Tyrannical Forbloffende Traes Sect

With these armored vehicles, the 14 organizations already had enough to become worried. Before, not so much, but after the appearance of these war instruments, everything changed. However, there wasn't a dire need to make a move, and anything they did seemed to be under the Sect's eyes. Thus, the territories simply adopted a peaceful response as they continued their life, and the Sect continued theirs.

Of course, the other territories didn’t know the half of it. For starters, these armored vehicles, and even the motorized vehicles, had thrusters around some corners of their bodies. It depended on their volume and size, with others like the tanks and tankettes directly having a smallish engine that would otherwise remain always off.

The helicopters and motorized vehicles didn’t, but they had synergy with the rest of the vehicles. After all, they were made of the same metal, named Kalavera metal. At first, the name caused some funny business in the Sect, but overtime, Todoro showed why he was the First Disciple, and gave more meaning to the Sect Master naming their primary metal for forging and creating his family name.

Either way, each vehicle’s structure was unique. They were black, of course, but their insides, surface, and from within seemed to always be in movement. Like it was somehow alive. This was the Kalavera ore’s unique aesthetic property, which not only remained but enhanced after being processed and joined to the other vehicle’s parts.

Furthermore, their armor now belonged to the same attire, and the differences between the Servants and Disciples clothing and that between the hierarchy had changed. Of course, those were things only the Sect knew and rapidly became aware of. The public wasn’t.

For that matter, Heian Ciemnosc had announced that something big would happen, and that every important person in the Region should visit and take a look before returning to their homes, including the south and forests. The date for the announcement was the 1st month’s 2nd week, 3rd day.

This got everyone, and really everyone, riled up. Most wanted to know what the Sect Master would grace them with, besides his charming appearance. The few times Heian Ciemnosc presented himself after the puppets took the college military while it was slowly filled up by Acting Elders were enough to become the Vrida Region’s one male handsome beauty.

… In the central cottage, Heian Ciemnosc slowly spun around as some Servants dressed him up. He only needed his long dark coat, with an extra noticeable neck, and his gauntlets. Pretieta waited at the side, looking at the Sect Master with a mysterious glint in her eyes.

“Sect Master, why did you select today? We could’ve started since the 12th month of last year, or 2 weeks ago.” Pretieta asked. Heian Ciemnosc turned to her, with a Servant blushing as she accidentally touched something she shouldn’t have before hurrying to do her work. Heian Ciemnosc faced Pretieta as both ignored the incident and said to her, “Once upon a time, something marvelous happened somewhere in the world. I don’t wish to take certain dates away from those things… It also makes me feel nostalgic.”

“Understood.” Pretieta moved her hands behind her back and stood with a straighter back. She waited until Heian Ciemnosc was finished before they walked out of the central cottage. As soon as they came out, they were welcomed by a grand sight.

Less than, but not by much, a million soldier units stood in attention before the hill. All around them, numerous auxiliary units, a few times the soldier units’ numbers, stomped their feet on the ground and looked at their Sect Master and Grand Elder, Pretieta.

After a decade since the conflict was resolved, Grand Elder Pretieta achieved the peak of the Crabstynian realm. She only needed enough preparation to become a Spirit Formation realm cultivator, like Todoro. But at least she became a Grand Elder.

Although Todoro was still a tough nut to crack regarding Craftsmaking, he became an Ancestor with an overly high cultivation base. This caused him shame, but he was also used to it. Besides, his knowledge was only second to Pretieta and Liliam and Hexitia. Yes, even those two have gone beyond the First Disciple. What’s worse, he and Saon Gori were on par with each other.

Saon had become an Elder and achieved Colonel rank. His cultivation base was now at the peak of the Crabstynian realm, too, but his Craftsmaking were even worse than Todoro. Todoro Kalavera and Pretieta Gori had achieved the Division General rank, leading a Division unit of up to 560,000 troops with the maximum rank in a Division or Legion.

Meanwhile, Liliam and Hexitia became Ancestors, deciding not to become Grand Elders until Pretieta promoted to Grand Ancestor, as they were at the Crabstynian realm 2nd stage. Their rank was also Division General, and they were very well known across the Sect.

Moreover, the kid that gained Heian Ciemnosc’s rewards for transmitting his news of a meeting, way before the conflict, Tetor, became a Major General and one of the most reputed and respected citizens. He also led a Division, but of only 300,000 citizens and cultivators, with some engineers.

