Chapter 176 – The Northern Pantheon Reactivates "Collateral Damage Mode"
The massive doors of the Northern Pantheon HQ closed behind Kaelo Blackstar Rynn with a metallic rumble so deep that even the foundations shivered with existential dread.
— "Always dramatic with that entrance," muttered Lysandra, arms crossed, looking exasperated but relieved.
Blackstar raised his hands as if surrendering to cosmic justice.
— "I'll repeat: it's NOT my fault. I'm Astral‑Resonant. I resonate. The walls react, I'm just living my life."
— "Well, live your life less loudly," she shot back. "We had to rebuild Floor C just because you hiccupped walking past."
He thought for two seconds.
Then pointed at Orion.
Very seriously. Far too seriously:
— "Orion sneezed."
Lysandra rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw her own soul leave.
— "Stellar weapons do NOT sneeze, Kaelo."
Silence.
A heavy silence.
The silence of a pistol with something to hide.
— "…It can sneeze. Anyway."
Lysandra shook her head.
— "Tell me about the others. How did you 'deal with them'?"
Blackstar rubbed his hands like a father proud of his mischief.
— "They told me they were 'on break.' And that if anyone had said what was happening, they'd have gone on vacation in another dimension. Far away from chaotic Elyon."
— "That sounds exactly like them…" sighed Lysandra.
— "So I solved the problem."
— "What do you mean… solved?"
Kaelo smiled.
Very. Slowly.
— "Didn't you feel the tremor? Even the Black Eclipse must have felt it."
— "Oh no…"
— "I gave them a group slap. Synchronized. Just one. They stuck to the floor like posters. I even left a mark."
— "ONE mark?"
— "Well… several. They're still trying to peel themselves off."
She put a hand over her face.
— "Kaelo, you could have just yelled at them."
— "I chose the pedagogical method."
She gave up.
— "Now that you're here, you can resume your role as guild leader."
Kaelo jumped back.
— "Whoa whoa whoa. No. No thanks. Too many responsibilities. Too much paperwork. Too many meetings. You do it well. Me, I'm a free electron, a shooting star, a—"
— "A lazy man."
— "A resonant lazy man," he said, winking.
She blushed despite herself.
— "You left us in the mess though. Where were you?"
Kaelo puffed out his chest.
— "In an astral duel. A Fractal Lord challenged me. I couldn't say no. Matter of honor… and personal brilliance."
— "Great timing."
— "I didn't choose!"
They walked down the main corridor.
— "So, everything's settled now?" asked Blackstar.
— "Yeah… but it was heavy for me, being the leader."
Kaelo stared at her for a long time.
Then said calmly:
— "If one day you can't take it anymore, give me a sign. Even the smallest."
— "I said I'd call you! Stop worrying about me, you're not my father."
— "You'll say that until the day I save your life."
— "…Next time?"
— "This is the Northern Pantheon. There's ALWAYS a next time."
They finally entered the main hall.
All the hunters of the Northern Pantheon turned toward them:
---
Kronn — SS Rank
Biological Titan
A living colossus, capable of shoving a building out of bad mood.
Veyra — SS Rank
Gravity, acceleration/deceleration
Can send an apple from 0 to Mach 35 by accident.
Oris — SS Rank
Runomancy, magical tattoos
His arms are literally a sacred dictionary.
Harlan — S Rank
Dimensional traps
Official builder of interdimensional disasters.
Nyss — S Rank
Absolute camouflage, shadows
No one really knows where she is. Sometimes not even her.
Kae — S Rank
Energy support
Can recharge an artifact, a hunter, and probably a phone.
Dervan — S Rank
Anti‑magic, close combat
The living definition of "no powers? No problem."
Seline — S Rank
Song of harmonization
Melts monsters, and sometimes hearts.
---
They all stared.
And after a brief moment…
Harlan muttered:
— "…We're going to have to rebuild a floor again, aren't we?"
Veyra sighed already.
Nyss vanished out of survival instinct.
Oris began tracing protective runes against "unforeseen stellar catastrophes."
Lysandra smiled.
Blackstar resonated.
And the entire Northern Pantheon understood the universal truth:
Collateral Damage Mode had just been reactivated.
Somewhere in the cosmos, chaos sneezed.
Or maybe Orion.
Impossible to confirm.
