Two Weeks Later
The day of deployment arrived.
The past fourteen days had passed far quicker than Zael expected.
Surprisingly, they had also been some of the most peaceful days he'd experienced since his rebirth.
No invasions.
No life-and-death battles.
No mysterious enemies trying to kill him.
Just training.
Relentless training.
And the results had been far more significant than he initially expected.
At first, Zael intended to spend the two weeks familiarizing himself with his newly advanced abilities.
Instead, he accidentally discovered something far more interesting.
Control.
More specifically—
The relationship between control and stat limits.
The discovery had happened entirely by accident.
While practicing mana manipulation, Zael noticed that the better his control became, the more efficiently his body handled his attributes.
At first, he assumed it was merely increased efficiency.
Then he checked his panel.
And realized something absurd.
His stat cap had increased.
Not his level.
Not his tier.
His actual stat ceiling.
Apparently, the system's displayed limits weren't absolute.
They represented the maximum amount of power a body could normally handle.
But control changed everything.
The better his mastery became, the more power his body could safely contain.
The discovery had shocked him.
Especially because it meant that most awakeners never truly reached their limits.
They reached the limits of their control.
As a result, despite not leveling even once during the last two weeks, Zael had become noticeably stronger.
His attacks were cleaner.
His movements were smoother.
His mana consumption had dropped significantly.
Even Origin Dominion seemed to react positively to the improvements.
Though the mysterious talent still refused to explain itself properly.
Not that Zael was surprised anymore.
Most of his strongest abilities seemed allergic to detailed descriptions.
The second thing he'd spent time on was Tyron.
His best friend.
Or at least the closest thing he had to one before everything changed.
Over the past two weeks, Zael had used every connection available to him.
Military contacts.
Academy records.
Student networks.
Even some of the capital's information channels.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
No confirmed sightings.
No records.
No updates.
It was as though Tyron had vanished from the face of the earth.
The lack of information bothered him more than he cared to admit.
At least with Zane he could still feel a faint connection.
With Tyron?
Nothing.
No clues.
No leads.
Just silence.
Eventually, he had been forced to shelve the matter for later.
For now, there were more pressing concerns.
Like the fact that he was currently standing inside one of humanity's largest deployment centers.
And surrounded by thousands of awakeners.
The massive facility buzzed with activity.
Soldiers.
Students.
Guild members.
Government personnel.
Representatives from major families.
Everywhere he looked, powerful individuals gathered in groups.
The atmosphere felt strangely exciting.
Not tense.
Not fearful.
Exciting.
For many awakeners, the Gods and Demons Battlefield represented opportunity.
Resources.
Achievements.
Inheritance grounds.
Fame.
Fortunes.
Of course, the possibility of dying was also present.
But awakeners had always been an unusual breed.
Most accepted danger as part of life.
Zael stood near the academy's designated assembly area.
Nearby, Lily was speaking with several students.
Further away, he spotted Aurelia.
As expected, she looked perfectly composed.
Meanwhile—
Auralis was somehow already causing trouble.
Again.
The silver-haired girl was enthusiastically trying to convince a group of nervous first-time participants that being eaten by a battlefield beast "probably wasn't that painful."
Several people looked horrified.
Aurelia looked tired.
Zael wasn't sure how someone could look tired before the battlefield even started.
Yet somehow she managed.
Auralis eventually noticed him.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
That was never a good sign.
"There he is!"
Several people turned.
Auralis marched over.
Aurelia followed behind at a much more reasonable pace.
"Morning," Zael greeted.
"Morning."
Aurelia nodded.
Auralis, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"You got stronger."
Zael blinked.
"You can tell?"
"Not really."
"..."
"I'm guessing."
Zael immediately regretted asking.
Aurelia shook her head.
"Ignore her."
"Hey."
"You're guessing."
"I'm making an educated observation."
"You literally just admitted you were guessing."
Auralis looked offended.
"Traitor."
For some reason, Aurelia didn't even bother responding.
Clearly this wasn't their first conversation like this.
Before the exchange could continue, a loud announcement echoed throughout the deployment center.
Every conversation immediately stopped.
Thousands of awakeners looked upward.
A deep voice filled the facility.
"Attention all participants."
"Final deployment sequence will begin in thirty minutes."
Instantly, the atmosphere shifted.
The casual chatter disappeared.
The joking stopped.
Excitement remained.
But now it was mixed with anticipation.
The battlefield was finally here.
Zael slowly looked toward the enormous portal structure dominating the center of the facility.
Even from this distance, it was gigantic.
Ancient.
Mysterious.
The gateway that would lead them to the battlefield where gods and demons had fought for countless generations.
