"Make sure to follow your [Domination Detection Watches]; there's not a single minute to lose after that shitty introduction," Oliver groaned, throwing a pointed look at Ed.
"I'll work twice as hard, boss!" Ed snapped into a mock military pose before activating his boots.
With a burst of energy, he sped toward the next room, the door sliding open for him automatically.
"See you all in two hours," Tia said nonchalantly, grabbing her hammer and heading toward the same door.
"Give me thirty minutes, and I'll be done," Alexis added, his confidence radiating as he followed suit.
"..." Unity just shook her head, then began flying.
Stark watched them go, his curiosity piqued. They were all heading in the same direction, toward the same place. Why?
"That's the [Teleportation Room]," Oliver informed him as he grabbed Stark by the arm.
"..."
Oliver hoisted Stark effortlessly, as though he weighed nothing.
Stark didn't resist, not because he couldn't but because he wanted to observe what was happening.
[Yo.]
This time, his classes weren't answering one of the others' talk, but were speaking to Stark himself.
As he was being transported to the [Teleportation Room], a figure appeared in his vision.
It was a familiar one: a mix of every one of his classes, its color a mix of red, golden and blue.
That figure was wearing a lab coat, had the [Soul Heart] in front of it, an incubus tail and horns, a golden halo on top of its head and a vortex of color in its eyes, with pupils the shape of a crucifix.
[These cuffs are capable of restraining a normal Domination user,] the figure said, its voice smooth and confident, [But there are five of us in here. We can break free whenever you want.]
The figure's lips curved into a knowing smile.
'Good to know,' Stark thought, his expression neutral.
At least now he understood that he wasn't entirely powerless. Still, Oliver was a level 200 classifier, far above Stark's current level.
Even if Stark could break free, there was no guarantee he'd survive the fallout. For now, patience was the smarter choice.
The commanders were clearly gearing up for something major, and despite his usual snark, he knew this situation was far from ordinary.
Even the other commanders looked perplexed, as if this didn't happen often.
As Oliver carried him toward the [Teleportation Room], Stark raised an eyebrow, "Do you often have to intervene, doesn't look plausible to me."
Oliver ignored the comment, his focus unwavering.
The [Teleportation Room] came into view, and Stark's eyes widened.
[Entities: 11]
[4 in Fellarburg]
[2 in Lampod]
[3 in Ostount]
[1 in Braemont]
[1 in Veldoria]
"So I guess we're heading to..." Stark began.
"Veldoria," Oliver finished for him. His tone was grim. "That's where Clever's transformed form is. He's the strongest among them all. Even the other commanders wouldn't stand a chance against him."
Clever was already extremely strong in his human form, regarded as one of the strongest in the real world with his giant golden statue.
But now in his transformed form, where he didn't care about anything but chaos and death; it was a disaster.
"And to answer your earlier question," Oliver continued as they approached the Veldoria platform, "we don't usually intervene. Most monsters come from first- and second-domination trials, and the classifiers can handle those on their own."
This meant that, usually, the monsters could be easily dealt with by classifiers that had completed their respective trials.
"So this is... different?" Stark asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Yes, only around 3 to 4 third domination trials happen every year, meaning we have an extremely low number of people who have the power to deal with those."
Removing the high amount of deaths from these trials, you shouldn't forget the fact that in the majority of cases, every classifier inside dies.
"The power of the transformed monsters depends on the level of the trial, and thus, participants that were transformed inside a Death-Level trial are world-ending abominations." Read exclusive adventures at empire
Remember during the first trial, when the participants were transformed?
They were only level 15, meaning around level 100 classifiers.
Yet, as they were coming from a Death-Level Trial, their power and strength had been boosted to the point where they could cause havoc.
It was scary to think about, and Stark didn't want to end like those... things.
"Anyway, we have to deal with the strongest one, try not to die," Oliver laughed for the first time, and he looked demonic.
Stark frowned. "How am I supposed to fight if I'm restrained?"
Oliver smirked, his expression darkly amused. "You'll figure it out."
Before Stark could protest further, Oliver stepped onto the platform, dragging Stark with him.
"Launch," he commanded.
A burst of blinding light enveloped them, and Stark felt the world around him shift.