Chapter 177 – Back in Action… More or Less
The meeting in the main hall had barely calmed down when someone… snored.
Very loudly.
Far too loudly.
A snore that made the windows vibrate, the lamps sway, and even the runes carved into the ceiling tremble.
Already exhausted, Lysandra lifted her eyes toward the massive silhouette slumped against a wall.
**Kronn.**
SS Rank.
Biological Titan.
Colossal strength.
Monstrous endurance.
Sleep duration: 20 hours a day, minimum.
Blackstar sighed:
— "So… he was still asleep?"
Seline immediately covered her ears.
— "Still? He's been snoring for three hours. THREE HOURS. And his vibrations disrupted my harmonization chants!"
Harlan groaned, stuck under a piece of ceiling that had fallen.
— "He woke me up inside my own dimensional trap. I was so comfortable there…"
Veyra, arms crossed, turned her head away:
— "Personally, I had to reverse gravity three times to stop him from collapsing on me."
Blackstar observed the scene. Then observed Kronn. Then re‑observed the hole in the wall behind him.
He asked calmly:
— "How many hours has he been asleep?"
Oris pulled out a parchment tattooed on his forearm.
— "Uh… nineteen hours and thirty‑five minutes."
— "…So he has twenty‑five minutes left," concluded Blackstar.
Collective silence.
Then **KROOOONNNN.**
Another snore.
The entire hall shook.
Nyss became visible, the vibration disrupting her camouflage.
Lysandra rubbed her temples.
— "Can someone wake him… gently?"
Everyone lowered their eyes. Absolutely no one wanted to try.
Except one person.
Blackstar.
He stepped forward, placed a hand on Orion — which immediately vibrated, ready to sneeze — then raised his other hand toward Kronn.
— "Kronn. Wake up."
No response.
Another monstrous snore knocked over every chair in the hall.
Kaelo took a deep breath.
— "I'll use the gentle method."
He channeled a micro astral impulse. Very light. Just a vibratory whisper.
He tapped the titan's massive shoulder.
— "Rise, giant."
The vibration spread through Kronn's entire body…
…who opened one eyelid.
Just one.
And said in an incredibly slow voice:
— "Hm… Blackstar… I'm sleeping."
Then he closed the eye again.
The hunters were left speechless.
Kronn had literally ignored an SSS‑rank hunter.
Lysandra put her hands over her face.
— "Is he a living miracle or a living catastrophe?"
Blackstar inhaled deeply.
— "Alright. Activating Plan B."
All the hunters stepped back three paces. Even those ranked SS.
Oris whispered:
— "Plan B… that's the one that cracked the central mountain last time, right?"
Kaelo cracked his fingers.
— "Trust me. That was an accident. Orion had sneez—"
— "NO," twelve voices cut in at once.
Kaelo smiled.
— "I'll talk to Orion later."
He placed his hand on Kronn's colossal chest. The stars in his irises lit up. A soft but irresistible astral wave spread out.
Kronn slowly straightened.
Very slowly.
Extremely slowly.
Then rose fully, causing a **BOOM** that shook dust from the ceiling.
He looked at Blackstar, still half asleep.
— "I'm awake."
The entire guild sighed in relief.
Until Kronn added, seriously:
— "I'm going back to sleep."
Blackstar immediately placed a hand on his shoulder.
— "No. Not now. You're on duty."
Kronn thought. Then said:
— "Five minutes nap. Powerful."
— "No," replied Blackstar.
— "Three minutes."
— "Still no."
— "One minute thirty?"
— "Kronn…"
The titan stared at him with giant puppy eyes.
— "Thirty seconds? Just thirty seconds of titanic micro‑sleep…"
Lysandra burst out laughing despite herself.
— "You two are impossible."
Kronn finally sighed.
— "Alright. I'll stay awake… but don't ask me to think."
Blackstar patted his arm.
— "Don't worry. We only ask you to hit things."
Kronn smiled.
— "That, I can do."
The entire guild raised their fists, motivated:
— "YES, THAT HE CAN DO!"
And Lysandra concluded, a proud smile on her lips:
— "Welcome officially to the next era of the Northern Pantheon."
Chaos had better be careful.
Because now…
Blackstar was back.
Lysandra was determined.
And Kronn was… awake. (More or less.)
