Stark was in his room, deep in thought as he tried to train the basics of essence manipulation. His reserves were extremely limited, but its utility was immense. His physical abilities and reflexes were easily enhanced to a new level with its insertion.
However, what worried him most was the lack of information. They were going to hunt leaders who were several steps above them on the power scale. It was naïve to think they could achieve this with just the brute strength that the enemy had in abundance.
"The best way would be to secure a supporter..." The problem was obvious. Each division had its own interests, and raising another division with the potential to dethrone all others was a shot in the dark. With a sigh, he left his room and headed towards the library.
Most of his colleagues had been holed up there in recent days, and they could exchange some useful information regarding this as well as forge new alliances. The only problem when he arrived were the hostile stares. He didn't know how it had unfolded, but there had been a major disaster during the entire rescue operation.
The first phase of the operation involved the relocation to the illusory world within the death zone, which was dangerous, but the artifacts sent should have been able to handle it. They didn’t, resulting in more than half the group dying before even entering the world.
The second stage consisted of the rescue and selection of those deemed suitable, which also went wrong. Many of the high-level and beyond individuals died before the end of the test. The results were far above expectations, but they could have managed better if not for the immense failure of the first part.
In the third stage, more sacrifices were required to cross the border, which was mitigated by Stark’s presence as he fought bravely against the attackers, earning him some honors and a higher rank within the White Tower. The first two stages occurred basically without him, so the details were obscure, but could be answered by a few key figures. The first part could be clarified by any angel who had been with them, particularly Amriel, who commanded the entire operation.
The second stage could be explained by his high-level companions—if they weren’t completely hostile and traumatized by it. Not to mention the constant clashes among themselves, frequently releasing their auras unconsciously at each other. It was weak and small compared to the three and the leaders, but still noticeable.
He analyzed the tables where they were split. The first group consisted of the middle-aged woman with mental powers and the only mid-level soldier among them, the retired soldier now with a scar across his face. Stark categorized them as the ‘weak,’ their abilities used more for utility despite their military application.
The second table was made up of the ‘unstable,’ the girl with colored hair and a man who used to cover his face with clothes, now wearing a mask,suit,tie and top hat to hide his burnt appearance. Of all of them, they seemed the most intense.
The third and last group was the ‘teenagers,’ consisting of two boys and a girl. Their blood was boiling, and their barely hidden aggression was evident. They were well-dressed this time, wearing fur coats and clearly indulging in their own luxuries. Of all the groups, they seemed the most stable.
The ‘weak’ had committed cannibalism, and the ‘unstable’ likely did terrible things due to their mental instability and murmurs. The ‘teenagers’ had a defensive posture, indicating they didn’t take action but rather focused on retaliation, more concerned with scaring than fighting for real.
Stark approached them, their gazes piercing him. He sat down uninvited while their auras pressed down on him.
“There’s no point in doing that to literally the best in aura manipulation…” He released his own, making them tremble, struggling to maintain their composure.
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“I’m just here to talk. I need some information from you, and that’s all.” One of the boys, the most aggressive of them, slammed the table.
“We have no reason to give you anything!” Stark increased the pressure even more, considering using his bloodlust. The boy gritted his teeth while the other two looked apprehensive.
“Boy, understand your current position—our current position. The Tower is having problems because of us, but they’re still keeping us in the dark about some of their secrets. If we don’t start cooperating, whatever happened at the camp might happen again.” The girl behind him placed a hand on his shoulder, asking him to calm down. With a voice sweet but attempting to be hostile and intimidating, she questioned Stark.
“What do you know that we don’t?” He glanced around briefly to see if anyone was listening.
“I have some information from the superiors about our rescue and their apparent ‘operational error.’” She narrowed her eyes. Seeing that he wouldn’t say more, she continued.
“It seems this ‘error’ occurred more than once, as the camp was attacked by monsters far above our level…” He didn’t know how to react initially, as the place was supposed to be a safe zone thanks to the angels’ artifacts and should have been monitored by them all day long.
“Something was attacking the camp and making people disappear. Many of them vanished without a single sighting. The explorers probably suffered from this too; many simply got lost in the jungle…” She lowered her head, remembering the pain but gathering the strength to continue.
“When some of us awoke, we noticed the mental manipulations of that bitch and began investigating the disappearances. Some were her doing, but the vast majority were not.”
“Eventually, the ‘errors’ kept increasing, and when we arrived, not only were mysterious and invisible monsters making our people vanish, but many were being killed out of nowhere with huge slashes and limbs torn off. In the midst of the chaos, some who had disappeared returned, and practically the whole camp had awoken by then... by the end of the day, it was a war between groups—the military, those like us who just wanted to survive in peace, and those who had come back...” Nearly collapsing onto the table, the other boy, calmer, took over and held her as she cried on his shoulder.
"By the end of the day, it was a general massacre, and ‘war crimes’ occurred. Don’t make us relive the trauma. What matters to you is simple: those who didn’t come with us aren’t necessarily dead. They might have found a way to survive in the death zone, possibly aligning themselves with another organization.”
‘There shouldn’t be another organization here...’ The distance between the citadels was significant and had made most conflicts unfeasible. It was his turn to reveal what he knew.
“In the meeting with the captains and majors of the angels, they discussed sending over a hundred angels to the location—a number that had been greatly reduced before they found us. As for the details of what happened, I still don’t know much, but it’s clear there’s some enemy of the Tower.” The information was shallow but complementary, allowing for this reasoning.
“Someone with a strong interest in recruiting us, or at least eliminating us...” Stark reflected deeply on these words. It could be a potential new ally.
‘How willing are they to sponsor a spy...’
“Whether we like it or not, it’s clear this place has become more unstable than usual since our arrival. We need to support each other and prepare for the worst…” The boy only gave a shallow response.
“We’ve given you what you wanted. Now leave us alone…” Stark looked at them deeply one last time, hoping one of their comrades would knock some sense into him, but instead, they shot him even more hostile glares. Sighing, he stood up.
“One last question. Which division are you affiliated with?” The three were inseparable and must have joined the same one.
“Research.” He nodded and left them as they wanted.
‘What’s wrong with them?’ Stark still didn’t understand the reason for their excessive passivity. They just wanted to be left alone, but violence was knocking on their door incessantly, and if they didn’t prepare, the worst would happen—they’d be forced to face it head-on, unprepared.
“Well, if they’re not willing to talk…” He looked at the unstable ones again. No matter how powerful and unstable they might be, he could certainly dominate them or at least ask for help. Sitting across from them without being invited again, the girl in front of him continued murmuring, not noticing him, while the man looked at him without saying a word.
“I want to talk to you.” The two continued living in their own worlds. He released some of his aura.
“Hey, I’m talking to you.” He looked at the girl, still with no reaction. He completely unleashed his bloodlust while slapping her hard, causing her to look at him in shock with the cheeks red.
“Awake now, princess?”