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Chapter 291: Siva’s...... Harem?
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Cramer ruefully cursed at that moment.
A resounding explosion rung as an impact ring beautifully expands between the two of them. It was none other than the «Hammer Blast» ability of the weapon that blew him off.
Not only Cramer was forcefully logged out, he was also thrown out of the marbled ring.
The audience, majority whom had already given up on Siva just a few moments ago, had their jaws hanging open with some even still in the middle of their gasps that hung with extreme difficulty of breathing in the slightest of air.
Such silence was an eerie one, much like the silence of the crowd in Warjillis when Akhenaton had first showed itself to the world.
Only when the sound of Cramer’s body hitting the outside ring and even rolling with thudding and skidding sounds and tumbling like a stringless puppet all on its own did the audience recovered.
CLAP! CLAP!! CLAP!!! ~~~~~CLAP!!!!
No one knows who clapped first but when this one particular sound rung in the silence, the crowd went nuts as they shouted to their hearts’ contents, a loud cacophony of cheers booming in the stadium assaulted Siva who was now just in the middle of correcting his posture.
He ignored this thundering applauds, whistling, and shouts and yells of joy.
Right now, his mind was trying to focus to imprint this feeling while his senses are still sharp and the lingering feeling of speed was still present on his bones.
He closed his eyes and looked up, seeming to be bathing on the cheers of others.
But in truth, he didn’t care about the cheers.
The reason why he was looking up is because he was trying to chase his breath.
“So that’s why I always lose consciousness…” He muttered as he pumped air to his lungs.
Beyond just chasing his breath, Siva discovered that the reason why he felt that he was always so extremely spiritually tired whenever he achieves this [state] is because it exhausts too much of his mental stamina.
It’s like cramming for 72hrs without sleep before the BAR Exams. (A/N: exam for lawyers)
The mental exhaustion was just too much.
“I won.” He murmured and not long after these two words came out, sounds of rushing footfalls echoed from behind him as Scion, Agatha, Niobe, and Cassiopeia (happily) led the horde of the core members of The Company towards the stage.
“Rex!”
“Siva!”
“Master!”
“Honey!”
“““WHO’S YOUR HONEY?!!”””
Scion was wearing a heart-breaking ‘pained’ face as she directly lunged to spoil him on her two supple chests; Agatha immediately cast a healing spell while Niobe and Cassiopeia rode the wind and hugged him from behind like a pair of excited little girls——
Loni and the rest of the Archangel Crew with Volt and Thorn, Samara, the Acolytes, FlowerLord, and most especially the latter, came at Cramer’s side to recover his empty avatar.
“That was a solid hit.” Volt smiled helplessly.
“Urgh! I was 40m away and even from there, I felt like I was also hit by that impact. Wiiiiiieee… gives me the shivers…” (Thorn)
“It’s like being rammed by Megatron.” (Loni)
“More like Saitama.” (FlowerLord)
“Huehuehuehue…”
“Fuma’s laughter is creepy!” (Samara)
“It’s because I have something to tease this giant ape for… Huehuehuehue…”
While they were making fun of Cramer’s loss, the cameras stopped working, closing their glaring red lenses and flying up to be recovered by the one who owned them.
Kathleen jumped down from her (slave) wyvern who cried in joy as it fled, and then walked over to their group beaming with wide smiles.
Thorn chuckled, “So, you got all that recorded?”
Kathleen clicked her tongue and winked at him then gave out a thumb’s up.
“Yup. Recorded and sent.”
“Then what’s gonna happen next?” (Volt)
“Well, I did a pretty good job with all those angled shots and the materials are also good so I’m pretty sure that it’s going to be a good movie. You just gotta trust dad’s editors to do their jobs right.”
When Kathleen had spoken up to here, she then glanced at Thorn, “What I am more concerned about is how we’re going to properly go with that ‘Promotional Video’ for your Patriarch.”
Thorn and Volt gave out a choked sound on their throats as they groaned painfully.
Speaking of which, Red Metal didn’t show himself as he spent all his time inside a booth, trying to get into his character as they were going to shoot their promotional video later on.
Kathleen sighed and said, “The official launch of The Black Wea—God, I really hated that name— company shouldn’t be half-assed since I am going to be part of it. I already have a plan in mind but I need a little bit more time to set up the stage for it. Fuma had already also begun the preparations for the [stage] and adding that to my timeframe, I’d need at least two weeks’ time. Well, anyways, what about you guys? Have you finished the registration?”
Thorn, who was asked that question, put up a wry smile as he glanced over Siva’s direction, shaking his head in resignation.
“Actually, there is no problem in that part. It’s just that I’m hoping that Siva won’t put up a tantrum over the decision we made.”
Everyone else sighed in resignation hearing this.
The reason why is because of the official name of The Company to the Terran World.
Black Weaving Company?
Just the sound of it makes you first think of a textile company, then a fashion brand, before you even align it with a military gears-inclined business enterprise —which is Siva’s plan.
