'Why haven't they done anything yet?' Ace questioned inwardly. It had been quite a long time, but the OTF still hadn't acted against Leo, who had technically defied their authority over him. Ace was thankful that they hadn't but it was very suspicious. If they had truly attacked, Ace's entire family and Leo would have been killed with a flick of their finger.
Despite the existence of the organization being secret, the number of forces they had was unknown to anyone except the leader. Since all agents mostly worked separately and had legions, they barely ever met except for council meetings, in which the leader, council members, and co-council members discussed the recent events.
Pow!
Interrupting his train of thought, a punch soon landed on Ace's face, causing a considerable amount of blood to exit his body through his mouth. He was pushed back as he fell on his butt. Immediately, in an act of self-defense, he mobilized his mana, trying to kill the foe that had attacked him sneakily.
"What are you doing!?" A boy screamed, narrowly avoiding Ace's strike that sliced a few strands of hair off his head. The boy was Leo.
"Leo? Why did you punch me?" Ace asked, dumbfounded by the lanky-armed individual who had punched him using most of his strength.
"You were standing in the same place absent-mindedly for the past two hours." Leo commented, stroking the ends of the strands of hair that had been sliced off. Leo's expression was that of annoyance, and his body language suggested he was irritated. "I called your name several times over those two hours."
Shocked by the amount of time that had passed, Ace's eyes widened. "That long?"
"Yep."
They arrived back home yesterday and were training in the front yard when Ace decided to space out. Leo, not minding a bit of daydreaming, hadn't interfered. However, when things had escalated with Ace standing in the same spot for a couple of hours with a complicated expression on his face, he had to interfere.
"I have something to ask…" Ace said, stroking his chin. He then glanced at Leo with narrowed eyes and asked… "Has the OTF made a move yet?"
Ace wasn't sure if Leo had experienced anything related to the OTF, but if he had, the former considered their movements too fast. Of course, he was a variable unaccounted for during his previous life, but the OTF wasn't supposed to make a move on the factions until a long time in the future.
It wouldn't be too big of a problem if they had made a move on the factions, since he could still control it partially due to his affiliation with the organization. However, if they had figured out his plans with Leo, it would definitely be a problem he couldn't solve by himself. He didn't know the leader of the OTF and nor did anyone else on the planet except the Council and co-council members, but he knew that he was strong.
'Maybe he's even comparable to Genro, Oliver, and Noah.' Oliver hadn't shown his strength, but he was considered equal to the other two as he had managed to build a faction from scratch in only a year and a half. And, despite him being a centaur, it was said he could fight well.
"The OTF? Not that I know of…" Leo answered, scrunching his eyebrows in thought. "We've been together practically every day after Genro wiped Academy 07 off the map."
Ignoring the somewhat humorous and absurd remark, Ace headed inside the house alongside Leo.
'I guess we still have time.'
*
*
*
In a room liberated of any light sat countless people as they stared into the darkness. They sat on office chairs that were on the edges of a long, light-brown table usually used for conferences and meetings.
Despite there being no light, the people could easily see in the darkness using night-vision, which is why the person that stood supreme over them commanded them not to use mana in any way or form.
This was the meeting place for the leaders of OTF. The co-council members, the council members, and finally… the leader.
They all sat alongside each other beside the table in silence. The co-council members and council members, including Felix Edwards, exchanged glances since they had been summoned without a reason. Of course, it was because they did not know the reason yet.
"Leader, I pay my greetings." A man suddenly materialized beside their leader, kneeling instantly while facing downwards. His reverence for the leader had exceeded all bounds and had entered the realm of faith, as if the leader of OTF was a god. It wasn't just him, but everyone who was in the OTF considered the leader their god.
The leader sat motionlessly but belatedly gave a curt nod.
The man, interpreting this as a sign of relaying the message to the members of the OTF, smiled as he recited. "Yun Su-Bin and Yun Ha-Yoon have found something extremely urgent, leader. Their message states that the Conscientious Faction has made a deal with an unknown person to receive information about our organization. Also, their meeting is being held next week."
As he uttered those words, the entire room suddenly became noisy as everyone discussed the urgent matter. If their organization were to be revealed during such a dire time, they would lose everything they had built over the years.
"How is this possible!?"
"What kind of snake would–!?
"Execution!"
"Find that bastard and kill him!"
Many were worried about their existence being revealed to pubic eyes, where they would have to suffer the full might of the factions. The factions, of course, would try their best to eradicate such a pesty existence from Earth.
"Do we really have to resort to finding another planet?"
That was also an option. They could travel to another planet and grow their strengths.
