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The Automata Legion, Endless Empire, Holy Church, Risen, Valhal, Dragonflight Accords, United Tribe, and Altmar Empire… these factions were generally considered the most known and most powerful of the entire multiverse. Others did exist with close to their power, but they ultimately still fell short for several reasons.

Umbra’s Court of Shadows was certainly powerful, but not many would consider them a true peak-level faction. Their numbers were still somewhat limited, they did not establish huge territories they controlled, and while Umbra was a peak-level figure, she rarely appeared herself or got involved.

The same could be said for many other large factions. There did exist forces filled with elementals, the Starborn, beast alliances, and the Golden Road Emporium… all were incredibly powerful but still limited. Top-level, yes, but not true peak factions.

None would say the current Order of the Malefic Viper was one either. But that didn’t mean it had always been like that.

The best comparison to the Order of the Malefic Viper would be Valhal.

Valhal did have many members, yes, but they did not control huge areas, still making them limited. People were rarely born into the faction but joined as it aligned with their interests. This meant their resources were not at peak level, and their numbers were not even close. Overall, their territory was small, and their influence was limited. Even then, none would dare not put them on the same level as even the largest of factions. Because they had one thing that made them considered a peak-level faction:

Valdemar.

When a single man could stand before an entire empire, a single decree of war could make previously considered top-level factions crumble to dust in but a few years… who would dare argue? His fighting power and threat level as an individual was equivalent to a peak-level faction alone.

And that was why the Order was best compared to Valhal.

Many still remembered. Back in the seventh era, before the Viper had disappeared, when people discussed the most powerful individual, many names were brought up, and the Malefic Viper was always among them.

Then it happened. The Malefic Viper went on a warpath and showed no mercy as he slaughtered his way through a universe.

Eight Primordials had needed to get involved in stopping the rampaging Malefic Viper. Valdemar, Inmortau the Blightfather, the Holy Mother, the Starseizing Titan, Stormild, Eversmile, Yggdrasil, and Aeon Clok had all appeared. Eight Primordials had gone to calm one, a fight ensuing as a result.

None truly knew what had happened… all they knew was that none of the Primordials that had been involved made any public appearances or left their divine realms for over ten thousand years after the fight, with the Malefic Viper entering seclusion. Leaving in his wake the tenth of an entire universe destroyed and desolate still to this day, and presumably, eight Primordials injured so badly they didn’t dare leave the safety of their realms.

But… that was then.

Eighty-five full eras had passed. Every other faction had expanded, and every other Primordial had publicly grown in power, keeping their spots at the peak of the multiverse. They had all struggled, participated in events for the gods, trained their people, gathered Records, and slowly improved themselves. They had progressed and grown with the world, their power now incomparable to what it had been back then.

Meanwhile, none had heard anything about the Viper. His Order had merely persisted, still a respected faction due to the Lord Protector and its heritage, but it was no longer truly considered a high-level faction by the general public. Only in name would they call it that, out of respect for its Primordial founder and due to so many other peak-level factions considering it so.

So the big question everyone had before this big ceremony was as thus:

What kind of god would appear on stage? What kind of Primordial had reappeared? What Chosen would he have picked among the new initiates? Was he even sane?

Perhaps most importantly, they would come to discover… had the multiverse just gained another peak-level faction comparable to Valhal simply by virtue of their leader?

Or was the Malefic One truly just a shadow of the past, surviving on his name and heritage alone?

Jake appeared in a waiting room with everyone else, Sandy having been forced to shrink down to not get hurt. No way they would be able to break the structures within the Order of the Malefic Viper, as Jake guessed not even A-grades could punch through a wall there.

”Welcome to the Order of the Malefic Viper,” Viridia said when they arrived. ”Lord Thayne, you will be the main character together with the Malefic One during this event, and I hope you are ready.”

She then turned to Sandy and bowed deeply. ”I welcome the Chosen of the Lord Protector. It is my honor to be in your presence. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you, and I will-”

”Snacks,” Sandy said.

”Pardon?” Viridia asked, confused.

”Can you get snacks?” Sandy asked in a hopeful tone.

”Oh, most certainly,” Viridia quickly agreed to the space worm’s demands, and less than five seconds later, figures began teleporting in with piles of food and natural treasures.”

Sandy stared at the mounds of stuff for a few seconds. ”Viridia, right?”

”Yes, Lord Sandy.”

”You’re a good person, you know that, right?” Sandy said before squiggling over and vacuuming up the piles.

”It pleases me that the Chosen is satisfied with the offerings,” Viridia seemed relieved.

Jake looked at Sandy eating happily and reckoned they were probably the best kind of Chosen one could have. No annoying demands, and you could make them happy by just providing them with enough food, unlike Jake, who kept making trouble for anyone and everyone.

”When is the ceremony officially beginning?” Miranda asked.

”All the guests have arrived, and we should commence in five minutes where I will take the stage. You will then be brought there when the time is right, and your only jobs will be to just flare your presences. Don’t hide anything, but just be yourselves,” Viridia explained. ”Only Lord Thayne and Lord Sandy will appear during this initial part of the opening ceremony.”

