"I need to et the Division Commander. I want to prove myself," Souta said.
"This early...?!" Eleni's eyes widened in surprise. From her perspective, he had just recently beco a Hero Candidate.
"Are you sure about this?"
Souta nodded, his expression serious.
Eleni studied him for a mont before saying, "Follow ."
Souta followed Eleni through several halls, taking a few turns before arriving at a majestic room-the office of a Division Commander, one of the higher-ups of Athena's Champion. "Chief Captain Eleni of the Second Set Pallas Division is here with the Hero Candidate. Please grant us permission to enter, Sir," Eleni announced, bowing her head slightly.
Souta mirrored Eleni's actions. Despite the wall covered in runes, the perception of a Division Commander could bypass such barriers.
The door emitted a chanical sound before slowly opening.
Eleni glanced at Souta and nodded.
Souta responded with a nod, straightened his back, and stepped forward.
Inside the room, he saw an elderly man clad in a white robe with golden trimmings. The man had long white hair and a thick beard. He held an exquisite wooden staff with a golden orb atop it.
This old man was Cicero Flavius, the Commander of the Pallas Division-the highest authority in the Pallas Division.
"This is the second ti we've t," Cicero said calmly, his gaze fixed on Souta.
"Yes, sir," Souta replied.
Their first eting had been when Athena used Cicero to give him the [Hidden Concealing thod], a technique to hide the presence of his Cosmic Body. Without it, many people, including the Zodiacs, might have discovered his Cosmic Body and sought him out.
"So, what brings you here today?" Cicero inquired.
"I want to prove myself," Souta said.
He recalled Vandal's words: after completing his current task, he would be deployed to the battlefield again to earn achievents until his na was firmly established. Essentially, he needed to showcase his strength.
"You want to start the rite?" Cicero raised his eyebrows, intrigued.
"Yes," Souta nodded with determination.
A few minutes later...
Souta erged from the room and saw Eleni waiting for him.
"How did it go?" Eleni asked.
Souta smiled and replied, "It's done."
"So, when will you start?"
"In three days."
The news quickly spread throughout the city like wildfire. The Hero Candidate Souta was set to begin the rite of trial, aiming to prove himself as a worthy Hero of Goddess Athena.
The Champion's Den was abuzz with excitent. Many powerful figures heard the news and couldn't help but be intrigued. After several years, soone from Athena's Champion was set to undertake the rite once again.
"The Blood Lightning Monster?!"
"You an the warrior who made a na for himself on the front lines!"
"Yes, that's the one!"
"Even warriors from other Holy Lands have acknowledged his strength!"
"Isn't he just a Fourth Stage monster? Maybe the rumors are exaggerated! The initial clash against the Gluttony's Army involved experts at high levels of Fifth and Sixth Shackle! How can a Fourth Stage monster keep up with those experts?!"
"You have no idea! Even those fad experts from the war couldn't deny his strength!" "Who knows!"
The na "Blood Lightning Monster" quickly beca the talk of nearly everyone in the Champion's Den. So doubted his strength, while others were simply excited about the upcoming event.
...
Ekatoe City, Astros.
Torkez was in his office, handling city affairs while Souta was away.
Hmm...
He paused, raising his head as he sensed soone behind the door.
Knock! Knock!
"Who is it?" Torkez called out.
"It's Remina, sir," ca a feminine voice from the other side.
"Okay, you can enter."
The door creaked open, and Remina stepped into the room. Torkez glanced at her and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Sir, we've learned that a legendary-grade fruit is about to ripen in the central region," Remina said.
"Oh, wait, what?!" Torkez's eyes widened as he stared at her.
A legendary-grade fruit was no ordinary resource. It could attract experts from the Shackled Realm, especially if it was similar to the Divine Phaseless fruit, which could grant elental
affinities.
"Are you sure about this?" Torkez asked.
"Yes, sir. A few of our n have confird the fruit's energy. Additionally, a ssenger from Palleo Kingdom has arrived, requesting assistance."
"Why?"
