Chapter 26: Friends... With Benefits (3)
"Well, nice to meet you all," Akasha greeted, voice relaxed and surprisingly light. "Hope I’m not interrupting anything too important."
HUMMMMMMM!!!!!
The reaction was immediate.
The moment the Peak Masters registered his presence, their auras detonated outward like a tidal pressure wave.
The air in the grand hall turned thick and oppressive, crackling with raw killing intent and fury.
Marcus Kane shot up from his seat, powerful hands slamming down onto the table hard enough to make the heavy wood groan.
He was a towering figure—tall and powerfully built, with silver-gray hair streaked by electric blue lightning scars that seemed to faintly spark even now.
His wolf-like ears stood rigid with aggression, and his muscular frame radiated the primal nature of a Human-Thunder Wolf hybrid.
His eyes burned with savage intensity as he glared at Akasha.
"Who the hell are you?!" Marcus snarled, voice booming through the hall like thunder.
The combined auras of the Peak Masters pressed down like an avalanche—Victor’s crushing force, Serena’s natural edge, Dexter’s devouring darkness, Marcus’s crackling lightning.
Any normal person would have been crushed to their knees under such overwhelming pressure.
But Akasha didn’t even flinch.
To him, it felt like nothing more than a light, refreshing breeze brushing across his skin.
Not only that, but he had also already scanned each and every one of them the moment he stepped into the room.
And each person in the room was weaker than him when it came to raw output however, all their ranks were higher than his.
Each of the Peak Masters were all God Kings and Queens at Tier 11-12.
Well, that was all of them aside from Liliana and the Headmaster Harlan who both caught his attention.
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[Harlan Steele
Age: 518 Years Old
Rank: God Emperor (Tier 15) (Total BP +6)
Race: Human (Bloodline: Human (Origin)
Affinity: Logic, Calculation
Divinity: 15,200
Star: Constellation Star of the Logical Thread (Primordial)
Innate Powers:
Logical Perception (Primordial) - Harlan can see logical threads above his chosen target. These threads reveal cause and effect, as well as the most likely logical paths in certain situations.
Scheme Layering (Greater) - He can plant multiple hidden schemes that activate automatically once at least five calculated conditions are accomplished.
Variable Adjustment (Primordial) -With enough information, Harlan can slightly shift the probability of a single outcome.
Hidden Information: Harlan is wise, patient, and a master schemer who prefers to stay several steps ahead of everyone else.
He rarely shows strong emotions, maintaining a calm and dignified facade at all times.
Currently, he is deeply concerned with the looming disaster facing the Academy of Veils.
He knows an invasion is coming soon and is already calculating every possible variable, weighing alliances, sacrifices, and long-term contingencies to ensure the Academy’s survival.]
----
[Liliana Salvatore
Age: 218 Years Old
Rank: God Empress (Tier 15) (Total BP +6)
Race: Vampire/Siren (Bloodline: Vampiric Siren (Origin)
Affinity: Blood, Charm, Plasma, Ink, Illusions
Divinity: 15,200
Star: Goddess Star of Burning Scriptures (Primordial)
Innate Powers:
Crimson Scripture (Primordial) - Liliana can manifest and write with living plasma-ink. Anything she writes carries inherent curses that can be triggered at will.
Contract Ignition (Greater) - Written contracts or runes can be ignited into devastating plasma explosions or binding chains.
Grimoire Authority (Primordial) - She has partial control over any written word or ink near her, allowing her to rewrite or corrupt existing text.
Hidden Information: Liliana is the obsessive yandere Peak Master of The Silent Peak.
She becomes intensely possessive and dangerously fixated once she likes someone, though she hides it well behind a calm, elegant exterior when necessary.
She is also highly eccentric and generally dislikes meddling in matters that don’t directly concern her or her peak.
Right now, she is quietly waiting for the Nova Dragon Princess (who has been hiding in her peak for 25 years) to finally reveal her true colors.]
---
’Two strange people...’ Akasha mused, thinking about the secrets they were hiding.
’Though, it does explain the movement of those Dragons I spotted on the way here.’
He couldn’t wrap his head around why Liliana would let a potential enemy live, especially when she clearly sensed something was off.
And the Headmaster—knowing trouble was on the horizon—couldn’t even bother to put up a barrier?
Whatever their reasons, it only made Akasha’s time here that much easier.
He continued walking forward with the same casual, unhurried stride, baggy black attire swaying loosely around his frame.
His crimson-and-white hair shifted gently, bloody eyes calm and faintly amused as he moved toward the long table.
He pulled out a chair directly across from Harlan and sat down as if he belonged there, completely at ease amid the storm of hostile auras.
The entire time, Liliana’s gaze never left him.
Her bloody crimson eyes followed his every movement with burning, obsessive intensity, drinking in the sight of him like a woman dying of thirst.
Once seated, Akasha maintained his outward calm, but inwardly his mind was racing.
’What the hell is going on...?’
In that moment, a status screen had appeared in his vision, glowing with cold warning:
[Divine Starvation Commencing within 2 Hours.]
Ever since he had scanned the status of Liliana, a deep, aching thirst had clawed at the back of his throat, as if he hadn’t tasted water—or blood—in years.
Though he maintained a calm exterior, the sensation inside him was intensifying with every passing second.
’Is th—’
Before he could finish, Luna’s playful voice rang in his mind.
’Don’t look at me. I’m not a vampire,’ she teased with a light giggle.
Akasha’s bloody eyes briefly met Liliana’s across the table, a silent exchange sparking between them before he turned back to Marcus.
A faint, relaxed smile touched his lips.
"You can call me Lord Dream."
Marcus looked around at the other Peak Masters, mouth opening to snarl another demand, his lightning-scarred fists still pressed hard against the table.
"Enough, Marcus," Harlan said calmly, raising a hand. "Sit down."
Marcus hesitated, clearly unwilling, but eventually lowered himself back into his seat with a low growl, his wolf-like ears still twitching with agitation.
Harlan turned his full attention to Akasha, studying him with those sharp, calculating eyes.
In his vision, countless logical threads sprouted from the young man like a complex web.
Most led to conflict or unknowns... but one—thin but promising—suggested this "Lord Dream" could become a powerful variable that might help the Academy survive the coming invasion without forcing them to activate their final barrier.
’He’s only thirty and already at the True God Stage?’ he thought to himself.
’That’s on par with the top disciples of the other Academies and major Factions...;
While he couldn’t directly see Akasha’s details, anyone could roughly estimate a being’s age and strength—through bone age and aura.
Of course, both could be deceiving.
Still, the possibilities fascinated him.
"Lord Dream, is it?" Harlan said with his voice smooth and measured, starting with the usual diplomatic fluff.
"I must admit... you have an unusual name. Still, I hope you’ll understand our... caution. Times like these are dangerous, and unexpected visitors are a rarity. Might I ask what brings you to—"
Akasha interrupted him without hesitation, his voice flat and devoid of any pretense.
"Right... not to be rude or anything" he said directly. "I will make things clear now... I’m not looking to join you Academy or any surrounding faction in fact..."
He paused as he began to smile.
"I have my own faction outside of the five continents... and I’m looking to make some friends."
Harlan raised a single brow, the calculated calm on his face shifting with clear interest.
"Friends?"
Akasha chuckled, the sound low and easy, fangs glinting for a brief moment.
"Indeed. Friends... with benefits."
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