"Hah…" Basso sighed. "Let's get this over with."
The two leaders returned to the normal flow of time, their expression as calm and composed as ever.
Suddenly, space trembled as Basso and Jaspeh unleashed their aura. Almost instantly, the seven hunters groaned and slammed into the hardened space that felt no different from hard concrete.
"Ugh!"
"Im-impossible!"
"Not really," Basso replied. "I don't know what you were told, but there's more to the S-Class than just power."
The aura they unleashed was a combination of their physical might and understanding of their laws. It increased the presence of their existence to a higher level than those below.
The closer one was to the universe, the stronger their presence and 'rank' grew.
Basso snapped his fingers, knocking out the hunters. The rebellion was brought to a close without so much as a boom going off.
"Tch!" Basso suddenly snorted. "Those bastards are off exploring the universe while we are stuck here dealing with these morons."
"Yeah…" Jaseph agreed with a chuckle. "A few more years of this and I'm stepping down. I can't take this anymore."
Most of the vassals of Alexander had taken their own crews into the larger universe, exploring to their heart's content, and growing stronger doing it.
There wasn't much need for S-Tier powerhouses to safeguard galaxies. It was probably one of the reasons why Baltor and his group thought they could seize power by force.
"Come on, let's return."
There was no point feeling bitter about their situation. People were literally fighting to get into their position.
...
Baltor was about to order the removal of the opposing council when space tore once more. Before he could turn around to express his surprise and joy, Basso appeared and grabbed him by the throat.
At the same time, Jaseph stretched a hand towards the rebellious hunters. With a snap of his fingers, he shook their consciousness, putting them to sleep.
The others were about to roll out of the chamber when a chilling voice resounded in their ears, freezing all motion in an instant.
"Don't even think about it." Jaseph growled and unleashed a sliver of his aura. "You made your bed. Now it's time to sleep in it."
Space was sealed and anyone who attempted to circulate their mana found their mana unresponsive — their Class A and Class S power became useless.
Baltor's eyes widened in horror as he witnessed his plans crumble like the sand castle it was. The truth hit him at that very moment — they never stood a chance.
All that time spent on planning, turning people to their side and raising S-Tier powerhouses was useless.
This little rebellion of yours is nothing but a child throwing tantrums, and crying for toys that don't belong to him.
The words of Lucas echoed in Baltor's head. The man had spoken nothing but the truth. Their ignorance and hubris led them to believe they had what it takes to get what they wanted.
A sudden wave of shame hit the councilman like lightning. He felt his energies and pride abandon him, stripping him of his confidence and will to live.
Baltor gave up struggling and accepted his fate. The strong light in his eyes dimmed significantly, along with all his dignity.
"Now you realize…" Basso muttered indifferently. "Maybe it was our fault for not making it clear to everyone, but the dangers our universe faces are not over.
"This is not the time for us to be fighting ourselves. Alexander is out there making sure no harm comes to us." Basso turned to face the council. "The only thing he wanted from us was to continue to grow… not resort to petty squabbles the moment we felt a little bit safe.
"There will come a time where you'll want to go your separate ways… But that time is not now." Basso turned to look at Baltor, who had his head lowered. "For now… let things remain as they are."
Jaseph took back his aura, yet no one made any moves. Those involved in the plot could only lower their heads in shame.
The chamber became solemn and filled with regret. They knew what was to come next, and even if they didn't, they wouldn't be able to face their colleagues in the future.
Most of them — if not all — would step down from their position, passing the seat to the new generation while they secluded themselves from society, focusing on themselves and their growth.
It was the reason why the two leaders made no mention of punishments.
"You can still decide on who you want to take the third seat," Basso said. "However, the person selected would have to meet with Alexander to be accepted — no exceptions."
No reply came from anyone in the chamber.
"This meeting is adjourned."
...
"That should do it for now," Alex muttered to himself. "Once things are put in order, I can get these people a place in this universe."
Alexander still had the people he saved from the Hulmite's universe. He didn't want to immediately settle them without letting the leaders know about their existence.
That would be a recipe for disaster in the years to come.
Moreover, he had to change the energy signature of those people to his universe. Alex had been able to convince the universe's core to accept the foreigners as one of its own.
That way, their life cycle would not die out and they would become a part of this universe's records.
...…..
BOOM…!
"Ugh!"
Ross groaned through gritted teeth as he blocked a blow from the void creature with his greatsword. The explosive shockwaves from the collision sent the redhead flying backwards.
Without delay, the creature spun around and sidestepped a gleaming cold blade strike that came from above.
SCREECH…!
The creature let out a loud screech in frustration. It's been a while since the fight began and no matter the number of times the creature struck them, they always came back.
It couldn't cut through their weapon and neither could it cut through their armor. The creature also realized its energy-based attacks were not working either. The few times they got hit, it barely left them injured.
Something was wrong.
With a swing of its right hand, the void creature slapped Julia away. This was becoming more of an annoyance than a deadly fight.
Fortunately or unfortunately for the creature, things were about to change.