After receiving her instructions from the family head, Lady Serenya got to work. She swiftly went through the UAC website, familiarising herself with the rules and regulations.
'The regulations aren't as strict as I had imagined.' Serenya thought deeply. 'Lord Alexander is indeed a benevolent being. Despite the kind of power being given to this UAC, the officials won't be able to get away with being unruly or unreasonable.'
The next thing on her agenda was to call for a meeting with her leading hunters, all of whom were solidly in the Venerable stage of power. A plan of action was needed to handle the person she saw as the most troublesome: Ross.
'The Starbanes themselves are easy to handle. The problem is the boy.' Serenya could already feel a headache coming on. 'Despite what Lord Valemont said, he is still tricky to deal with. Moreover, from the way he projected himself, it would be easier to assume he has gotten strong — very strong.'
Lady Serenya couldn't afford to look down on the boy despite her own words.
"This is the situation on our hands," Serenya spoke, her hands clasped under her chin and eyes roaming the people sitting around the meeting table. "What do you think?"
The meeting was already underway, as Serenya had gone through the trouble of informing her subordinates about the UAC creation, the family head's instructions, and what they needed to do to secure the entire galactic cluster.
"It is as you say…" One of the hunters nodded at Serenya's words. "The boy will be the trickiest to handle. And if your assumptions are correct, it would take more than a few of us to hold him back without killing him."
"Wouldn't that be too much for a little boy?" Another chipped in, her expression marred with confusion. "Yes, I agree the boy is our main problem, but he couldn't have gotten that strong in just a few months. Even if Lord Alexander himself guided the young boy, it would still take years to reach a significant enough level."
"Maybe… But you forget yourself. Lord Alexander is not like us. Per Lady Serenya's words, Lord Alexander is on his way to create the headquarters of the Universal Accord Commission. There are things he has done and things he can do that we aren't aware of."
"..."
The meeting chamber grew silent as the gathered hunters, numbering in the fifties, mulled over those words. Yes, Alexander had done difficult-to-understand things. However, power like that couldn't be without its limits.
There had to be some reason behind that kind of power; otherwise, it would be too much of a cheat. Unfortunately for them, they had no way of knowing and could only rely on their narrow perspectives and understandings.
"Be that as it may, we need to do something, and fast," Serenya stated once more, her brows furrowing slightly. "Lord Valemont wants us to secure the galactic zone before the UAC becomes operational. We've left the Starbane forces alone for some time now, and they're close to securing the entire site. We can't let them register the zone in their name."
"In that case, we should proceed with our initial plans." A one-horned woman with blonde, amber eyes proposed. "Our forces are larger than the Starbane forces. We make them focus on claiming the territory while the majority of us draw the young Ross out of the zone."
"I concur… The regulations stated that as long as the territory has not been registered, all forces are eligible to fight for it. We don't need to harm them… We just need to subdue them with our numbers and drive them out."
It was a simple enough plan, and Serenya had to agree. There was no need for sophisticated planning when they had the numbers and advantage. Their only problem was how to handle the situation without provoking a certain someone.
However, with that out of the way — somewhat — the Arkheons could move forward with their plans. They did not need to resort to extreme techniques. Gentle tugs and beatings would do the trick.
"Very well…" Serenya closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them. Looking at her officials, she gave her instructions. "You already know what to do. We don't know how long it will take to create the UAC, so time is of the essence. We drive the Starbane forces out of this galactic zone today."
"Yes."
The officials swiftly got to their feet and gave curt nods, quickly dispersing to carry out the instructions. Some had excited expressions on their faces as they anticipated a fight with Ross, while others wore stoic expressions, showing little concern about this minor issue.
***
Within half an hour, the Arkheons of Valemont had gathered most of their space ships. Numbering in the hundreds, these ships were ready to move out at the command of their leaders.
With each ship carrying thousands of hunters at the C-Tier at a minimum, each member equipped with armour and weapons of their speciality, the Arkheons were a force to be reckoned with.
