After the call with Voyage, Eric's suspicions and guess were immediately confirmed. The speed shocked Eric a little, but after thinking about it for a while, it was nothing weird. They were already allies; telling the truth would only increase the trust between them. Also, what harm was there? What could they do? He had a Hypernova behind him. He was not afraid of two Lysi Novas who had no background. In a way, he was giving them face while also showing them the middle finger.
Eric didn't care about morality, justice, righteousness, or whatever shit people screamed about. He had called Voyage to confirm his guesses and ask some questions if his guess was right—which it indeed was.
The reason he had guessed that it was Voyage who was the mastermind behind this was all due to the divine puppets. They belonged to the Overseeing Pathway. Which organisation held the most resources according to it among the four? The answer was the Divine Karma, obviously. And who belonged to the Divine Karma? Voyage, of course. There was a ninety percent chance it was him; the other ten percent was that it could be the Hypernova, which had very low chances of coming true.
Now, time to ask the questions.
"Why did you take the effort of using your relic of the Overseeing Pathway to make this small gang of yours and kidnap children? If you wanted to, then you could have had your organisation send you some secretly. Why go through the trouble?" He had no hopes of getting any answer; he was just asking to curb his curiosity. But to think that Voyage actually replied.
"Sigh. It seems there is no harm in telling you this. My main liquid's ability allows me to be reborn, sort of. There are a lot of factors involved. After getting reborn, I am in a baby state and a very vulnerable state. My ability gives me some protection indeed, but it is not much. Everything in the universe is balanced; equilibrium exists everywhere. Where there is light, there is darkness. If there is a sun, there will be a moon. Hope grows in a land full of despair. Fire exists, so water too will be present. My ability also has a passive ability: by consuming the blood of humans—ideally healthy teenagers—my body can quickly grow.
"However, it is best to consume the blood of the people of the planet I have been reborn in. Consuming the blood of other humans belonging to other planets won't have as much effect and there will even be some downsides. But to think that just before the day I was gonna retrieve the kids, you just had to thwart it!"
Voyage screamed at the last sentence. He was angry, but it was reasonable. However, it wasn't Eric's fault too. But he just had an idea and told it to Voyage.
"I know, I know, but it was unintentional. Listen, I just had an idea. Let me help you in this. I think the other enemies of ours from the other bodies definitely have some idea about your ability. That's why you had to do this so secretively and not on a large scale. It is very inconvenient and hard. You will—or are—getting interrupted, slowing your growth, putting you in danger. I will help you go out and hunt a healthy teenager and grow fast while also protecting you. In exchange, give the relic to me on Saturday and pay me some Aura stones."
Voyage was amused by Eric's offer. He had lived many years in his life, but he hadn't seen such an opportunistic person. The image of Eric in his mind grew by another layer.
"Very nice. You hit my weaknesses, making me contemplate and causing me to find myself in the dark, then you showed me hope and promised to lead me out of the tunnel, acting as a guardian. But in reality, you are just looking for benefits. Even without your help, I can get what I want; it will just take time and be inconvenient. However, time is of the essence, and since this is a win-win situation, I shall accept. When would you like to do it? I don't have much time, you know."
Eric chuckled as he thought for a few seconds before choosing Monday. Voyage also agreed. Since they had nothing more to talk about, they cut the call.
He heaved a sigh and rubbed his head for a few seconds. These calls took quite a lot of mental energy, but he had long been used to it and could talk for hours. Still, it was best to rest and be in perfect condition.
Eric raised his head and looked at the orange sky as the cold breeze hit his face. They had already long passed the time that the meeting was supposed to take place.
Max was already worried that the trapper might have left. Eric chuckled and reassured him that the trapper was aware of their situation. If he really wanted to talk, he would stay. Hypernovas, after all, do not lack patience.
After that, Eric put his hands in his pocket and took out the Imperator's Cross, giving Uriel and Pixie the order to have an angel with dimensional powers ready in case they had to escape and run for their lives. The silver cross shone with a golden light, signifying that Uriel and Pixie had heard the request and had already made preparations. Eric nodded and put the cross back in his pocket.
