Earth's Core

BOOM!

BOOM!

Two explosions occurred below the center of the crumbling straight mountain of earth, ensuing tremors that blasted more of its stony sh.e.l.l, in addition to devastating earthquakes that spread across the entire lower half of the Western Continent.

…

Rising City.

"Activate the protective formation! Activate the protective formation!" A red uniformed officer with azure Core Master"s aura utilized a special technique to fly while sending through his communication, before amplifying his voice with his mist energy and shouting his lungs out. "Help those closest to you to evacuate the streets to the nearest buildings!"

Cries of fear and help resounded amidst the violent shaking. They belonged to children who played outside or lost their parents in the commotions and similarly frantic mothers or father. People who were hurt from debris from structures with foundation that was not meant to withstand such turmoil or had been in accident that resulted in a dire need of immediate medical help.

Inside the Internal Affair building of Rising City.

"Stop delaying; activate the formation around the city!" A fat man in blue suit bellowed at his group of subordinates that anxiously typed their keyboards while ignoring the content on their Screens and fixating their eyes on the large Screen on the wall.

"It"s no use, Sir. It"s like the earthquake intentionally sabotaged its Core, so neither it will activate automatically or remotely". A man in plain office clothes explained, sweating profusely.

"Someone needs to get there in person to fix the Core, Sir-" A short woman opened, but her expression froze before she could finish the sentence.

"The second Screen!" Someone in the Technical Defense room yelled and the rest hurried to his workstation.

Eyes plastered on the Screen, they saw a vast blackness encompa.s.sing Rising City like a dome.

…

Zax drew back his hand and made sure his dark attribute energy isolated Rising City in its entirety. Satisfied, he proceeded to bolt through the sky in a journey for the source of the earthquakes, the Yellow Gra.s.sand, the place where Violet Scaled Troops" Great Cave was situated.

"Mister Zax!"

"Mister Huland!" Zax slowed down.

They met along the way to the same destination. There were other experts on their tail, reclusive cultivators, opportunistic mercenaries and even one or two weak by clever three scales Deformed Beings.

"My father and roughly twenty percent of the Malignant Monkey clan left a day ago to the Giant Cave". Huland hurried to disclose the report he received. "The same happened in other clans. The leadership just left, as if abandoning the clan, taking along only Zhihui beasts or above".

"That"s sound like…" Zax mused.

"Horn Kikon is packing his luggage with the essentials…"

They both turned quiet, thinking their same idea is ludicrous. Soon they will arrive to the Giant Cave and see for themselves the truth.

…

"Horn, he is coming". A yellow furred, pink feathered beast woman, Ulvi, announced mid rapid flight toward the golden skinned, four armed giant human and the three other figures at his side.

Horn Kikon said nothing and continued to stare at the main propulsion engine, the last portion of his pillar shaped s.p.a.cecraft, ascending from the ground.

"I"m done, Horn". From the direction of the distant Seer Don Ocean a humanoid, brown and gray furred, long eared beast flew with a trail at its wake of fourth level Martial Mortal"s fluctuations. "The cost was astronomical in terms of mortal resources, but now the Star Scavenger is concealed by a layer of formations only I and Immortals can see through".

"Well done". Horn Kikon remarked. "Overall it doesn"t mean much, but we managed to be the first to send our troops out of this planet. When the storm will come, I won"t have to worry about anyone other than you five". He reminded and shifted his gaze to the t.i.tan Kapok Trees forest. "Have you come to say your goodbyes?" He greeted Zax with a sneer.

"Kikon, what"s the purpose of this? Did you send your Violet Scaled Troops off this planet, choosing to remain behind with only five Feathers?" Zax squinted. An idea of Horn Kikon"s intention resurfaced in his mind.

The indomitable aircraft was roughly six kilometers in height and had a circ.u.mference of more than one kilometer. It looked silver metal, but that was only under the illumination of the sun. In its final preparations before takeoff, it released steams that filled the Yellow Gra.s.sand with scorching fog and neon light from its thrusters.

"In a matter of seconds it"d be pointless for me to keep this portion of territory. Nevertheless, it accommodated my troops and I for several millennials. Take care of it".

He owed no explanations and Zax could not force one out of him. Thus, with these words and the pa.s.sing of ten seconds, Horn Kikon left with the five Feathers and the vanishing glimmer of the s.p.a.cecraft.

