"Is this…?"
The EDA Officer who was chosen to undergo the 'Baptism' wondered as he circled around the Imbued Tool from Onimbus.
The altar-like Baptismal Chamber appeared menacing in his eyes.
In this conference room, we put away the long table and cleared the center of the room where I placed the Imbued Tool.
At the moment, five Rank 2 Transcendents from the Nightwolf World were chained around the seat where the one receiving the enhancement should be.
These EDA Officers were only Rank 5 Mortals so seeing five Rank 2 Transcendent who could crush them easily tied up like that, it would always bring a chill down their spine.
And according to them, most of the guards they placed around their cells were all frightened almost to death whenever they would meet the gazes of these Rank 2 Transcendents.
Even if their Source Energy was being restrained, their presence alone could overwhelm the Mortal Ranks.
"Don't ask and sit down there," I ordered and that made the EDA officer flinch before hurrying himself to sit on the Baptismal Chair.
Well, let's call it like that. The whole thing was the Baptismal Chamber. The chair in the middle where the siphoned Life Force would gather was the Baptismal Chair and the five posts where the sacrifices would be tied up were the Sacrificial Poles.
This would be the first time I would be testing its effectiveness but considering I already saw the results from those Transcendents at the World of Magic, I expect great results.
This should be a step to empowering the Earthlings.
Once the setup for that game I planned to make for them rolled out all around the world, the era where Door of Transcendence would become a common occurrence wasn't that far off.
"I only have to sit, right?" The EDA Officer asked in doubt as he couldn't help but become restless, sitting on the Baptismal Chair.
"If you're having second thoughts, stand up from that seat and bring another soldier. We don't need cowards here." I coldly said before shifting my gaze towards General Yamada.
"Wait! I'll stop asking! Go on!" The EDA Officer hurriedly shouted as rest his back on the chair.
Upon seeing that, General Yamada who was about to answer me to get another soldier stepped back.
"Well then. This is how you will use this. After this meeting, I will be leaving this device to you. As to how you will utilize the effectiveness, that's on you. Later I will also send people from another world to use this and Heroes who haven't reached the threshold yet. As long as there's still a supply of those Transcendents, you are not to stop. Are we clear?"
"Understood!"
Along with the salute, all the EDA Officers including the one sitting at the Baptismal Chair shouted in chorus.
After that, I began activating the Baptismal Chamber.
It's like any other Output Enhancing Equipment and Imbued Tool, it still needed Source Energy to jumpstart it.
Along with its activation, the five chained Rank 2 Transcendents began groaning in pain.
As their sweat appeared and dripped from their foreheads, their faces that seemed to still retain their prime appearance began to change. Wrinkles appeared and their bodies deflated like balloons.
While all of that was happening, the Sacrificial Poles where they were chained began to glow in red light. And as those red lights continued to glow brighter, a single ray extended from each Pole to the EDA Officer sitting at the Baptismal Chair.
I ignored the grunts of pain of the five Rank 2 Transcendents and watched in interest how the EDA Officer's UPL began to rise up in number.
Even without using that Scanner that Alwyn gave me, I could feel that by the time those red globes of light from the Sacrificial Poles dimmed, the EDA Officer finally reached the threshold.
And to further confirm that, the guy jumped up and raised his arm up high.
Using all his Source Energy in his body, the illusory Door of Transcendence appeared above, and along with it, dark clouds and thunderous rumblings filled the whole EDA Headquarters.
"... Ain't that ominous? When I called for my Door of Transcendence, it didn't produce that effect." General Yamada muttered after running out of the Conference Room we were in to check the darkened sky.
"Mine too"
"That's right."
And the other EDA Officers who already called for their Door of Transcendence yesterday followed suit.
"Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with that."
It's just that World's Will playing with these people.
Even someone like me who only had an artificial body before could call on the Door of Transcendence and those denizens of the World of Magic also passed their Transcendent Trials without any problems.
If anything, I was even more concerned that it really worked.