After standing at the same place for a few minutes more, gazing at the beautiful sky and complimenting it, Max took out his golden liquid as he put his right hand on Eric's left shoulder and coated each other in the golden light. They teleported and arrived in front of the ice-cream shop in the Pariellete district. This was the same place where Max was trapped by that mysterious trapper with an unknown origin and objective, making Max unable to go and help Eric who was trapped in a domain and was getting ambushed by that Inversion Pathway girl assassin.
Max pointed Eric to the table at which he had sat and where the note was left by the trapper.
Eric was just about to take out his pink liquid and cover the area so that no sound could reach outsiders, but before he could even take out a drop, a green wall covered the entire area. The entire place became extremely quiet. All the people who were here vanished; only silence remained.
"It is just like when I was trapped," Max exclaimed. His gaze looked around the wall thoughtlessly.
"He is still here indeed," Eric nodded his head. He then walked up to the table which Max had pointed out, pulled back a chair, and sat on it. Unlike Max, he sat in a professional posture, his fingers interlocked as he stared at the seat opposite to the one where the trapper sat.
For the next few minutes, there was only silence—an ominous silence. Eric snorted and took out a paper note, wrote "Introduce yourself please" on it, and threw it to the other side of the table. He didn't try to use his vision to see the Hypernova because it simply wouldn't work. The difference between Lysi Nova and Hypernova may look small but was as huge as the land and sky. He was simply too weak.
Max was standing behind Eric's seat and wasn't sitting. Suddenly, both of their eyes widened as they felt a huge formless pressure forming on their bodies, immobilising all their movements. Eric used all the strength in his body and was only then able to raise his head and look at the seat opposite to his. A green light was oozing out from a human-shaped shadow as a person revealed himself.
The more he revealed himself, the higher the pressure became. Eric was unable to continue looking only after a few seconds before his head drooped. Finally, after what felt like eternity, the pressure disappeared and Max and Eric finally sucked in huge amounts of cold air. Max subconsciously moved closer to Eric.
Eric raised his head, which was covered with cold sweat as his brows were sticking to his forehead, and looked in front of him. Who he saw was not some middle-aged or old man like Max said he thought would look like.
The person in front of them looked like a seventeen-year-old teenage boy. His skin was white with sharp features, his green hair and bright green eyes. His face was very handsome, his lips curled up into a small smile as he sat with his back against the chair. A nonchalant aura could be felt coming out of him, and his eyes were filled with confidence.
He straightened his back and put his right hand to his chest and bowed a little, greeting them: "Edward Blackknight greets the second and third one."
Eric was a brave and resolute person. He never wavered or became scared in front of someone who was much stronger than him. Normally, lower ranks would always show respect and reverence for those who were higher-ranked than them and would even avoid meeting their gaze. Some cowards would even bow and kowtow, but Eric? He met Edward's gaze with his own fierce and unshakable gaze. His body language embodied confidence and an unyielding spirit.
Even Edward was a little shocked inside and his image of Eric grew by a layer in his mind, but he didn't show anything on the surface. Edward then moved his gaze to the man who was staring at him with an angry and fierce gaze. He was ready to start fighting anytime, but Edward ignored him for the time being. He knew that Eric was the leader out of the two. He was in charge of the talking everywhere.
Edward cocked his head to the side a little, looking as if gazing at someone before smiling and nodding. Then he put it back and complained with an impatient tone, "You two are very late. We should have already ended our talking by now, wasting my time, but I know you got caught up in some trouble made by your allies."
This line may seem simple, but it was more than that. Most of what he said was useless, of no substance, but the last line was a threat and indirectly saying, "I know who your allies are."
The person he had just nodded at and smiled at—who was it? It was definitely the Hypernova of the Divine Karma! He already knew of his gaze. Edward didn't mind and let him or her keep watching. That was showing his confidence. A Hypernova indeed. With just a few sentences and movement of his head, he was able to convey so many things. Eric understood all that he meant. He was a smart person indeed. Max, despite not being that smart, had gained very valuable experience and could get the gist of it.
Eric then finally decided to talk after thinking for a few minutes on what he should ask first. "Why did you trap Max, Senior Edward?"
