"Yo!"
Juno immediately ran over and slung his arm over August's shoulders.
"You really thought you could get rid of me? You must be crazy."
"Yeah, I think I'm going crazy. I keep imagining this psycho clown who can't sleep unless he annoys me to death."
"Oh, and who might that be?"
"Who do you think?"
August looked over with a deadpan face just in time to see the fist flying at him.
He ducked down and returned the attack.
Bang!
Juno easily blocked it, but he didn't pursue the fight further.
"So it's real…" August muttered.
"It's real," Juno echoed with a grin.
"But…how?"
August was more confused than he'd ever been in his life.
He had been treating that world as an illusion. When he told everyone about having to return to his own world, he'd done it mainly to satisfy his own desires.
It was hard for him to believe that the people he'd been interacting with were fake, and that led him to make many memories and friends throughout his journey.
Yet, he never forgot the nagging feeling in the bottom of his heart, reminding him that all of this would disappear.
Seeing everyone in this world, "feeling" their existence, August was more than just dumbfounded.
Juno's expression became more serious as he backed away and shrugged, scratching his head.
"When you disappeared, a weird screen appeared in front of me. It asked me if I wanted to stay or follow you, and…well, it's pretty obvious what I picked."
August's eyes widened.
"The rest of you too?"
"That's right."
Oskar stepped forward with a smile.
"Each and every one of us was offered a choice, and all of us chose to support you."
"This…"
It was unfathomable. Wasn't that world just a product of Damien's power, a place created for him to prove his worth?
Weren't these people supposed to be illusions who could never be real?
Looking at them, seeing every single one of them agreeing that they made a conscious choice to come to this world, August almost wanted to cry.
'Thank you, Dad.'
First and foremost, he was incredibly grateful to the man who made all of this possible.
And secondly, he didn't know how to repay all of the people who'd chosen to abandon their conventional lives to follow him into a completely new land.
August wanted to react massively and show them how much it meant to him, but none of them needed such things.
They felt about him the same way he did about them. He had troubles in this world that he needed their help to deal with, so obviously they came.
There was nothing more to it.
"So?" Juno said, forcing August to throw away his original plans.
"Where is this place?"
"Oh…"
Perhaps that was indeed more important.
Bastille's strongest were barely Demigods, and they numbered less than ten. The most experienced experts of that world were in the nine revolutions of 4th class.
If August casually brought them into a world with not only Demigods, but True Gods galore, what would happen?
"Alright."
August steadied himself and put away his emotions, happily this time.
He brought them here, so they were his responsibility.
Looking at the time, he only had some hours to get them ready for this world.
However, There was one concern that had completely vanished from his mind.
Five hundred troops under one hundred, five hundred geniuses who could compete on the same level as everyone else in the heir wars…
He didn't just have them.
He had a surplus.
***
August was really, really cutting it close.
With only a few hours left before the event officially started, the teams had gathered to finalize their strategies.
On August's side, there was a more complicated atmosphere.
If he didn't return at this exact moment, then their entire operation would be ruined.
It wasn't just about his pride. If they had half of the soldiers that the other side had, then their loss was guaranteed.
Raphael hadn't said anything yet, but his expression was a sight to see. Even Seryius and Cera were starting to lose hope, despite being on more friendly terms with him.
It was silent only because they were trying to remain calm.
If they were letting their feelings govern them, then this entire fortress would have been up in flames already.
But it was good that they held themselves back.
Because, as a majority of the team expected, August did return.
The fortress was already filled with people. The geniuses and their troops would be transported to the arena grounds together, so it was necessary for them to stay in close proximity during these last few hours.
Everyone was gathered, and they all felt the massive aura that was approaching closer and closer.
The sixteen geniuses immediately rushed outside to be greeted by one of Raphael's mercenaries.
"Boss! There's an army approaching!"
"How many?" Raphael asked, his expression serious.
"It looks about five hundred. All above 4th class."
"Tch."
It was an army with roughly the same strength that they had. If those people were hostile, then there was a real chance that they'd lose a large portion of their troops before the third stage even began.
Rushing out of the fortress' entrance, the sixteen of them caught sight of the army for the first time. They immediately saw the person leading it as well.
"That guy…" Raphael muttered.
Their eyes were more than sharp enough to understand August's identity even at a distance.
"...he actually did it."
There was no way for Raphael and August to be friends. There was never a solution that would allow them to get along.
However, in that moment, even Raphael had to admit that he'd gained respect for the boy.
Somehow, from somewhere, he'd procured troops that proved themselves worthy with their aura alone.
As August approached, he grinned at the rest of his team.
"Let's get to planning, shall we?"
Their team was now officially prepared.
And just in time for the third stage.
August entered the fortress while his people stayed in the grounds with the rest of the troops.
The final few hours were spent well, and soon enough, the light of teleportation swallowed them.
Too much had happened in two weeks, but it had all been for this moment.
Thirty-four people were going into this battle, but only seventeen would come out.
With emotions at an all-time high, as screens filled the entire kingdom, broadcasting the event to the masses…
The war between geniuses finally began.
***
There were two big occurrences taking place in the shadows around Arulion that would soon come to affect the entirety of the kingdom.
They were completely unrelated.
One took place in the depths of the earth and involved several hundreds of thousands of people.
And the second took place in the depths of the kingdom, in the Aureat Clan's hidden territory, and only involved a single woman.
Their purposes were different, the implications of their actions were different, but the leader of those masses and that woman said the same exact thing.
"It's time."
The plans that they'd been working hard on for several months or years…
Now was the time to let them all unfold.
