"So, how's the situation?" Kyle asked Star Genesis with his Communicator after he strengthened his Center for another two years.
"No declarations yet," Star Genesis answered. "I'll call you in a couple of weeks if any show up."
"Sure, thanks," Kyle said before cutting the connection.
'Would be cool if we didn't need to fight anyone for a while,' he thought.
Sadly, Kyle got a call from Star Genesis two weeks later.
"We have a couple of declarations of battle," she said.
"Sure, I'll be right there," Kyle said with a sigh.
He quickly put on his disguise and returned to Explosive Karma.
On his flight back, Kyle checked through their own little database. Star Genesis had made one just for Explosive Karma.
Of course, the database was simple and relatively barren, but it still had some interesting bits of information.
For example, it included a list of their Crushers.
'Two of our New Crushers became Minor Crushers, and one of our Minor Crushers died. That means we have five Minor Crushers and two Medium Crushers. Not very useful, but that might change with time.'
Kyle entered the big building in the center of their headquarters under the awe-filled gazes of their members.
The Ancestor!
The Ancestor was here!
Of course, most of them realized why their Ancestor had suddenly shown up.
Explosive Karma would probably enter another war.
When Kyle arrived, he saw that everyone else was already present, including their new Head Elder, Fierce Breaker.
Kyle's three friends greeted him respectfully, while Fierce Breaker performed a quick and polite bow.
Kyle just nodded to Fierce Breaker with an acknowledging smile.
"Have my Disciples treated you well?" Kyle asked with a friendly tone.
"Yes, Ancestor," Fierce Breaker said. "I have a lot of work, but people grow with adversity. The tasks are fair, and everyone has treated me very well."
Kyle nodded. "That's good to hear," he said before looking at Star Genesis. "Now, how much excitement will there be in our future?"
Star Genesis nodded respectfully and took out three declarations of battle.
When Kyle saw the three documents, he did his best not to sigh.
'These people are crazy! Can't I just fucking learn my Laws in peace?!'
"First, Killing Squad," Star Genesis said as she put the declaration of battle on the table.
'Of fucking course,' Kyle thought. 'These fucking guys with their three fucking Advanced Crushers and 17 Major Crushers.'
"It is not yet time, " Kyle said calmly.
When Fierce Breaker heard that, a small gleam appeared in his eyes.
He noticed that the Ancestor hadn't said that they couldn't fight them.
He simply said that it wasn't time yet.
This meant that Explosive Karma had Killing Squad in its sights.
"As everyone might have noticed," Star Genesis said, "the tribute has increased by 50%. According to them, our territory has increased by 50%, which is why our tribute should be adjusted accordingly."
"There's not much we can do," Swamp Dragon said. "Let's continue paying the tribute."
Star Genesis looked at Manny and Fierce Breaker, who both nodded in confirmation.
Then, she threw a quick glance at Kyle, who just smiled back, showing that he was leaving everything up to them.
As an Ancestor, he acted more like an advisor. While he could technically give orders to even the Head, this should only happen during the most dire and important moments.
Star Genesis processed the declaration of battle, signing the new terms of the tribute.
"This time, the Untainted didn't send a declaration of battle," she said. "They have gained one more Major Crusher, bringing their total to ten, but they also know that we have grown stronger. Since they are free to send another declaration of battle, we are no longer suffering a loss to our Karmic Luck."
"By my estimation, they do not wish to fight us. A battle between our two forces could prove devastating for both sides."
"How do we want to proceed with the Untainted?" she asked.
Kyle remained quiet, leaving the decisions to the other members.
"We are powerful enough to fight them," Fierce Breaker said. "Our Disciplinary Elder and Diplomacy Elder could benefit from the war. Sending a declaration of battle to them might benefit us."
Swamp Dragon shook his head. "We are planning on consuming Peak Crusher Beasts for our advancement."
Fierce Breaker's brows raised. "If I may ask, why did you decide to go with beasts for your advancement?"
Swamp Dragon and Manny looked at Kyle with respect, indirectly motioning for him to answer the question.
"Ambition is what makes a Seeker," Kyle said with a smile. "The future bare minimum is the present perfection. If you lack the experience of going as far as you can early, you will not be able to fulfill the bare minimum in the future."
