"...There must be a chance left to consider the possibility of the danger he presents to everyone at the Commemoration."
"Judging by the feats he has demonstrated in that footage, his strength is both comforting and alarming."
"If he turns against us, especially with so many ruling figures gathered so closely, he could deal very great damage that would be incredibly difficult for Endearth to recover from."
"As much as we would all love to believe that he’s on our side and always will be, it’s always important to be prepared for the other scenario, no matter how unlikely or minor it may seem."
"Therefore, all Eternity Stage experts from each family are to be present at the Commemoration. I don’t think I even need to say this, since every family lost something to this Knull invasion and most definitely ought to be there, honourary to its lost warriors."
"But I understand that the Eternity Stage experts are a bit harder to place under standard control. But this is important enough. If he defeated a Knull King with ease, then two or three Eternity Stage experts wouldn’t stop him, as hard as it is for me to say it."
"But if we have all Eternity Stage experts from each family on board, then he can be quickly subdued should he lose control, and the damage to civilians can be minimized or completely extinguished."
"The Eternity Stage experts get to pay homage to their fallen for their grace, and also stand by in case of emergencies. It’s a win-win, and it relieves the situation with ease. And I’m pretty sure all of your Eternities are already curious and want to see him anyway."
"But I will be around him during the duration of the event, and only I will be allowed to give the command for him to be attacked—if I notice any abnormality."
"If any of you attack him out of nowhere, irrespective of the reason you may have, it shall be overruled and dealt with harshly by the Ascension Alliance," Sir Alexander said out loud, his voice calm yet incredibly clear, echoing through the hearing of everyone in the chamber.
"That is my verdict. And whoever is to give a speech, I will announce it before it happens."
"My words are the intent of the Ascension Alliance behind me."
"Is there anyone who has any objections to this ruling?" he asked, scanning across the room.
Some furrowed in thought, but they were all quiet—a sign of agreement.
They didn’t need to say more, even though they had their doubts.
But they also knew if things went wrong, it wouldn’t be on their necks, but the neck of the Ascension Alliance—and it would be their responsibility to take care of whatever damage they incurred.
This was good enough.
"Very well then. Let the gates be opened, and the Commemoration begin..."
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"GRUUUUUUUUUUUM!"
One last warm-up, and Ryuk’s hands reached for the engine as he switched it off, unfastening his seatbelt before the door opened up to the sky and he stepped out—same for Antares, as the door shut close behind them.
The second they were out, the gaze of everyone was upon them.
Some of them had their eyes wide in shock as they looked at Ryuk—or more specifically, at the horns on him—and immediately brought out their phones, switching between the footage and the man before them in disbelief.
Ryuk signaled to Antares after parking, and they both walked side by side amidst the stares and camera flashes.
Something Ryuk was clearly unsettled by, although his expression betrayed no emotion, but Antares could tell.
He had observed firsthand how Ryuk never enjoyed anything involving the spotlight, from when the news first appeared on TV, and he couldn’t stop taunting him with a shoulder nudge.
"Better get used to it, hero," he said, as Ryuk silently muttered,
"Not in a million years..."
Walking under the watching stares and flashing camera lights, he was more than unsettled.
But his gaze finally softened with relief when he saw the group of three figures walking toward them. Standing in front, and at the center, was none other than Asterlaxia, dressed in a color that somewhat surprised Ryuk.
While almost everyone around them was wearing black.
Ryuk felt like an exception due to his white garments, but when he looked at Aster, he saw her donning a white gown that bizarrely bore so much semblance to his, making both incredibly eye-catching.
They arrived before each other as Ryuk offered a polite smile.
"Good to see you, Aster. And I have to say, quite a nice gown you have on..." he said to her, as she flashed him a smile in return.
"I could say the same for you, gentleman," she said before turning to look at the one who stood just behind Ryuk.
Her gaze furrowed briefly—then it widened in surprise.
"A barbarian!?" she asked under her breath, but loud enough for both Ryuk and Antares to hear, as Antares’ eyes lit up in curiousity.
The lady was surprisingly able to guess his origin just by seeing him.
"Correct. And Asteralaxia, meet Antares. A good friend of mine," Ryuk introduced as he watched Aster cross both her gloved arms together in an X-shape, while saying,
"It’s an honour to meet one of the Brutish King Race."
She greeted Antares as he raised both hands and also mirrored the gesture.
"The honour is mine."
Both nodded in acknowledgment before Aster turned to look at Ryuk.
"This way, and I have to say, you’re quite right on time," she said, as the duo walked onto the top floors of the skyscraper building that was the second base of the Strweave organization.
It was teeming with staff wearing black and white suits, with a few in other colors, all well-dressed and clearly prepared for the Commemoration.
As they were led through the elevators, the two guards soon left Aster’s side, leaving just Ryuk, Antares, and her alone in the lift as they ascended before walking onto a long balcony—soon arriving in the blue-colored office as Ryuk and Antares took their seats and Aster hers, before she swiftly brought out some reports papers handling it to Ryuk.
"This is like a repeat of the conversation that went through between me and the Council before introducing you to them," she said as Ryuk’s gaze flicked through the report, his expression tightening in the end.
"You exposed my real identity to them?"
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A/N:
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In and Out_SnowySmoos