"For the sa reason that a legendary-grade fruit will be ripening in the Obsidian Desert in
the next few days."
"What?!" Torkez pinched the bridge of his nose, then dismissed Remina.
He hadn't anticipated such developnts while Souta was away. The ergence of a legendary-grade fruit was a significant event.
While for major factions like the Holy Lands, legendary-grade resources were obtainable with enough points, for weaker factions, they were highly valuable.
The world had been changing ever since the final outburst of Imperium. Legendary-grade and mythical-grade resources were appearing more frequently than before.
Torkez took a deep breath and stood up. With most of the higher-ups in Astros-Souta, Alice, Eilish, Isabella, Amanda, Eztein, and Franklin-all away, he was handling the situation alone. He walked out of the room and headed to a high-temperature area where he saw a dwarf
hamring a piece of tal.
"Gragas..." Torkez said, tapping on the table beside him.
Gragas stopped and turned his head. "What do you want?"
"Do you have ti?"
"No," Gragas replied flatly, returning to his work. "I'm in the middle of sothing important. You know the state of our departnt's developnt, right? I still need to
increase the production of weapons."
"I know..." Torkez sighed.
Torkez knew that Gragas had only a few blacksmith apprentices in Astros, and their
production speed was extrely slow.
Feeling defeated, Torkez left and went to another area. There, he saw the huge bear sleeping
in a grassy
field.
"Yuko..."
Yuko slightly opened her eyes and glanced at him.
"It's ti for you to do sothing," Torkez said.
Yuko continued to look at him in silence.
Seeing that she didn't dismiss him, Torkez continued, "Souta would be proud of you if you
took on a task while he's away."
Yuko perked up her ears at the ntion of Souta's na.
"I need you to go to the central region with a few of our n. Follow their instructions, and
you'll make Souta proud."
In the next few hours, Torkez assembled the group for the mission to the central region:
Yuko, a high Fourth Stage monster.
Leef, a peak First Shackle expert and a genius from the Witch Corps. She participated in the Tournant of Astros, where she defeated Yenxa before losing to Eilish.
Arfi, the son of the Chief Enforcer of the Witch Corps, also a peak First Shackle expert, and a participant in the Tournant of Astros.
Red Dragon, a high Fourth Stage monster who joined the Astros before their arrival in
Imperium.
In addition to these four, there were twenty experts and monsters of lower ranks.
Torkez glanced at Yuko and said, "Yuko, rember to follow Arfi's instructions. Also, keep an
eye on Red Dragon."
Red Dragon nodded in acknowledgnt.
Torkez then turned to Arfi, who was leading the mission. "Arfi, I'll leave them in your care.
Rember, you're not alone. The Dragon Council will likely dispatch so experts as well. Coordinate with them, and we'll discuss the legendary grade fruit once we secure it." The Dragon Council would undoubtedly be aware of this legendary-grade fruit. It was crucial to work with them to secure the fruit and prevent other forces from claiming it.
"I understand," Arfi replied with a nod.
Soon, the group left the city.
Torkez watched them until they disappeared from view.
"Actually, I didn't want to send Leef and Arfi away since they're on the verge of a
breakthrough, but we're short on manpower right now." Torkez sighed.
Due to the recent events, Leef and Arfi were close to breaking through to the Second Shackle,
which would have strengthened Astros significantly. However, they had postponed their advancents to undertake this mission.
The casualties from the No God Emperor incident had left them severely weakened.
"The remaining issue is the Obsidian Desert..." Torkez sighed again.
Souta had previously ntioned that they owed a favor to the royals of the Palleo Kingdom. However, with their current situation, Torkez couldn't afford to send more people. Even if he dispatched those remaining who were capable, would it be enough to handle the situation?
Kessa needed to stay in Ekatoe City for protection, so she couldn't be sent on this mission.
Doranjan was occupied with managing the monsters, which ant he was unavailable for additional tasks.
And Torkez himself couldn't leave since he was responsible for managing the affairs of Ekatoe
City.
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