And that was the worst imaginable combination for their enemies.
Chapter 178 – Astral Assignment
The tension in the Northern Pantheon's main hall had just eased after Blackstar's questionable jokes, but Lysandra immediately regained her seriousness.
She projected a red hologram above the round table.
— "Alright. As you know… several portals have appeared on our territory."
Nyss reappeared out of nowhere, an iced soda in hand, as if she had just stepped out of a mini‑market in another dimension.
— "And you want us to clean them up before it turns into an Outbreak?"
Lysandra nodded.
— "Exactly. If a dungeon stays open too long, monsters will spill out. Civilians will be in danger. Our job is to eradicate them before that happens."
Blackstar raised his hand.
— "Danger level?"
Lysandra expanded the hologram.
The five portals turned scarlet red.
— "S+. All five."
Dervan grimaced.
— "Five S+ portals at once… someone's messing with us."
Blackstar crossed his arms.
— "We'll split into pairs. Balanced composition. We're ten, but Lysandra stays to manage the guild. That makes nine. Odd number… so I'll take one portal solo."
Veyra:
— "Reasonable. And suicidal. But reasonable."
Lysandra sighed.
— "For once, I agree. But for the younger hunters' experience… you'll take a lower‑rank hunter with you."
Kaelo threw up his hands, panicked.
— "WHO. WHICH. WHERE."
— "Him."
A hesitant tap‑tap echoed.
A hunter slowly stepped out of the shadows, trembling as if he'd been brought as a sacrifice before a stellar deity.
— "H‑Hi…"
In his head, it was total panic:
> Kronn?! Veyra??? Oris??? HARLAN??? NYSS???
Oh my god it's Blackstar…
I should've worn clean clothes…
I'm going to die… but stylishly! I think??
Lysandra held back a laugh — she could see all his thoughts live, like a plasma screen.
— "You'll team up with Blackstar."
The young hunter nearly fainted.
Blackstar placed a hand on his shoulder — which, for a novice, was equivalent to a cosmic blessing.
— "Hey. What's your name? Rank? Specialty?"
The young man took a deep breath.
— "A‑A… Aeris! Rank A! Wind control… and aerial perception! I'm… honored to meet you!"
Nyss stepped forward and patted his shoulder.
— "Relax. We don't bite. Look at Kronn. He's even sleeping standing up."
They turned to Kronn.
Indeed, Kronn was snoring upright, arms crossed, completely at peace with the universe.
No one was sure if he was aware of the meeting.
Or of his own existence.
Lysandra continued:
— "Alright. Team assignments."
She scrolled through the names:
---
**Group 1**
Blackstar & Aeris
Aeris paled.
Blackstar smiled like a teacher ready to traumatize his student.
— "Get ready. We leave in five minutes. And drink some water."
---
**Group 2**
Kronn & Seline
Seline raised her hand.
— "If Kronn falls asleep mid‑battle, can I use him as a blunt weapon?"
Lysandra:
— "If he doesn't wake up, yes."
---
**Group 3**
Veyra & Dervan
Dervan sighed.
— "With her gravity, she'll make me train at 10G again."
Veyra smiled innocently.
— "15G today."
---
**Group 4**
Oris & Kae
Oris:
— "I'm with the support. Perfect."
Kae:
— "I'm with the walking bomb. Less perfect."
---
**Group 5**
Harlan & Nyss
Harlan looked at her.
— "Don't vanish every two minutes."
Nyss took a sip of soda.
— "Promise."
She vanished instantly.
— "…She vanished," muttered Harlan.
---
Lysandra concluded:
— "You have your teams. You have your portals. You have your missions. Be careful. Come back alive. And… try to reduce material damage."
Everyone turned their heads toward Blackstar.
He raised his hands.
— "What? FOR ONCE I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING."
Aeris thought:
> … For now.
Kaelo turned his head toward him.
— "I heard that."
Aeris froze.
Nyss whispered:
— "Welcome to real life in the Northern Pantheon."
And the five teams departed, ready to enter the S+ portals.
Chapter 179 – Astral Division
In the main hall, the atmosphere had suddenly shifted.
The five S+ portals swirled within the red holograms, each emitting a different energy signature.
Nyss, still holding his iced soda, looked up:
— "You could give the portals different names, right? It's way cooler than 'Portal number 3'…"
Lysandra sighed but nodded.
