SWNOVELXO Chapter 330: Ruler of Orion
Chapter 330: Ruler of Orion
"I don’t remember calling for a gathering. So why have you all arranged yourselves at my doorstep?!"
Ezra’s voice resounded, causing the barrier to vibrate, blasting dust in the faces of the Grandmasters.
Twelve Grandmasters were in attendance.
The delay had come about as they recruited four more Grandmasters.
Ferdinand looked around, before replying with an elevated tone.
"We have to take the bodies of our dead. We ask that you grant us passage to give them fitting burials"
"Hmm?"
’Indeed, it’ll be hard for you to reject such a reason’ Ferdinand smirked.
But the next remark was out of his expectations.
"Are you joking?"
"W-what?" Ferdinand was flustered.
"Are you joking?" Zydrax restated.
"How long has it been since their deaths?"
"Ah...eight weeks if I recall correctly"
"So" his tone turned cold.
"You’re coming for the bodies of your comrades, EIGHT weeks after their deaths?"
"I apologize, that was a terrible insight on our part. We ought to have come earlier, but other duties cropped up. I hope you can understand"
"I don’t care to understand" he replied swiftly.
"Nor do I care for what reason you’re delayed"
"But, to expect ME to leave corpses rotting around for EIGHT weeks, do I look so filthy?"
"I didn’t say that-"
"So what did you do with them?" Durham interjected.
The conversation paused as Zydrax looked over.
As the troops awaited an answer...
*Sha!*
"Huh?"
*Splash!*
"Ack!"
Blood gushed out ceaselessly as Durham held his neck with a pale face.
"Sir Durham!"
"What the-"
"W-what happened?!"
The peak Masters were rowdy as many ran to Durham’s side to help.
Only Grandmasters had a clue of what transpired.
A part of the barrier materialized to form a sword that slashed his neck faster than he could comprehend and receded right after.
Luckily, the sword from the barrier was unable to make too deep of a cut, so Durham narrowly avoided death.
"Don’t interrupt me" Zydrax snorted, turning his attention back to Ferdinand.
"Where were we?"
Ferdinand gulped. He and Durham were about the same in strength.
For him to nearly die from a single attack was unbelievable.
Moreover, such power was an eye opener, a glimpse of a sky above their own.
At the same time, the level of decisiveness and ruthlessness was on point.
Surely, they heard about it from the first batch of Grandmasters, but seeing it in person was maddening.
As always, experience was the best teacher.
All those among the first batch of Grandmasters had warned them and ardently refused to participate, being against the whole affair.
"W-what did you do with the bodies?"
"I gave them graceful respite and freed them with fire, turning them to ashes to flutter in the wind"
"...I see" he said.
"Then, do you mind us collecting their wears?"
"No, I don’t" Zydrax replied.
"Then, which one of us will you allow in?"
"None. I will send someone to hand them to you"
"How do we know that not a portion is missing?"
"You don’t"
Ferdinand was taken aback.
"According to the law of battle, anything I scavenge from war is my bounty. It’s already good enough I am willing to give you anything at all"
The connection was promptly cut off, not giving a chance for rebuttal.
On the other side, Zydrax snorted coldly. For a being such as him, how could he not have seen through their true intentions.
Coming to take their dead after eight weeks? Yet fourteen Grandmasters gathered?! Did they take him for a fool?
They must’ve had the confidence because he was reported as injured.
Truly, he was injured. But for Grandmasters to even think of pressuring him, they had to be punished.
"Hmm!"
The perfect idea came to mind.
Right then, one would be able to barely discern parts of the barrier starting to brighten a bit more.
He placed the Negative Mana Orb and Mana Cube back into the space ring before removing the Ice one and exiting his abode.
The scenery within the barrier was not different from before.
For one thing, Raven, Deneris and Mervida had recovered and arrived five weeks ago, settling into the cultivation land.
Elisa and Valentine arrived a week after that to give thanks and congratulate him for Alvarach’s defeat, but decided to stick around because of the cultivation land.
Whenever they needed amnesties, they would go to the town a few miles away to source it.
Speaking of the town, after the aftereffects of the attacks washed away, Cabrera had used his authority to buy the place and now it was being developed into a trading hub.
