"Ah, Maria Rosenthia and Julia Bergkoff. Welco to my humble office." Dean Rochester greeted with a kind smile as he glanced at the two nervous won.
Naturally, Sadistic Fla, who was Maria, and Crystal Ice, who was Julia, were extrely flattered. They never in their lives thought that the Dean would know or rember their nas, as they were graduates from more than half a decade ago.
Even if they were A class, the academy had more than a hundred A class espers in its ranks.
"Greetings, Dean Rochester." Both won greeted with a curtsey, making Kaizer amused because even when they were about to be extinguished, they never spoke to him with such reverence.
This was the value of reputation and power.
Dean Rochester was not paying attention to the two won, but rather to Kaizer’s reaction to their reverence, making the dean feel pleased to see the flicker of envy and understanding in the young man’s eyes. After all, once Kaizer achieved his full potential, he would also receive the sa kind of treatnt.
The na ’Traveler’ held absolute sway in the esper world today, and so too did ’Reaper’ once. The na of ’Overlord’ was now in debut, and Dean Rochester was certain that in a year or two, it would cause thunder to resound across the esper world.
"You two ladies are in a bit of a pickle it seems. My student tells that you are aware of his telepathic abilities, and this is sothing we cannot allow to be spread around. As such, I would have to ask that you enter his employ and take an oath to maintain his secrets." Dean Rochester said with a nod.
Sadistic Fla and Crystal Ice shared a look and bowed. "We would be honored to serve the Overlord!"
Dean Rochester nodded in satisfaction while Kaizer wrung his lips, feeling awkward with the way things were going. What did they an ’serve the Overlord’? It sounded so corny and cringe, but the dean seed to feel this was normal.
Dean Rochester snapped a finger, and the two won disappeared from the office. "I’ve sent them to the Oath Taker of the Esper Commission. Soone will handle the processes for you, especially the registration and establishnt of your personal faction. If you have a na in mind, you can let know and I will implent it for you."
The current Kaizer was not too interested in the faction-related stuff, believing first and foremost in his own power, which had grown once again with the takedown of multiple enemies during this mission. Since the Dean was already aware of this, the two discussed a slightly revised training plan for Kaizer that would start tomorrow.
Tired, Kaizer bid farewell to the Dean and left, driving his Viper ACR to the villa estate. The mont he entered, he saw Rina on the couch, receiving a house-call pedicure from a female masseuse while on the phone with what Kaizer identified to be his aunt due to his senses.
He did not disturb her and went upstairs, plopping down onto his bed, kicking off his shoes and managing to remove his shorts before covering himself. In about a minute or two, Kaizer was fast asleep, his gentle breathing almost inaudible in the room.
.............
In a dimly lit chamber deep beneath a lavish estate in the residential center of Gamma City, a eting of powerhouses was ongoing.
Within a chamber that flickered with dim violet light, stood a circular stone table at the very center, worn with age but humming faintly with esper energy from ages past.
Eight figures sat in high-backed, ornate chairs, their faces partially obscured by the unstable lighting. Each one radiated an oppressive presence, the air around them thick with the weight of their combined power.
They were the upper echelon of the Ancients, The True Lords.
In the northernmost seat was Davian Faust, whose esper na was Solaris and faction na the Infernal Lord.
The older man sat lazily in his seat, his surprisingly muscular fra draped in crimson and black robes embroidered with golden flas. His long, fiery-orange hair cascaded over his shoulders while his sharp amber eyes seed to contain the light of the sun within.
He exuded a casual arrogance, one hand playing with a ceremonial dagger while he wore a casual smile filled with endless confidence.
Across from him, a man with an icy gaze leaned forward, his voice smooth but carrying the sharpness of a blade. "We have grown too lenient in this era as the Supre Force believes itself above consequence as if Reaper is still there. It is ti to remind them that he is a thing of the past."
This was Vladis Richter Nevsky, esper na Requiem and faction na the Phantom Lord.
The thin and gaunt man was clad in layered black silks, his long silver hair tied back neatly. His pale and pasty skin made him seem like a ghost even among espers, his voice heavily accented with a Slavic lilt.
"Agreed, we must make an example... one that lingers and persists in their nightmares." A soft, chilling female voice added.