People address those higher-ranked than them as leader, lord, teacher, senior, master, elder, venerable, and so on. It depends on what their relationship was. Since he and Edward were strangers, "senior" was the most appropriate.
Edward waved his right hand as he chuckled a little. "Just call me Edward. I may look young, but I am not some secret old person. I am still 22, younger than you."
Eric's heart palpitated as he heard this. His mind filled with shock, but he didn't show anything on his face. Why was he so shocked? He just told his age? Yes, he did, but there are things Eric knows that you don't yet. So young and already a Hypernova—it showed just two things. First, Edward was very talented and had great aptitude. Second, he had a very solid backing. The higher one's rank is, the more resources they need. To reach Hypernova, the resources needed are humongous and require the guiding of many seniors. Edward was definitely worthy of being a Hypernova from one of the four great bodies.
Edward continued after a pause. He could tell that Eric was shocked even though he didn't show anything on his face. Could he hide it from Edward? Haha, never. Thus, he gave him time to digest this information. "The reason I trapped the second one here while you were getting trapped and ambushed was simply because of two reasons. First, I wanted to send the invitation to invite you to come and talk. Second, he is too strong and would have easily helped you escape and kill the assassin. Thus, I trapped him and didn't let him go. In case you were on the verge of death, I would have gone to help you and save you, making you indebted to me and having you join my side. But it seems that you are not a bad fighter. Oh, and before you ask, no, I am not afraid of the other Hypernovas coming to intercept me."
His tone was full of confidence, showing no fear or hesitation towards claiming that he could take care of the other Hypernovas and still would have been able to save Eric. It made others think that he was arrogant.
"So it was insurance," Max exclaimed. His brows furrowed as his grip on Eric's seat tightened, causing the seat to make creaking sounds as a few cracks appeared.
Eric didn't pursue that matter and decided to probe. "Blackknight? Hmm… Are you perhaps from the Blackknight family of Lumenia?"
Edward understood Eric's intentions and replied, "I don't know? Are you from the Heisenberg family? Eric Heisenberg? You look like them a lot. I am from Lumenia though—you guessed that right." His smile became brighter as he said that.
Eric shook his head in denial. "I don't know. That question has confused me for quite some time. If I was a part of that family, maybe my family was banished—that's why I am on Earth and not on Lumenia. Either way, I do not care." His tone carried traces of confusion and uncertainty.
They both were smart people. They understood that probing would not work and they would only get as much info as the other party wanted to give.
Edward was a busy person and his heart was already becoming anxious as more time passed. He decided not to beat around the bush anymore. Eric had already gained one important point: that Edward is a Hypernova of Lumenia and most likely belongs to the Blackknight family. It cleared a lot of things. If he thought about it, it only made sense that it was the truth.
First, Edward was talented, educated, and was already a professional who was being handed these important operations. Eric's status for this Paris operation had already grown to the highest due to it being so mysterious but so important that the four great bodies had sent their personnel. It wouldn't have happened if it wasn't something big.
He had to need a lot of resources. With his family's support, he could get them all easily. Even if it was a little hard, it was much better and easier than those with no force or background behind them.
The Blackknight family presides over the Dimension Pathway. They have the most resources belonging to this pathway. Even the Organisation, with a True Supernova of the Dimension Pathway as their leader, can't shake their millennia of foundation of this pathway's resources. Their characteristics are usually green or dark-green hair and eyes, and Edward looked exactly like them.
Edward then coughed a little and spoke, "I will not beat around the bush anymore. Second and third one, I have come here with no intentions to harm you both. I just want you both to make an alliance with us like you did with the Divine Karma. You can even join us in the future anytime if you'd like. Let me be blunt: the Divine Karma is not as trustworthy as you may think of them. They are evil pieces of shit who don't have much manpower and want to use you both as cannon fodder and juice out your worth. Their coward leader has even gone missing for over a thousand years and still has no idea where he went. He may have already died in a ditch somewhere. Who knows? The Divine Karma by now has already been divided into two factions and is in internal turmoil. With the pressure from the other three great bodies and the Organisation of today who are rising to power, they are in a sandwich and barely able to maintain their position. If not for the inheritance and arrangement their leader left them, they would have long broken down. They haven't even given you the relic that they promised till now, right? It screams their lack of resources.