The plans, which had been in limbo for some time due to minor details, were finally ready to be implemented with a few adjustments. The hunters were excited to get their competitors out of their territory, for good this time.
Once everything was set, multiple hyperspace tunnels opened before the numerous ships, and soon, the cruisers zoomed into the tunnels, disappearing from sight.
Lady Serenya and her fellow S-Tiers who would be handling the S-Tier forces of the Starbanes were already en route, having departed several minutes earlier. Naturally, a few were left behind to monitor the continuous claiming process of the entire galactic cluster.
As soon as Serenya Valemont and her officials abandoned their ships and got within range of the Starbane forces, the surrounding space trembled as they released the might of their overwhelming presence, quickly drawing the attention of the Starbane forces.
"Shit!" The hunters in charge of monitoring the progress of the Starbane forces cursed out loud, swiftly passing his commands. "The Arkheons are making a move. Alert the leaders!"
Serenya and her S-Tiers appeared extremely close to the main base of the Starbane forces, specifically a few billion kilometres away. This distance was equivalent to the distance between the sun and the farthest planet at its edge.
Fortunately for the monitoring forces of the Starbanes, their call was not needed, as the leaders swiftly sensed their aura from where they were. Without hesitation, they all shot out of the planet like streaks of light, heading straight for the intruders.
Ferlok and Eein, on the other hand, went the opposite way, heading straight for Ross, who had been training ever since their meeting with the Arkheons concluded some days ago. Fortunately for them, Ross wasn't too far from home base.
"For now, it seems only the S-Tiers have arrived." Ferlok expressed his concerns. "Their forces are sure to arrive soon."
"Indeed," Eein nodded, adding to what his father said. "Just from the aura we felt from them, we can be sure there are more than a few of them… More than the S-Tiers we have on our side."
The firstborn couldn't help but swallow nervously. They knew the Arkheons outnumbered them. However, because they never pushed too hard, they had somewhat gotten comfortable. The wake-up call was finally here.
'I didn't think they would act this fast.' Eein thought grimly. 'We were already planning to register the territory as soon as possible. Those bastards sure are keen on the take.'
With the upcoming creation of the UAC and the level of efficiency it promised, moving slowly would doom many organisations and companies.
"You worry too much," Ross's words pulled the father and firstborn out of their racing thoughts. "Like I said before, I'll handle everything."
The redhead floated towards his family, bypassing them to face the direction of the base, where the commotion was originating from. A subtle smile graced his features as he clearly saw Lady Serenya and her gang of S-Tiers from where he stood.
'Thirty-four of them, huh?' Ross did a quick headcount. 'Some of them are already showing signs of grasping their laws, firmly placing them in the third stage of the Venerable level.'
Lady Serenya was among those he noticed. Even so, it didn't matter. There was no way they could close two major realms, even with their numbers.
"We're going."
Ross looked over his shoulder at his father and brother, who were ready to fly towards the destination. However, what happened next overturned their understanding of Ross.
A glimmer of reddish mana swirled around the redhead and his family, and in the next moment, they disappeared from where they were and reappeared between the standoff of the Arkheons and Starbane leaders.
"Huh?"
For a moment, Ferlok and Eein were confused, unable to process how they had suddenly relocated to the location. However, noticing the astonished looks on the faces of the people present, Ferlok and Eein quickly regained their composure and suppressed their shock.
'What the hell was that…?' Eein's eyes trembled as he gazed at his younger brother, who stood ahead with a straight back and hands clasped behind his back. 'Since when was he capable of using spatial laws?'
It was the same question on everyone's mind, especially Lady Serenya, who glared at Ross with a deep frown. Despite the aura they were still unleashing on the gathered S-Tiers of the Starbanes, the moment Ross appeared, it all but disappeared.
'He's strong…' Serenya thought grimly, finally setting eyes on the young Ross. 'But why is he so much shorter than I imagined?'