New Game+

The tale was shocking. The two Aragarians confessed to everything. Their hesitation was immediately met by torture, and then the horrors and fears they felt from the Reapers Breath of Overcomers made them squeal. 

These men revealed shocking things about a world beyond them. It revealed the Aragarians, their world, their habits, the long history of the battles before World War Three. Their mysterious defeat and various information were mentioned. 

The Emperors gave several questions to confirm various things, which these two were forced to speak. It revealed malevolent actions occurring within the world and pinpoint the organizations that are generally controlled by the Aragarians. 

The Emperors, Hermes, Amir Mann, the other Commanders were all caught in a daze after the two's explanations. 

It was the best proof presented that the Emperors and everyone else was stunned. 

But their stunned expressions did not end there. Arthur then revealed the Unlocking. He explained how a person could have developed technology with nothing but the brain in their heads and their bodies' cells. 

The Emperors were silent. They had long seen the theoretical frameworks that they have been trying to research. The science of Skin Suits has been a long-time romance that many Emperors chased after. 

After making the two Aragarians squeal the truth and convince everyone that an actual alien threat is alive, Arthur then began to go into the details of the information he needed. 

"Under which Presider are you?" 

"I am from Presider Gordon's team." The Commander answered. 

"How deep has the Pioneers and Presiders infiltrated the WGP?" 

"We haven't infiltrated it as we hope to. The WGP is strict. The only way is to marry our way in. But even that is not easy." The Aragarian glanced towards Chase. 

"So that's why my parents were so mad. They assumed that Chase is a Pioneer." Miranne could not help but realize that there was with reason on how paranoid his parents were. 

"How sure are we that he isn't a Pioneer?" Voyer accused. 

"His physiology. Aragarians have biology similar to ours, but their organs are inversely positioned. That's what Arthur meant by that their hearts are not in the right place." Cliff explained. 

"What if he's an Aragarian sympathizer?" Voyer accused again. 

"They don't do that. The most they will do is to make him a Programmed Slave. But Sammy said that he isn't as Richie scanned him during the battle." Roselyn smiled as she answered. 

"They see us as livestock. If you remember the many atrocities in Australia and even what occurred in Malay-Pangea was their doing. They harvest our organs, blood, do experiments out of us, and even make sex slaves. They don't' see us as equals. Isn't that right, Commanders?" Arthur turned towards the two who were shivering in fear. 

"As I expected, they couldn't infiltrate the higher levels of the WGP. But if they have two Commanders, one of the Kraken and another of the Atlantis, then I'm sure everyone can imagine just how deep their connections are on all nations." 

"Australia... Are they...?" Cort asked. 

"Yes. They are a nation driven by Aragarians. Seeker went there to create more havoc and pull out one Overcomer that he believes to be stronger than everyone in this room." 

"Master? Is that true?" Typical was surprised. 

Meng gave a simple nod. 

"Seeker claims that he is the Overcomer that no one can kill." 

"Interesting." Typical smiled. 

"The proofs are here before you. It is up to you to believe them." Arthur explained. 

Arthur gave the group time to talk it out. 

Amir had several questions, which were answered by Cliff. 

"Lowengren? So it was him! I'll have to teach that brat a lesson." Amir declared. 

Meng sneered while Typical shook his head. Rosa had a very complicated expression but did not voice out any concern. 

Grant had some questions about the Aragarian Pioneers while Irvana wanted to ask Arthur more about Seeker, but Dara stopped her, and the two began to argue. 

Chase and the Commanders finally made peace. The Admiral of the Kraken, James Mossle, continued to ask about the many things transpired in the Kraken and how they succeeded. With the recent revelations, they were no longer angry at each other but began to start and rethink their strategies. 

Arthur waited silently as he remained seated at the table. 

Cliff sat beside him and continued to enjoy his beverage. Amir had stopped pestering him and went for Meng and began to challenge him. 

"No wonder you wanted the Commanders and Admirals. These guys really know how to adapt." Cliff praised the Commanders. 

"You became a Hero." Arthur appraised. 

Cliff was silent. 

"Yeh. I think I understand what Seeker meant." Cliff sighed. 

"That's good. You even went ahead of Lynd." 

"Meryl's already a Hero?" 

"Since her battle with Typical. Lynd's too soft. But he should become one soon. Finally, Seeker made his decision." 

"Then I pity Lynd. The stronger a person is, the harder it would be for him to become a Hero. I can't imagine what dangers Seeker prepared for Lynd." 

"It's not just danger. Lynd will think that Seeker betrayed him." 

"You know, he had the impression that you would fight us. I'm sure it had something to do with Danny and Meryl getting closer." 

"He theorized that because he thought that was Seeker's way to make him stronger. He is very far from the truth. I do like Meryl, but that's it. My sister is more important." 

