MM - Chapter 116 - EPILOGUE BOOK 3

- Outside Vile Peak Town -

Lavigne was the last to arrive. Before seeing them, she felt two occupants within the small, player-built log cabin. She marveled for the thousandth time how perfectly this simulated world supported her mental ability. Lavigne immediately chastised herself for thinking of it as such.

Thanks to a fortuitous encounter on her second day of exploring ZionLine, she had taken the next step, a step she had been diligently striving toward for forty years. It was a mental ability no longer; she finally had a domain. Now that she did, her advancement to grandmaster was just around the corner. Another fifteen, no, with the profits from the time dilation, five years would be enough. Then, her enemies would pay for their arrogance.

A frustrating thought struck her. If she had come so far in such a short time, it was possible those waiting for her were the same.

Urgency pushed her forward, and she heeded its call. Upon pushing through the wooden door, she confirmed the identities of both men. Master Torune, whom she had faced twice in territorial duels, sat across a rectangular table from a young man that none in the Amaranth Territories would fail to recognize.

She took the only other seat, meeting the young man’s piercing gaze, “Damian Tafell, why did you call us here? Don't tell me you want to make reparations after all the disciples you've killed in these mountains…” Her gaze was heavy, and there was no way he could misunderstand the poisoned needle of deadly intent her domain held to his throat.

Feeling her mental pressure and knowing it for the domain that it was, Damian swallowed, hiding his fear well, “Yet that is what I intend to do. I realize your guilds have been in a tight spot because of me.” Both masters doubled down on the killing intent aimed at Damian. He pressed on quickly, “I wished to express my gratitude for the face you've given me and the phoenix clan by not breaking into Vile Peak Town when we were crippled.”

Master Torune—leader of the newly dubbed CronGate—harrumphed, “Only honorless dogs put food on another's table to poison their ancestors.”

Damian’s mouth opened and closed twice before he found words, “Uhh. Precisely... As I was saying, I've arranged ten thousand pieces of level ten equipment for each of you. A hundred are Lustrous Blue.”

Lavigne loosened the killing intent within her domain, though did not withdraw it completely, “While generous, it is insufficient to keep my DyingNight out of the passes. My warriors must progress, and my shareholders have invested too much for further stagnation to be acceptable.”

“Of course. Please also consider the passes open to both your guilds and their subsidiaries.”

Torune loosened his killing intent as well, suspicion coloring his tone, “There are no free meals in our world, nor this one.”

How can a master so shamelessly beg the Phoenix Clan for nutrition? What a disgrace.

Damian nodded as if Torune’s words were only natural, “There is one little favor I want. It's nothing much. I'm sure you especially, Master Torune, will be delighted to accept. All I want is for us to work together to bring a certain attention whore back to level zero. If we don't act soon, the consequences for our bottom lines will be beyond dire.”

Lavigne had a good idea of who Damian was referring to. Of the three, her guild had crossed the man the least and, hence, suffered the least damage. Originally, she planned to keep it that way, but a Phoenix Clan scion owing her a favor was a potentially priceless opportunity. 

As if Damian’s words were prophetic, fate chose that very moment to deliver them an auspicious declaration.

[Regional System announcement: Congratulations Alaric’s raid for being the first to clear a nightmare difficulty hierarch raid boss!]

[World System announcement: Congratulations Alaric’s raid for being the first to clear a nightmare difficulty hierarch raid boss!]

Damian’s face turned purple with rage, and his fist crashed into the table, “Damnit!”

Lavigne hid a smile, knowing well how to strike when the iron was hot, “I see your point about his attention-seeking, but I don’t understand how he could affect my profits. It is well known that the rentable office spaces are independent instances that cannot be influenced by outside forces. Since they are currently my only source of income…” She trailed off, the implication that Damian was at fault for her situation hung like a thick cloud.

With a ragged breath, Damian regained a semblance of composure, “It's true that regular sla-employees can triple their productivity with the basic office spaces in the starting zones. Stopping you from using them is practically impossible because of the town guards. There are a couple vital details you're missing.”

Seeing he had the complete attention of both peak masters, Damian pressed on with more confidence, “With access to Vile Peak Town and Silverlight City, your employees can reserve higher class offices with significantly greater processing power. However, there is a threat you cannot understand without first watching this.”

Damian sent them a VRVod of himself being blackmailed in broad daylight by a Silverlight City guard under the behest of Alaric. The threat of one-month imprisonment and the fine of five thousand gold had Lavigne and Torune clenching fists beneath the table. The threat was clear. If he could do that to a scion of the Phoenix Clan, he could, and would, do worse to them.

