Across the dead zones, a spatial tear rippled open inside the subterranean Walibu hideout.
With the assistance of Seth’s spatial portal teleportation, Phyrus stepped smoothly back into the base camp, his tattered dark cloak settling around his frame.
He morphed straight toward the minimalist throne where Lumi sat waiting.
“The eastern deployment is complete,” Phyrus reported, his voice muffled and deep beneath his unyielding mask.
“The abnormal walker was entirely incinerated before the guild could establish a perimeter.
The area was reduced to ash.” Lumi leaned forward, his brilliant eyes focusing on the masked wielder.
“And what of the Cullers?” “They were intercepted before they could even reach the site,” Phyrus stated, adjusting the grip on his tattered cloak.
“A new, unidentified group of power civilians entered the crossfire.
They actively engaged the Cullers and completely annihilated Braxley’s entire cartel.
The slaver’s drug-enhanced men were brutally slaughtered by exactly three active members of this new faction.” Phyrus reached into his vest, pulling out a sleek, metallic audio-interception device glowing with highly advanced blue circuits.
“I listened to their confrontation from a distance using the listening apparatus we snatched from that private surface organization—the one secretly working alongside Neo Terra, who originally built this tech.” Phyrus cleared his throat, his deep voice carrying a sharp chill through the silent conclave.
“According to the intercepted audio grid, the group calls themselves Encanto.
And their leader is a man who goes by the name Von Raj Agnas.” The moment the names Encanto and Von Raj Agnas left Phyrus’s jaw, Knox—who had been sitting completely silent and theatrical in the dark corner of the conclave—subtly flinched.
His perpetual, razor-sharp smile locked rigid for a fraction of a second, his fingers twitching violently against his thigh.
He didn’t make a verbal reaction, quickly freezing his posture back down into a cold void, but the information had clearly struck a nerve deep within his hidden identity.
Phyrus continued his report, entirely unbothered.
“Von Raj was accompanied in the vanguard by two high-tier physical titans named Kapre and Tikbalang.
The trio tore the cartel to shreds out in the open.
But there was a fourth one…
a creature named Tiktik who was hiding deep in the shadows, waiting for the perfect opportunity to clean up the survivors left unconscious by Zaiden.” Lumi kept his gaze fixed on Phyrus, though his mind noted the sudden shift in the room’s tension.
“Evolved elements masquerading as civilians.
Fascinating.
Continue monitoring the sector.” Back inside the stone-carved command center of the Kampilan League, the atmosphere was a different kind of storm.
Zaiden, Jahek, and Ambo stood before Xan’s desk, delivering the official summary of the eastern wasteland.
“We arrived at the coordinates, but the abnormal walker was already gone,” Zaiden explained, his deep voice level.
“Nothing remained but a glassed crater of extreme thermal heat.
But that isn’t the issue.
On our march back, we went to check on the cartel thugs we had encountered earlier.
I broke their bones and beat them unconscious, but when we returned…
every single one of them was dead.
Murdered in the shadows.” Xan stopped swirling the violet vial, her eyebrows knitting together in deep confusion.
“Did you say…
all of them were dead?
After you returned from the monster’s carcass, the cartel was suddenly wiped out?
How is that possible?” She rubbed her temples, a deep paranoia tightening her jaw.
“Something is incredibly fishy here.
Someone is actively scrubbing the timeline right under our noses.” Xan locked the folder away, her sharp eyes shifting toward Zaiden.
Her annoyed persona instantly returned.
“And speaking of creating a mess…
Zaiden!
I received a transmission from the border guard!
You completely ignored the protocol and started a full-blown cartel war before even registering your squad at the outpost!
You really are a maniac, aren’t you?” Zaiden simply smirked, turning toward the door.
Seeing the captain get thoroughly chewed out by the acting leader, Jahek and Ambo quietly slipped out of the office, leaving the two veterans to argue as they walked back down the torch-lit corridors toward their shared barracks room.
“Man, I really hate that Leeroy punk,” Jahek grumbled, tossing his silver daggers onto his cot as they entered their quarters.
He crossed his arms, huffing proudly.
“I could have completely destroyed him out there if I wanted to.
Seriously.
I just felt pity for him, that’s the only reason I let him hit me.” Ambo sat on the edge of his bed, unlacing his tactical boots with a small smirk.
