27. One Heck Of An Address
The heavens were painted crimson red. Numerous structures stretched endlessly across the land, each one radiating a sinister aura. The stench of corrupted spirit energy filled the air completely—there was no break of sunlight, just a red moon that illuminated the entire dimension.
Numerous structures, old and ancient, filled the vast expanse, spreading farther than their eyes could see. The cathedral they were teleported in front of had huge wooden doors, with the wings of a dragon imprinted into them.
Uriel felt an unfamiliar and powerful presence from atop the cathedral.
"Someone is watching us," her voice echoed in Hina's and Vampika's minds.
"Hihihihi," Vampika giggled inwardly. "And they are strong too! I wonder how their blood will taste," she muttered to herself, drifting her crimson eyes to the top of the cathedral.
"I felt their presence too... it's not just us they are watching, but the entire crowd," Hina said mentally.
The low-class disciples began to direct the crowd of new recruits toward the cathedral as they pushed the doors open.
A vast hall came slowly into view—rows of chairs arranged neatly, leading up to a wide podium that stood firmly distinguished from the rest of the hall. A few balls of light floated in the air, almost touching the high-rise white ceiling designed with marble.
An influx of recruits walked into the hall in a disorganized manner, each person only concerned with finding somewhere to rest. After a while, the cracking noise of chairs being occupied died down.
Both the new and old recruits were now present in the hall. Side talks and chatter between friends, rivals, and enemies alike drifted throughout the space.
"I heard the Grand Overseer will be gracing us with his presence today!"
"Oh please! It's nothing to be amazed about—I just hope they finally tell us when we can meet their so-called Great One."
"I had a lot of things to do in my domain, but I left all of them to come out to this place, whatever it is."
"That's the least of my problems. At least we won't be trampled by Berry and the other rankers."
"Ahem!" A loud voice echoed from the podium, carrying authority.
The side talks and idle chatter ended abruptly. They all turned their attention to the male figure standing on the podium.
An oni-shaped mask latched firmly onto his face. His smoothly laid-back purple hair stood out the most. He was clad in a white apostolic robe, too big for his size, as it flowed beneath his feet, sweeping the floor.
"I am pleased to see so many souls treading on the glorious path of REFINEMENT," he declared boldly.
He stepped forward to the very edge of the podium, carrying himself graciously.
"I might not look like it, but..." He raised both hands, the oversized sleeves of his robe suspended in the air. "I am actually the Grand Overseer," he said proudly.
Gasps upon gasps erupted from the surprised recruits, as they couldn't bring themselves to believe that the timid-looking individual was the Grand Overseer.
"You have to be kidding me," a male recruit exclaimed loudly as he stood up from his chair.
Murmurs of disinterest and mockery buzzed through the room.
"This has to be some kind of sick joke... If you can be the Grand Overseer, then so ca—"
The recruit stopped as he realized that he had lost an arm.
"Aghhhhhhhhh!" he screamed, tears of fear pouring from his eyes. He grabbed onto his bleeding shoulder, staggering due to blood loss. His blood painted the brown tiles scarlet red.
The girl next to him shouted, her voice echoing through the vast hall. Her face was filled with terror—her eyes wide, her mouth open, unable to close.
The other recruits were emotionally impaled by the gruesome scene that played out before them. Kalmar had not moved a single muscle, yet he had managed to sever the arm of the recruit. It was a precise technique that most recruits could neither see nor grasp—with the sole exception of Duran's and Nirvana's intel units.
"A profound strike indeed," Vroh muttered calmly.
Vroh was seated directly behind Hina.
Hina tilted her head slightly sideways.
"VD..." she said in a low tone.
Vroh's eyes glimmered with surprise as he parted his lips slowly, uttering the words:
"HUV..."
VD and HUV were codes made in advance for them to easily identify each other without blowing their covers. Hina and Vroh quickly created a telepathic link that connected all the intel units together.
"Finally!" Delta exclaimed mentally. "It's so nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Uriel relayed tiredly.
"Can you put us up to speed?" Hina asked mentally.
"Sure... but that will be after the general address is over," Vroh relayed.
"Is it always this brutal over here?... the address, I mean," Vampika asked mentally.
