The Premium Age Royale incorporated a variety of Creeds, and sacrifices that weren't at all beneficial to the EverSword House, the Green Neolists and Guissepo during the period if its duration.
However, one thing made it all worthwhile.
The Control Seal.
Before it was branded on a willing participant – witness or contender – said participant would be asked if they understood the risks to their body, soul and mind.
This question cemented the fate of the participant.
If they agreed, they essentially put their existence in the hands of the Control Seal, which, according to the rules of the Premium Age Royale, validated their participation, and helped them during their stay in the Venue. Upon consent, it was branded to the very soul, after all.
That said...
Allowing the Control Seal to coddle the participant, gave it power – even though after consenting, they basically had no choice.
The more it transported participants to the event Venue, defended them from harm in said Venue – outside of other protective gestures put in place – assisted them with keeping up with battles by bolstering their senses, among many other functions, the more power the Control Seal gained over whoever was branded to it.
That was why the Royale had to last for as long as possible, even if its effect on participants was likely to be contested against by figures who grew suspicious.
Additionally, all that said...
The stipulations for contenders were more lenient, according to what Actuass' had designed, since they were already risking their lives in the battles.
For the witnesses however, whose only job was to eat, watch, analyse and enjoy...
A frightening silence suddenly swept over the gigantic stadium.
All that could be heard was Actuass' bellow as he infused his all into activating his Undeath Concept, his voice echoing outward with a menacing pulse like that of a heartbeat.
Bright mana flashed over his body, and then Nitros towered into the sky, a ring of greenish black sweeping all over!
The Control Seals on everyone in the stadium suddenly shone with a bright light, but they couldn't see this. Their eyes had turned white the moment Actuass connected to the Seal, their bodies, souls, and minds – which they had been surrendering all along – suddenly shut off!
This occurred to everyone, except a few individuals, some who were so alarmed by the sudden occurrence that they were paralysed in awe, and fear.
Rearren and his wife were among these exceptions.
The latter held her husband's arm very tight while shaking like a leaf, trying not to make a sound.
Rearren couldn't be happier that all his work was being rewarded. He wore a vast smile, and glanced at the only others to resist.
A few in the lower seats, members of Families who were only spectating, and several lone powerhouses.
Besides these, there was Ruhrees, the other being Alaris, who stood gaping at Actuass. The Governor and the other important officials had fallen prey to this madness.
What was this?
Alaris shuddered.
Everyone... everyone else was caught in this mysterious trance, the thick scent of Undeath wafting so powerfully about, that the Bloodless Steel Phantom felt the air disappear from the stadium.
...!
His eyes then flashed below, and he found Daggs and Terese also donning lost visages like the tens of millions of people in this stadium.
Alaris panicked.
No.
He couldn't let Theurien lose another child!
No way!
Before he knew it, his sword was already in his hand, and he swung it with such a-
BAM!
No. He didn't swing. He only thought he had.
Alaris had only managed to grasp the hilt to his blade when it was knocked away, disappearing along with its sheath into the crowds of people before he could even feel that it was actually gone.
"The fact that you are still able to move, and think means you're safe from all of this. Don't try to get yourself killed," Alaris heard a voice speak to him.
Revia had moved so fast even he hadn't been able to react. The best way to stop a stronger opponent was to stop them from unleashing what made them strong in the first place.
"Revia! You traitor!" Ruhrees growled as he set to attack.
He knew what Revia's Divine Blessing was, and could compete with it to a fair extent because of he was an Incandescent Stage expert, while Revia was only a Master.
However, that was only if she wasn't going all out.
In less than a blink, Ruhrees had conjured the might of his blessing – the Primordial Twilight Beacons. He extended his arms, pulled with his right hand, as if drawing the string of a bow, with an arrow already nocked on it, and a shimmering, blue arrow of blinding light that seemed too sacred to be real, appeared!
'Beacon of Extirpation.'
The arrow thrummed with such a powerful force that shook the entire stadium as it full emerged!
Ruhrees aimed it at Actuass, but he found himself rammed into, and pushed back by a sharp, heavy bash that caused him to stagger, and send the Beacon of Extirpation flying up to the ceiling, the dome at the summit of the stadium – which was a powerful, invisible barrier – instead.
Something shattered like several thunders above, but no one paid it any mind!
...!
Ruhrees roared in fury, and looked to find Revia before him with a gleaming Aura, her sword in hand, quivering so quickly it looked like faint mist.
"Why?!" he bellowed at her, but she didn't answer.
Instead, she turned to look at Alaris who leapt down the rows of seats, panic-stricken, and nabbed Daggs and Terese!
The Bloodless Steel Phantom looked desperately at the two, finding that they wouldn't wake nomatter what he did, and he turned paler than before!
The necklace Terese wore... Alaris turned even more sullen to find that it wasn't working!
It was supposed to keep her safe just in case!
It was an assurance Theurien had given his daughter since she couldn't withdraw from the Premium Age Royale, but now....
