Chapter 7 Even if I Die

Chapter 7 Even if I Die

The days passed swiftly. Every day, a new meeting would take place and the members of the family were briefed and prepared.

However, it wasn't until the very last day that everyone learned of the weight of what they were about to do.

This matter wasn't a joke, nor was it a game. It was one of the final opportunities they had to save Planet Earth, and the risk was proportional.

In these days, the family didn't train them. It was useless. What progress could someone with no fighting experience make in a mere week or so?

Even Sylas knew that this was a great weakness of his. He was at best an amateur boxer, and that was if he was generous with himself. All he had in his favor was his athletic build and decent stamina.

Sylas wondered why they wouldn't have just called them over sooner, but then he realized that they already had. They had spared as much resources as they were willing to on the matter.

They, the members of the Grimblade's branch families, were mostly ill-prepared, but was the same true of Lucius, Malachi, and Astrid? What of their direct subordinates?

This was a clear dividing line.

Calling them back was for nothing more than bolstering their administration with those intelligent enough to know to return.

"Tonight," Lucius Grimblade began, "you will be given two choices. The first choice will be to enter the Aether Plane, and the second will be to remain here. If you pick the first, you will be thrown into a trial world, one where you're ill-prepared and have a better than 90% chance of dying. If you choose the second, you will be giving up on this chance and will have another option down the line to subordinate yourselves to a City Lord.

"The Grimblade family will not make this choice for you. Regardless of what choice you make, we will be of one family and of one mind.

"These are the last matters we need to explain to you. As for the rest, once the Ascension begins, everything else will fall into place.

"You are dismissed."

Lucius' words were much more forceful than Astrid's and he often spoke like a strict sergeant. His words were already laced enough with his intentions that he didn't need to make anything else clear.

And then the words appeared in his mind once again. Experiencing it for the second time, it felt so surreal. It was definitely only in his head, and yet with his eyes open, it felt like it had been inlaid into reality.

[Summon Ascension Initiating...]

[Summoned: Sylas Grimblade]

[Enter Trial Ascension?]

[Yes] [No]

Sylas' lip curled. They made it sound so nice.

Usually, a trial was supposed to be the easier version, the one where the training wheels would be on.

But this was the exact opposite.

In the Trial Ascension, the world would be stripped of all basic amenities, akin to Earth long before modern day.

After this Trial Ascension was concluded, many helpful things would be added, such as System Cities, where things could be conveniently bought and traded.

These were all differences drilled into his head by the Grimblades, likely to ensure that he wouldn't make the choice he was about to make.

Sylas smiled. "Even if I die, I'm sure I'll see something interesting first."

[Yes].

Sylas vanished... but Earth remained frozen in time, a state it would remain in until the Trial Ascension was complete.