“You say that while your ass was literally glued to the dirt pretending to be dead.” “I wasn’t dead!” Jahek protested defensively, his jolly energy flaring.
“I told you, it’s a strategy!
I was waiting for the right time to launch a surprise attack!
A tactical retreat of the eyes!” Ambo let out a genuine, booming laugh, the tension of the day finally lifting.
“Well, if you say so.
HAHAHAHA.” Jahek laughed along for a moment before his expression suddenly turned serious.
He leaned forward, his eyes fixing on Ambo.
“But seriously, Ambo…
what the hell was that thing covering your body earlier?
You looked…
evil.
Like a literal devil that was laughing at him.” Ambo’s laughter died down, his gaze dropping back to his hands.
“I don’t know, man.
When Leeroy cornered us, my body just started shaking on its own, like I was absolutely terrified.
But when his fist hit my face…
I suddenly saw a brief blip of a memory.
There was a man…
a man who kept constantly beating me up in the past.
I don’t know who he was or why he did it.
But when I woke up from the punch, this black liquid just erupted from my skin.
That’s all I know.” Ambo paused, looking toward the window.
“But why does Leeroy get away with causing so much trouble?
How can he be so arrogant in front of the strongest individuals in this entire guild?” “Because he’s backed by his brother, Axl,” Jahek answered, his voice dropping into a rare, hushed tone of absolute respect.
“Axl is a core member of the Celestial Order.
Those guys are on an entirely different level, Ambo.
Every single one of them is ranked as a Zenith.” Ambo blinked, tilting his head.
“What is a Zenith?” Jahek froze, staring at Ambo in absolute, wide-eyed shock.
“Are you crazy?
You don’t know what a Zenith is?
Wow, your amnesia really cleaned out your brain.
Alright, listen up, because you need to understand how lawless and dangerous our world is.” Jahek cleared his throat, using his fingers to map out the grid.
“Humanity created two measuring scales to survive.
The first is the Threat Level System, used to measure how dangerous a Gen Z or an unregistered Astral user is.
It starts at the bottom with C-Class, or Detrimental.
They’re the lowest, but they carry lethal potential for regular humans.
Next is B-Class, or Calamitous, which can cause structural damage on a regional, small-scale area.
Above that is A-Class, or Catastrophic, which can devastate a wide area or an entire city scale.” Jahek’s eyes narrowed.
“Then come the top two tiers.
S-Class is Cataclysmic.
A Cataclysmic threat can literally wipe out the entire human civilization if left unchecked.
For your information, that humongous, faceless monster Kaio fought before he died—that was a full S-Class level threat.
Released into the colony by his own best friend, Xero, because he was sick with jealousy over Kaio’s fame.
And the ultimate peak is SS-Class, or Apocalyptic.
An Apocalyptic threat represents the absolute end of the world.
Extinction.” Ambo absorbed the scales silently, the titles echoing deeply in his chest.
“And for humans,” Jahek continued, “if you are able to use astral, you have to register your Astral signature with the guild.
Your astral energy classify you into five Defender Ranks that mirror the threats but most of the common user starts from being the lowest, which is Sentinel, you will rank up depending on how you use your astral, your skills and the ability to be flexible in any scenario, followed by Phalanx, then Apex, then Paragon.
And the absolute pinnacle?
The ones who equal the Apocalyptic class?
That’s Zenith.
The strongest humans alive.” “And this Celestial Order…” Ambo muttered.
“They’re all Zeniths?” “Yeah,” Jahek nodded, pulling his blanket over his shoulders as the candles began to flicker out.
“They’re the ultimate vanguard of humanity.
I’ve never seen them in person because they never show themselves unless an absolute world-ending threat emerges.
But they don’t answer to the Kampilan League.
The ones who hold their leashes are the Neomans.
The sky people manage the global politics and supply advanced technology to our colonies, and in exchange, the Celestial Order acts as their personal, ultimate guard dogs.
Only Neo Terra has the authority to call them out.” Jahek rolled over, his breathing slowing down as the room fell into complete darkness.
“Go to sleep, Ambo.
Tomorrow’s gonna be another long day.” Ambo lay back against his pillow, his eyes fixed on the stone ceiling.
The scales of the world were massive, terrifying, and built on centuries of blood.
But as he closed his eyes, the image of the cackling black devil flitting across his skin remained burned into his mind, a silent promise that the blank slate of his past was already beginning to bleed.