Regardless, the best piece of news was that Velora had advanced to Grandmaster-rank two days ago.
As a standard, the other siblings couldn’t be far behind.
Ezra was very happy about it, while Zydrax felt it was indeed above average for Oranians. It was nothing special.
Anyway, he called upon Deneris - as a Grandmaster with metal affinity - to gather whatever armor laid on the ground and give it to the guests in front of the portal, before returning to his abode.
The Grandmasters were murmuring when the barrier began fluctuating, and a large pile of dusty and rusting armor came floating through the barrier, before unceremoniously being dropped in front of them.
"This is all I could find" Deneris remarked, his tone still dry.
The Grandmasters looked at Deneris with apprehension.
"You’re here?"
Deneris causally surveyed all of them before heading back into the barrier without a word.
He was already annoyed that he was called away from cultivation. If this kept happening, he would fall behind others!
’I have to get back to cultivating!’ was the only thing on his mind.
As for the gathering of Grandmasters, how was it any of his business?
With their plan having backfired, Ferdinand sought to leave in peace after gathering the armor.
"Ezra, we have received the armor. Thank you for the hospitality"
Alas, Zydrax had other plans.
"Who said you could leave?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think you can appear at my doorstep and leave whenever you wish?"
Ferdinand swallowed, things were getting complicated.
"What would you have me do?"
"Simple" Zydrax boomed
"Swear allegiance to me"
"What?" Ferdinand’s expression crumpled entirely.
"All of you who stand, swear your allegiance to me" Zydrax restated.
"As the only Mythical-rank in Orion, it’s only natural that I have you all support me"
"Shall you not-"
Zydrax cut him off, his tone cold.
"At this juncture, you’re either with me or against me"
"Gathering together like this makes me feel threatened" he said. "So, anyone who decides not to state their allegiance will have to die"
Silence!
Shocks spread through their ranks as Grandmasters looked to one another for answers.
But Zydrax wasn’t giving them time to think.
"Well...What shall it be?"
Suddenly, one Grandmaster ran off at full speed, and another ran in the opposite direction.
Immediately, something shot out of the barrier, one following each person.
A mile away, it reached the first Grandmaster and they were killed, cut in half as their body exploded into a bloody mist.
The attack’s residue created a decent crater in the ground.
The second Grandmasters had their chest area lobbed off as they fell from the sky like an accidental delivery.
All the Grandmasters were left wide eyed as comrades got killed like common sheep before their eyes.
"Anyone else wanting to join those two? I’m more than happy to send them off"
They gulped. Things went far better in their heads.
Arriving at the wolf’s den, they found a tiger instead, exceeding all their expectations as their entire plan backfired.
Having brought themselves right into his grasp, they were now unable to leave.
With two compatriots sent to their graves in such a short time, the choice was quick.
Denebar took to his knees before anyone else. The man was already trying to take advantage of the situation.
"I, Denebar Bryan, pledge allegiance to...?"
His voice trailed, begetting a question of what he should refer to Ezra as.
Zydrax on the other side, wasn’t much for using real names. Monikers were more of his thing.
So, he spoke the only moniker Ezra had.
"The Silver Star"
Not to mention, it had a nice ring to it.
"...the Silver Star" Denebar concluded.
With one person on his knees, others were quick to follow.
"I, Gibert Strauf, pledge allegiance to the Silver Star"
"I, Ferdinand Grimwald, pledge allegiance to the Silver Star"
"I, Fazir Ruwain, pledge allegiance to the Silver Star"
Nine people pledged their allegiance.
Zydrax looked at the last one.
"Will you not pledge your allegiance?"
Durham’s arm tightened around his hammer.
"It is my pride to stand against you" he affirmed.
"I will not pledge allegiance"
Zydrax gazed beyond him.
"Do your men share the same sentiments?"
"Men!" Durham looked behind him, only to see no one willing. Everyone was scratching their heads, looking everywhere but towards him.
"Mormon? You too?"
Mormon was his right hand man, with whom he had gone through multiple battles together.
"Sire" Mormon didn’t shy away, and his gaze was anything but friendly.
"I have a family at home that I care for, as do all the men behind you"
The men nodded.
"To die a worthless death for the sake of pride is not something I can do"
"We are the pride of our people!" Durham clobbered.