"Compared to their shaky foundation, my Lumenia not only is much bigger but has firm foundations. They won't stint on giving you resources and will even protect your lives and safeguard not just you but even your family and other friends whom you hold close to your heart. I know that there is not much trust between us, so I will first show my sincerity. Unlike the Divine Karma, I won't make you wait.
"Not only that, you can continue to be in an alliance with the Divine Karma and even make an alliance with the Truth Seekers or if they ever come to invite you in the future, maximising your benefits and safety. I will advise you not to trust the Organisation as they have long shown their aggression towards you both."
Eric was quite shocked that Edward, this quiet person, had spoken so much. He could tell that this was desperation and anxiety. But why? He was just a Lysi Nova; his abilities were nothing much. Max was also the same. Why were these great bodies so desperate to pull them in? From what he had observed, Edward had not been able to tell about the presence of the Rank 0 relic in his pocket. The reason was because of the concealment power of one of the Hypernova angels in there.
He also didn't seem to know anything about the voice in his head too. If he knew, it would be one of the things he would hint at for sure.
Taking his mind off that, he first decided to make Edward show his sincerity. By sincerity, Edward meant, "I will give you a relic for free." After all, giving a free relic was the best way to show sincerity.
Eric put his left hand on his chin and thought for a few seconds. There were a lot of options. Lumenia was huge and the Blackknight family had no shortage of relics, but he needed a relic he needed the most at this time. Suddenly a light of inspiration glowed in his mind as he was thinking. He raised his head, looked at Edward, and said,
"I would like a Rank 4 relic that can change my appearance, most ideally from the Deceiver Pathway."
Edward nodded at his request and raised his right arm as a green light came out of his hand and caused a spark in the air, making a dimensional rift. In which he put his hand and searched for a few seconds, as if trying to grab something. After a few seconds, his eyes widened as he pulled back his hand. In his hand, there was a silver mask that was as big as Eric's face, perfect to put it on his face.
Edward put the silver mask on the table and pushed it to Eric, who picked it up and started to take a look at the mask. He liked it a lot.
"It is a Rank 4 relic of the Deceiver Pathway with the ability to change your appearance. Not only that, it can even change the colour of your liquid, but only the primary one. The other details can be found out after you put your golden liquid in it. It doesn't have a name yet. Since you are its owner, name it," Edward said.
Eric thought for a few seconds before his lips curled in a small smile. He named the mask,
"Truth."
Edward chuckled as he commented, "An ironical name, haha."
Edward gazed at both of them and asked a question, "You both don't have a bodysuit, right? It is one of the most basic things people like us should have. It is made up of a special silicon mixed with other rare clothes and fibres to create a skin-tight bodysuit of any colour the person likes. Not only can it be worn underneath different clothes without any problem, it helps to increase the rate of control on your liquids. It is a huge help."
Eric gave a sad laugh as he commented, "You are right, but only the members of the four great bodies get these bodysuits and the rest are sold. People like us who have never left Earth simply can't buy them. Even if we can, I never thought I needed them that much."
Edward stared at Eric for a few seconds before saying, "It is alright. I will arrange custom bodysuits for you two. Just treat it as thanks for making an alliance. Now, shall we exchange contacts?"
Eric nodded and they quickly exchanged contacts using the golden strings after taking out their golden liquids.
After that was done, Edward nodded and with a smile, removed the green wall, bid his farewell, and teleported away.
Max and Eric also sighed and took in a breath of relief. Eric put Truth in his right pocket, where the Imperator's Cross wasn't, as they also took out their golden liquid and teleported out.
…
Edward was in the sky. Behind his back, there were two green wings made up of green flame as he looked down at Paris. He was thinking, "These two were way too relaxed for someone being alone with a Hypernova. They may have a Hypernova of the Divine Karma looking out for them, but can they trust him fully? I also got a huge premonition of danger when I thought of hurting them. These two are definitely not simple. No wonder I was told to at least make an alliance with them as soon as possible."
With that, he flew away out of earth.