Next to Zax, Huland crossed eyes with his father and from his look he, too, received a message… The Malignant Monkey clan departed and other than him, the clan"s leader, those who got abandoned behind, the majority, were the unimportant leftovers.

"Don"t follow them". Zax told Huland and advised the other unrelated spectators. "I"m receiving a transmission from Senior Ariel. The Blessed Army also intending to leave the planet in the upcoming days. General Logan invited Senior Ariel to join them".

"Why are they leaving?" Huland was bewildered. "And Horn Kikon staying with his Feathers… what are they conspiring?"

"They believe that what they want, the thing they excavated across the planet for, is in the Down Ocean". Zax said without mentioning the G.o.dly Law Template. "Right now the most dangerous place in Ercas Mir is the Down Ocean. They most likely fear that creating a disturbance there will draw the dangers to the land, so they are taking precautions by sending their personnel to outer s.p.a.ce".

It was the most probable a.s.sumption. He did not like it, but there was a bright side…

"If it"s the truth, Sheldon was right". Zax thought. "If Beking, Hamumni and Silternjan are having the same plan, then all five leaders are valuing the G.o.dly Law Template over their lives".

He will not have to worry of the early Immortal decent.

…

The five powers sent their members out of Ercas Mir. Theirs leaders, who stayed for the G.o.dly Law Template, each selected a small group of capable trusties to a.s.sist them in deciphering the Heavy Water Pools" formation.

The end of their reign in Ercas Mir resulted in panic and turbulences. The crime rate in cities, clans, villages and tribes spiked by hundreds percents in mere days and not just by unruly humans and beasts, but also strong Deformed Being who felt a sharp decline in the presence of hostile experts.

Order was hard to restore even with the cooperation of Sinister Chain, New Earth, Dark Glow, the Mercenary a.s.sociation and other newly emerging organizations or old ones that stepped up. It took efforts, new division of territories and years" time to slowly rehabilitate. It was a tedious process, but with steady progression it yielded the desirable results.

Ercas Mir was entering a new era of governments and superpowers!

…

Two years after the departure of the five powers, year 5813 of New Earth"s calendar.

An old man with trimmed beard and a late twenties looking man, both in casual attire, shared a round, woodened table and two jugs of ice cold beer within a small tavern in a small mixed beast species tribe"s town.

"Is there anything else that you want?" The waitress, a Shenghuo type beast in humanoid form that resembled a cute feline la.s.s, asked.

"The most opulent meat you have". The old man, Sheldon, said.

"Two servings". The other man, Zax, ordered.

"Right on!" The feline waitress jovially complied, happy to serve who seemed like rich patrons.

"You let your son partic.i.p.ate in the High Rankers" Trials". Sheldon discussed.

"My nephew and a number of second realm cultivators with pa.s.sing potential, too". Zax affirmed. "I hope it won"t be like that year…"

"Relax", Sheldon waved his hand. "The Event in Demirva Ridge occurs every few centuries. There is plenty of time till the next time".

"How are They doing?" Zax erected an invisible formation for privacy around the table and changed the subject.

"Same as always. They work separately in teams of three, representing the trunk rather than the branches".

"You said that you have an urgent matter to talk about. If it"s not them, what is it about?"

The waitress returned with two large bowls of meat piles. It was a juvenile two scales Deformed Being"s meat, but the best they have in the small establishment, a pricy commodity for anyone below the Core Master realm.

"There is something I need to notify you, per our friendship and Senior Ohar"s request". Sheldon solemnly said. "I wasn"t informed on the details… Senior Ohar just told me that His Holiness of the Holy Palace gave him a courtesy warning, knowing that he has people on this planet, to promptly evacuate us".

"For what reason?" Zax"s heart tightened. "It can"t be because the G.o.dly Law Template. The Heavy Water Pools" formation should take Them centuries to crack and they hadn"t attempted to contact the Holy Palace, Planetary Battalion or Voiltic Star, unless they requested you again".

"They haven"t". Sheldon drank several mouthfuls and picked a piece of meat with his hand. He savored it, even though it was only cut and boiled and he tasted better dishes of lower quality ingredients. "And I don"t think it"s related to the G.o.dly Law Template, but Senior Ohar did not elaborate, so for keeping it safe you can a.s.sume anything".

"Did… he agree?" Zax inquired with slight hesitation, his appet.i.te growing more and more indistinct.

Sheldon showed him a palm with five outstretched fingers. "Five hundred". He clenched his fingers to a fist and dropped on the table. "If you can accept only five hundred, then this is how many would be saved".