A violent tremor shook the stronghold, the heavy stone vibrating under the force of a massive, semi-transparent window that manifested in the sky.
[The time has come. Lords wishing to participate may crush the token in your inventory. You will be teleported to the designated pocket dimension for your region.]
[Sovereigns will be divided by race into their respective dimensions. A series of trials awaits.] [Be warned: there are no rules and no restrictions. Your survival rests entirely upon your strength.]
Leo reached into his inventory and produced the golden rune stone.
''Leo, are we really taking her with us? I think it is best not to keep a time bomb in the group,'' Luna whispered, her eyes shifting toward Z and Selene.
''We have no choice if we want to secure her loyalty. We have to prove our worth,'' Leo replied. He adjusted the porcelain mask on his face, watching it melt into his skin until it was invisible.
Z's violet eyes scanned the assembled forces, her curiosity piqued by the equipment Leo carried. 'Did he stumble into a hidden vault? His body is draped in rare and epic artifacts. That chain and the ring... their grades are hidden even from me.'
Selene stood nearby, her blindfolded gaze fixed on the distance. For her, the world was a collection of aetheric signatures. While everyone else stood out like beacons, Leo was a void. She could not measure him, and the mystery of his existence began to pull at her interest.
Leo looked over his small but formidable army: thirty undead, twenty armored ogres, the Captain, Grakul, Ren, and Malphas, who loomed like a dark sentinel. Selene stood at the edge of the group, her devil perched on her shoulder.
''Here we go,'' Leo muttered as he crushed the stone. He selected his soldiers through the mental prompt, and in a flash of light, the entire group vanished.
Akul, left to oversee the stronghold, stared at his pale, trembling hands. 'I am becoming a burden to him,' the alchemist thought, a bitter taste of disappointment in his mouth.
They materialized within a cathedral of staggering proportions. The walls were white marble, reaching up toward a ceiling that was not stone, but a swirling vortex of ancient stars. Hundreds of human lords from across the Umbra Expanse were already gathered in clusters.
Alliances were already forming. Elias Crowe, a lean strategist with sharp eyes behind square glasses, was already organizing a group. Elsewhere, a crowd of male lords had gathered around Emmi White. Hailing from a powerful legacy family, her blonde hair and striking bodysuit made her the center of attention.
The peace was shattered by a commotion in the corner. Steven Lockwood stood over a fallen lord, his face twisted with arrogance. ''You lowlife. How dare you ask to join my ranks? Do you have any idea who I am?'' He drove a boot into the man's stomach, sending nearby lords scurrying away in fear.
A group of lords who had pledged themselves to the Lockwoods before the Origin even began stood behind him. Among them was Silas, his missing arm a grim reminder of his past encounter with Leo.
Emmi White watched the display with a sneer. ''What a pathetic idiot.''
Steven was about to draw his sword when the room fell silent. A single name rippled through the crowd: ''Baek Hye-na.''
''Is that the Cold Princess?'' a lord whispered, his voice full of frantic awe.
The awe soon turned to a cold unease. Behind Hye-na followed a massive orc and a line of beast-kin, but they were not the source of the fear. The crowd parted to reveal an azure rare-grade tiger. Eight meters of muscle and lightning-arced fur towered over the lords, its presence alone making the air feel electric.
Elias adjusted his glasses, his eyes narrowing. 'We need to accelerate our plans,' he thought.
''What hell his this, a mini army and a rare grade monster?'' someone muttered.
"Look closer. Half are just peasants in scavenged armor. She is using them as cannon fodder.''
Hye-na scanned the cathedral, her eyes searching for a specific face. She ignored the trembling Steven, though she considered for a moment whether eliminating him now would be worth the effort.
The atmosphere became a contest of egos as legacy heirs showed off their elite summons. Elias and Emmi stood together, watching the display. ''Who do you think is the real threat here, nerd?'' Emmi asked.
''It is hard to say. Hye-na's tiger is a monster that could slaughter three of its own rank, but there are others with rare summons hidden in the crowds,'' Elias replied, his frustration visible.
Steven approached them, his succubus swaying behind him. ''Emmi, we should work together. It would be mutually beneficial,'' he said with a cocky grin.
Emmi did not bother to answer. Before the conversation could continue, a new ripple of pressure washed over the cathedral. A lord with silver hair and exquisite jewelry walked into the hall, but it was the figure behind him that stopped every heart in the room.
Malphas entered the cathedral, his cloak billowing like a shadow. To the average lord, he was just a powerful soldier, but to the top-tier summons, he was a nightmare. The succubus behind Steven began to shiver violently. ''Epic grade,'' she whispered, the words causing Steven to break into a cold sweat.
An epic grade was a myth in the trial stage. It was a god-level entity that shouldn't exist yet. But the shock did not stop there. Behind the silver-haired lord came a bulging hybrid goblin, a fierce demi-fox, a magic-bearing ogre, and a disciplined vanguard.
"How is this possible?'' Elias breathed. He then noticed Selene. Because of Z's masking, she appeared as a mysterious, rare grade, but her presence was no less haunting.
''There is only one person who can field a team like that,'' Emmi muttered.
''The Crimson Lord,'' Elias said, his mind racing with new calculations. Steven clenched his fists, caught between jealousy and absolute terror.
Luna stood at Leo's side, smirking as she watched the shock on their faces. 'This is quite the view,' she thought, enjoying the reversal of roles.
The crowd kept a wide berth, no one daring to approach the silent, armored group. Silas whispered frantically to Elias about Leo's identity, while Ben and his team debated whether they should say hello, given their prior meeting.
''Leo, should we join a group?'' Luna asked, her eyes searching the sea of faces.
Leo kept his hands in his pockets, his voice calm. "We will wait. I want to see if anyone has a talent that is actually worth recruiting. This is a scouting mission as much as a trial.''
As the other lords began demonstrating their talents to attract allies, the crowd suddenly parted. Baek Hye-na walked directly toward Leo's group, her heels clicking rhythmically on the marble. Her army stayed back, save for her orc protector.
Leo watched her through his mask, his pulse quickening. 'Why is she coming here? Did she see through the disguise?'
Hye-na looked at Leo and Malphas for a brief second before her gaze settled on Luna. A rare, genuine smile broke across her face. ''Lu.''
Luna didn't hesitate; she ran forward and threw her arms around Hye-na. ''Hye-na!'' she laughed, hugging the Cold Princess tightly.
Leo stood frozen behind his mask, his mind in a tailspin. 'Luuuu!!, Do they know each other?'
The surrounding lords could only watch in envy at the unexpected reunion.