"What did Zeek plan for Lynd?" 

"On the last game, Seeker made Lynd reveal a portion of Peals of Thunder." 

"So I heard. But what about it?" 

"I designed it to draw many Overcomers to this side of the world. And as you can see, Grant Hermes, Amir Mann, Rai of the Blink Assassins, and Rayna Ashaka all took part in attacking the Kraken. But the truth is, there were more in this world that went elsewhere. I have information that another Near-Overcomer, self-proclaimed Hercules, is now in Pangea. And he's not the only one." 

Amir Mann turned a curious look at Arthur. 

"Hercules is in Pangea?" 

Arthur nodded. 

"To name a few. There are other Heroes in Pangea." 

"Why?" Cliff scratched his head. 

The conversation between Arthur and Cliff drew the attention of the Emperors. 

"Hercules. Code name for the bearer of the Might Project of Rome. He should be the Family head of the Ceasars. Octarion Ceasar." The Empress recalled. 

"Yes. I've set it as such to make Pangea appear to have a downfall. Harker is already informed." 

"A wise choice. The way things were, the WGP would pressure Pangea to tell them what they know. But if you create great chaos in Pangea, the WGP would have to try a more diplomatic approach and remove the suspicions to the sudden rise of power." 

"War in Pangea?" 

"Yes. And as I explained, at the very center of it all, is Lynd." 

"Lynd?" 

"He will be at the center of the battle, of course. Three potential heroes, with their forces, and a Near Overcomer along with his army, will be chasing Lynd." Arthur calmly explained. 

Cliff was surprised. But unlike before, in which he would be shocked, he simply nodded. 

"Makes sense." 

"Arthur. It's about time you tell us what the Aragarian's plan now. You've got the information you needed." Meng asked as he noticed the small talks ended. 

"Yes. We must have an action plan. After this battle, the Aragarians will surely-" 

"The Aragarians will do nothing. I guarantee it." Arthur interrupted Cort. 

"What? Why? One of their strongest men was attacked and with the report that he will give-" 

"The report he will give will be minimal. I have always been working with a certain assumption in mind. Aragarians live in a very interesting society. Imagine the days of old. Planteds are the Slaves. The Pioneers are the Freemens. The Presiders could be a knight or a noble. And a Principal could be a duke. And eventually, these Primordials are kings. Instead of land, money, they seek techs. The more technology you have, the higher you rank in society. And what these two just said proved it." 

"Arthy, Why aren't we killing them? You're already talking about a lot of things that they shouldn't hear." Danny finally asked. 

"Why kill them when she can have them?" 

"She?" The Empress asked. 

"Long story." Arthur said, deflecting the question. 

"I have already calculated what will transpire after this. Pridgeon would have succeeded in killing the Presider." 

"What?!" The two Aragarians exclaimed. 

"Ever since we fought him and made him see both Lowengren and her, he has been obsessed with that mission. But after I learned about the Lost Primordial, I calculated that he would have also found out about it. This would explain his weakness." 

"You mean, knowing the Lost Primordial is the reason why he is weak as compared to the rest? But these two just admitted that this Crostfree is among the stronger Presiders that even their boss fear." 

"Yes. But don't you see? They used the word fear. There is conflict within the Presiders. They will do anything to acquire techs and grow stronger. That is the law of the jungle in their world. Yet why is Pridgeon so weak? Why is he so weak that even Pioneers could kill him?" Arthur challenged. 

"Right. After seeing the power of Crostfree, I wonder why he was so weak." Typical added. 

"Remember that in China, a mere bomb nearly killed him. There has to be a reason for it. And I believe that reason is the Lost Primordial. What do you think is the Lost Primordial's greatest achievement?" 

"The Unlocking." Several voices answered together. These were Meng, Lennox, and most who were already Unlocked. 

"Correct. Being a Primordial, he must have had all the technology that Presiders and even principals had. And somehow, he was able to compile all that technology and implant it into the human body. In short, the Unlocking is the pinnacle science that the Aragarians have. Using that as a basis, I began to analyze the suit of Pridgeon. He must have been confident that no earthly weapon could understand it, but he did not expect that my father is here." 

"You were able to analyze a Presider's suit?!" The Commander somehow forgot the many wounds in his body. 

"Just barely. But I found out that his suit has something that makes it similar to what we already have. It bears a resemblance to the cells of Lynd and Seeker." 

This information shocked the Unlocked. 

"In case there would be mind-controlling weapons used for this mission, I kept it a secret even to Seeker himself. But now, it's time to reveal it. Pridgeon's suit has that very same science in it. But that begs the question, why would such a suit be among Presiders? My answer? It should be something that they can only acquire. These two commanders explained it. A Judges Claim." 

"You mean to say, Pridgeon used a Judges claim to acquire the power of his suit." 

