik, Erik Verne, direct disciple of Master-level Sigrún Eldurdóttir and Master-level Eleonora Silverwood, certified one-star Artificer and Alchemist. Currently, as you have already been informed, I serve as the leader of this group, which aims to rescue as many people as possible from this ruin and escape. All with the intention of minimizing humanity's losses.
"Of course, to achieve that goal, we had to take several measures that probably didn't sit well with many of those present, such as the inspections and the quarantine in the cabins. But, as you well know, there are currently two groups hunting us, one of Sacred Geometry practitioners and another of Demonic Cultivators, so we cannot allow any of them to infiltrate.
"These measures bore fruit, and we managed to capture several suspects who are currently--"
"Liar!!! You captured my brother; he is innocent!!!!"
As Erik spoke, a young man from the Meridian Federation shouted, full of anger, while mobilizing his mana at full power. At that instant, the young people surrounding Erik took up their weapons, while the Golems pointed their fists at the young man. But before anyone could do anything, a terrifying pressure descended upon everyone, as if suddenly a superior predator, a dragon, stood before them, practically leaving them unable to speak.
"Currently, all those captured are alive, so please remain calm. At the end, you will be able to ask questions and make comments."
Erik's voice arrived along with the pressure, looking directly at the young man who had spoken, who was completely pale, his legs trembling like jelly. At that moment, the pressure suddenly disappeared, allowing everyone to breathe again. As many clenched their fists and looked solemnly at Erik, he spoke again.
"As I was saying, several suspects were captured, but although that doesn't mean we are free of infiltrators, we cannot wait any longer. The resources we have, especially food, are dwindling, so we must get out of here. Currently, we have already identified an exit, and it is highly likely that we can activate it by force ahead of time to escape, but we will hardly be able to leave without a fight.
"We have currently identified three Illuminated-level beings in this ruin, one of whom we have already eliminated, none other than a Virelian--"
Upon hearing the announcement, surprise and disbelief erupted among the listeners, causing a wave of murmurs to resonate, interrupting Erik. At that moment, Tomás took a step forward and then pulled a severed head from his storage bag. Upon seeing the horned head, a sepulchral silence filled the room, at which point Erik spoke again in a calm tone.
"As you can see, this ruin was nothing more than a carefully planned trap by our enemies with the complicity of human traitors. Therefore, we must fight together as a species to get out of here and dismantle their plans. We cannot afford divisions or internal struggles. This fight is no longer just for our survival; the entire galaxy is at stake.
"Luckily, thanks to our discovery of some secrets that allowed us to take control of the golems and portals, we have the means to defend ourselves against those Illuminated-level beings. This undoubtedly gives us good chances to escape, but that doesn't mean it isn't risky. We still don't know the real level of control our enemies have over this ruin, and anything can happen.
"Therefore, we need strong fighters to pave the way alongside us to secure an exit and escape from this hell. Similarly, we understand that not everyone excels in combat, so, with the goal of minimizing casualties, you will be able to choose between two different teams. The combat team, which will fight hand-in-hand with us and the golems, and the logistics team, which will be responsible for production, barriers, first aid, and more.
"My companion, the direct disciple Belmonte, along with Chen Ming from the Ming family of the Jade Lotus Union, will be in charge of registering you in the respective groups after this conference. Once you choose your teams, you will be provided with more detailed information about your missions, the general situation, and more."
Erik once again swept his gaze over everyone present and then commented in a calm voice.
"For now, that is all the information in this first conference. If anyone has a question, you may raise your hand." After speaking, Erik silently looked at the group of young people. At that moment, a young man from the Meridian Federation raised his hand and asked.
"Does all that mean you will decide for all of us? Are our lives now in your hands? What gives you the right?"
"It means exactly that. If you are not satisfied, I can return you to where you were so you can find a way out on your own." Erik replied in a cold voice as the dragon pressure descended again, causing the young man to pale and clench his fists, with no intention of saying anything more.
Meanwhile, Tomás, who had already put away the head, turned to look at Zoe with a hint of surprise at Erik's "assertiveness," to which the beautiful girl nodded with a proud smile. At that moment, a young man from the Boreal League raised his hand and announced with a serious expression.
"I'm sorry, I am not willing to follow the orders of a 30-year-old Ascended-level. That is nothing more than suicide, so unless someone like Tomás Arismendi takes command, I prefer to take my own path."
***
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