'A mix, huh?' Kyle thought as he looked at Fierce Breaker. 'I guess he feels a lot of positive but also a lot of negative things towards me.'
"So? Are you confident?" Fierce Breaker asked Kyle with a slight smile.
"Yep," Kyle said with a smile of his own. "I don't think there will be any issues. Sure, at some point, I will crack under the increasing pressure, but that's to be expected. I mean, they have to increase the level of the challenges. I can beat a lot of things, but I can't beat an Ascendant, for example."
"If you could beat an Ascendant as a Sage, nothing would make sense anymore," Sebastian interjected with a snort. "But I guess you can take on a couple of Spirit Lords, right?"
"Depends on the level," Kyle answered without elaborating any further.
"What do we hope to gain out of this?" Swamp Dragon asked evenly. "What is our goal here?"
"Support and security," Manny answered. "We needed to use our wishes to gain enough resources for Kyle. If everything works out, we might get these resources without needing to exchange for everything. There have also been occasions when Humanity attacked a Level Five Law Well in the Abyss to harvest it. If they believe in us, they might allow us to comprehend the Laws in the Law Wells instead of just harvesting them."
Swamp Dragon nodded. If everything worked out, this would make growing stronger much easier for them.
As the group kept talking, Kyle kept looking at the Karmic Lines. When it came to his team, he could see the complex Karmic Lines, and as more words were spoken, the Karmic Lines slightly changed. The more people interacted with each other, the more their opinions solidified or changed, which came with a change in the Karmic Lines.
While this was just a normal conversation for the others, to Kyle, this was a learning opportunity. Even now, his power was growing.
As Kyle kept talking and learning, inside Headquarters One, a couple of other people were also talking.
A woman with red hair, carrying a spear, looked at the group of six Sages with her Energy Sense. She wore the red of Humanity and the Emblem of a General. If Kyle were here, he would recognize her. This was Manny's superior, the one who was apparently listening in on their communication. Her name was General Regalia, and even though she had a very high status as a General and a Fulfilled Spirit Lord, her position in the room indicated that she was just of average rank.
The room was a big hall for Mortal standards, which meant it was essentially tiny for such powerful Seekers. There were over a hundred people in the room, who were split into several groups. The groups were not split according to power but according to their duties. However, there was also a certain difference between rankings based on where the groups stood.
General Regalia was just a regular member of her group. She stood together with an Advanced Spirit Lord, Protector Ziccan. Protector Ziccan had black hair, was of average height, and didn't seem to carry any weapons. As a Protector, he also wore the red of Humanity.
Even though they were in the same group, General Regalia and Protector Ziccan stood a respectful distance away from the leader of their group, a man with sky-blue hair. He carried a one-handed sword on his waist, and the Energy around him was flowing into him in an unending tide.
This man was responsible for overseeing the team from the Supreme World. Major Sovignor, who was not present, worked under General Regalia, who worked under this man.
Overlord Cloudhorn.
One of exactly 100 Overlords, the true rulers of Humanity.
Every single Overlord was an Ascendant, and Overlord Cloudhorn was not an exception.
Overlord Cloudhorn stood more towards the middle of the room. Occasionally, he turned to General Regalia or Protector Ziccan to relay some words, but most of the time, he looked at the person to the right of him, a tall woman with dark red hair. She wore the red of Humanity, and her Emblem showed the rank of Senior Protector, a Protector in the Fusion Realm.
While there were around a thousand New Ascendants in Humanity, there were only about fifty One-Infused Ascendants, and one of them was this person, Senior Protector Blooddrought. She was here to oversee and run Kyle's display of strength. She had created all of the challenges.
Naturally, these four were not the only ones with such high positions. Protector Ziccan, as the only Advanced Spirit Lord, was the weakest in the entire room. There were over 50 Generals, and none of these Generals were new. These were seasoned, experienced, and proven Generals. 47 of them were Fulfilled Spirit Lords, and there were even three Unique Spirit Lords. These three would become Ascendants when their longevity ran out.
There were also a couple of powerful Spirit Lord Protectors. All of them were Fulfilled Spirit Lords, except for one Unique Spirit Lord among their ranks.
There were also over 30 Senior Protectors, who were all in the Fusion Realm.
Lastly, aside from Overlord Cloudhorn, there was one more Overlord, and this one held a special place in the room. All of the people in the room consciously and subconsciously gave him space and straightened their backs just a bit more whenever they looked at him.
He was a tall man with black hair who carried a spear. He was an Overlord just like Overlord Cloudhorn. Yet, even though there were no differences in rank between Overlords, there was still a clear difference between him and Overlord Cloudhorn.
This was Overlord Stygian, and he was one of three Two-Infused Ascendants.
There were no Three-Infused, Four-Infused, Major, or Advanced Ascendants in Ayuvar. This made the three Two-Infused Ascendants the most powerful humans in the entire world. Humanity was ruled by the grand council, which consisted of the 100 Overlords. As an Overlord, Overlord Stygian had one vote like every other Overlord, but whenever he cast a vote, many Overlords tended to join him with their votes.
Fierce Breaker's wish had been granted. One of the three strongest humans and tens of Ascendants would watch Kyle's performance. It was not reasonable to ask for an even greater audience without compromising the frontlines.
"Overlord Cloudhorn keeps asking me about the power of the Sage," Protector Ziccan transmitted to General Regalia. "You told me not to tell him anything specific, but this is getting uncomfortable."
"I'll deal with it," General Regalia answered before glancing at Overlord Cloudhorn. "Cloudhorn, I've given orders to Protector Ziccan to keep the Sage's power confidential. By asking him repeatedly, you're getting both of us into an awkward situation."
"This is a casual gathering," Overlord Cloudhorn transmitted with a smile. "For the duration of this event, we are all just members of Humanity. I'm not giving Protector Ziccan any orders. I'm merely having a casual conversation."
"Well, your casual conversation can be quite intimidating," General Regalia transmitted with a tone that was neither polite nor hostile, "and I'm certain you know that. If this is official, I'm telling you that my officer is under my charge and that it will remain so unless new orders come in. If this is casual, I'm telling you that one of my companions feels uncomfortable talking to you."
"Fine, I got the message," Overlord Cloudhorn transmitted with a slight chuckle. "I was just curious. Protector Ziccan kept watch over this Sage, but he seems quite reluctant to share the intel he acquired."
"Protector Ziccan shared his intel with his superior, which is me," General Regalia answered. "If you wish for a report, you may request one."
"And will that be a valuable use of my time?" Overlord Cloudhorn asked.
"No," General Regalia answered. "The necessary intel will reveal itself to you shortly."
Overlord Cloudhorn just rolled his eyes with a helpless smile.
"Shall we start?"
Everyone in the room stopped talking as they turned to the person who had just spoken, Overlord Stygian.
"Naturally, Overlord," Senior Protector Blooddrought said.
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