To call the assembly a grand affair was a disservice, for it would be treating the assembly too lightly. There were at least one hundred Mystics all around them, not only acting as guards for the assembly, but displaying the full force of the academy. There were nearly as many staff members as there were cadets, showing the immense work that went into running the Kolar Military Academy.
With the presence of Isabella, that made hundreds of Mystics and one Ascendant, making the fighting force of the academy equal some of the major battalions of competing nations. To think that such a force was completely dedicated to training and nurturing cadets all around the year without having any other military duty was a sheer testament to the immense military might of Kolar.
There were no outsiders here, so the sole purpose of such a grand assembly was targeted towards the cadets. Whether it was to impress them, motivate them, or pressurise them, this one assembly could accomplish all of those tasks.
The cadets, especially the newest cadets, all stood in silent awe as they waited for this assembly to begin. By now, many of them had already understood from their senior battalion members just what to expect from this assembly, but knowing only increased their anticipation, it did not decrease it.
The morning was not exactly silent. The morning breeze was not absent of the songs of nearby birds, or the flapping of hundreds of uniforms. Even so, when the loud, grating sound appeared, it felt as if it had broken through the silence of the assembly, marking the beginning.
Besides the new cadets, no one seemed surprised by the sound, nor were they taken aback by the moving lid. Nero observed that the lid of the stone box was at least 20 cm (8 inches) thick, and could be even thicker considering he was just making a rough estimate from afar.
That was merely the lid alone. The actual box was probably around 1.5 meters wide (5 feet), 1.8 meters (6 feet) tall and 2.7 meters (9 feet) long. It was easy to imagine that such a box might contain a body, but who could be large enough to require such a massive box? Surely not a regular human.
He did not have to wait long to find out because the lid did not serve as a serious obstacle at all. It was pushed aside easily, falling beside the box with a loud thump. A golden glove, one that was unbelievably large, grabbed the side of the box as if for support to lift oneself up.
There was no wait, no time for suspense to build. From within the box emerged a behemoth of a man wearing a golden armour, with similarly golden tubes coming out of his back, pulsing with unbelievably dense aether.
No, Nero realised once he got a better look! It was not an incredibly large man. It was the armour that was impossibly thick! The chest plate alone had to be at least 15cm (6 inches) thick!
Nero could not begin to imagine just how heavy that suit of armour was. If his padding could weigh up to a hundred kilograms, then that suit of armour must weigh several tonnes!
As if the astronomical weight of that armour was not enough, the amount of aether pulsing into it was so great even the ambient aether around them began to increase rapidly. While a moderate rise in ambient aether could be a good thing, the intensity of the rise in aether they were witnessing was absolutely horrific!
Any Neophytes nearby could suffer aetheric poisoning just from standing nearby!
Nero glanced towards Luna and discovered that she did not seem unwell. The staff must have taken measures to ensure that Neophytes were not bothered by the rise.
He turned his attention back to the golden giant rising out of the stone coffin, absolutely stunned by his presence. It was not even that he felt powerful. No, it was that this man, or woman, was being bathed in more aether than Nero had ever witnessed!
When he was young, in geography class Nero had read about Aetheric Volcanoes deep within the Aetheric Mountain range that erupted from time to time due to a build up of aether. The surrounding rocks and minerals would turn molten due to the sheer intensity of the aether accumulated during the eruption.
While he was certain an actual aetheric eruption contained far more aether than what Nero was witnessing, that was the only thing he could equate this to. This much aether could power a small town, if not more.
The armoured figure stepped out of the box, his very step causing the stage, and the ground underneath it, to tremble. Once the figure was sure that the stage could support the weight of the armour, the armoured figure jumped out, as if the armour was no burden at all.
Then the figure looked towards the cadets, and they nearly buckled under the weight of his gaze. It was not just the increased aether that swarmed around them following the gaze that brought them pressure, but the actual, genuine weight of the Dominion that suddenly surged when they were looked upon.
So this was the hidden Sage of Kolar, the one he’d never even heard of before. Countless thoughts raced through Nero’s mind as he studied the sage, as well as the armour, and the tubes connecting to the armour.
The identity of this sage was a complete mystery, to the point where Nero could not even accurately determine the sex of the sage. For the sake of convenience, Nero internally gave this figure the title of Golden Sage, and assumed it was male simply because the aesthetic of the armour was more masculine.
"What a year it has been," said the Golden Sage as he stepped up to the front of the stage, allowing all the cadets to bask in the glory of his presence. His voice sounded garbled, perhaps because he was speaking from so deep inside his helmet, making it impossible to determine his actual voice.
His voice, though, did not take away from his presence, for a Sage was the literal peak of human existence so far.
There was no greater power, no greater authority, no greater distinction than the rank of Sage. Most of these cadets had never seen, nor been in the presence of a Sage besides this one.
"For this academy, for this country, and indeed, for the whole world, what a year it has been," the Golden Sage once again. "If I were to speak of the academy, then we had 86 full graduates, of which 48 graduated with numerous merits! Our Luminary Herald for last year, Jarvis Weber, was specially recruited into the Undying Legion - the first one in many years!
"If I speak of our country, then the successes I can mention are not few. We took control of our very first set of ruins, gaining an incalculable advantage for our country as well as for humanity! We waged war against the world and kept them at bay, clearly displaying our military might for all to see.
"Kolar strengthened our alliance with Nova, forming long-term cooperative deals and agreements. We eliminated countless spies and discidents, and strengthened the foundations of our nation for a stronger future. Heck, we even laid the groundwork to gain more Sages in the future. As long as we keep exploring the ruins, it’s only a matter of time before we get our hands on more resources that’ll help with just that.
"As for the world... is the success of Kolar not success for the world? We no longer live in the era of endless wars. We no longer live in a time of conquest against our fellow man. Though old enmities still existamong the nations, neither we nor the other countries wish for total war. Together, we destroyed an old cult that had hidden itself in the shadows, and from that cooperation we set the framework for more cooperation in the future.
"Rejoice, cadets, because you live in a time of change, in an era of change. The trend of the times now supports humanity, and it will be within your lifetime that we break free from this prison of mist that surrounds us. Thus I say, what a year it has been, and what a year it is shaping up to be again!"
Every word spoken by the Golden Sage resonated through his Dominion, pressing down on the cadets like divine providence.
"Most of you know me already, but there are those here who do not. Allow me to introduce myself now, before we begin this assembly. I am the Dean of this academy, the protector of this academy, and the judge of this academy. It is under my command that this academy has flourished, and under my command that it has produced so many fine young officers. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, that is my only identity."