“As you can see, Alaric somehow has influence over the NPCs, and they certainly have the capacity to block all our companies from accessing the office spaces…”

In the last week alone, Lavigne’s software enterprises had doubled their productivity. Considering less than a quarter of her employees had access to ZionLine, the numbers were incredible. Her calculations on the time required to become a grandmaster relied on that increased income, specifically, on the nutrition it would purchase. It must not be threatened.

Fresh urgency colored her tone, “I'll graciously accept your proposal.”

Torune hid a vicious smirk behind steepled fingers, “Indeed, this Alaric’s next meal will be served cold.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear. But Master Torune, the reason I invited you here is multifaceted. Not only has Alaric been a thorn in your side, I’ve received reports that his origin town is Mirror Lake. As I’m sure you’re aware, that implies he’s from Carter City. I’ve already dispatched a group to find him.”

Torune’s eyes bulged, and his killing intent swelled. Only a day ago, the lowly mayor of the newest city he was set on acquiring demanded tax payments that his agents had worked hard to avoid. To learn the group behind Alaric might be responsible for that, too, was infuriating. His voice dripped with venom as he responded through clenched teeth, “One of my lead disciples is already preparing a big surprise for the city. If Alaric is there, we can use the chaos to flush him out.”

Lavigne frowned, interjecting, “Acting rashly before we know the identity of Alaric’s master is inadvisable.”

Damian’s fist came down on the table, “I don't care who his master is! If they dare to stand against the Phoenix Clan, I'll simply pay them off. Alaric must die, for all our sakes.”

Tannis Tafell and Arya Tafell

- Somewhere in ZionLine -

A lithe yet powerfully built middle-aged man walked casually through a dilapidated village. Despite being level four, he wore a basic level zero tunic and matching loose pants. His hands were clasped behind his back, posture relaxed as he strode with steady steps.

Arya walked three steps behind the man, as was proper when accompanying her patriarch. Two of the village’s denizens appeared. Both were level ten, powerfully built orange-skinned creatures that wielded clubs larger than her body. They roared, charging at the level four Tannis. The moment they came within five meters of him, their eyes burst, and whatever the monsters had for brains gushed from their sockets.

As they fell dead, golden lights surrounded Tannis, announcing that he had reached the fifth level. He paused, flexing his fingers in fascination at the feeling of his attributes suddenly rising. The air within five meters shuddered under the pressure of him flexing his demesne—the evolved domain of a grandmaster.

“Fascinating,” he mumbled.

Five more level ten monsters came rushing out of another nearby building. Tannis didn’t flinch at their arrival, nor did he murder them the moment they stepped within his demesne. He waited patiently, barely moving a muscle as they approached. Double his height and triple his thickness, their massive clubs looked like a sure death sentence.

They swung, yet missed by a wide margin despite him remaining perfectly still. It was as if they were trying to hit empty air, and he merely permitted them to do so. Between one blink and the next, Tannis vanished and reappeared before one of the hulking creatures. He casually tapped its stomach with a finger, and its entire body exploded into red mist.

Within three seconds, the others died in a similarly gory fashion. Tannis paused again, closing his eyes and lifting his chin toward the beautiful sky. Arya sensed his apprehension, not daring to interrupt his contemplations. Eventually, Tannis sighed, “This is most troubling, daughter. The strength of this body should make external force impossible. Yet, it functions flawlessly. Whoever created this place knew what they were doing. It’s almost like they wanted to lure me here. No. All of us.”

[World System announcement: Congratulations Alaric’s raid for being the first to clear a nightmare difficulty hierarch raid boss!]

Several minutes passed in complete silence after the message appeared. Tannis showed no signs of being bothered by it nor continuing his previous ruminations. Very much wanting to change the topic to something less dire, Arya used the notification as an excuse, “I was surprised you didn't want to see him fight Damian.”

Tannis clicked his tongue, “His techniques are rudimentary enough for a few cast-off core disciples to learn them in a matter of days. This Alaric is nothing special.”

Arya disagreed but wasn’t about to counter her patriarch’s declaration, “It's what he represents that could threaten us.”

Again, Tannis refuted her, “Not us. We made ample arrangements. It is good that our competitors are dragging their feet. Continue to purchase every new thetaband device produced. We will not allow them the chance to catch us. On that note: What of the plundered headsets?”

Before speaking, Arya checked her most recent communications to ensure there were no further updates, “The organization who stole them has been located and annihilated. Unfortunately, half the shipment was missing when we seized the cargo.”

Tannis started walking again, “Those devices belong to me! Find them. Time will only be on our side temporarily.

“As you command, My Patriarch.”

End of Martial Messiah Book 3

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