Chapter 330: Introductions (1/2)
I peered back and forth, looking around at the other rulers nearby. No one moved to any specific place, so I created a telepathic link with Shalahora. I murmured, ”This probably isn't your first meeting if I had to guess, so are there any pointers you have on where to go?”
Shalahora radiated, ”This is my first meeting as well.”
My eyes widened, ”Woah, really?”
”I've lived a long life...But it was not spent ruling over others. I isolated myself, and only recently have I decided to enact my will onto another species...This is a trial for me, in many ways.”
A wave of awareness crashed over me, and I nodded, ”Ah...So you're as lost as I am then?”
”We walk in the dark in this.”
Schema's voice ushered from the stone nearby, ”Five new ruler class members formed since the last meeting. They shall traverse to the panel below and introduce themselves.”
The ascendant Overseer lifted an arm, generating a panel of mana. The red guardian manifested energy, forming a crimson disc that crackled out lightning and a dense miasma. I frowned at it. It was enough energy to cause side effects in weaker-willed people. Standing on that platform could cause hallucinations, mana saturation, or worst of all, mana devolution.
Schema tested the new members, and it didn't fall outside my notice.
The Overseer pointed his finger at Shalahora, and the Sovereign beside me shifted out of the Overseer's shadow. Shalahora held two locations simultaneously, one half beside me and the other resting on the mana plate. Shalahora linked to everyone present in a single instance, the chain solid and firm.
I held down a laugh, the poor guy starting off with a poor impression. He mentioned people being put off by his demeanor, and this explained why. The guy wrestled into a person's mind like slamming open a front door. Hell, Shalahora even did so with the Overseer, bypassing the restraints Schema planted with ease.
The ascendant mana was no different. It trickled into Shalahora's body, but the Sovereign battled back with pure, unadulterated dominion mana. The density and thickness of the mana defied reason, like a black blizzard. A contrasting panel of dark dominion crystals formed under Shalahora as it murmured,
”I am Shalahora, the Sun Swallower. I no longer know my age, as I existed in the void for many years...My home planet was destroyed centuries ago...And I have treaded the stars, killing the eldritch...I battle with telepathy and mind magic...”
Its form rippled, ”And I aim to create lasting friendships here...To those that serve others aside from themselves. Should you fight me...” Shalahora stared through the crowd, ”It will not be a battle. It will be a one-sided slaughter...But I hope it doesn't come to that. It would be a shame.”
Schema announced, furthering the information, ”Shalahora is a Sovereign who was previously a Fringe Walker. He moved from that class to the Sovereign for personal reasons. He's cleared over 300 planets, wiping them clean. Treat him with respect, as he has killed other sentients many times before.”
The weight in Schema's voice pressed from all angles, and I realized the reason for its depth. It didn't come from any source; it manifested in my mind. Like the status screens staying open even with my eyes closed, I could plug my ears and still hear Schema's voice. He skipped the sensory step, relaying information directly into our heads like he did with the system.
That unnerved me, kind of like how the mythical compendiums took our minds away to some far-off place. Shalahora could've been accentuating that disparity with his own strength. The behemoth shifted back towards me, leaving his umbral platform of dark crystals behind. He stayed silent beside me, and he gave off no hostility despite his warning.
The entity came across as casual and composed, not one-sided or menacing. Seconds later, the Overseer pointed towards the individual beside Obolis. A heavily muscled cyclops jumped from beside the Emperor. The cyclops left cracks in the ground, Obolis having to generate a platform, so he wasn't sent stumbling.
The coal-black cyclops landed on the ascendant platform, the energy radiating through him. His eye turned bloodshot, the beast only wearing a loincloth of leather. He wielded a club composed of eldritch parts fused with acid or alchemical potions. As the mana flooded him, the cyclops took a breath.
Cipheric tattoos over his skin flashed with quintessence mana, several spirits coming to life within the cyclops. A single union of many tribes spoke through the cyclops,
”We are the Kalat. We live for the gifts that Baldowah granted us, giving our species an absolute union. Now we serve his will, the urge to battle and...”
The ascendant mana oozed into the cyclop's body. The Kalat murmured, ”And...And we are grateful to Baldowah and its grace.”
Schema added once more, ”The Kalat serve Baldowah's will, having killed several powerful (S-) bounties. Being the union of many millions of souls, the mental strength of the Kalat is incredible. When fully focused. They switched from the Breaker class to the Founder class to assist with another unity project from Baldowah.”
Schema spoke with a wry note in its voice, ”The Kalat have done well, though they would do better serving under me entirely.”
The Kalat bowed, ”It is not that we serve either more than the other. We simply enact the will of both our masters at once, in unison. We do this in all things.”
The Kalat leaped off, and I inspected their title.
The Kalat, an Ancestral Union | Level 38,827 | Guild: The Kalat | Class: Founder...
Shalahora murmured beside me, ”Their life is strange.”
I raised a brow, ”How so?”
Shalahora rippled, ”By considering the whole, none of them truly live...They are a fusion of all...And yet, they represent no one that actually exists. All those lives amount to that...I would never do the same.”
My many minds jumped into a defense mode. I crossed my arms, ”I'd bet they'd be difficult to work mind magic on.”
Shalahora cackled and turned to me, ”The opposite is true. A union is simple to destroy...You must create clashing conflicts within them, and the division splinters the whole...It falls like a tower of sand thereafter.”
I noted that detail, making sure I didn't forget it. It could work in the future if I faced Lehesion or someone else in mental warfare. As I mentally jotted that down, the next member warped in instead of jumping.
A curvaceous woman with a seductive smile stared at everyone. She wore flashy clothing that accentuated her figure, retaining some class from the quality of the materials. Wings wrapped around her, coming out of her shoulders and hips, the lower limbs smaller than the upper ones. A light, green tint shone off of her metallic skin, and she spread out her wings while beaming light.
With confidence, she put her hands on her hips and beamed, ”I am Iona Joan. I am a consulate of Schema. I represent his viewpoints in various economic capacities along with organizing newer worlds during the culling process. Over the last two hundred years, I've saved over thirty worlds from falling into fringe status, getting species back on their feet after rocky beginnings. I did all for a moderate price with a lenient interest rate.”
Iona smiled at Shalahora and me. She put a hand on her sternum, ”I'm not quite as prolific as that Sovereign over there, but I know a thing or two about how to manage an organization. If any of you need help with expanding or getting Speakers under your guild, I'm here to help.”
She gave everyone a charming smile, ”Just send me a friend request, and we'll keep in contact.”