Whenever one thought of the face of citizens in the Forbloffende Traes Sect, be it outside or inside, they would see the young man’s face. He had already received a longevity pill from Heian Ciemnosc, along with a few others who proved themselves. However, those pills weren’t the usual, but some that elongated one’s lifespan to even 10,000 years in one go…

These were things Heian Ciemnosc could only make after he became the Dark God, but it’s something only he needed to know about for now. If a First Step organization could accomplish this, it would have been long obliterated, as no one else can.

The Forbloffende Traes Sect was quite different from a decade ago. For starters, there weren’t more than 10,000 Acting Elders a decade ago. The number of Core Disciples wasn’t well above 800,000, and the number of soldier units increased to a few hundred thousand more than just slightly above 200,000. Now, the Sect had become a few times more powerful, and this was only taking the Sect’s raw manpower into consideration.

If the Sect used those babies and roamed the land…

Heian Ciemnosc looked at the troops he had amassed after 97 years, almost a century since he established the Forbloffende Traes Sect. The hidden babies and the ones that had started to become dusty outside in the drills were just the beginning of his atrocious plans.

“Follow me,” Heian Ciemnosc called out lightly. He walked down the hill, with the Sect’s hierarchy before him, to his sides. They made an empty spot in the middle, which everyone watched and followed until they went past them. The Sect was silent, but everyone could discern the atmosphere of abiding to every little world or exclamation Sect Master Darkness emitted.

They walked from the central cottage to the military zone nearby, where many war instruments were prepared. They boarded them before speeding towards the southern entrance at a slow speed. This level of speed they had was still quite fast, faster than even the cars and other automobiles on the streets, which had been moved for the purpose of today’s parade.

The civilians everywhere on the sidewalks cheered at them, even doing unthinkable things like gracing them with the sight of beauty, bare and sparkling under the morning sunlight. The Sect didn’t apprehend those, as it was but an innocent naughty play, and arrived at the southern entrance.

When they exited the southern entrance, they were welcomed by a small crowd. However, even forest people’s leading figures were present among the southern leading figures. They seemed to band together for today, letting go of their rivalries and whatnot. On the other hand, the 14 organizations sent pale purple clothed representatives, which were only second to their leader.

That was fine, though. Heian Ciemnosc didn’t want nor expected the organization leaders to come in person. Besides, it wasn’t like this was a meeting of officials or something. It was just a light heads up for the upcoming events.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Heian Ciemnosc walked forth and lightly tapped his palms together. Everyone’s attention went to him, with only the Sect’s people appearing at ease. Heian Ciemnosc continued after a slight pause, “I appreciate your time to come here. Now, I won’t waste your time any longer. My Sect has developed enough to this development.”

“From now on, the Sect’s recruitment periods will be held once every year. It will be the same procedure, with things changing as times do. Every new member will become a Servant unless they have achieved the peak with 1 Craftsmaking profession.”

Heian Ciemnosc’s words gained sharp gasps from the crowd, but he wasn’t stopping. His voice remained calm as he continued, “The requirements to become a higher-up and a subsequent upper echelon are even more ‘spooky’. Either way, the Sect now counts with enough manpower to cover the Vrida Region.”

“…?” At the mention of those last few words, Heian Ciemnosc gestured with his left hand, and the troops behind him, still in their lavish, attractive, and unique black vehicles, drove to the sides. The helicopters semi-soundlessly flew above the wheeled vehicles, seemingly following them meekly.

“This… Sect Master Darkness, what do you mean?” A person wearing an emblem with a skull breaking into 2 asked, worried and nervously gulping. Heian Ciemnosc looked at this person and lightly grinned from the left corner of his mouth. “Hear me now, the Forbloffende Traes Sect challenges itself to unite the Vrida Region.”

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“For the sake of the population, I will give every civilian 10 days to hole up in their homes and not come out. Supply yourselves and don’t cause disturbance. Those who play badly will be sought after the Forbloffende Traes Sect rules over the Vrida Region. We’re watching. Naturally, anyone who wishes to oppose the Sect might accumulate their strength and wait for their demise.”

Murmur, murmur…

After countless, cold, sharp gasps, the crowd muttered to each other, with some wearing infuriated expressions. Heian Ciemnosc didn’t wait for them to question anymore and calmly added, “It’s time the Vrida Region returns to what it once used to be. The Sect does not require hidden allies, so please, don’t bother trying something.”

“If you’re an enemy of the Sect, a potential threat, you will be visited first. If you’re a neutral party, you will be visited next, and you can choose to surrender or experience the same as the former before your final fates.” Heian Ciemnosc looked at all parties as he spoke these words.