A shred of sympathy showed on Revia's face, but she quickly wiped it away. It was too late. There was no stopping this. Not when it had already begun.
Following the short pause, and brief exchanges, Actuass growled. Blood splattered from behind his mask, leaking from under it in voluminous splashes!
He was staining himself immensely!
The floor was bathed crimson behind Rearren's seat!
Yet he persisted.
Everyone who was caught in Actuass' Reverent Soul Undeath, and everyone sufficiently claimed by the Control Seal, suddenly opened their mouths so wide, that it looked like their faces would split.
...And from the millions of maws, a large blob of light the size of an average human's head flowed out with a vibrant, pristine white light around it!
The image of these orbs floating above their owners was beautiful, and at the same time terribly dreadful to watch.
What was this?
No one needed to be told.
Alaris shook as the two whom he held were not spared from this fate.
'Souls...' he thought shiveringly.
Indeed. These were souls.
The souls differed in size, and because of the influence of Actuass' Undeath Concept, they had all been forced to keep the same shape – orbs.
But this wasn't all.
From all these people, several different coloured glowing shapes, vastly smaller in size than the souls, shot out.
As they emerged, a loud, mad cackle was heard from the white platform at the very centre of the stadium.
Guissepo was pleased to see these in particular!
His visions had been accurate. His method of thinking had been validated. That which had been denied by the previous Evenfall leader, who was in a rush that not even Lord Boron was in, was now being proven more efficient!
Guissepo expelled something from a storage ring on his finger.
It looked like a large, black leather sack that he held at the mouth, and raised up high before screaming manically.
"COOOOME!"
As if heeding his call, the multi-coloured shapes flashed towards the sack, and began filling it!
Strangely, the sack never seemed to truly look full, instead only bulging after a few hundred thousands of these lights shifted in!
Guissepo was overjoyed at the sight.
Actuass truly was a wise man, and he truly was the key to his goals!
What were these vibrantly coloured shapes?
Why, there were dormant blessings!
These were the blessings everyone received after having their Direction read by a Priest at the Temple. Most individuals had these blessings that only matured by clearing Clusters, or reaching the Incandescent Stage.
They wouldn't be useful otherwise to those who wielded them, but to Guissepo, they were priceless.
As the millions of these shapes finally sat within his sack, Guissepo grinned, satisfied. His collaboration with Actuass ended here, as per their terms.
Actuass would claim the millions of souls harvested, which Guissepo had no use for, and Guissepo would claim the millions of dormant blessings, which Actuass had no use for.
Since most of the witnesses here had their bodies controlled by the Control Seal now, the souls and blessings kept within them, were free for the taking.
Guissepo descended from the pane he had been floating on, and stood on the white platform with the leather sack.
Beside him, a fierce flame emerged, and died down almost immediately, revealing an old man garbed in a lavish robe.
"Ready?" the old man asked.
"Extravagantly!" Guissepo said merrily before turning to Actuass who started heaving, and rested his arm over Rearren's seat, the owner of which immediately stood to help him.
"See you whenever you decide to extravagantly hunt me down, entitled brat!" Guissepo yelled with glee.
(A/N: In reference to Ch.500).
The old man beside Guissepo unfurled an Arcane Teleportation Scroll, and in a blink, the two vanished in an explosion of flame.
Actuass huffed, and steadily stood firm, his robes soaked in his blood.
He emitted a light scoff, and looked at the millions of souls floating in the air. Then, he turned to those left unharmed.
Alaris looked soulless. No amount of Swordsmanship could stop what was happening, and he didn't think he could fare well against that young lady, and Rearren who was obviously on the masked man's side, even if he retrieved his sword.
As for Ruhrees... he was seething.
His lips trembled as he looked around for the umpteenth time, and turned to Revia blocking his path.
"Do you... do you have any idea... what you are doing?!" he cried, his eyes open wide, and bloodshot.
"I do," Revia said with some manner of hesitation, preparing to stop Ruhrees if he tried to attack Actuass once more.
"Leave him, Revia," Actuass suddenly said. "There's nothing he can do now."
Ruhrees scowled like a cloth at these words, and met the hazel glow behind Actuass' mask.
Then he heard the man speak again, a crazy coil of danger smothering his words.
"Live, and tell your little party of self-righteous fools what happened here."
...!
Ruhrees shrank. He wanted to act, but it was clear... he was outmatched here. He could only die miserably if he resisted.
Actuass turned, ignoring any of his further actions.
"Can Rias hold on a little longer?" he asked Rearren.
andasnovel.com "Of course. He is more than capable of holding his own against whoever is left out there," Rearren proudly declared with a smile.
"Good."
As soon as Actuass remarked, another burst of chaotic wind shuddered behind him, and revealed Fulina who walked up to him with a semi-grave look on her face.
"Well?" the masked man asked her without turning.
Fulina hesitated.
"They are gone," she said. "All seven towers were empty. Those old Diviners must have known we'd come for them still."
Actuass sighed.
"No matter. It wasn't that important anyway."
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