Kyle entered the big meeting room inside Explosive Karma with a kind smile.
As he entered, he saw Swamp Dragon, Star Genesis, Fierce Breaker, Compound Storm, and Stalwart Conviction.
Manny and Searing Spark were not present since they were not part of upper management anymore.
After some polite greetings, everyone gathered around the table.
"We didn't receive any declarations this time," Star Genesis said. "None of our neighbors are powerful enough to threaten us."
"However, we received something else," she said as she put a document on the table.
At the top of the document was only one phrase.
Seeker Refinement.
The issuer of the document was right beneath the title.
Dawnlight.
Compound Storm and Stalwart Conviction took deep breaths.
This was exactly why they didn't want to swallow Explosive Karma back then.
They had grown big enough that they had entered the eyes of Dawnlight.
The only reason why Dawnlight hadn't looked at them in the past two centuries was that they were dealing with some other Organizations.
By now, Dawnlight had conquered another ten Planet Systems, and their number of Fulfilled Crushers had grown by two.
While this document was not a declaration of battle, it was still kind of the same thing.
It was just that the terms were very different.
In a declaration of battle, the Organization was on the line. This wasn't the case here.
No matter what happened, both Organizations would keep their autonomy.
Additionally, since this was not a declaration of battle, Explosive Karma wouldn't lose any Karmic Luck if they refused.
Yet, when it involved Dawnlight, they still couldn't refuse.
This was Dawnlight's modus operandi.
When there was an Organization they were interested in, they sent a request for Seeker Refinement, and if one refused, Dawnlight would simply attack them at the cost of a bit of their Karmic Luck.
Explosive Karma had to accept.
While the terms of the Seeker Refinement looked neutral, everyone knew better.
The document requested five duels.
Three duels between Major Crushers.
One duel between Advanced Crushers.
One duel between Fulfilled Crushers.
It seemed like a normal set of duels to increase the quality of the Seekers from both sides, but that was not the case.
When it came to the duels between Major Crushers, it was more like a fair exchange, but not when it came to the duels between Advanced Crushers and Fulfilled Crushers. The duels between the stronger Crushers only served one purpose.
Getting rid of the most powerful members of the other Organization.
"As you might know," Star Genesis said, "when Dawnlight asks for Seeker Refinement, the duels between Major Crushers are mainly won by Dawnlight but not overwhelmingly so."
Star Genesis furrowed her brows. "Yet, the duels between stronger Crushers all end the same way. Dawnlight's victory."
"They have specialized Seekers for these duels. They have two Advanced Crushers who are only Advanced Crushers for this purpose. From what we know…"
"Both of them have a Level Four Complex Law. If they became Fulfilled Crushers, they would be more powerful than over 90% of Fulfilled Crushers. Even as Advanced Crushers, they are powerful enough to fight 50% of Fulfilled Crushers."
The atmosphere in the room was dire.
These were Advanced Crushers who had the power of an average Fulfilled Crusher.
And, naturally, all of these duels were to the death.
There was only one Advanced Crusher in Explosive Karma who could win against such a Seeker.
That was Kyle. Sadly, his Realm Cloak said that he was a Fulfilled Crusher, which meant that he couldn't fight an Advanced Crusher in the Seeker Refinement.
Who could possibly fight someone like that?
All of Kyle's friends were already Advanced Crushers, but even they were helpless.
The most powerful Laws any of them knew were Level 3.5 Complex Laws.
The only advantage they had was that they had once been Unique Primals, which meant their physical power was superior.
Searing Spark, Compound Storm, and Fierce Breaker were completely helpless in front of such an Advanced Crusher.
Manny was not very strong in single combat. His Illusion Complex Law was a Level Three Law, and it was becoming less and less useful. Sure, he could probably fool the enemy for a short moment, but Manny still needed to kill his enemy.
Swamp Dragon had created a Level 3.5 Complex Law, but it mainly improved his toxin. Sure, if he managed to hit the enemy, he would probably win, but that was easier said than done.
Star Genesis was probably the only one who had a slight chance at victory. If she could build some Formation Arrays during the battle, she could probably kill the other party. The bad part was that she needed to build the Formation Arrays first, which took a bit of time.
Star Genesis and Swamp Dragon were powerful enough that they could win against the weakest Fulfilled Crusher, but the enemy Advanced Crusher had the power of an average Fulfilled Crusher.
There was a 90% chance that they would die.
This was not a True Battle but suicidal gambling.
This request for Seeker Refinement pushed Explosive Karma into a corner.
Whichever Advanced Crusher was sent…
Would die.
Even more, Explosive Karma couldn't just force someone to sacrifice themselves.
This was not a declaration of battle.
This was not a war for the Organization's survival.
This was a voluntary thing.
Even more, their members were not slaves.
The members were free to leave the Secondary Sector or join a different Organization.
On top of that, the Advanced Crushers could decide to become Sages. The breakthrough wouldn't even take a day. Then, they wouldn't even be allowed to fight.
Of course, Explosive Karma could also refuse the fight, but then, Dawnlight would just arrive with their full force in front of their doorstep.
Then, everyone would die.
There were only three ways this could go.
One, the sacrifice of an Advanced Crusher.
Two, the destruction of Explosive Karma.
Three, the dissolution of Explosive Karma.
There was no other way.
As everyone looked around the room, one thing became clear.
No one would sacrifice themselves for Explosive Karma.
They were Seekers. They wanted to become the strongest. They wanted to survive.
Explosive Karma was just a momentary home. It was a means to an end.
"Then, there's the duel between Fulfilled Crushers," Star Genesis said. "Dawnlight has a Fulfilled Crusher who will most likely become a Unique Crusher in the future."
"From what we know, he has a Metal and Fire Affinity. Since Dawnlight is so strong, it doesn't keep the identity of its powerful members secret."
"He is a member of the Contrast Empire, and he was once a Unique Primal. At this moment, he has an Infused Complex Level 4.5 Law, which he has infused into his body. It consists of all the Laws of Metal, including Gravity Metal. His defense is almost unbreakable."
"Additionally, he has another Complex Level 4.5 Law made of all the Laws of Fire, including Gravity Fire. He infused that Law into his Center. At this moment, he is trying to fuse the Essences, which would create a Level Five Complex Law, making him a Unique Crusher."
"He is probably the strongest Fulfilled Crusher in the entire Secondary Sector."
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