The three watched how snowflakes made out of darkness, slowly falling down from the gigantic dark moon...
Benji didn't know what to think at this moment, his mind was blank, fascinated by the view.
The snowflakes landed only inside the circle that the Nine Pillars formed.
The first three pillars reacted towards the dark snowflakes while the others remained dormant.
The three pillars released a suction force, greedily devouring the dark snowflakes.
Benji noticed that his pillar devoured the greatest amount of the dark snowflakes, Lilith and the Plague Doctor also noticed it too.
[It's a ranking, the First Pillar gets the most, then the Second Pillar, followed by the Third Pillar.] Concluded Adam.
'I can see it too but what is it for?' Asked Benji.
Adam stayed silent.
Benji's question was answered when all the dark snowflakes were devoured and the gigantic dark moon vanished back into the void...
The three pillars shook once before strange red lights burst out, shooting up into the black sky...
Benji was engulfed by the red lights, his two horns on his forehead absorbed parts of the red lights on their own.
He felt his whole being scream in delight, constantly growing stronger.
The red lights coming from his pillar were the most intense among the three pillars, it also lasted longer than the two others.
Benji moaned out in bliss when everything was over.
Lilith did the same, while the Plague Doctor had more self-control than them, not making a sound.
The two of them had afterwards the same reaction, they stared at Benji in envy.
Benji noticed it, showing them a smug smile.
He got the most out of the harvest as the First Pillar, making the others jealous.
[Try if we can go back now.] Suggested Adam.
Benji agreed with him, "I need to go, see you two later." Said Benji as he returned back to his body.
Lilith looked at him in confusion, 'Didn't he say would go? All he did was to close his eyes...'
Benji returned back to his house, still lying on his bed. He didn't feel tired anymore, quite the opposite, he was brimming with energy.
[That was a pleasant surprise at the end.]
'Yes it was...it also gives us something to think about.'
[Indeed, we can assume that the remaining vacant thrones will be filled with the time. We are the first at the moment but we don't know if we will keep that spot...]
'I won't give it up, we will still stick to our original plan. Search for the crystals and get the answers from those monsters inside them. We will grow stronger after we absorb them.' Said Benji.
[We need also stronger puppets...]
Both of them pondered how to do that, the puppets stagnated after reaching their limit...
[Let's aim for quality rather than quantity.] Suggested Adam.
'What do you have in mind?'
[Remember Akatsuki from Naruto? Let's use that model. We will choose the best puppets for our new force. Cain is seeded we need to decide on the others...]
'I like that, I was thinking to train more puppets and pick those that get unique powers.'
[That wouldn't be effective, we can't tell which zombie might get unique powers. I'm sure we have killed some zombies with potential to fuel the growth of the others. Let's pick one each, we have 4 zombies that can create fire, 14 that have physical enhancement and Cain. Cain is seeded, we will choose one fire and one physical zombie for our force. The rest will be used as fuel for our chosen ones.]
'Okay...but how do we get new ones if we don't foster them? You are right about the efficiency but we could still get lucky and gain an unique puppet.' Said Benji, not giving up on that plan.
[It's too time consuming and we would run the risk of others noticing it. How about taking other humans with unique powers?]
'Can we?'
[Now we definitely can, thanks to my Radiant Mindlord ability. I can enslave them and kill them with a thought so that they can't rebel against us.] Explained Adam.
'You can do that? That's nasty!'
[Hehe so what? They will still be themselves tho, I can't wipe out their wills like with normal zombies...]
'Hmm okay we will do that. Let's still keep some elite puppets and put them inside the cities we visit. They will be our eyes and ears.'
[Hehe, things are getting interesting.]
'I have already a good target in mind....' Said Benji as he smiled evilly.
At the same time at the border between Italy and Austria...
Amelia was covered by a blanket that Gianluca gave her. Everyone looked at her with mixed feelings...
"How long was I away?" Asked Amelia.
"For 3 days Professor, I did as you tasked me and kept these idiots at bay. They wanted to get rid of you." Said Gianluca as he pointed at the higher up behind the glass wall.
Amelia's expression soured while Commander Gianluca reported what happened.
Her sharp gaze locked into Professor Krychowiak that didn't dare te to meet her eyes.
Amelia smiled suddenly, she walked over to the higher ups.
"It's okay, your concerns were justified, I won't hold it against you all." Spoke Amelia softly, stunning everyone in the room.
The brutal-looking Gianluca frowned, "Is it really alright Professor?"
"It is, we need responsible and loyal people, isn't that right Carl?"
The old Professor stared at the ground, nodding like a chicken.
"Of course, we all only want what is the best for the Volari Company. It's good that you are fine..."
Amelia kept smiling innocently, "Good, I need a bath and new clothes. Gianluca I need you to come later to my office."
Gianluca nodded.
She left them standing there like frozen statues. Amelia walked through the corridor when she sensed someone catching up to her.
She turned her head around and saw a handsome young professor running after her.
"Amelia..."
"What is it Johannes?" Asked Amelia.
The young man looked at her with worry, "What happened in there? Are you alright?"
Amelia sighed inwards, how could she not notice his feelings for her? He was good looking and kind but she had other priorities to think about love...
"I'm fine, I will call for a meeting later in the day to share my experience with everyone, I need a bit of time alone to organize my mind."
Johannes looked down but still nodded, "Alright, you can always tell me if you have something on your mind..."
Amelia smiled at him, "I will, thank you Johannes."
She left him, walking towards her quarters.
Amelia took a bath, cleaning her body that was dirty with sticky red liquid.
She held up her hand, lost in thoughts as she observed the new obsidian like horn on her right backhand.
'I need to figure out what all of this means, I hate this feeling of not knowing...'