"We know you all have questions, but you must understand that we cannot answer anything with certainty until the matter has been investigated further," the voice boomed over the speakers once more.
The shouting got louder in response, and the stadium began to tremble under the protests of angry civilians.
A few soldiers stationed at the end of the passageway ran off towards an area out of view. A moment later, a group of men dressed in black uniform ran across the field in the same direction. They wore black helmets and carried large transparent shields in front of them.
"What's happening?" Joshua asked, still in the position Gray had dumped him in when they got here.
"Looks like the military won't be able to control things," Gray replied.
He picked himself up, using the wall as a support. The cuts on his body were beginning to burn even hotter, and his right arm had numbed, which wasn't a good sign.
~It's a surprise it held out this long anyway,~ he thought to himself, staring down at it.
"Please calm down. We are here to serve the peace, and any threat to this peace will be dealt with accordingly," the woman shouted over the speakers.
~Nice plan, that'll calm them down,~ Gray thought, before rummaging through his pocket. Something rustled in response.
He pulled out the pack of peanuts Joshua had looted from Ms. Dikinya earlier and eyed them for a moment longer than normal. He hesitated, before ripping it open with his teeth and left hand.
He dumped half of it into his mouth at once.
"I like peanuts too, you know," Joshua called from his spot on the ground.
The shouting had turned to crying and screaming. It seemed that some people had fucked around and were in the process of finding out. At least there were no gunshots, though it felt like it was only a matter of time before they came.
"If you want these you're going to have to stand up," Gray replied, dumping even more peanuts into his mouth.
"C-come on, man. I teamed up with you because I thought you were kind, what is this?" Joshua replied.
Gray laughed. It felt good to fuck around when the world around you was falling apart. Especially when the place you had hope in turned out to be such a disappointment.
"Yeah well, you were wr—"
Just then, all the lights in the stadium went off, plunging them into darkness. The chaos paused for a moment, before a crackle of green lighting tore through the air, striking the center of the field. Tendrils of green sparks spread outwards, and mist began to boil out of the ground.
There was some screaming, but not as much as before. Most watched in ghost-silence as the mist began to take on a humanoid shape.
"Champions of 4052B, congratulations on completing your first quest," a voice, hollow and robotic boomed.
It came from the thing now standing at the center of the field. It looked like a woman, slender and tall. Well, if women had skin that glowed pale blue, and hair that fluttered as if a strong wind were blowing against it.
The world around Gray became a blur, with that creature being the only clear thing in existence. It had a magnetic effect to it, similar to what the champions held, only several thousand times stronger.
"Silence," the creature announced, holding up a frail blue hand. Its white cloak flapped wildly with that small movement, and a pulse of green energy wobbled through the air from its palm.
Gray's body froze in place, even his breathing had halted, though after a second he noticed that breathing had become unnecessary under this effect.
"Before the safe point is activated, the Primaris will grant a reward," it continued a steady wave of pulses still wobbling out of its palm.
It tapped its forehead with its free hand, before pointing at the sky.
It glowed brighter, and light began to project from the tip of its finger. It displayed the face of another creature of the same race, this one with sharper more masculine features.
"Your world has been chosen as the next to take on the trials," the creature announced, its voice and mouth movements out of sync.
"The result of the trials will determine your world's fate as a Vassal. Whether that may be as a slave colony or a resource world," the male creature continued. The hologram wobbled and began to fade. The female creature raised its finger even higher, and in response, it glowed brighter.
The hologram stabilized.
"The _____ system has chosen the best of you to represent your planet as its champions. Those of high—". For a moment, another voice spoke in the distance, and the male turned its head towards it.
When it focused its attention back on them, its eyes had narrowed. It just stared in silence for a moment, before continuing.
"Your world shall continue to undergo the reckoning. It is a test that all had to bear. If yours is a world of strength, then this will be an easy task," it said, speaking faster now.
"We will be watching. May the stars be in your favour," it added, and with that the hologram crackled into thin air.
The female creature dropped its arm, before gasping for air. Its skin flickered, glowing dimly even when it stabilized.
"That is all. You may now enjoy the spoils of your struggle," she announced. A moment later another crack of lightning struck the ground, this time gold.
『Safe point activating…』
A bright light consumed the world, its warmth tickling his every being. Honey filled his mouth and vanilla clung to his nose. A gentle, haunting melody rang as he was devoured whole.
In that instant, heaven was no longer just a distant promise. it was here, all around him
『Welcome to the safe point.』
『Your stay will be 72 hours.』