The speaker was Marianne Vaudrin, esper na being Eclipse while her faction na was the Lady of Moonlight.
She sat with her arms crossed, her raven-black cloak blending into the darkness behind her. Her luminous violet eyes reflected the light of the room, which also made her sinister beauty unsettling, like a noblewoman whom all the princes of the palace killed each other for.
"The problem is the lack of strategy, as attacking them outright invites overt conflict. We must bleed them slowly, break their morale before we shatter their bodies." rumbled a deep, guttural voice.
This ca from Brutus Gallows, whose esper na was Abyssal Behemoth and faction na was the Lord of Power.
He was a towering hulk of a man with dark skin and ritualistic scars covering his bare chest. Chains wrapped around his arms like bracelets, and his deep-set eyes glowed faintly red and were filled with simring madness.
"Hmph. Why waste ti? Just burn them all," a sharp, venomous voice sneered in a high-pitched tone.
Seated with his boots kicked onto the table, his expression twisted in amusent, was Dante Cross, with the esper na of Blood Reaver and the faction na of Blood Lord.
He was clad in a tattered black trench coat, his wild crimson hair and razor-sharp grin giving him the look of a madman who delighted in the world burning before his eyes. His fingers impatiently drumd against the armrest, the bloodstains on his gloves never truly fading.
Solaris suddenly chuckled, his voice smooth as molten gold. "Such enthusiasm, Dante."
"But we aren’t savages... well, most of us aren’t anyway." His smirk widened as he turned to the last two mbers who had yet to speak.
"There’s a bigger problem that you all are conveniently ignoring, those lowly non-espers are evolving. Their weapons are adapting to our kind faster than expected. If we are careless, we will find ourselves hunted." A raspy, chanical voice interrupted.
This was Dr. Alistair Veil, with the esper na of the Machina Prophet and faction na of The Machine Lord.
He was actually more machine than man, his body encased in sleek black armor, his right eye replaced with a glowing red lens. This technological advancent was sothing that even the governnt had no idea of, but was possible thanks to his special esper ability.
"Tch. The weak will always fear the strong," A female voice scoffed.
Seated with a blade resting across her lap was Selene Nyx, her esper na being that of Pale Huntress, while within the faction, she was called the Lady of the Hunt.
Her white hair frad her doll-like, porcelain face that would make one who did not know her feel their heart thump with affection. She spoke with quiet authority, her piercing golden eyes scanning each mber as if her focus was not the external enemies out there... but the internal ones hiding here.
The eting was proceeding as normal until Selene turned toward Solaris, her eyes narrowing.
"Since you dare to speak, let’s talk about you, Solaris. Why don’t you explain the disappearance of C-grade esper Leo and his squad that were tasked to find the Lord of Death? Also, why did his final transmission ntion sothing about a discovery to that end?"
The chamber suddenly fell into an oppressive silence.
Despite all the other True Lords turning to him with utter malice in their eyes, Solaris didn’t react imdiately. He rely sighed, rubbing his temple as if mildly inconvenienced. "Really, Selene? Must we do this now?"
Selene’s grip on her blade tightened, looking as if she couldn’t wait to use it on this fellow. "Yes, we must."
A flicker of annoyance passed through Solaris’ glowing amber eyes before he reclined further into his seat, exhaling slowly.
"Leo failed. That’s all there is to it. He overreached, and he was punished accordingly. Our Master does not reward failure."
Brutus rumbled in agreent but still questioned: "Then why not report his death?"
Solaris’ lips curled into a smirk. "Because it was a waste of ti. And as for his so-called ’discovery’, it was nothing of importance. Just a false lead related to so new S-class esper that killed one of their team mbers after she hunted him down."
Selene remained unconvinced, her grip on her bloody dagger tightened further while her eyes narrowed with predatory excitent, looking to pursue the issue further, but Vladis raised a hand.
"Enough. If Solaris is lying, ti will expose him."
Vladis then brought the eting back to topic as he turned back to the others. "For now, we focus on crushing the Supre Force."
The others seed uninterested in pursuing the matter minus Selene, making Solaris smile in a confident manner.
However, beneath the flickering candlelight, his eyes glead with sothing far more sinister.
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