The world around Kyle stabilized again, and he found himself in the middle of a large crater, which was surrounded by mountains with unusual shapes. Some of them curved, while others were straight. Some were so thin that they looked like needles, while some had the shape of hills.
This mountain range formed a natural Formation Array, and its function was to receive ascenders.
This was an Ascension Pool.
Kyle looked around, and in the next moment, he saw another cloud of white Energy appearing. When the cloud vanished, he saw Star Genesis.
A couple more clouds appeared and disappeared, revealing the remainder of the team.
Kyle and Fierce Breaker quickly handed over the weapons they had created for the others and prepared for a potential battle.
After all, there were other humans present, and they were not even attempting to hide. Outside of the Ascension Pool was a group of exactly 110 Seekers, and by the looks of things, they all belonged together.
This was the first group of humans the team saw in the unknown Primary World, and just by looking at them, the team could already make a good guess as to how this world operated.
How did this group of humans look? Did they sit around, patiently waiting for ascenders? Did they comprehend Laws while waiting? Did they look at the new bunch of ascenders with bloodthirsty smirks and greed? Did they trade with each other?
No.
Ramrod straight, equal distance between individuals of a unit, weapons at the ready, clean uniforms, quiet, serious, disciplined.
Armies.
Soldiers.
Well, almost all of them were like that. There were twelve individuals who seemed comparatively relaxed. They still wore uniforms, but they didn't stand at attention like the others.
All 110 Seekers stood at the entrance of the Ascension Pool, which was the only spot without a mountain. By the looks of things, there were five distinct groups, which could be differentiated by the colors of their uniforms.
Red, brown, grey, black, and blue.
The biggest chunk of the group was the 60 Seekers wearing grey uniforms. They stood at attention, five Seekers per column. In front of them were two more Seekers in grey uniforms, but they felt very different from the other 60. They had an aura of leadership and command. Most likely, they were the leaders of the 60 Seekers in grey.
The Seekers in grey seemed almost identical to each other. It was almost like this group didn't consist of individuals but of components.
The next group consisted of 20 Seekers wearing black. They stood at attention like the others. Their auras were similar, but Kyle could still see a couple of differences between the individual members. Just like the grey team, the black team also had two leaders standing in front of them.
Then, there was a group of ten Seekers wearing brown uniforms. They also stood at attention, but compared to the grey Seekers, every member felt different. It seemed like the members of this group still had individuals instead of only components. Naturally, there were also two leaders standing in front of the group in brown.
The ten Seekers wearing blue were the only ones who didn't stand at attention. They still stood beside each other, but their positions weren't fixed. Additionally, they also didn't look at the group of ascenders as if they were targets they were about to attack. Instead, they seemed a bit interested but skeptical. Once more, there were two leaders in front of the group.
The last group only consisted of two individuals, and both of them were red. One of the two stood to the side of all the groups, while the other one stood in front of all the other leaders, looking at Kyle's team.
When Kyle's team felt the Energy around these Seekers, their hearts shook.
Every single normal member was a First Refinement Sage!
Their leaders were Fifth Refinement Sages, Fulfilled Sages!
The person in red, standing in front of the groups, was a Sixth Refinement Sage, a Unique Sage!
The other person in red, standing apart from the group, was a Spirit Lord!
When the team saw this lineup, they knew that they couldn't kill this group. Sebastian's Elemental was their ace in the hole. It could deal with the different leaders. However, the two Seekers in red were an issue. The Elemental might be able to buy some time against the Unique Sage, but that was about it. While its raw power was comparable to the Unique Sage's power, it wasn't as versatile.
The team knew that they had to adapt. Luckily, the other Seekers didn't seem to be there to kill them. Otherwise, they would have already attacked.
For now, the large group of Seekers was just looking at them from a distance.
A moment later, the Unique Sage stepped forward, looking at Kyle's team with an intense and strict gaze.
"Welcome to the world of divinity and misery, Ayuvar," the Unique Sage spoke. "Your past lives are gone. Your freedom is gone. Your dreams are gone. Your safety is gone. You are gone."
"Owning any of these things demands power! A powerful Seeker has a name. A powerful Seeker has dreams. A powerful Seeker has freedom. If you are outstanding, I welcome you to divinity. If you are like everyone else, I welcome you to misery."
"Which will it be?" the Unique Sage asked.
The members of Kyle's team conversed with each other via voice transmission.
"You may welcome us to divinity," Star Genesis answered.
The Unique Sage snapped his fingers, and six of the Seekers in grey stepped forward.
"Non-lethal battle. One-on-one. You lose, you join them. You win, you have another opportunity to prove your power," the Unique Sage said. "All of you need to prove yourselves."
The team looked at the Seekers in grey while discussing their tactics. For now, they decided to play along.
The next moment, Fierce Breaker stepped forward. "I'm first."
One of the grey Seekers also stepped forward. A second later, a Barrier Formation Array activated, creating an arena for the two combatants. There was no Concealing Formation Array, which meant everyone could watch the battle.
The Seeker in grey pulled out his spear, while Fierce Breaker pulled out his own spear.
An equal battle between two New Sages.
The next moment, the world inside the arena distorted as the enemy Seeker activated his Momentum.
When Kyle saw this, his brows rose in surprise.
'That's a lot of Momentum!' he thought.
But then, Fierce Breaker activated his own Momentum, pushing the enemy's Momentum back. Fierce Breaker's Momentum was more powerful, but not by a lot.
Kyle glanced at the Unique Sage to see his reaction.
The Unique Sage didn't even blink. It was like he had expected Fierce Breaker to have a powerful Momentum.
At the same time, the enemy Seeker also didn't seem surprised. In fact, it looked like everything was within his control.
Metallic earth coated Fierce Breaker's entire body as his External Complex Law activated. A Level Five Law.
How rare was it for a New Sage to have a Complex Level Five Law?
Kyle looked at the Unique Sage. Still, no reaction.
The enemy Seeker also didn't seem worried.
As Fierce Breaker readied his attack, the enemy Seeker closed his eyes and pulled his spear back.
Then, Energy gathered in front of the enemy. It was not an overwhelming amount of Energy. Most likely, this grey Seeker had only been an Advanced or Fulfilled Crusher before.
A moment later, the enemy Seeker opened his eyes and thrust his spear forward.
An illusory spear manifested.
It shot towards Fierce Breaker.
It was so fast!
Kyle's eyes widened in shock.
Even to him, this spear felt dangerous!
'An Imposing Law!'
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