"This is the first time we have actually seen the Grand Overseer. It's usually the Vice Overseer that conducts the general address. And also, no one has ever acted up before. So this is a first..." Delta answered mentally.
The Grand Overseer smiled under his mask.
"Are you done?" he said in a sweet tone.
The way his voice sounded was in direct contrast to his terrifying actions. The male recruit fell to the ground, barely hanging on to life itself.
Kalmar snapped his fingers, and the recruit immediately regrew his arm and was healed back to a healthier state than he was prior to the attack. A complete revitalization without leaving any scars—and he did it without breaking a sweat.
"My lord is indeed strong and merciful too," a recruit's voice echoed from the far back.
"WE GREET THE GRAND OVERSEER!"
The older recruits said in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
His actions gained both fear and admiration from the recruits. He had showcased his level of skill using the male recruit as a scapegoat, earning him their trust.
"Okay, everyone," Kalmar's voice boomed throughout the cathedral, even nicer than before.
"I would like to inform you that you all will have to remain here until the Grand Summoning Ritual passes," he declared.
He placed his hand on the back of his head.
"If you are worried about your domains, I assure you that as long as you followed our instructions and brought your domain cores along, there won't be a problem," he said in a calming tone.
"Please don't attempt to leave this dimension of your own volition," he uttered unsettlingly.
"You are the chosen ones who have decided to tread on the path of REFINEMENT. It is my duty as the Grand Overseer to make sure you are exempt from..." He paused, allowing anticipation and desperation to sink into the crowd.
"The tragedy that will soon befall the summoners currently on Arstrea," he declared boldly.
Murmurs of confusion spread throughout the hall as the recruits tried to process the information they had just heard.
A female recruit raised her hand shakily, as she didn't want to go through the pain the other recruit had just experienced.
"Yes?" Kalmar pointed his finger at the timid girl, giving her the go-ahead to speak.
"What is going to happen to them?" she asked, trembling.
"Arstrea will be painted RED!" he said nicely, making the statement even more horrifying.
After the general address ended, the recruits were directed to their temporary living quarters. It was well furnished, and they were fairly welcomed with a grand buffet.
Later in the night, while everyone was sleeping, Uriel attempted to reach Revet to notify him about the new developments. From her window, she could see a blurry figure shooting a red light ray into the protective barrier of the mirror dimension.
The moment the red light ray hit the barrier, ripples began to appear, dispersing across its surface. Uriel paid no mind and started to astral project.
"Revet-sama," she said as she appeared in the training field, drifting in the air.
She soon realized that it was hard for her to sustain her astral projection.
"I can't... hold this for long," she added in a distorted tone.
"The Nuxeons are planning to launch a full-scale attack on Arstrea."
Her voice broke as her astral projection started to glitch.
"They intend to paint it RED. The Summoners' War is in danger. You have to put a stop to their plans."
Her astral projection disappeared.
"Ughhhh," she grunted. "Why do I have a feeling that they didn't get anything that I just said?" She placed her hands on her temples, sighing deeply.
Elsewhere, in a slightly dark room illuminated by light balls, Berry knelt before Kalmar, who was sitting on a throne-like chair.
"I greet the Grand Overseer," Berry said boldly.
"Brother, I hope the gift I gave you is functioning perfectly," Kalmar asked nicely.
"Yes! It has greatly enhanced my production process," he answered in reverence.
Kalmar placed his hand on Berry's head.
"That—and this power I am bestowing upon you—is but a fraction of what the path of REFINEMENT has to offer."
A dark, murky spirit energy flowed from his hand into Berry's body.
"AGGHHHHHH!"
Berry screamed in agony as the corrupted spirit energy flowed into his body. His facial expression was unsightly to behold. The veins in his neck, legs, and arms became visible, highlighting the intense pain he was feeling.
"Go forth and lay waste to the summoners on Arstrea," Kalmar declared, swinging his hand authoritatively.
Berry opened his eyes—an eerie dark glow filled them. He was completely drunk on power.
"Go and collect the souls of those who have refused the path of REFINEMENT. Class 1 Disciple, Berry," Kalmar said boldly.
"As you wish, my liege!" Berry said, as a scornful smirk formed on his face.
"MAY THE GREAT ONE REFINE YOU," he said as he vanished into thin air.
"...May the Great One refine you to perfection, brother," Kalmar muttered softly.