“What if we want to surrender first?” The old man with the dividing skull’s emblem said, suddenly asking, as if having thought of something. Heian Ciemnosc’s and the crowd’s attention went to this person, but the other organization pale purple clothed didn’t have the spirit to confront this ‘traitor’ so to speak.

“I won’t let you,” Heian Ciemnosc said, half-chuckling. He took a few steps forwards and looked down at the old man. “You’ve shown the probabilities of doing something nefarious, stupid, and reckless far too many times. I have long decided none of you would get my mercy.”

“… gulp.” The old man looked up, nearly folding his neck backwards, and instinctively nodded. Heian Ciemnosc slightly nodded in return and looked at the others again. “This is my Sect’s challenge to dominance. If anyone wants to fight my Sect to the death, I’ll grant those who lead their people an honorable death. Those who do not and flee, or run away to later return, will be given the worst of fates. It’s your choice now. You may leave.”

With that, Heian Ciemnosc turned around and walked back to the inner territory. Pretieta, Todoro, the other 2 ancestors, and Tetor stood with their hands behind their back before the crowd decided to walk away first. They watched the Region’s leading figures look at them one last time before going on their way, and couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of achievement.

It has been less than a hundred years for either of them, and for the Sect itself. It hadn’t even celebrated its 100th birthday. Thus, seeing such an organization employ what dozens of others couldn’t in the past few hundred years surprised them a lot, and not, at the same time.

They looked at each other before nodding, a little gesture that they, and the entire Forbloffende Traes Sect, became used to in just a decade.

… And so, 10 days later, the Forbloffende Traes Sect stepped outside their perimeter and headed to the 5 territories. Or rather, they drove to the 14 organizations who have always contained the Vrida Region’s ‘most’ riches for hundreds of years. They formed columns to travel for almost a day before deploying a wedge formation. That’s when the enemy knew that time had come.

Before, they had been spooked. Knowing they had messed with the wrong guy, they could only fight to the death, or gain the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s approval. But only some of them weren’t complete idiots in handling the Sect. How they wished they could turn back time and uproot this fallacious organization from its very beginning.

However, that was the thing. They didn’t even know when it happened, at least not accurately. Only when they put themselves to really think during those past 10 days did they realize their shortcomings, and how easily it would have been to turn things in their favor, even without antagonizing the Forbloffende Traes Sect.

But it was too late. Those who had shown clear hostility and disdain towards the Forbloffende Traes Sect could only look at those who didn’t in the distance. With plain, helpless expressions, they waited for their doom. Its arrival wasn’t delayed, as they were informed of hundreds of trucks and armored vehicles moving to the north, west, south, and east… Everywhere…

But time was far too gone. Their wishes couldn’t be completed. What’s more, they came to accept it as the 9th day approached. When the day came, and they received the information, they were about to share it and get to work together to do their best. After seeing the Sect’s arsenal, they were aware of their sure loss. But after knowing what they were for, they were hopeless. Still, what were they as cultivators if not fearless of death in war? In a battle?

Unfortunately for them, their communications were thwarted, like a sugar cube falling on calm, still waters. When they realized what was happening, the sounds of nearing motors and bullets flying towards them had already started…

After the bullets arrived and massacred whatever encampment and fortification they exhaustively built these past few days throughout the territories. The enemy was bombarded with shells until the path was cleared. Then, the darks moved through the night, taking no cover as they destroyed large plots of land where trees stood tall and strong.

The lack of communication placed the enemy in disarray for a good day, where the darks moved forth and stole life from everything in their path. Those who were sent out to scout and to at least delay for a few minutes, spread throughout the territories like cockroaches, were smashed at once and turned into layers of skin and some pieces of bones remaining.

The cultivators who had time to put up a Power Energy barrier around their bodies were flabbergasted to know that those who didn’t had a better off ending. They managed to survive for a couple of seconds, trembling in sobbing pain as they couldn’t even move their eyelashes and troopers marched forth besides them. These ignored their pain and let them live until some seemingly non-immediate combative troops came and killed them off or picked their corpses.

On the other hand, those who didn’t protect their bodies would immediately lose their consciousness, as their brains would believe it was enough. They could rest their eyes at ease as their blood and bones escaped their bodies and more bullets destroyed them.

When the 2nd day of the war came, a few organizations’ perimeters were breached, and the darks bombarded and barraged them before rushing in with their armored vehicles. Before, the enemy feared the tankettes and combatant helicopters, but after seeing a column of even just light tanks ignoring their attacks yet inflicting such damage, the enemy lost all hope.

