On the desolate badlands of South Dakota, only ten once-exalted Eternal remained.
And a superstar, so thrilled by his Master's approval that he was on the verge of a heart attack.
The wind began to blow again, stirring up the dust on the ground.
The wind ruffled the corners of their clothes and also disturbed their shattered hearts.
No one spoke, nor did anyone dare to stand up first.
They remained in a kneeling position, as if an invisible monarch was still scrutinizing them.
But Kingo couldn't hold back; he stood up, breaking the silence.
He cautiously looked around, and only after confirming that Leon had truly left, did his tense nerves finally relax.
Then, he quickly collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.
"Oh my God... Oh my God..." He clutched his chest, feeling his heart about to leap out of his throat.
His assistant, Karen, behind him, had long since gone weak in the knees, the camera lens in his hand pointing at the ground.
"Karen! What are you waiting for?!"
Kingo sprang up from the ground, his eyes gleaming, snatched the camera, and shoved it right into Ikaris's face for a close-up.
"Quick! Film this! This is a historic moment! The leader of the Eternal, the invincible Ikaris, being beaten... uh, I mean, a precious shot of him deep in thought after bravely fighting!"
Ikaris:... He looked up, his gaze murderous.
If looks could turn into heat rays, Kingo would already be burnt to ashes.
Faced with Ikaris's glare, Kingo flinched, but quickly became self-assured again.
He cleared his throat, putting on a confident demeanor.
What a joke? I'm a director who got the new Master's approval!
What are you, Ikaris, now?
Just a troublesome old employee in the new company, and the kind who was severely disciplined by the Master in front of all the employees.
Giving me attitude? Do you deserve it?
"Ahem," Kingo pretended not to see Ikaris's murderous intent and turned the camera to the others.
"Everyone, everyone, cheer up! What have we just experienced? It's a rebirth! It's a great turning point! From today onwards, we are no longer tools living in lies; we are the founding elders of Leon's Legion!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, as if he could already see himself walking onto the Universe Oscar awards stage in the future.
"I've decided! Our first movie will be called 'Eternal Dawn: The Sun god's Arrival'! Ikaris, you'll be the male lead!
The shots of you being rubbed into the ground by Hulk just now were full of power! This is the spirit of resistance against the old era! Don't worry, I'll add slow motion and a poignant BGM in post-production, guaranteed to make the audience shed tears!"
Ikaris felt his fists clench again.
He swore, if it weren't for the fact that he couldn't beat Leon, he would tear Kingo's mouth off right now.
"Enough, Kingo."
Ajak stood up from the ground; her voice was still weary, but her authority was even greater.
As their former leader, her prestige remained.
Kingo reluctantly shut his mouth, but he couldn't bear to put down the camera in his hand, quietly switching to stealth mode.
Ajak looked around.
Ikaris was distraught, lost his direction after his faith collapsed.
Sersi knelt on the ground, her shoulders trembling slightly, clearly still immersed in grief.
Crystal's face was filled with anger and unwillingness, and Tina's mental state seemed to have become somewhat unstable again due to the recent shock, being tightly protected behind Gilgamesh.
Sigh.
Ajak sighed deeply.
Seven millennia of comfortable life had made them forget how to face a storm.
Leon's appearance was like a giant hand, roughly pulling them out of their beautiful dream.
"Everyone, get up." Ajak's voice rang out.
Upon hearing this, everyone slowly stood up from the ground.
"What... what should we do now?" Sersi stood up, wiped away her tears, and looked at Ajak with confusion.
Her heart was in a mess; on one hand, she was saddened by the impending fate of humanity, and on the other hand, she was confused by the appearance of this new Master.
"What to do?" Ajak glanced at Ikaris, her tone calm.
"Execute the Master's first command."
Her way of addressing him changed quickly and naturally.
"Ikaris."
Ikaris stiffened and looked up.
"The Sun god wants you to gather your companions." Ajak's tone was serious.
"Not one of them can be missing. This is your task, and it's your chance to prove your worth to the Sun god."
Ikaris was stunned.
Prove my worth? I, the strongest warrior of the Eternal, need to prove my worth to someone else?
A sense of humiliation welled up in his heart again, but he did not retort.
Because he knew Ajak was right.
In front of Leon, his pride was worthless.
All he could do now was obey.
He nodded silently, accepting the task.
Seeing Ikaris give in, Ajak breathed a sigh of relief.
Her biggest worry was that Ikaris, this hothead, would not think things through and continue to go against Leon.
In that case, his fate would definitely not be as simple as being rubbed into the ground.
She then looked at Sersi, her tone gentle.
"Sersi, you and I will work together. We need to organize information about the Celestials and the Deviants. Since the Master wants to form a legion, we need to show him our usefulness."
"Okay..." Sersi nodded, her eyes filled with more determination.
That's right, instead of wallowing in self-pity here, it's better to do something practical.
At least, they needed to let Leon know that they still had value to be utilized.
"What about me? What about me?" Kingo quickly came closer, looking at Ajak with anticipation.
"The Sun god personally approved my movie plan! This is our Leon's Legion's first external publicity! It's of great significance!
I need funding, I need actors, and I need a top-tier special effects team! Oh, by the way, do you have Mr. Hulk's contact information? I want to invite him to be the action director!"
Everyone:... Does this guy have anything else in his head besides making movies?
Ajak rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
She sometimes really wondered if Arishem the Judge accidentally installed entertainment programs instead of combat programs when he created Kingo.
"Your matters can wait until Ikaris brings everyone back." Ajak waved her hand, dismissing him.
After arranging everything, the Eternal fell silent once more.
They stood on the badlands, watching the setting Sun in the distance, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
Seven millennia of guardianship had turned into a joke.
The sacred mission, it turned out, was a death omen.
And they were just a group of programmed tools.
Now, they had merely changed Masters.
Where would the future lead?
No one knew.
They only knew that from today onwards, the history of the Eternal had turned a new page.
....
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