Raven replies as we stand a few meters apart in the crumbling mansion below the night sky.

"Where does my loyalty stand? That's a good question..."

She takes a step forward, and it echoes through the silence.

"If you were to ask me that question a few days ago, my answer would have been with the Association without a doubt. I've been a contracted hunter since the day I awakened, skills like mine aren't common. People in power always needed to hire someone to listen in on others while using stealth, and an ability to disappear in dungeons allowed me to level up far faster than my peers, even in dungeons far above my strength..."

She crosses her arms and looks at the sky.

"You heard Redgrave. I've always been one of their favorites. It's because I always did what I was told and was rewarded for doing so... I even got to use the Central Labyrinth a few times about a decade back. Other than the big three, I'm the only triple ranked-up hunter in the world."

She grins and looks back at me.

"Technically, we're called S-Class hunters, but that rating in the Association's system was thrown away long ago to make the public believe level 1000 was the pinnacle of power...."

Her frown disappears, and her gaze tightens, looking deep into my eyes. I feel her aura get stronger as she speaks again.

"I thought I knew the pinnacle of power too... A True Core, even among all the members of the Order, this was the strongest anyone in the world had ever achieved. But after our battle..."

Her eyes change. Instead of a pure calculated, practical gaze, a tinge of crazy aspiration twinkles in them; I feel it ripple out through her aura too as she continues.

"I've never seen anyone fight the way you do, growing stronger with every swing of the blade you make... My memories of fighting like that back in the training facilities of the central academy are long gone. It's like you haven't lost your childlike view of the world..."

She pauses, and the sparkle in her eyes grows brighter.

"No... It isn't a fantasy to you... You truly believe your potential is limitless... No... it isn't that either. You don't even think about such labels that put you in a box. You see what's in front of you, and merely find a way to take it..."

The feeling of pure inspiration pours out of her True Core's aura as a moment of understanding washes over the hunter who has been stuck in her ways for decades, playing it safe, and biding her time while the leaders of the Order keep power and safety just out of her grasp.

While assurance through a pact that no one will attack each other for decades to come has given her some security over the years, there has always been the looming anxiety that once that time comes, she will never be strong enough to stack up against the true threats.

I nod and interject.

"Sure... If that's how you want to see it. I want to grow with and protect those who helped me, and I don't want anyone telling me what I can or cannot do. I don't care for personal profit other than gaining more strength. Power over people and the money it brings me is a side effect of my ventures, and a tool that must be used. Basically, I wanted to have the Dark Continent and 8 Great Regions all to myself so I could train in peace and give the citizens of my growing nation a safe life... But of course, there are always more greedy hands in every pot."

I look up at the dark night sky, not looking for anything in particular, but the vastness of it helps me organize my thoughts and consolidate a point.

"I want to take down the Order, every last one of them. These big three used their power and resources to hold you on a leash, even if it felt like you were free. If you say they'll be coming to the Dark Continent to claim the throne, that means my people will soon be under threat of their rule."

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I look back down from the sky and stare at Raven with the same intensity she's giving me. Then, I put out my right hand.

"You're either with me or against me. I have a plan, but I want your confirmation of full trust first. What do you say?"

Raven's heartbeat becomes faster, and her aura of inspiration and excitement becomes even stronger as she lifts her right hand too.

"There's more to life than just waiting to die. You showed me that in our battle, creating a spark of inspiration in my heart, protecting that dull flame when you brought me back from the brink of death, and now you're giving me a chance to fan the fire. Deep down, I've always wanted to see the leaders of the Order burn, but there has never been an opportunity to try until now."

Our hands clasp together, and our True Core's auras intertwine as her thoughts and emotions become crystal clear.

"Good. This is my new plan. We'll start with the remaining outer four..."

—

Over the next few hours, I outline my plan, and we continue to share information back and forth.

I learn of the inner workings of the Association and the Order in far more detail, but there isn't much that I couldn't have guessed.

Each strong nation around the world that has large military forces of above 4 A-Class hunters is run by members of the Order. They report back to central headquarters every few years and pay resource taxes, as well as have their hunters' talent scouted to be taken into Central.

Over the years, many artifacts of both originator and divine nature have been found around the globe; so many strong nations have soul energy users as their leaders, but very few are capable of using Divine power.

Even in some of the weaker nations, without Order members running them, there are a few red and orange cores that pop up every once in a while; but they are usually eliminated by any nearby Order member before they can become a greater threat, as most of the divine energy has been regulated with a tight grip.

Each of the powerhouse nations is only allowed to share divine energy with those approved by Central, but there are hundreds of red cores around the globe, and dozens of orange; however, Raven states that now there are surely single-digit yellows, and only 5 True Cores that she knows of. That includes both of us.

After learning this, she tells me of the 4 powerhouse nations run by members of the Order all around the globe, and offers to bring me to them.

"There is a very large island nation off the coast. Two of the outer members reside on it." She points west, even further away past the mountain range that stops my view at the edge of the forest.

"It's past the dead zone of the mountains. Believe it or not, there's a pretty large ocean on the other side of that mountain range. Across it, the mainland takes you to Central if we fly far enough... The other big three have combined their nations to surround the Central Headquarters on all sides. One of the other outer members is on the mainland even further west of central, while the final member has been dark for a number of decades... I don't know how to find him."

She pauses, and a small ripple of concern leaks out of her.

"Visiting that mainland wouldn't be wise; you'll be spotted if we get too close... even visiting the island nation could be a huge risk. One of the big three will sense you."

I raise an eyebrow.

"What? And they won't sense you? Your ability can evade their perception?"

Raven nods.

"It can. But the moment I slip out from my stealth domain, it'd be over for me, they'd notice a True Core in an instant. You can't hide your—"

Mid-sentence, I decide to retract my aura, hiding it all behind my purple divine barrier. Not a single thread leaks out. It is, after all, an artifact created by a being many cores above a yellow. With the help of a mythic-grade concealment skill and my master of illusion buff, it appears as though I'm nothing but a normal man, without a drop of even mana running through my veins.

Raven looks me up and down again and continues her sentence.

"Maybe... you can... still, we should do some tests, and going to central right now would be a death sentence."

She lets out a pulse of full-strength perception, but the look of confusion still stays on her face.

I grin.

"We don't have to push it too far. There's no point in going directly to Central. All I want to do is visit the four outer members, the two on this island you speak of is a good start. I don't want to kill them today, nor take over their economy. Doing that now without having any knowledge of their local infrastructure would be a waste. Plus, as much as you believe the big three wouldn't bat an eye, I'm not taking any chances."

—

We continue our talk beneath the stars. Then, once all the logistics are figured out, we both do long-range perception testing on both of our techniques.

All throughout the forest region, both of us use our full perception to try and sense the other from close up and far away, and at varying flight speeds.

There is a point when my greater form is activated, and I try to soar at a velocity fast enough that some of my mana control and divine threads leak out, but we nail down a top speed I can soar at beside her and stay concealed. The sound and changes in air pressure I create, even while using my own stealth skill, need to be taken into account.

While it would be easy to make a lap around the globe in an hour or two, that won't be possible if I want to stay inconspicuous.

Eventually, we set off further to the west to begin scouting out new lands.

Just yesterday, I believed the 8 Great Regions would be the long haul project I'd be focused on for months to come. However, a day later, a new True Core ally has joined my ranks, and my eyes are set on a much larger prize.