It was even worse for other organizations that employed some tactics to divide the darks’ forces. There, the heavy tanks that were casually bombarding from afar, firing a shell per 0.5 seconds as their barrels rotated, entered the battlefield. Even just a line of 3 heavy tanks was enough to put down anyone under the Obsidiafying realm in one go.

The enemy hadn’t taken action with their superior cultivation base commanders in the previous conflict, but when they saw those tanks and supportive helicopters level down everything without the darks themselves growing tired, they knew they had to act.

However, that was when the Acting Elders joined in. They saw the enemy finally give them an opportunity to fight, and Teams of Acting Elders raced each other to kill the enemy trying to bully them. Todoro, Pretieta, Liliam, Hexitia, and Saon were distributed throughout the Region, so they couldn’t help.

Furthermore, Heian Ciemnosc wouldn’t act. Not because of the Entente, which he still had to follow, as he could lower his cultivation base and not go past it to do as he wished. No. Instead, he just didn’t want to. He was creating his forces. They were in their most edification period, and the teachers of his forces’ future were just learning.

Thus, the darks faced some trouble, immediate danger, and drastic situations. Compared to the enemy’s moments in the war, it was nothing, but it was still something that put the darks under heavy stress. But of course, when the forces faced actual, critical danger, Evans or Alejandro showed up and gobbled those foolish cultivators to the marrow. Then, the battles continued with even higher morale than before, giving the enemy a striking blow to their morale instead.

The first organizations to fall were from none other than the largest territory near the center, with 5 organizations ‘protecting’ it. Then, the small western territory faced quick destruction of their organizations before their Small City was tumbled down, and they faced execution wherever they were found. Only those who surrendered after their inner territory or Small City was uprooted were spared, which were many, but not even close to half.

Meanwhile, it took 8 days for the largest territory to also fall under the darks’ hands. However, some of them fled, rushing to the sea without even flying Fauna. Who knew if they could survive, but at least 10% of some organizations’ elite soldier units and most of their hierarchy fled randomly into the ocean skies.

Then, the remaining 3 territories suffered one crushing blow after another. They experienced their organizations becoming rubble and their people rapidly surrendering, with more cleverness and timing than the western territories.

Only the southern territory was butchered nonstop until a small quantity of their cultivators remained. As for the citizens, the firearms the organizations built for them couldn’t even do anything to the black clothing, let alone their armor or Mortal weapons. And that was if those citizens had the chance to fire at the darks outside the motorized and armored vehicles.

The forest people watched as the lands they sold to the territories in the past, both forced and willingly, became crushed trees-paths where the darks used to rapidly travel across the Region. They couldn’t do anything and just hoped that, according to the Sect Master’s never faulty words, wouldn’t come visiting them before the 5 territories fell.

They didn’t know when would that finally happen and only knew that the west had it worst, as all communications remained jammed. They only hoped the Forbloffende Traes Sect would notify them. Then, as if their prayers were heard, the Forbloffende Traes Sect emitted announcements throughout the forest people and the rest of the north and center. The 5 territories had fallen!

The war finished before 2 months went by. Even then, it wouldn’t have mattered if it took less time because it was far too quickly! The organizations whom the forest people had faced for hundreds of years with the wrong foot and eye were suddenly gone. All their survivors were imprisoned and sent to the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s inner territory for who knew what!

On the other hand, those from the south thought the war had ended and was won by their ‘ruling organization’ after the southern territory was engulfed in flames. Likewise, numerous refugees quickly traveled to the rest of the south for protection and stability.

While the southerners were glad to accept the fellows who were living in the southern territory, no longer caring about their division, well taught into their brains by the Sect’s brainwashing. They celebrated to their heart’s content that the reign of the 5 territories was over. Nobody knew how unfair their lives have been when those organizations decided to leave the south just because it didn’t seem valuable or have any valuable resources.

Now that they could have their fun, they had it. They even cheered up, drunken and ecstatic, as combatant helicopters rapidly flew by or supporting helicopters rained missiles on fleeing cultivators and were turned to pure gore or nothingness. Those nights were unforgettable!

The war had finished, the Vrida Region, home of the core of all that exists and there is, fell into the Forbloffende Traes Sect’s ‘unnatural’ rulership. Into Heian Ciemnosc’s hands!

…

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Let It Rain's note: They won't be called 'darks', but for now, they are. Something like Crimsons.