I could now understand the trick why it could allow them to call on the Door of Transcendence.
It's because their added UPL was from someone else's life force.
It managed to fool the automatic mechanism of a World that it was their own strength.
That's why when their Mortal bodies get destroyed during the Transcendent Body Trial, the stats they got from this Baptismal Chamber would also be destroyed.
Those who failed to reach the threshold even after receiving baptism would return back to their normal strength after a week because the life force transferred to them would wilt away in time.
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While Daisuke was meeting with the EDA Officers, Nysia and Elise returned to the World of Meta.
They brought with them the plan of Daisuke to make use of the World of Meta's technology to create something out of the Virtual Simulation Capsules and Energy Absorption Rooms.
As soon as they arrived, Lexie who was aware of that plan welcomed the two and brought them to the newly built United Alliance's Research Facility just outside the Free City of Nysia.
They cleared the ruins left behind by the previous civilization and rebuilt them to make an area dedicated for the Researchers to continue making breakthroughs about their use of Source Energy.
This way, the technology of the World of Meta would continue to progress until it became a Transcendent World.
"I had the top Researchers combine the function of the two technologies Daisuke mentioned. They immediately made a prototype but… according to the test they made, it's not that satisfactory if it will be used to absorb Energy." While leading Nysia and Elise to the facility, Lexie informed them of the progress.
Since Daisuke had other dealings on Earth, he entrusted his three Companions to oversee the device that he would use to elevate the Earth denizens' strength.
Leianne also wanted to come to be of help for Daisuke but he asked her to stay. As for the reason, it's that thing they talked about the other day. Child-making.
Elise also had some thoughts about it but… she restrained herself from mentioning it to Daisuke. She's thinking that her turn will soon come.
For now, she came with Nysia back to their homeworld to do something to help in preparing that plan of his. Besides, he also asked her to do something for him.
"It's a Level 3 Sage World. Even if the absorption was inefficient, it is still leagues away from our Source Energy here. Lexie, you should come with us to visit his World. Ah no. He told me to bring you with us even if it's just a day. Assimilate the Source Energy and it would make you even stronger."
"That's right, Lexie. It will be beneficial for you. Moreover, Husband kept talking about you. His perception of you truly changed as soon as you became his Companion. Leave the League and the Alliance to the three Heroes for a while."
"Eh… Let me think about it. You know what I'm afraid of."
She's still afraid of being influenced by her status as his Companion to feel herself being drawn towards him, In her mind, if that's what would happen. She wanted it to happen naturally and not something that was brought about by that.
After passing through an Anzean Portal that was being used to easily reach the Research Facility, the three women were welcomed by the old head Researcher, the same one who designed Nysia and Daisuke's Ultimate Metagen.
He's now also responsible for making Ultimate Metagens for his other Companions. However, because they still hadn't made a breakthrough on how to make the Regenium Engine to be run by any type of Source Energy, he was the one who took on the task of combining the Energy Absorption Room and Virtual Simulation Capsule.
"I welcome the Alliance Head, League Head and Light Maiden. Please follow me."
After bowing in front of the three, he led them inside and into his dedicated workshop.
Because of his status, his workshop was the biggest among the researchers and he was also the top decision-maker in the Research Facility. If before he was being seen as inferior by the three Factions' Researchers, now they're all looking up at him. And that prestige made the old man to be even more eager to make more technological breakthroughs.
In the middle of his workshop, the prototype of the Virtual Gaming Device that Daisuke asked them to do was currently being tested by one of his subordinate researchers.
Unlike the traditional Capsule where one needed to take their clothes off and lie down inside it, the new Device only looked like a helmet that was connected to another device that was serving as its CPU as well as Energy Storage.
To see what's happening inside the virtual simulation, there's a widescreen in front that was being observed by the other Researchers.
"That is the game Daisuke wanted to make? Isn't that just a normal simulation?" Lexie asked in doubt while Elise and Nysia, who were already exposed to the Earth's culture and trends, nodded in approval.
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