The death she waited for didn't arrive.
Sonya slowly opened her eyes and saw Isadora looking at her with a complicated gaze.
With a deep sigh, she left the place. She needed time to think.
Sonya raised her hand in her direction, wanting to stop but eventually lowered her head and let out a pained grunt. She didn't know what to say.
"Give it some time." An otherworldly woman in an elegant white dress appeared next to her.
Sonya had seen beautiful women across kingdoms. None were able to match her sister. But this woman…she's in the same league.
'Wait, doesn't the head of the tribe….I mean, brother-in-law, have two wives? There is one more other than this one. How dare he?!'
Her gaze towards the place where Varian previously stood and she bit her lip in grievance as if she was the one being wronged.
"I'm sure you must be going through a lot, but we need your help." Sarah didn't give her much time to waste on useless thoughts. "This place is your sister's home for 500 years. Now it risks being destroyed."
Sonya's breath stopped for a moment and she asked in a hurried tone. "What should I do?"
"Well…" Sarah smiled.
— — — — —
Hortus was evacuated previously. After Varian returned, he asked only the students and the celestial rankers to return.
If there's an entrance open to a lot of people, the enemies would sneak in using that. So, the entrance was closed.
Now no one could enter or exit Hortus without his permission. Due to their bond, Sarah and Sia also had some rights on this world.
Coming to a large purple plain where the Zion powerhouses were kept in a perfectly safe coma.
With all the batches so far, there were four hundred of them.
200 rank 2s.
150 rank 3s.
45 rank 4s.
5 rank 5s.
"Today will be a remarkable day," Varian raised his hand up and his assimilator power drowned them like a flood.
An injury, as small as a scratch and as big as a missing limb, occured.
[Assimilator Rank 6: 4999/5000 (+499)
< Almost there>
Space Rank 6: 3500/5000 (+1000)
Time Rank 6: 3500/5000 (+1000)
<Gravity is indeed at the intersection of space and time>]
It was a good improvement. But he could sense that it was the limit. He had squeezed all potential dry from the stock.
So, Varian invoked the ritual without any delay.
Beams of light fell from the sky and enveloped the unconscious powerhouses. For a few minutes, the starry light continued before it dissipated.
"Get ready!"
Varian's voice rang in a distant land where the selected soldiers, most from human race but also from the eight races, with gravity path in common, stood alert. With a sparkle in the sky, the beams of light fell on them.
In a matter of minutes, humanity had gained 200 rank 2s, 150 rank 3s, 45 rank 4s and 5 rank 5s!
That's the first batch.
For the second ritual, Varian gathered the corpses of Veyans given by Sarah and Isadora.
And Hazel managed to deliver the corpse of a rank 6 powerhouse who from the Zion duchy.
Apparently, the powerhouse was caught up in the aftermath of Xoler's battle with Merov's slave beasts and died a sorry death.
And then there were the envoys. Since he beat them a bit too hard, a lot of their body was internally destroyed and couldn't be used properly, when stacked together, they should be useful.
"Assemble."
Chief of Staff Kevin, Grand Admiral Bali, Secretary Alison: Spath Path.
Prime Minister Irene Nial: Gravity Path.
Chief Counselor Vanhoff: Mystic Path
Oh and there was also Baldur.
With a thought, six beams of light fell onto the pillars of administration.
A few minutes later, the aura of peak rank 6 leaked out for a moment, almost causing a severe earthquake before they were suppressed.
With some left overs, Varian created a few space rank 5s and rank 4s.
The grand total was:
200 rank 2s
150 rank 3s
50 rank 4s
25 rank 5s
5 rank 6s.
6 if Baldur was also counted.
"I…I'm a rank 6 now, really?" Baldur clenched and loosened his fists continously, his expression one of disbelief.
"A peak rank 6…a rank more, I can even fight for the throne," He slapped himself. "No, why bother with something like that? I can just stay here and ride my way to rank 9!"
Nearby, Alison pursed her lips and looked at him in contempt. "Our Emperor really found a freeloader."
"Wh-Who is a free loader?" Baldur retorted with a red face. "I can do a lot of work. Administrative work."
"Really?" Alison's lips curled into a cunning smile.
Poor Baldur, caught up in his emotions, didn't notice. "Of course!"
"Then you'll be working under me, along with the Matriarch. Welcome to the Admistration."
"Hahaha, of course, of course. Thank you for the trust." Baldur shook her hand.
If only he knew what he was going to face, he'd have hugged her thigh and begged to let him go.
But there's no medicine for regret.
"Even though your rank improved, you can't even exert a quarter of your strength. Take time, learn about your powers, get used to them," Varian's voice from nowhere and everywhere. "I'll be back in a short while."
"Tsk, I knew it." Alison snickered and headed back to her office. Baldur followed with an enthusiastic exprssion.
The others looked at each other with a helpless smile and decided to train.
Varian kissed Sarah his goodbye and went to a blue lake. A woman with long silver hair sat on the bank, with her arms around her knees and her eyes staring blankly into the distance.
She didn't respond to his arrival.
After a few minutes of silence, Varian asked. "Do you want to come with me to Zion?"
Isadora stood up without a word and nodded.
"…Okay?" Varian was taken aback by her response.
It was so weird to see her like this. She appeared so weak and vulnerable in this moment.
[This is the perfect time, Host! Comfort her and ask for Synergy! Go on!]
Varian's lips twitched. 'Shut up!'
The two of them reached the outskirts of Solar System and Varian opened the storage ring of the Veyan Captain.
From it, he retrieved a hexagonal box and used it on the location where a space crack was previously present.
With a deep rumble, space cracked open.
Varian and Isadora stepped in together.
