Bloodstar System: Infinite Evolution Through Beast Slaughter

Chapter 28: Alkaid Authority!

The wind beside his ears no longer felt like resistance.

It was more like countless invisible hands pushing him forward.

The world ahead blurred.

And he was not tired at all.

With every step, his body borrowed force on its own, sliding along the flow of the wind.

Joren could not help letting out a low growl.

Active effect, [Windriding], activate!

His speed climbed again.

His whole body turned into a green afterimage, dragging a straight line across the wilderness.

...

Five kilometers ahead.

Alar kept running at a steady pace while glancing back.

"Should we slow down a little?"

Kaia’s voice came with the wind, still cool and clear.

"Antares Command does not raise trash."

Alar shrugged.

"Fine. Your call."

He was about to turn back and keep running when the corner of his eye caught something strange.

On the horizon behind them, a streak of green smoke was closing in at a horrifying speed.

"Holy shit?!"

Jazz, running ahead, frowned and looked back by instinct.

That was a person.

A person sprinting like mad.

Jazz glanced at the speed reading on his tactical watch.

Seventy two kilometers per hour.

Even a Rank Two Warrior would have to push hard to maintain that speed.

"Is that damn Joren?"

Whoosh!

A blast of wind swept past.

The figure did not slow down. It rushed straight by them.

The airflow from his speed even blew Alar’s hair into a mess.

Then the figure suddenly braked to a stop.

Kaia turned around.

"If you can still keep up this time, I will buy you a drink when we reach the outpost."

With that, she kicked off the ground.

This time, she held nothing back.

Her speed burst higher than before.

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait for me!"

Alar let out a miserable cry, quickly spat out his gum, and chased after them with a bitter face.

Jazz refused to fall behind and lowered his head into a full sprint.

His mind was falling apart.

Joren narrowed his eyes and looked toward the black outline growing clearer ahead.

There.

The boundary of human civilization.

[The Absolute Barrier]

And there, even more Bloodstars were waiting for him to harvest.

Half an hour later.

A towering black wall appeared at the end of their sight.

The hundred meter wall seemed to be cast from some unknown black metal. Under the setting sun, it gave off a cold sheen.

Its surface was covered in claw marks and impact dents, scars left by Voidbeasts across countless years.

Before an unremarkable side gate beneath the wall, several figures slowly came to a stop.

"Huff... huff..."

When he saw the three finally arrive, Joren lifted his head and showed a bright smile.

"I have been waiting five minutes."

Kaia stared hard at Joren.

Her gaze was complicated to the extreme.

Five minutes.

That meant this kid had actually been much faster than them in the final stretch.

Kaia drew in a breath, walked up to Joren, and for the first time truly looked at this Mortal newcomer.

"The drink is on me."

Inside a supply station beneath The Absolute Barrier.

Kaia took a can of chilled beer from an old refrigerator and tossed it directly to Joren.

Joren caught it with one hand and pulled the tab open.

Hiss.

The cold beer slid down his throat, washing away the heat and blood scent of the wilderness.

"A bet is a bet. This one is yours."

Kaia opened a can for herself as well and tilted her head back for a long drink.

The wind had left her hair slightly disheveled.

Alar and Jazz sat on a long bench nearby, both of them looking like two dried out salted fish. The way they looked at Joren was full of resentment.

Kaia glanced at her watch and said in a low voice,

"The troop carrier is here. Come on. I will take you to Norcrest headquarters."

...

Inside the carriage, the light was dim.

Joren sat across from Kaia, feeling the faint vibration through the seat.

"Since you have entered Antares Command, there are some basics you need to know."

Kaia crossed her arms over her chest. The tight combat uniform outlined startling curves, but her eyes were unusually serious.

"Within the Aurelian Dominion, all Awakened and Awakened Warriors fall under the Alkaid Authority."

Joren set down the beer can and took a listening posture.

"Under the Alkaid Authority are three divisions. They form our core combat power."

Kaia raised three fingers.