"That is why it would be best to stay alive. At least then we can protect our people, but how can we do that when we’re dead?"
"Ah" he was beyond stunned.
Quickly, he turned back and kneeled.
But...
*Puk!*
*Shuk!*
A spike manifested from the barrier and stabbed deep into his stomach, while a sword went in and out of his head.
His eyes widened in horror as his life was snuffed away.
Ezra’s cold tone was the last thing he heard.
"You made your choice"
Durham’s death was met with an eerie silence.
Zydrax broke them out of their reverie.
"What about you all?" he directed his voice to the rows and rows of peak Masters.
"What is your choice?"
Mormon swallowed hard and kneeled, with the rest following suit.
In a tone that shook the earth, they pledged as one.
"WE PLEDGE OUR ALLEGIANCE TO THE SILVER STAR!"
Zydrax maintained a short silence, before saying...
"Good. You can now leave"
They were all stunned, expecting some supreme command or the likes at the very least.
"I have no use for any of you at the moment, so leave, and I don’t wish to interfere in your doings" said Zydrax.
"I will instead inform you all to grow stronger"
"Preserve your forces and grow in strength because a great calamity approaches"
"A great calamity?" Ferdinand spoke.
"Goodluck" Zydrax ignored it, disconnecting from the barrier.
They stayed in silence, glancing at one another, with their alliance severed without any words needed.
They only came together to pressure Ezra, and with that having failed, each force was back on its own.
Each group avoided the other like they’d never known them.
Quickly, they dispersed, each heading back to their homes as they planned their next moves.
Mormon took Durham’s body into his storage ring and led the rest back to Yule.
If what Ezra said was true - and there was a high chance it was - all their plans would have to be thought over.
Walls need to be bolstered, troops trained. They had no time to waste.
With most Grandmasters under his thumb, one could say Ezra became the de facto ruler of Orion with this incident.
But that would only hold if he could keep up his lead and remain the strongest.
Zydrax, who secretly kept watch, breathed a sigh of relief.
True to their belief, he was injured.
Just the demonstrations required maximum precision so the volatile core wouldn’t get agitated.
In actuality, he was not supposed to be using mana with such a condition. Others would’ve straight up imploded from putting up the gathering beam.
If the Grandmasters had attacked him all together, he would’ve killed them all, but they would have forced the elemental core to be more volatile, which could lead to his death.
’How annoying’ said Zydrax for the umpteenth time.
It was taking far more than expected to come up with a viable way to reduce the volatility of the elemental core.
He could get rid of the intruding negative mana, but unless he would dispose of the elemental core as well, it was basically inseparable.
Moreover, with Ezra’s mana being elemental mana, there was no telling how such an act would affect him.
In best cases, his power would decrease by more than half, and in worse cases, he’d be crippled, unable to cultivate further without the help of an artifact.
Artifacts Zydrax were sure couldn’t be found on the planet.
As such, he had to think far outside the box.
The problem itself wasn’t something that big, it was the circumstances it occurred in that made things so strenuous.
Moreover, Zydrax was sure that the invading forces had gotten a whiff of them by now.
Meaning, the apocalypse would arrive soon.
Nevertheless, Zydrax was determined to solve the problem as perfectly as possible.
He prided himself in being able to do something of this caliber at the very least.
A multitude of experiments had been carried out on the Mana Cube, Negative Mana and Mana, along with their reactions to each other.
His efforts weren’t in vain as light had shone on one of his ideas.
The craziest of them all.
Already, he was seeing results, but he needed to make the margin of failure at least forty percent or lower.
He didn’t know what would come of Ezra after its success, but it would definitely be something groundbreaking.
Something unthought of, not because it was too difficult to do, but anyone capable of doing it would never think in that direction.
Neither would he, if he weren’t in the unique situation he found himself in.
As such, just the possibility had Zydrax grinning.
His actions with the Grandmasters was also part of it.
He’d lived for a long time and had both seen and done innumerable things.
Some good, some bad, but to think he would have a highlight of his life at such a low point.
’As always, life is full of surprises’ Zydrax chuckled to himself
Many times, he’d done things perceived impossible all because he persisted. This time would be no different.
It was funny how no matter what level one rose to in the Cosmos, the guiding principles were the same.
He would definitely succeed.