The holograms automatically renamed themselves:
1. Portal A: *"Ether Cyclone"*
2. Portal B: *"Dark Abyss"*
3. Portal C: *"Fractured Sanctuary"*
4. Portal D: *"Primal Nexus"*
5. Portal E: *"Broken Realm"*
Nyss nodded, satisfied:
— "There. Now we're talking."
Blackstar clapped his hands:
— "Alright! We'll get a head start on you. Aeris? Let's go!"
Aeris, timid, stepped forward slowly.
— "Uh… are you sure… about this?"
Blackstar placed a hand on his shoulder with a confident smile:
— "Of course. You doubt me?"
— "N‑no… not at all…" Aeris replied, swallowing hard.
Kaelo opened a personal astral portal with a theatrical gesture:
— "Destination: Ether Cyclone!"
They vanished into a bluish light.
---
**Group 2 – Kronn and Seline**
Kronn was asleep.
Standing.
As usual.
Seline tried to wake him:
— "Kronn… Kronn? We have to—"
Too late.
Still deep in sleep, Kronn grabbed Seline like a sack of potatoes, slung her over his shoulder…
…and leapt straight toward the portal.
— "WAIT!! STOP THAT!!" she screamed.
Too late.
They entered the *Dark Abyss* in a swirling black vortex.
— "I CURSE YOU!!" Seline's voice echoed.
No one was surprised.
---
**Group 3 – Veyra and Dervan**
Veyra cracked her fingers, a predatory smile on her lips.
— "Dervan, get ready. We're going to fly. A lot."
Dervan, arms crossed:
— "Fine. As long as I get to hit something afterward."
Veyra levitated them, then suddenly accelerated.
A thunderous **BOOM** shook the HQ.
And they vanished in a silver streak, heading for the *Fractured Sanctuary*.
---
**Group 4 – Oris and Kae**
Oris raised a finger, made a simple sign, and Kae appeared instantly beside him thanks to the runes.
— "Ready?"
— "Always!" Kae replied.
Oris snapped his fingers.
They were teleported cleanly — no screams, no jolts — straight into the *Primal Nexus*.
Nyss, watching them leave:
— "Cheaters."
---
**Group 5 – Nyss and Harlan**
Harlan leaned on his dimensional sword.
— "Do you want me to take us? Or can you manage without getting lost?"
Nyss downed his soda in one gulp.
— "Let me handle it."
He placed a hand on Harlan's shoulder.
They vanished.
They reappeared instantly before the *Broken Realm*…
…but Harlan collapsed to his knees, gasping.
— "That was NOT teleportation! That was NOT normal!! WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Nyss shrugged innocently:
— "I don't know. Just… a way of using my power."
— "…I don't even want to know."
And they entered.
---
**Back to Blackstar & Aeris – Portal 'Ether Cyclone'**
The portal swallowed them in a royal blue whirlwind.
Aeris looked around nervously:
— "Uh… before we go further… my abilities… I… I'm not very strong. I only control wind… and aerial perception."
Blackstar calmly rested his hand on Orion.
— "Explain a bit more."
Aeris took a deep breath:
— "I can:
— create cutting gusts,
— fly short distances,
— sense air currents across several kilometers,
— detect invisible movements,
— and… uh… compress air for pressure strikes.
But… but it's still weak compared to an S rank…"
Kaelo placed a hand on his head, like a reassuring big brother.
— *"Listen carefully: rank doesn't define everything.
There are two ways to be S:
1. you evolve naturally;
2. or you reach it directly at your first awakening."*
Aeris widened his eyes, surprised:
— "Evolving… is possible? Like Lya?"
— "Exactly. Lya went from A to S.
How? Mystery. I just know she was very angry that day."
Aeris thought:
— "And if someone already has S rank at their first awakening… can they re‑evolve?"
Blackstar smiled.
— "Probably. Nothing is impossible in this world.
But stop belittling yourself. You're working with me today…
…and trust me, you're going to learn. A lot. Very fast. Maybe too fast."
Aeris swallowed hard.
Blackstar drew Orion and Vesper.
— "Alright, let's go.
Destination: Ether Cyclone!"
The portal opened before them, roaring like a living storm.
Kaelo stepped through first.
Aeris, trembling… but determined, followed.