"First, Antares Command. That is us."

"We are the shield of the Alkaid Authority, and also its sharpest spear. When a large Beast Tide erupts, we stand on the first line. When a high risk forbidden zone is opened, we are the main force. Antares Command values teamwork and squad operations. Every member here is a hard bone that crawled out of piles of corpses."

Joren nodded.

That fit Kaia’s style.

"Second, Polaris Tribunal."

"They are shadows. Spies. Assassins. They handle internal traitors and Fiends hiding inside human cities. If someone near you vanishes for no clear reason one day, it was probably their work. Do not provoke them unless you have to. Their minds are not exactly normal."

"What about the third?"

Joren asked with interest.

"The third is Sirius Bureau."

A complicated look passed through Kaia’s eyes.

"If Antares Command is the army, then Sirius Bureau is made of agents and lone wolves."

"The requirements to enter Sirius Bureau are extremely high. You need exceptional Talent, and you also need a brilliant record of independently killing high level Voidbeasts. They have enormous freedom and privilege. In emergencies, members of Sirius Bureau even have the authority to take command of local armed forces and act first, report later."

Kaia paused and gave a faint self mocking smile.

"In the Alkaid Authority, Sirius Bureau are the real nobles. They kill high level Voidbeasts and Fiends, and they receive the best resources. Of course, their death rate is also the highest."

Joren narrowed his eyes.

Sirius Bureau...

That sounded interesting.

"Besides the three combat divisions, there are three functional departments keeping everything running."

Kaia continued the explanation.

"Vega Forge handles weapon development and equipment upgrades. The alloy blade in your hand came from them."

"Spica Bureau handles cultivation resources, medicines, and rear line medical support. It is the richest place in the entire Aurelian Dominion."

"Lastly, Altair Directorate. They are the brain. They handle intelligence integration and tactical command. Every route we take is calculated by them."

"These six units form the largest power machine in the Aurelian Dominion."

Joren drew in a deep breath.

The outline of this world gradually became clearer in his mind.

"We are here."

Kaia stood.

The vehicle door gave a heavy rumble and slowly opened.

...

Norcrest, Alkaid Authority branch.

It was a skyscraper standing in the city center. From the outside, there was nothing remarkable about it.

But Joren could feel it.

The entire building was wrapped in a dense layer of psionic fluctuation.

The interior was hard edged and severe. Awakened people hurried everywhere, and the air carried the sharp weight of killing intent.

Kaia led Joren to a counter.

Behind it sat a gray haired middle aged man, head lowered as he recorded something on a light screen.

"H, register this new recruit."

Kaia tapped the counter. The sound was crisp.

The middle aged man called H raised his head and pushed up the black framed glasses on his nose.

He looked Joren over while pulling up the registration page with practiced ease.

"Name."

"Joren."

"Age."

"Seventeen."

H’s fingers moved rapidly across the virtual keyboard. His next question came casually.

"Combat Rank? Rank One or Rank Two? Antares Command raised the threshold quite a bit recently. We are almost not taking middle stage Rank One anymore."

Kaia was silent for a moment.

Then she said flatly,

"Mortal Perfection."

The air went quiet.

H’s fingers froze above the keyboard.

For a second, he thought his ears had failed him.

Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at Kaia, then at Joren, who stood there without the slightest change in expression.

"Kaia, are you joking with me?"

"Do you know how many Rank Two Warriors cry and beg to get in every day? You bring me a Mortal? I cannot process this."

H’s voice rose, drawing looks from many people nearby.

Surprise, mockery, curiosity.

One gaze after another landed on Joren.

"People are this bold when using connections now?"

"Has Kaia spent too long in the wilderness? Did something happen to her brain?"

The whispers reached Joren’s ears.

His face did not move.

He almost wanted to laugh.

Kaia wasted no words. She stepped forward and placed both hands on the counter.

The pressure of a Rank Three Warrior burst out at once.

Then she lifted her left hand and tapped rapidly on her tactical watch.

"Watch this."