"I do not keep Disciples that don't become Fulfilled."
When Fierce Breaker heard that, his eyes widened.
Becoming Fulfilled in every Realm? Did that mean that all three Disciples had been Fulfilled Transcendents and Fulfilled Primals in the past?
Fierce Breaker looked at his three colleagues with newfound respect.
No wonder they were this powerful!
For some reason, whenever Fierce Breaker looked at his colleagues, he felt something strange.
Fierce Breaker was quite powerful, but for some reason, he felt like there was something different about his three colleagues.
It was like they had a certain aura. It was difficult to describe.
Importance?
Grandeur?
Intelligence?
Experience?
Ambition?
He wasn't sure how to describe it.
Somehow, even though Swamp Dragon and Manny were only Major Crushers, Fierce Breaker felt like fighting them would be similar to fighting an Advanced Crusher.
However, if it were actually true that they had all become Fulfilled in the past, that would explain things.
Fierce Breaker had only been an Advanced Transcendent, which was the bare minimum to become a Primal.
Yet, in the Primal Realm, he had actually managed to unlock ten entire Clusters, becoming a Major Primal.
That was the first Realm in which he had gone further than necessary.
The additional physical power he had achieved by advancing as a Major Primal had also helped him a lot in the Compression Realm, and he was confident enough to aim for the Fulfilled Compression Realm.
If his three colleagues had actually been Fulfilled Primals, it would explain why they felt so powerful to him.
Their physical bodies were probably stronger than his.
"Thank you for answering the question, Ancestor," Fierce Breaker said.
Kyle just nodded with a smile.
After a bit more discussion, everyone decided to leave the Untainted alone for now.
Just like last time, the Primal Crushers, the Bright Side, and the Farmers didn't send any declarations of battle.
Yet, there were still two declarations left.
Of course, these two came from their new neighbors.
Explosive Karma's territory had grown by another Planet System, which meant they had also acquired new neighbors.
And one of their neighbors was… something.
Star Genesis took out the next declaration of battle and put it on the table.
When everyone saw it, the room turned cold.
'Bro!' Kyle thought as he saw the declaration.
'What the fuck is this?!' Did that mean that all three Disciples had been Fulfilled Transcendents and Fulfilled Primals in the past?
Fierce Breaker looked at his three colleagues with newfound respect.
No wonder they were this powerful!
For some reason, whenever Fierce Breaker looked at his colleagues, he felt something strange.
Fierce Breaker was quite powerful, but for some reason, he felt like there was something different about his three colleagues.
It was like they had a certain aura. It was difficult to describe.
Importance?
Grandeur?
Intelligence?
Experience?
Ambition?
He wasn't sure how to describe it.
Somehow, even though Swamp Dragon and Manny were only Major Crushers, Fierce Breaker felt like fighting them would be similar to fighting an Advanced Crusher.
However, if it were actually true that they had all become Fulfilled in the past, that would explain things.
Fierce Breaker had only been an Advanced Transcendent, which was the bare minimum to become a Primal.
Yet, in the Primal Realm, he had actually managed to unlock ten entire Clusters, becoming a Major Primal.
That was the first Realm in which he had gone further than necessary.
The additional physical power he had achieved by advancing as a Major Primal had also helped him a lot in the Compression Realm, and he was confident enough to aim for the Fulfilled Compression Realm.
If his three colleagues had actually been Fulfilled Primals, it would explain why they felt so powerful to him.
Their physical bodies were probably stronger than his.
"Thank you for answering the question, Ancestor," Fierce Breaker said.
Kyle just nodded with a smile.
After a bit more discussion, everyone decided to leave the Untainted alone for now.
Just like last time, the Primal Crushers, the Bright Side, and the Farmers didn't send any declarations of battle.
Yet, there were still two declarations left.
Of course, these two came from their new neighbors.
Explosive Karma's territory had grown by another Planet System, which meant they had also acquired new neighbors.
And one of their neighbors was… something.
Star Genesis took out the next declaration of battle and put it on the table.
When everyone saw it, the room turned cold.
'Bro!' Kyle thought as he saw the declaration.
'What the fuck is this?!'
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