As such, everyone else, aside from those four over there, had to secretly agree on [something].
“What about the emblem?”
Everyone turned to Samara.
“It’s done.” She said with an dismissive gesture of a hand-fan.
“So since we’ve almost finished the preparations, I propose that we proceed accordingly. Hm. I am actually excited though since this will be my first time organizing the establishment of an actual organization. Nyaaaaa…. I can’t help giggling!”
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
Ignoring the cat’s self-satisfying giggling self-hug, everyone else looked at Siva from 50m away.
That image of him, seated upright on the ground while being supported and pampered by Scion, and is also surrounded by three other girls whose beauty wouldn’t lose to anyone else, is a very heartwarming scene to behold.
Who would even think that even though it appears that Siva was just relaxing after a seemingly tiring brawl, the things he carry on his shoulders were things that none of them could even start to imagine the weight of.
Just now, he had proven his resolve to face all and every challenges.
Everyone knew that Cramer was stronger than him in every way possible but he still won and he actually knocked out Cramer and claimed victory using two of the three rules of victory—
—in a bloody unfavourable conditions!
He will defy everything to achieve the strength to not only save Baron but also be able to protect him against all odds.
“I wonder though,” Thorn murmured and broke a silence that engulfed the scene. “Just what is he really planning with The Company…?”
Volt tapped on his chin, thinking; “You’re right. He said that those people wanted him to move in secret but right now, not only he’s the center of the world’s attention but he’s also going to launch a brand name and compete with the rest of the arms-manufacturing organizations out there. It’s like he’s purposely trying to provoke them.”
Everyone here knew about it all now.
Although they are not aware of exactly who these people that has Baron right now, they at least has a clue of them being able to threaten even a large organization such as the UNICORN.
In fact, Thorn had said it on their secret meeting; the TOS Guild was founded to protect Terroa’s Inventions from being smuggled by Terrorists in the real world… and perhaps, these terrorists are the ones that has Rex and Baron’s necks…
…..only, their goals aren’t the inventions but a very different but still a game-existent something.
Otherwise, how could the international celebrities such as the sons of the Kingsley Doctors be kidnapped without anyone knowing it?
Even the media was not aware, or rather, is being suppressed to not inform the world about it.
If the world know of it, then perhaps there are kind-hearted people who’d help Rex but at the same time, if the world knows it, then Baron and Rex will be killed… and everybody here will be killed for knowing this secret as well.
As such, Rex was given the rule to “act alone” and it was also this rule and reason why Siva had been pushing them all away.
In the end, Siva, accepting their help right now, is putting everything he was protecting into danger.
“Volt’s words really make sense.” Thorn backed and groaned, scratching his head in resignation. “I personally wish that he has nothing to do with the enemies the TOS Guild is pursuing. Since the guy is in a very, well, fragile state right now.”
They could only assent at these words. Well, for the Acolytes, except for Heller who wasn’t present at the moment, since they are still new to this and all of them are still finding all these new revelations about the ugliness of the world a bit out of ordinary, could only remain silent.
Loni, on the other hand, who knew more and had already resolved herself to support the only family she has left in this world, remained silent as she just bid Thorn a glance before staring at Siva, while secretly immersing herself on her own bitter tasting thoughts.
*****
Albeit late, Zola… no, Zelga, as a Human of the Castle City of Jeremiah, was easily accepted as a member of the Wall of Jeremiah Knight Order.
He had re-entered the game as Zelga.
Since then, it has been a few couple of days.
Usually, it takes months, if not weeks, before any knight candidate are accepted because of the too many screening SOP’s and procedures The Wall had to conduct before a candidate is approved.
But he easily passed all qualifications as he not only came from the Human Race where the numbers are not only small but their identities are all properly secure, he also showed a might that was not easily seen in the past knight candidates.
Although he never divulged the name of his ability to anyone, all the rectors that participated in the entire screening process have seen his incredible fortitude and ability.[1]
He called it Elementis.
Zelga did not hide his ability and is not afraid of his weaknesses being discovered.
Perhaps this confidence was due to the fact that he has a certain charisma to him that enabled him to lead a group of people who had special abilities to them as well. And all of them became members of The Wall as well.
Not even long after that, he had established his own platoon of elite ‘special ability’ holders.
He called it the “Z-League”.
In the face of such ability, his competitors who were standardized could only bow down in defeat and thus earning him his qualifications.
His entry to the Wall of Jeremiah became news in the city and all the other factions treated this news as a threat to their own candidates’ success in the upcoming King Tests.
And in fact, right at this very day, The Wall had just announced that they will be sending in eight candidates in the King Tests who successfully passed the qualifications left behind by Altair.
Of course, Zelga was one of the King Candidates.
Fast?
Yes.
This is one of the privileges of the human race.
Although they are the weakest of all the races in terms of magical and physical talents, they boast of two very important facts that does not exist in the other races.
