He emerged in the center of his mat, and crossed his legs once more. In the time that it would take for the Overlord to break through, it would be better served for him to cultivate his Dao than anything else. He couldn’t level, or else he would forfeit his Tower of Transcendence token, and therefore he would be unable to fight anything. Naturally, the only thing left was Dao comprehension.
He closed his eyes and dove deep into the concept of his Dao, creating a resonance with his own power. In the last vision, he had gained an element of caution, the importance of not losing oneself to rage, and becoming the thing that they sought vengeance against. The next upgrade would likely be less peaceful.
He started to sink into a deep meditation. Now that he was an E Ranker, it felt far easier than before. Because his body was blended with his mind, he was utterly still and silent as he worked. Even more importantly, he could wall off distractions from the outside world as he went. His ears closed over, shutting out noise, and his eyelids thickened, cutting out all light. He rocked around a little to get comfortable, and then let out a breath. He technically had no need to breathe anymore, but it was still helpful for setting a rhythm for meditation.
In, out. In, out. He began to cycle his Dao as he worked, syncing it with the rhythm of his breaths. As he did so, he pondered the meaning of his last Dao Vision. If one was to not lose themselves to their rage, then what was the alternative?
Days passed, with shocking, perhaps concerning ease. However, Sam was an E Ranker now. He was not a mere mortal anymore. He could now live for thousands of years at the very least, and many of those years would be spent cultivating. He needed to get used to things like this. Because his brain was gone, suffused throughout his body, he could now suppress things like boredom during cultivation, and make anything feel more interesting than it normally would. Because it was the Dao that he was cultivating, it was naturally interesting, and even without the aid of his powers as an E Rank. With them added to it, it was slightly addictive.
Sam eventually woke, as he sensed a detonation of profound energies coming from the city center. He was about halfway to his next Dao Rank, but that could wait. The Overlord had awakened from his ascension. The faction now possessed two E Rankers. Sam picked up his hammer, just in case, and smiled.
He teleported to the hospital ward, and watched as the other man hovered over his bed, shining with a brilliant red light. Power coursed off of him in waves, and as he settled down, his eyes opened, looking like chips of ruby.
“Finally,” he intoned, not looking at Sam. Instead, he seemed to stare off into some ineffable distance, gazing upon cosmic truths.
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“It’s time to leave then,” Sam replied. “Our greatest journey yet awaits.”
The Overlord smiled, and stepped off the bed. He cracked his knuckles, and moved towards Sam, a grin on his face.
“I’m ready.”
The two men, father and son, enemies and allies, strode out of the hospital ward. Both of them crackled with the lambent might of an E Ranker, causing everyone who saw them to tremble. In this case, it was due to awe, but to their enemies, it would be out of fear.
They walked towards the city hall, which was a few blocks away from where the hospital ward was. Technically, it was part of the whole complex, but it was so large that it stretched for multiple blocks.
As they went, what seemed to be the whole population of the city came out to greet them. Soon the streets were filled with people, many of them aliens, who already knew what was about to happen. Most of the humans had no idea what the Tower of Transcendence was though, and they had simply emerged for the spectacle.
Rather than teleport, the two newly ascended E Rankers simply walked, Sam out of a desire to see how far his faction had come, and the Overlord to bask in the concentrated awe of the bystanders, which generated an immense amount of Dao Energy. The Dao path that he cultivated was one that grew easier the stronger one was, as simply existing created awe in anyone who was nearby.
Eventually, they reached the front of the city hall, and stopped. Sam turned to face the gathering crowd, and raised his arms for silence.
“Our faction has gone through much during the last few months,” he began. “And for all that, we have come out far stronger on the other side. We are now the dominant power of Earth, both in terms of strength, and in terms of the System’s approval. This was not achieved through laziness, or through luck. It was the result of the work that all of you have done. I am not the faction, even though I might be the face of it. You are!”
There was a resounding cheer from the crowd.
“It is time for me to seek my destiny among the stars, and while I am gone, it will fall upon you all to safeguard everything that we hold dear. The captains are strong enough to deal with almost any threat that we might face, as proven by the battle with the E Ranked marauders who came to despoil our planet. Until I return, it will be up to you to direct the progression of the faction. I trust you.”
Sam turned to the Overlord, expecting him to say something. Instead, the man simply smiled, and raised one hand. A beam of red light erupted from it, streaking through the shield and into the clouds above. Then it exploded, scouring the sky itself. He lowered his hand slowly and blew on it. That was the only display the city would be getting out of him. It was just as effective as Sam’s speech, inspiring the citizens. Another cheer rang out, and Sam idly took note of how quickly the perception of the Overlord had changed, after he had fought and almost died for the city.
Then he withdrew the token from his pocket, and acted on instinct, flipping it into the air. As it traveled, it turned into a spinning wheel of gold. An infinity sign exploded into being above Sam’s head, and over the Overlord’s as he did the same with his own token. A faint image of a tower appeared in the sky, painted in a near infinite number of hues. Then the infinity signs contracted, and swallowed the two men whole.