"Yes. But I don't think it's something as amazing as it sounds. Going by their explanations, you can get technology from it. But there were also other things such as information or even weapons. I believe that his suit is a weapon. And it is a weapon that he cannot fathom." 

"Then what is this weapon for?" Hermes asked. 

"A weapon that allows him to steal other technology," Lennox answered. 

"It fits the requirement. The rise to reach the next level is impossible. Psychological analysis of Pridgeon's behavior when we first captured him reveals his a very desperate and ambitious person. " 

"Then the other Presider's must have known this," Meng added. 

"That Crostfree was very careful. I don't think he would have allowed himself to drop his guard against Pridgeon. The weaker he is, the more suspicious it would be." 

"Yes. Except that Pridgeon had a habit of dying already." 

"I get it! The first encounter we had with Crostfree during the battle in China must have convinced Crostfree of Pridgeon's weak strength!" Cliff realized. 

"Exactly. Because of that previous event, Pridgeon was able to fool Crostfree. It might have been a short second, but in that quick second of weakness, he died. " 

"But this is all based on calculations and approximations! These aliens must have 

"I have been keeping an eye at Pridgeon during the entire battle. I knew he was putting up a show. I've seen Lowengren and fought him so I can tell lies like the one he did. He was intentionally making Crostfree think that he was weak. And even during the end of the battle, he did as I expected. Am I right, Greydon? Did he willingly allow himself to get hurt with the last explosion?" 

"Yes. He could have moved faster, but he chooses to delay it." Meng answered. 

"So I'm sure that right now, he must have killed Crostfree and acquired his tech. But he is not reckless. If he did that, he must do it in a way to deceive his fellow Presiders. So when he kills Crostfre, the others will probably think that it was the Seeker or Meng who killed him." 

"That's why you made Seeker say those words." Meng gave a rare smile. 

"Yes. If the Lost Primordial legacy is here, it will make the Aragarians convinced that there is a powerful force that could threaten them. And since Seeker's words implied that two groups are fighting here, it would cause the Aragarians to wait and watch temporarily." 

"Why? What gives you the confidence to assume that?" Amir Mann asked. 

"Because I tread the Lion's Den. I tread the Path that can know the future." 

It was a simple answer, but it was one delivered with extreme confidence. 

"Pardon my unbelief, but it's very hard for an old man like me to believe in soothsayers and mediums." Grant Hermes supported Amir Mann's challenge. 

"I am not a soothsayer. I am a Prophet. But to ease your fears, let me tell you why I am confident. My father's attack to attack half of the Pangean army wasn't just to bring half an army here. It was designed to create an illusion. The Aragarian's will think that someone among them has betrayed them." 

"When we attacked the Presider, Seeker made it look like we thought that Crostfree is the Lost Primordial. Which means, the Aragarians think there is a mysterious third party." Greydon Meng revealed. 

"Yes. And this was timely presented when my father attacked and destroyed half of the Pangean fleet with technology that has never been seen before on Earth. The new technology will make the Presiders question its source. Since the Unlocking comes from a powerful tech, then every Path that we have is linked to science that the Aragarians may already know." 

"What do we do now?" Grant Hermes was the first to ask. 

"Build an army. Build a base Pangea has already been approved to build a massive fortress. We use that as a means to hide the Leviathan." 

"Hiding a tree by putting it in a forest." Austin could not help but commend. 

"We will soon enter a world of great battles. But most of you won't fight in it. Unbecoming and Inhumans will fight those battles as a training ground for them. As for the rest of you, you will be training in a different means. But we all must use this time to build teams and armies and prepare for the great war ahead." 

"What about Seeker? Where is he?" Irvana finally asked. 

Far away from the Leviathan, in the rocky cliffs at Australia's shore, a figure emerged from the waters. 

Seeker's figure was strange. He walked on the beach's shores and looked towards an Australian base that was to his west. This base was destroyed during the previous attacks made by the different nations that fought against Australia. 

"General Seeker?" A young boy sat at the stony beach and called out to the figure that was walking. 

"You must be Matthew of the Twelve Disciples." Seeker smiled. 

"Yes, Sir." 

"I sensed that you were busy with all the havoc we caused on the Kraken." 

"Yes, Sir. The commotion you made allowed us to infiltrate the base and kill all the officials. They believe that we are the assigned officers of that base. Fort Redhill is yours to command." 

"Good. I need an army to fight him." Seeker's expression turned serious. 

"He should have sensed me by now." 

Somewhere in the heart of Australia... 

A man was casually watching the news on the rooftops of one shabby-looking house. The man had a thick beard, glasses, and had several barrels of alcohol to his side. 

"Oh, boy. Look's like one of them is here.. Hrm? Is he looking this way?" The man frowned.