Jason Dial looked like he was in his late 40s, and early 50s, with streaks of white hair all throughout his head. He had a small stubble on his chin, but his mustache was mighty thick.
He was a tall man and wore a white uniform himself. From what Ning could see, he clearly lead the way for the others.
'Jason?' he thought as he remembered that name. That was the name of the 3rd Supreme that Ning hadn't seen before.
Jason, Tristan, and Merasi made the three Supremes of the Aether tower. 'And he has come here looking for me?' Ning thought.
Merasi stepped forward. "What do you want with my subordinate?" she asked.
Jason frowned. He really didn't like interacting with this hag.
"It's an order from the lord. We are to immediately capture him and bring Terran Forn to the lord."
"The hell?" Ning shouted before he could even hear it all.
Jason looked to Ning. He had a guess already who he was. He was the person they were looking for, most likely. But the battle he just saw... that was a bit too much for him to believe that was who he was.
"What's this about?" Merasi turned to Ning to ask him softly.
Ning shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't interacted with the lord since after the day I arrived here," Ning said.
'Did he find out that I was learning potions and got paranoid that I might poison him?' Ning wondered.
"Did he do anything against the law?" Merasi asked.
"Stop asking so many questions. It's the lord's orders," Jason said with an annoyed look.
That only made Merasi's frown deepen. She understood that something underhanded was going on here.
"Tell me the reason, or I won't give him up," Merasi said.
Jason frowned now as well. He turned around to say something to his subordinates.
At the same time, Ning heard some words coming out of thin air from next to him.
"Captain, it looks like the lord is planning something. The entire tower is mobilizing, and some of the members were sent here to capture brother Terran," the voice said.
Ning didn't have to even guess to know who that voice belonged to. He looked to the front and as expected, near Mercy and Silvers, Alekor had already gone missing.
This man had somehow managed to slip through from one side of the massive room to another while in the midst of 3 supremes.
Ning was genuinely impressed. Merasi wasn't lying when she said his Aether arts uses one of the best in the tower.
Below Supreme, he might have been the best member of the Battle force. At least, for sure after Ning had ranked up once again.
"Why would the Lord want to capture Terran?" Merasi asked. "He's an asset to the tower. Perhaps one of the most important ones."
Alekor kept quiet for a while as he too didn't understand why this was happening.
Ning decided to help them understand.
"The Lord wants to reach Overlord, so he wants me to give him all the Aether I want. He called me very early on for that, and I refused him," Ning said, hesitating to speak any further.
"Just for that? I don't see why he would want to capture you. Antagonizing you is not going to get him the Aether he wants, is it?" Merasi asked.
Ning sighed. He had to continue, whether he wanted to, or not. "The lord was talking about using the tower to become the sole leader of the whole world just so he can bring peace through fear."
"So… I may or may not have threatened him that I would take over his position from him within 3 years after I, myself entered the Underlord rank."
Ning looked to the front and said, "It seemed… the old man made his move before I could."
Merasi sighed now that she heard the explanation. It made sense why he wanted him out of the picture.
Then, her eyes flashed with something. "What did you say about him wanting to take over the world?" she asked.
"That's what he said. He apparently wants peace, but he's going about it through fear and terror."
"If people are scared, they are too scared to do anything bad is his philosophy," Ning said.
"I see, I will try to stop him from taking you then," Merasi said.
She turned to speak to Jason, but another man entered the room. A short man with purple hair walked to the front as well.
Merasi's face changed. "It's quite the reunion today, isn't it?" Merasi asked when she saw Tristan.
"Can we just get it over with already, Merasi? I'm tired and I don't want to work more than I have to," he said.
Ning understood Tristan's character from the time he had become their examiner in the Battle Force entry test.
"I won't give up one of my men without a proper explanation of what is going on," Merasi stood her ground.
Ning felt grateful towards her.
"So, what can you do now?" Merasi asked. "Wanna fight 2 on 2?" Her eyes were starting to shine with battle hunger again.
"Dammit!" Jason cried out.
"He'll be here anyti—"
Halfway through Tristan's words, the space twisted around him and an old man with white hair walked out.
Despite being old, there was strength in this man's legs. He walked to the front and stayed where he belonged.
In front of everyone.
Ning couldn't help but frown again. The Underlord was here.
"Merasi, get out of my way. I'm here to capture that man," the old man Perry said.
"Lord, but there needs to be an expla—" Merasi's body lurched backward mid-speech and slammed on the wall behind her.
Despite being on guard, she was swatted like a fly. Without even looking back, Ning realized that she had been knocked out.
Alekor appeared next to her as well, his invisible veil disappearing as he grabbed his arm. Being behind Merasi, he had taken some damage inadvertently.
Ning turned around, alone on the fighting stage now, and stared directly at the old man with anger in his eyes.
As well as fear.