1) They are extremely centralized
2) They have high privileges when trying to gain access rights to the Terran-Human Technologies.
It was a given that when a player selects The Naturals as their avatar origins, they cannot select any other Walled City as their starting city and will always start in the Castle City of Jeremiah.
According to the story of the game, while the ‘Freed’ signify the Terran-players, the ‘Awakened’ signify the Humans.
Because the Human-players of today are the ones said to have been in cryo-sleep and was only able to wake up today…. when a player selects a race.
This is proof of their centralized management.
As such, origin information regarding them is easy to find… and in turn, is also affecting the normally long process for Knight Selection and King Tests.
In fact, 90% of all Human-players were members of the Knight Orders in Zenturo. The remaining 10% were either renegade players or players who had been invited by other guilds in the game.
As for the privileges when trying to use the latest and top Terran-Human infused technologies——
“Thank you. I will do my best.”
Right after the induction of The Wall’s group of King Candidates this very day, Zelga received his proof of identity from both The Wall and the King Candidates Deciding Committee.
The shiny silvery white armor of the Knight Order of the Wall of Jeremiah was the same as the ones anyone would normally see in the streets of the 9th district.
What made this uniform unique is the fact that a golden-bluish metallic pin with the symbol of the ‘King of Jeremiah’ was attached on the left collar of the inner shirt of the knight uniform.
«Neo Silver Cross Armor»
This was a very special Nano-Magic Artifact that is unique only to the Knight Orders of RPG: Terroa; with this specific «Neo Silver Cross Armor» only worn by the Knights of the Wall of Jeremiah.
Because it was important to emphasize the status of a Knight in any place in Terroa, the Uniforms they issue to their members are special: it has the ability to completely absorb and display the power, special functions, and MOD abilities (if any) of the wearer’s own personal armor creation, while still magically maintaining the outward appearance of the standard «Neo Silver Cross Armor» Uniform.
As such, there was no differentiation on how the Knight Order members looked like; this is their symbol of unity, and this is also their symbol of identity within the game.
—this is one of the privileges of The Naturals.
Zelga was the last to receive his uniform and once all eight had gotten theirs, they were presented to the crowding citizens of the 9th District of Castle City Jeremiah where they waved their hands and tried to act as celebrities as they are.
What comes next is their continental promotional campaign.
*****
After the induction ceremony, in a secret room in the HQ of The Wall…
The eight King Candidates were seated side by side in a table, facing a panel of elderly NPCs with either long eyebrows, mustache, beard, or chin…
Nineteen of them in total, these elders all had an aged feeling on them and although they all wore different armors –not robes– on them aside from being old, they still felt very strong apart from the ancient feel coming on their shoulders.
But of all of them, the one in the middle, the one who wore an eye-catchingly resplendent royal blue-themed armor with a white cape, gave off the most frightening feeling.
Despite being an NPC, his presence alone could crush one’s spirit and his bearing and aura is like a tsunami that could be seen from 200m away.
This person, an Elder from the Council of Elders exclusively living in the castle in the Castle City of Jeremiah, bore his all-knowing gaze at the eight.
In this eight, not only Zelga, there were also the two other candidates from The Union, Longyun and Tabata, as well as the tall Gonn Race female knight, who wore an uncaring mask above her stormy heart, named Brea… Lady Brea.
All of them, despite the different thoughts running on their minds, had put all their attention towards this old knight.
And then, to break the silence, “Welcome.”
BOOM!!
The old man’s dignified voice left thundering echoes on the eight’s hearts as they felt the heat that signified the uncomfortable resonance in the surrounding Mana.
It was but a single word, but it felt like a Category 10 Hurricane was blowing within their skins.
This was a person who had faced a lifetime of wars, killed incalculable people, and had slayed the strongest monster imaginable in the Terrans’ Book of Legends.
This royal blue-themed armored elder had killed a Dragon and his aura was refined because of the creature’s blood, enabling him to emit frightening amounts of resonance.
It may not be enough to intimidate just about any person in the world, but for these eight who was yet to face a real Dragon, it was enough to say that they were facing the most invincible person in their whole lives.
After but a moment of making his presence and his ‘disposition’ known to the eight, the resonance with the atmospheric Mana in the room subsided and the old man’s soft and wizened voice officially rung to their ears and welcomed the eight.
“King Candidates, you can address me Elder Blue Draco, one of the Three Grand Knights that lead the organization you are all part of; as well as the only knight within the members of the Council of Elders. I hereby welcome you in the presence of this Grand Knight Assembly as you eight are the best of the best King Candidates we’ve groomed thus far in the last decade.”
Perhaps it was an exaggeration to say that they are the best King Candidates for the last ten years but perhaps it was understandable.
Because as far as the other seven’s intel goes, there was actually one amongst them who were indeed unique from the other players thus far…
It was Zelga.
.
.
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The wheel of fate spins…
A terrible enemy looms with envious rage!!
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