"Yo!"
Juno immediately ran over and slung his arm over August's shoulders.
"You really thought you could get rid of me? You must be crazy."
"Yeah, I think I'm going crazy. I keep imagining this psycho clown who can't sleep unless he annoys me to death."
"Oh, and who might that be?"
"Who do you think?"
August looked over with a deadpan face just in time to see the fist flying at him.
He ducked down and returned the attack.
Bang!
Juno easily blocked it, but he didn't pursue the fight further.
"So it's real…" August muttered.
"It's real," Juno echoed with a grin.
"But…how?"
August was more confused than he'd ever been in his life.
He had been treating that world as an illusion. When he told everyone about having to return to his own world, he'd done it mainly to satisfy his own desires.
It was hard for him to believe that the people he'd been interacting with were fake, and that led him to make many memories and friends throughout his journey.
Yet, he never forgot the nagging feeling in the bottom of his heart, reminding him that all of this would disappear.
Seeing everyone in this world, "feeling" their existence, August was more than just dumbfounded.
Juno's expression became more serious as he backed away and shrugged, scratching his head.
"When you disappeared, a weird screen appeared in front of me. It asked me if I wanted to stay or follow you, and…well, it's pretty obvious what I picked."
August's eyes widened.
"The rest of you too?"
"That's right."
Oskar stepped forward with a smile.
"Each and every one of us was offered a choice, and all of us chose to support you."
"This…"
It was unfathomable. Wasn't that world just a product of Damien's power, a place created for him to prove his worth?
Weren't these people supposed to be illusions who could never be real?
Looking at them, seeing every single one of them agreeing that they made a conscious choice to come to this world, August almost wanted to cry.
'Thank you, Dad.'
First and foremost, he was incredibly grateful to the man who made all of this possible.
And secondly, he didn't know how to repay all of the people who'd chosen to abandon their conventional lives to follow him into a completely new land.
August wanted to react massively and show them how much it meant to him, but none of them needed such things.
They felt about him the same way he did about them. He had troubles in this world that he needed their help to deal with, so obviously they came.
There was nothing more to it.
"So?" Juno said, forcing August to throw away his original plans.
"Where is this place?"
"Oh…"
Perhaps that was indeed more important.
Bastille's strongest were barely Demigods, and they numbered less than ten. The most experienced experts of that world were in the nine revolutions of 4th class.
If August casually brought them into a world with not only Demigods, but True Gods galore, what would happen?
"Alright."
August steadied himself and put away his emotions, happily this time.
He brought them here, so they were his responsibility.
Looking at the time, he only had some hours to get them ready for this world.
However, There was one concern that had completely vanished from his mind.
Five hundred troops under one hundred, five hundred geniuses who could compete on the same level as everyone else in the heir wars…
He didn't just have them.
He had a surplus.
***
August was really, really cutting it close.
With only a few hours left before the event officially started, the teams had gathered to finalize their strategies.
On August's side, there was a more complicated atmosphere.
If he didn't return at this exact moment, then their entire operation would be ruined.
It wasn't just about his pride. If they had half of the soldiers that the other side had, then their loss was guaranteed.
Raphael hadn't said anything yet, but his expression was a sight to see. Even Seryius and Cera were starting to lose hope, despite being on more friendly terms with him.
It was silent only because they were trying to remain calm.
If they were letting their feelings govern them, then this entire fortress would have been up in flames already.
But it was good that they held themselves back.
Because, as a majority of the team expected, August did return.
The fortress was already filled with people. The geniuses and their troops would be transported to the arena grounds together, so it was necessary for them to stay in close proximity during these last few hours.
Everyone was gathered, and they all felt the massive aura that was approaching closer and closer.
The sixteen geniuses immediately rushed outside to be greeted by one of Raphael's mercenaries.
"Boss! There's an army approaching!"
"How many?" Raphael asked, his expression serious.
"It looks about five hundred. All above 4th class."
"Tch."
It was an army with roughly the same strength that they had. If those people were hostile, then there was a real chance that they'd lose a large portion of their troops before the third stage even began.
Rushing out of the fortress' entrance, the sixteen of them caught sight of the army for the first time. They immediately saw the person leading it as well.
"That guy…" Raphael muttered.
Their eyes were more than sharp enough to understand August's identity even at a distance.
"...he actually did it."
There was no way for Raphael and August to be friends. There was never a solution that would allow them to get along.
However, in that moment, even Raphael had to admit that he'd gained respect for the boy.
Somehow, from somewhere, he'd procured troops that proved themselves worthy with their aura alone.
As August approached, he grinned at the rest of his team.
"Let's get to planning, shall we?"
Their team was now officially prepared.
And just in time for the third stage.
August entered the fortress while his people stayed in the grounds with the rest of the troops.
The final few hours were spent well, and soon enough, the light of teleportation swallowed them.
Too much had happened in two weeks, but it had all been for this moment.
Thirty-four people were going into this battle, but only seventeen would come out.
With emotions at an all-time high, as screens filled the entire kingdom, broadcasting the event to the masses…
The war between geniuses finally began.
***
There were two big occurrences taking place in the shadows around Arulion that would soon come to affect the entirety of the kingdom.
They were completely unrelated.
One took place in the depths of the earth and involved several hundreds of thousands of people.
And the second took place in the depths of the kingdom, in the Aureat Clan's hidden territory, and only involved a single woman.
Their purposes were different, the implications of their actions were different, but the leader of those masses and that woman said the same exact thing.
"It's time."
The plans that they'd been working hard on for several months or years…
Now was the time to let them all unfold.