When mana appeared, other planets of the solar system had crumbled, leaving only the sun, moon, and earth behind. It was unexplainable at the time, but soon, humans realized that the mana veins running throughout the cosmos were too pure and potent to support multiple planets in fairly close proximity.
"The closest planet to Earth is Polok, but the factions would surely know where we are if we hide there."
"Why do we need to hide? Let's just wipe the factions off the planet."
The hate for the factions was over the roof due to them having been wronged by the factions before. Their hatred had led them to their lowest. It was when the leader picked them up and threw them into the sky at an alarming rate.
They did not wish to anger or disappoint their savior as well as their leader and god, which is why soon, they turned and stared at him. The leader, encompassed in a shroud of darkness, only stared into space with cold eyes.
"It is true that our existence will soon be revealed to the others…" His voice resounded and echoed throughout the room, and everyone's eyes widened due to the pressure it contained. It wasn't raspy or gruff. It was a smooth and alluring voice that every female would die for, but in this case, it made the members of the organization feel fear.
"Which is why we shall prevent that from happening…" He was only talking to himself about random things without a plan in mind. However, his voice was so powerful that some members of the organization felt excruciating pain just because of it.
The older members of the organization were calm and composed, but the newer ones were filled with anxiety.
"But first… we shall remove the unnecessary trouble…" As soon as he uttered the last words, he directed his gaze towards the person who had brought the message. Others also stared at the man, who kneeled reverently. He was completely motionless, but Felix noticed the slight tremble of his feet.
The leader of the OTF extended his arm above the person's head, flicking the air above him slightly. Immediately, a force capable of destroying multiple houses pushed the person who kneeled, forcing him to slam against the wall.
As the leader of OTF stood up from his chair, he walked towards the person, still encompassed in a shroud of darkness. No one could see his expression, but they all felt the hostility radiating off his body. Their leader, which they considered god, had turned out to be a devil in disguise.
Even then, no one was disappointed. In fact, they were excited by what was about to happen.
"I see… you're George Kadz's spy." The leader of OTF muttered under his breath before lightly flicking his wrist. As soon as he did, the flesh, bones, and blood exploded from the person's body, dirtying the floor. However, none of it got on the leader of OTF's body.
"Now, shall we discuss our strategy?"
*
*
*
"It seems we've lost him." George spoke solemnly. He sat on a couch and stared down at the floor.
"It seems so, father."
"Yes, father."
Two people responded to his remark. The elder brother and elder sister of Leo Kadz, Mia and Bruno Kadz. The two sat on chairs in front of George, and were having a discussion about what George had talked about during his meeting with the other leaders.
That was when George had felt an intense pain growing in his lower abdomen. It was where the parasite that let him control the spy rested. Having controlled and manipulated the spy to investigate the matters of the OTF, he was very disappointed when he had gotten notice of the spy's death.
"That guy… how did he…" George muttered, wondering how they had found the spy. The spy, also named Park Dong-Ah, was a fairly high-ranking member of the Iniquitous Faction before he was caught by George, the supposed personification of the devil.
Park Don-Ah was one of the best stealth-type mana wielders in the entire world, albeit not the best. George couldn't imagine how a tiny organization hoping to overthrow the factions could have found him out.
"Unless…" A thought suddenly appeared in George's mind, and his eyes widened. "Unless it's the organization in the myths."
*
*
*
"Where are we going?" Leo asked as he quickly followed Ace, who was running considerably fast through the streets of Bryxton city. Both of them had speed that surpassed cars, and could easily run through the city in the matter of either minutes or hours. However, cars would take as long as days.
Ace, not utilizing [Blitz Step], was trying to maintain a speed which Leo could follow. Since his skill was so overpowered, he preferred not using it when not in the presence of a foe. It was necessary, as if he didn't, Leo wouldn't be able to match his speed anymore.
"The Smith Household." Ace responded to Leo's question, to which the latter formed an expression of shock and confusion. The shock was due to Ace's stupidity, since no one except him would dare barge into the household. However, the confusion was due to why he wanted to go to their house.
"Do you need to meet Melissa?" Leo asked, finding this to be the only somewhat reasonable explanation for why Ace would seek the Smith Household.
"Yeah. I'll tell you the reason later, but just keep quiet while I do my thing, alright?" Ace asked rhetorically, urging Leo to nod. A nod did come, albeit belatedly.
As they neared the Smith Household, they were greeted by the majestic scenery of their mansion, which exceeded Academy 07 in size. It was as large as several football fields, nearing the Conscientious Faction Headquarters in terms of size.