And in thirty minutes—
He would step through it.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The announcement faded.
Yet the atmosphere inside the deployment center remained completely different.
Thirty minutes.
For awakeners, that wasn't much time at all.
Groups that had been chatting casually moments ago suddenly became serious.
Final equipment checks began.
Consumables were inspected.
Information was exchanged one last time.
Some people reviewed maps.
Others reviewed intelligence reports.
A few sat quietly with their eyes closed.
Preparing mentally.
Zael simply watched.
It was an interesting sight.
The gathering here represented some of the most talented young awakeners humanity had to offer.
Yet despite their confidence, almost everyone was taking the deployment seriously.
As they should.
Auralis suddenly leaned closer.
"So."
Zael glanced at her.
"So?"
"If we get separated and I become rich from some ancient inheritance before you do..."
He already knew where this was going.
"..."
"You'll still be happy for me, right?"
Zael looked at her.
Then at Aurelia.
Then back at Auralis.
"No."
Auralis gasped dramatically.
"Aurelia, did you hear that?"
"I did."
"And?"
Aurelia looked completely calm.
"He made the correct decision."
Auralis looked betrayed.
"Both of you are terrible people."
Zael almost laughed.
Almost.
Before the conversation could continue, a familiar voice interrupted.
"Zael."
He turned.
Lily was approaching.
Unlike most people around them, she looked unusually relaxed.
Probably because after everything they'd survived recently, the battlefield didn't feel quite as overwhelming anymore.
"Ready?" she asked.
"As I'll ever be."
Lily nodded.
"Good."
Then she looked toward the portal.
For a brief moment, her expression became thoughtful.
"We're really doing this."
Nobody replied immediately.
Because there wasn't much to say.
The countdown they'd all been hearing about for months had finally ended.
This was it.
A few minutes later, another announcement echoed through the facility.
"All participants assemble by assigned deployment groups."
Immediately, movement erupted throughout the hall.
Large holographic screens appeared overhead.
Names.
Numbers.
Unit assignments.
Deployment sectors.
Everything was displayed.
Zael looked upward.
Then frowned.
His name appeared.
Participant: Zael Nightshade
Deployment Classification: Special Candidate
Sector Assignment: Pending
"...Pending?"
That wasn't normal.
Around him, most participants already had assigned sectors.
Lily had one.
Aurelia had one.
Even Auralis had one.
Only his remained blank.
Auralis noticed.
"Oh."
A grin immediately appeared.
"That doesn't look suspicious at all."
Aurelia's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Special Candidate."
She didn't sound surprised.
Just thoughtful.
Zael had a bad feeling about this.
Generally speaking, whenever the system, military, or government labeled something "special," trouble followed shortly afterward.
As if to confirm his thoughts—
A uniformed officer began approaching.
Directly toward him.
The man stopped a few meters away.
Then saluted.
"Participant Zael Nightshade?"
"...Yes."
"Please follow me."
Zael sighed.
Of course.
Auralis immediately looked excited.
"Ooh."
Aurelia looked less enthusiastic.
"What now?"
The officer remained professional.
"Special deployment briefing."
That answer somehow raised even more questions.
Zael glanced at the others.
"I'll be back."
Auralis waved.
"Try not to accidentally become important."
Zael stared at her.
"That's not something people do accidentally."
"You'd be surprised."
Unfortunately, she sounded completely serious.
A few minutes later, Zael followed the officer through multiple security checkpoints.
The deeper they went, the fewer people he saw.
Eventually they arrived at a private briefing room.
Inside were only seven other people.
The moment Zael entered, several heads turned.
Some were familiar.
Most weren't.
Every single one radiated strength.
And none looked older than twenty-five.
Interesting.
The officer closed the door behind him.
Then the room fell silent.
A moment later, another figure entered.
Unlike everyone else present, this man immediately drew attention.
Not because of his appearance.
Because of his presence.
Power.
Overwhelming power.
Tier Five at minimum.
Perhaps even higher.
The room became completely quiet.
The man surveyed the gathered participants.
Then smiled.
"Good."
"Everyone is here."
His gaze briefly lingered on Zael.
For a fraction of a second.
Then moved on.
Yet that brief glance alone told Zael something.
The man knew exactly who he was.
The powerhouse folded his hands behind his back.
Then spoke.
"Normally, participants are deployed according to region."
"Unfortunately for you."
His smile widened slightly.
"You are not normal participants."
Nobody looked particularly pleased by that statement.
The man continued.
"You eight have been selected for a special deployment."
The room grew even quieter.
Then came the next sentence.
"The location you'll be entering has not been successfully explored by humanity."
Suddenly—
Everyone was paying very close attention.