436 Final Preparations
(Bonus Chapter).
A flame of green and black bellowed in a well lit and large enclosed space, blazing with a circular arc as it spat out two figures, one of which landed on its feet while the other gracelessly slapped against the floor with a loud clap.
These two figures were Actuass and Revia respectively.
The latter immediately started to throw up with her eyes giving off a dreadfully terrified emotion as the skin around them was tinged in a dark purple hue.
She retched and hurled, causing a disgusting echo to permeate through this hidden place where many figures could be seen.
The more prominent figures here, not being fazed by the two’s sudden appearance as they had been waiting for it, were Cyne and Fulina.
The rest?
Well…
Revia sobbed bitterly as she raised her body with her trembling arms.
She shot a glare at Actuass that turned into a fearful gaze a microsecond later as she stuttered in terror.
“You… What did… what have I…”
“I think you understand more than you let on. It’s a habit of yours,” Actuass said as he sighed heavily.
He was tired.
That was a lot more difficult than he expected even with all he had taken into account.
Fortunately for him, it had worked.
Revia quivered with a tumultuous mix of emotion, her face contorting into an ugly mash of muscle.
“You used me…!” she shrieked, unable to propound what she true wanted to say.
“Of course I did. You are my pawn,” Actuass responded while brushing away the ethereal dust on his robes. “You don’t realise how rare of a catch you are. Spirit Wardens are extraordinarily scarce on Aigas, especially those who are conscious of the fact.”
“You were my only ticket into the Yormuness. One can normally only go there either by dying or reaching Divinity. Luckily for me, because the Outworld Attic is outside Aigas, I have a clear view of the Yormuness.”
Revia could barely hear what Actuass was saying as her mind was trying to process everything she had seen.
The weird, the strange and the atrociously bizarre.
All of it.
“In exchange for letting you in on sensitive information about me and essential information about yourself that you would have never known, I enhanced the effects of your inherent power to interact with matter and individuals outside the normal cycle of life, though only for a short amount of time.”
Thud!
Revia couldn’t stand it anymore. Even if she couldn’t die anymore, her mind could only take so much in a short amount of time.
She lost consciousness.
Actuass kept his gaze on her body for a while before turning to the figures of Fulina and Cyne who were waiting for him to finish speaking.
“Done?” Actuass asked them.
“<Sigh>. It’s done but I lost quite a bit of my men,” Cyne replied with an agitated frown and a shrug.
“I’ll revive them soon,” Actuass said while gazing at the two objects placed at the very edge of the room.
They looked like sarcophagi but without any particular religious or cultural markings on them, a blackish purple hue glittering over their surfaces.
Cyne followed Actuass’ line of sight.
“I only managed to secure two of the three in Emeradis. As for the third, the Mages that guarded the place were particularly fierce. It wasn’t worth it,” Cyne said with a sigh.
“No matter. They are only a contingency for after my deal with that man after all. Do we know his whereabouts at this time?” Actuass asked, turning to the person most likely to know.
“He’s out recruiting a specific group of Energy Formers. He says it’s part of what he saw and all. Should we let him continue to amass more forces? I mean, after your deal, things are going to go crazy in Aigas,” Fulina replied.
“Don’t worry. I have it under control. The main piece I’m counting on against any mishaps has already been stationed at the venue of the Premium Age Royale,” Actuass said, alleviating Fulina’s concerns.
All this concluded the preparations he had wanted to make.
All that was left was for the Royale hosted by House EverSword to begin and…
“You got some interesting pickings,” Actuass said while shifting his sight to the hundreds of men and women lying down on the floor.
Every single one of these men and women was… aged quite heavily.
They were old but powerful, even the subconscious leak of energy from them causing the air to turn heavy.
They were all asleep with the exception of one man who sat on the floor with his legs tucked against his chest.
Fulina looked at this sight with complicated expressions.
She and her subordinates scattered all across of Aigas had managed to nab all these men and women who were mostly retired from their previous duties, bringing them to Actuass.
Some of them were partially senile while others were so old they could barely remember they were living beings.
Fulina felt uncomfortable performing this atrocious deed, so much so that she had delayed quite a bit.
(A/N: This is the mission they were given in Ch.109).
“Yeah…” she said, responding to Actuass’ statement.
The masked man walked up to the group and stared at the one man among everyone here who remained awake, looking at him with keen eyes.
From his dressing, it was quite clear where he was from.
“This man didn’t struggle when we took him. He said he wanted to see something interesting before he died and since he didn’t give us any trouble, Cyne didn’t use his Undeath Concept on him,” Fulina explained.
“Fascinating,” Actuass voiced.
He was intrigued by the man.
The waves of power he produced were horrendous!
His senses that stretched to outside this hidden place could discern dense clouds beginning to gather over it, acknowledging his strength despite his age.
“Hmm. Wake them up,” Actuass ordered Cyne.
The man given the simple order snapped his fingers, the hundreds of people who were asleep before starting to wake up.
Fulina and Cyne backed away as this was going to be brutal and they did not have any part to play in this, fortunately.
As the others woke up, confusion and frustration hitting them over what was happening, Actuass spoke to the lone old man huddled at the edge of the large space.
“Would you like to come at me first? It’s the only way to get out of here as you are.”
The old man laughed as he slowly stood up.
His eyes were calm but cautious.
He knew this man before him, unlike the other two, was a problem.
“I will oblige. Though, I must ask, will you alone take on all of us?” the old man asked.
“So it would seem…”
“I see….” the old man said with his presence flaring menacingly. “My interest in this little charade grows…. Hmm?”
Something interrupted the old man as he spoke.
At the same time, everyone else felt it too, a strange tug at their bodies!
Something like having the innards pulled from the inside.
…!
Everyone, including the old man urgently investigated within their bodies, but there was no need, as what was happening to them was clearly defined by Actuass.
“Ah, it seems I must explain once again,” the masked man said. “Everyone who faces me will feel their life energy leak from their bodies. In other words, you could die before engaging me in combat.”
….!
The tension further increased as while others were inclined to doubt, others believed this was true.
The group then felt another strange sensation within them, the life energy that had started escaping from them swiftly being contained as with this… came an exponential growth in their power!
Sensing that everything was set with the troublesome Creed he had placed on himself, literally having to empower an opponent before fighting them, Actuass’ body bellowed with power.
“Now we begin,” he said as he stepped forward.
It was time for the last preparation – gathering a vast amount of Undeath energy.