This was because the Smith Family was the only family that had branch families. The main family was named the Kyrios Family, which meant "main" in Greek. There were three branch families, the Sosta Family, the Aristera Family, and the Mesaio Family. The families' names meant right family, left family, and middle family respectively.
As Ace and Leo stared at the enormous mansion and yard that the Smith Family possessed, their eyes shone. They raised their eyebrows at the pearly white walls of the mansion, and the structure, which seemed to be nigh-indestructible by violence or force.
"Is this where Melissa lives?" Despite knowing the answer very well, Leo couldn't help but voice out his inner thoughts. Ace chuckled due to Leo's observation and surprise, nodding slightly before turning to look at the mansion.
'This is what I've been planning for this week.' The reason Ace had postponed giving information to the Conscientious Faction was due to this. He wanted to meet Melissa in private alongside Leo and have a meeting with her. There was something only she could provide.
As they approached the giant gate leading to the mansion, they were spotted by a female guard in a blue uniform. As she approached them cautiously, she quickly searched for any arms and spotted a spare gauntlet on Leo's waist and a scabbard on Ace's.
"I'm sorry, but there are no weapons allowed inside." The guard informed them, leaning on the gate from the inside. Her eyes seemed droopy, as if she's been working all night from the past seven days.
Leo was outraged. He couldn't believe they couldn't carry their weapons inside. "What about self-defense!?"
The guard only yawned, glancing at the lanky-armed individual before saying, "You're entering a lion's den and you're gonna die anyway. Why delay that inevitable death inside this household with a few petty tricks."
Instantly, Leo's eyes widened. He sensed that the guard was at least B+ to A- Rank, and if even she was saying it was dangerous, there was no point entering. He turned to look at Ace, who seemed calm and composed even in the midst of something so serious.
"Don't tell me you're going to enter!" Leo shouted in Ace's ear, but it was like the latter was above such nuisances. He carefully unstrapped his scabbard and sword, handing it to the guard who only raised her eyebrow. She then nodded, as if to say Smart Boy. Then, she turned to stare at Leo provocatively.
Leo, not needing gauntlets for anything more than training, quickly handed her his weapon, too. However, he was worried about Ace, who had shown he was a swordsman. If he lost his weapon that seemed nigh-divine, would he still be able to display the same power?
"Why did we even come here?" Leo asked Ace as the guard went inside her tiny office to store the weapons. Ace turned to look at the lanky-armed individual before forming a smile and winking.
In reality, the reason was very selfish. Moreover, it was petty, too.
"Yeah, so you're all good to go." The guard said, maintaining her droopy eyes before carefully opening the giant gate. She motioned for them to quickly enter and not bother her anymore. As she stared at the backs of the two boys, a sinister smile appeared on her face.
'This is gonna be fun.'
*
*
*
"Is this where we enter?" Leo asked as Ace inspected the entrance, which seemed to be free of any traps. Both of them had heard about the mysterious yet playful nature of the Smith Household. The girls were raised to be strong yet beautiful, while the boys were raised to be assassins. However, one thing the two had in common was that they adored pranks.
'They also love battles. To do that, they must test their opponent's strength first.' Ace said inwardly, narrowing his eyes. He stared at the giant door created using wood, and the pearly-white walls that surrounded it. They were currently on the porch, that exceeded several cars in size.
"I think so…" Ace mumbled, stroking his chin while caressing the giant door.
"But, how?"
"Like…" Ace began speaking, gently pushing a metal button on the left side of the door. As he did, a smile appeared on his face. He glanced at Leo, who had a dumbfounded expression on his face as well stared at the door, which had opened. Ace then spoke, "...this."
Both of them nodded at each other solemnly before gazing into the abyss that stood before them. Behind the door was darkness. They couldn't see anything, but it felt like countless eyes were upon them.
"This might be tough." Ace muttered, biting his lower lip.
"Y'think!?" Leo, despite always valuing a good fight, could not help but shiver at the abyss that seemed to be staring back at him. "Why did I even come!?"
*
*
*
"It seems we have some strong children." A man spoke, his face shrouded in darkness. Although not visible, his face carried a bright smile, displaying the current emotion he felt. All he felt was pure joy.
"Don't they seem familiar?" A woman, watching the screen that displayed Ace and Leo, along with the man, asked. Her gaze was complicated as if trying desperately to remember something.
"Yes, the black-haired one is the King of Indifference. He's the one who found the Scripture of Emergence. The blonde-haired one is the King of Bravery, the one who fought Genro's child during the semi-finals." Another man explained.
"Speaking of, what happened to the Scripture of Emergence?"
"Stop the unnecessary talking. Isabella, bring Lady Melissa here."
"Yes, sir."
"It seems we are about to witness something legendary."