Chapter 101: Conquerors, Saviors, Raiders. I
"The truth?" Arthur whispered to Levi, "What is he talking about?"
"We are about to find out." Levi said.
Levi had interacted with many Nightcrawlers before, and while none of them told him what was going on in the background, he heard whispers here and there.
What he had picked up on was earth-shattering, but he never believed it fully, knowing that Nightcrawlers were pathological liars.
When he asked Ash’Kral about it, he told him not to bother him with something he would learn in class.
Now, it was time for his suspicions to be confirmed once and for all.
Instructor Seraphis manifested a holographic screen with various pictures and videos.
As everyone gazed at the pictures and videos of hundreds of unique Death Games with somewhat alien systemic designs, confusion clouded their eyes... Especially when they saw peculiar races they had never seen in their lives before, and even death games with the same race going against each other.
"Conquerors, Saviors, and Raiders Interdimensional Platform, or in short, CSR Platform," Instructor Seraphis said calmly, "What you are viewing aren’t just Death Games from our planet, but from other planets too in our universe."
"Huh..."
"Other planets? Am I hearing this right?"
"This..."
Everyone had their mouths left wide open in disbelief, not daring to believe what their ears were feeding them. If the words didn’t come out of Instructor Seraphis, they would have considered it a bad joke.
"You were taught that Nightcrawlers invaded our planet through a dimensional crack, connecting us to the Shadow Dimension permanently, but in reality, there is no such thing."
"Our planet was touched by the root of the Primordial Tree of Death, registering us forcefully to the interdimensional conflict between the forces of the Primordial Tree of Life and the Primordial Tree of Death."
"Since we were touched by the root of the Tree of Death, the Nightcrawlers had the first move and invaded our planet, causing as much damage as possible by spreading darkness everywhere. This, in turn, allows the corruption from the Shadow Dimension to creep in and consume the life force of our planet, feeding it to the Primordial Tree of Death."
"The invading Nightcrawlers are one of the many races part of the Conquerors Faction, sponsored by The Duskbound Order. They are incentivized with riches, authority, and powers for more territory conquered and corrupted by the Shadow Dimension’s atmosphere."
"... ... ..."
Levi and the others just kept listening in silence, their minds trying their best to keep up with this heavy load of truth-bombing.
It was like their entire perception about their world and the universe in general was shifting drastically from a belief of a simple dimensional invasion for the sake of devouring light, to an intricate interdimensional war, with them caught in the middle.
"Fortunately, the Radian race under Primordial Tree of Life’s rulership acted quickly and descended one thousand Holy Pillars around the globe, saving us from extinction."
Before anyone could show an appreciative look, Instructor Seraphis uttered coldly.
"Although their assistance saved us, it came with self-interest...The Radians did it to avoid strengthening the Primordial Tree of Death... While the death of our planet and eight billion people would provide the Primordial Tree of Death with life force compared to a drop in an ocean, for such celestial entities, all the drops count at the endgame, considering that the platform is connected across thousands to millions of planets if not more."
"Even though they don’t want our planet to fall into the hands of the other side, they know we still need them more than they need us... That’s why we pay Savior’s tax to the government with crystallized seeds, which in turn, they hand to the Solar Aegis Sanctuary."
"In simpler terms, we are collectively paying rent for our survival, and if we fail to pay even once, the Holy Pillar will shrink. With each failed payment, it will keep shrinking until we lose its holy protection, leaving us to fend for our own against the thirsty Conquerors for more territory."
"This can’t be right..." Arthur gasped.
"People worship the Solar Deities... They are our saviors..." Melissa covered her mouth, dread and shock painted all over her face.
"What about the Willow Grove?" Levi asked after taking a deep breath, not realizing the truth could be this vicious.
Everyone recalled that the Willow Groves around the world were responsible for the Holy Pillars, and the Solar Aegis Sanctuary was calling for everyone to feed it with crystallized seeds to ensure a constant supply of light.
"The Willow Grove has nothing to do with providing the Holy Pillar light. They are dimensional entities able to purify our ’dirty air,’ making it possible for our Saviors to descend once in a while to check on their ’protected territory.’" Instructor Seraphis added indifferently, "In their eyes, we are nothing but surviving livestock, used to milk off crystallized seeds from Nightcrawlers and Daywalkers to feed them to their Primordial Tree of Life since those seeds are rich in death energy."
Chills coursed down everyone’s spines, feeling like their world was turning upside down. While none of them worshipped the Solar Deities as many civilians and Daywalkers did, they still considered them good guys and appreciated them greatly.
But now? The whole narration changed, leaving them doubting their own reality. If even Willow Grove’s origin story was a hoax, what could they believe in anymore?
"I am not supposed to tell you any of this, as not even Warden Daywalkers know this many details. You are going to sign a contract to ensure none of you runs their mouths." Instructor Seraphis said coldly, "I burdened you with the truth to understand that we have no good guys or bad guys on our side."
"It’s just us against every outsider, and once you accept the harsh reality of this statement, will you truly give it all in your path."
’Your instructor sure doesn’t give a f*ck,’ Ash’Kral laughed, ’He could get killed off by the Sanctuary’s guardians for spewing such blasphemy.’
’But is it the truth?’ Levi asked sternly.
"More or less," Ash’Kral confirmed, "Your Chained Universe is nothing but a playground for life-and-death energy to be sucked off by the two Primordial Trees. The CSR Platform is turning this eternal conflict into a systemized stage, where Nocturn and his people manage it for them inside his Boundless Expanse and stream the games interdimensionally."
Levi went silent, feeling like he was caught in a web of lies, and only now did some light shine over his dark road... He always knew that the nightcrawlers’ invasion was more than just a thirst for light.
If it were like this, then their planet would have fallen decades ago after all the Holy Regions were overrun by armies of nightcrawlers.
After all, they controlled the majority of the territory, and their numbers far outweighed their own.
But now that he knew that everything was happening under the supervision of an interdimensional platform, he could tell that even nightcrawlers were fighting each other to claim territories from the other.
In simpler terms, Earth was a free-for-all, and everyone wanted a piece of it. It didn’t matter if it was a nightcrawler nest against another, or even Holy Regions against each other.
While he still lacked information about the platform’s intricate details and rules, he could tell that the supposedly "Saviors" might also hold Death Games between each other, using their protected Holy Regions as the prize!!
He knew this because he had read a history book about the fallen Holy Regions, and one of them was written to have fallen into the hands of a neighboring region!
It was written in the book as a war for nearby vital resources, but Levi never understood that part since no recorded battle broke out between the regions... Only now did he realize that the war had taken place privately between the "Saviors" inside the Boundless Expanse!
"Conquerors, Saviors, Raiders..." Levi took a deep breath, "Conquerors invade planets to corrupt them for rewards. Saviors slow down the encroachment and support the invaded planets for rewards, and to get paid by crystallized seeds... Lastly, the Raiders represent the natives seeking to reclaim their lost territories. All of these conflicts are streamed live for entertainment purposes..."
"How messed up is this?" Levi smiled bitterly with his head facing upward.