She then turned to Caleb, Maria, Felix, and Miranda. ”I will shortly teleport the four of you to the front of the hall in which the announcement will take place. All of you will naturally be in positions as guests of honor, but as you are not party members of Lord Thayne, you will not be on stage.”

Miranda nodded. ”That is as expected.”

None of the others argued either, with even Felix on his best behavior. He seemed to have a lot of respect for Viridia and even called her a ”fellow servant,” to which she took no offense.

”Your majesty, you will appear when the Malefic One summons you, but I assume you have already been informed of this?” Viridia spoke to Vesperia.

”Yes, I was briefed before by your fellow Verdant Witch,” Vesperia nodded in confirmation.

”Great,” the Hall Master smiled. ”Let us proceed then. I shall teleport you four first.”

With a wave of her hand, she sent off the four who would not appear on stage and looked to the only people she had not spoken to directly yet. ”You three will be the party members of Lord Thayne at Nevermore, correct?”

Jake saw Viridia study them closely as if sizing them up. She barely looked at the King and seemed fine with Sylphie, but her gaze lingered for a while on the old man with a sword at his side. There were no comments, but she was definitely critical.

”That is correct,” the Sword Saint answered, seemingly aware of her gaze and judgment.

”Alright. You will all be brought out after the ordeal with the True Royal, where you will be announced as his party members. Miranda should have told you that you don’t have to do much there. Just make sure your Blessings are on full display.”

Sylphie made a cute screech as the Sword Saint nodded. The King didn’t say anything either, but then again, it wasn’t like he had a Blessing to display.

”I just want to forewarn you all, during the after-party, you may find yourself heavily scrutinized by those present. Many will doubt if you are fit company for the Chosen and his journey through Nevermore. This will mostly be done due to their wishes of inserting themselves or a member of their own faction into this party, so do not take it to heart. Just be aware you may end up challenged many times, and even if no fights happen, it may prove uncomfortable,” Virida explained.

”Interesting,” the Fallen King said in an amused tone. ”You truly believe they would challenge us?”

”Few would be foolish enough to challenge a Unique Lifeform or question its power, but the other two may face issues,” Virida answered him.

”Ree!” Sylphie said, welcoming anyone to dare challenge her might.

The Sword Saint only gave a light smile, not saying anything either.

Viridia nodded at their determination. ”In either case, I wish you luck. I shall take my leave now.”

She teleported away as Jake exchanged glances with the others. A screen appeared floating in the air a second later, displaying an utterly massive hall. The seating looked more like a stretching mountain range than a place for people to stand or sit. Hundreds of sections were made, and Jake couldn’t even begin to comprehend the number of people he saw already there waiting.

”Earth’s entire population could be on a single one of those stands,” the Sword Saint muttered. ”There must be trillions.”

Jake threw the guy a glare. The old man didn’t give off the slightest hint of nervousness.

Thanks for pointing that out, sure gonna help my stage fright… Jake cursed internally as he saw Viridia appear in the middle of the stage, the attention of trillions turning to her.

Helenstromoz greeted Albaromoz as she joined the A-grade on one of the stands reserved for the Draconian Accords. She saw people from every single Dragonflight present. The Emberflight, Azureflight, Regalflight, Stormflight, Darkflight, Lumenflight, Terraflight, Silverflight and the Wildflight. All of them had S-grades among their representatives, showing the amount of support the Accords had decided to display towards the Order. Even the stuck-up Regalflight, the golden dragons, had made an appearance despite their endless arrogance, which often was too much even for other dragons.

”Do you believe the rumors are true?” Helen asked Albaromoz. ”That the Malefic Dragonkin, Draskil, is truly the Chosen of the Malefic Viper?”

”It is possible, yes, but I find it doubtful,” he shook his head. ”The dragonkin was powerful, but I have seen other Chosen of less impressive gods. He does not quite compare in other domains than pure fighting prowess.”

”So you think it is someone that has perhaps not publicly appeared in the Order before now?”

”With the influence of the Malefic One, he could have easily hidden anyone if he so desired, so that is entirely possible,” Albaromoz said, shaking his head. ”It truly is difficult to say, but I believe he is in the Order. Didn’t you hear about the young master from the Azureflight?”

”Wait, did he truly…?”

”Yes, he was punished by the Malefic One, and I see no other explanation than it being related to the Chosen,” he explained. ”The fact that the Malefic One acted also makes me believe his Chosen is indeed still early C-grade. If not, the Chosen would have handled the dragonkin himself.”

”Hm,” Helen nodded. ”Perhaps you are right, and it simply isn’t someone public-facing yet. Something like creating a True Royal cannot be an easy matter and must have taken a long time and even more focus and talent. Isn’t it entirely possible he is a dedicated alchemist?”

”That I find unlikely, the Malefic One has always been known as someone emphasizing fighting power,” Albaromoz disagreed.

Helenstromoz was unsure what to say as they simply waited for the ceremony to begin. The hall was filled, and she felt practically every faction that tended to be on friendly terms with the Order present, including a few new ones. Seeing the representatives from the Automata Legion and Endless Empire was especially surprising. Not that they had shown up, but with how many they had come with. They were likely the two biggest groups.

”Valhal truly didn’t arrive,” Helen muttered after a while. She did not see them in the territory for peak-level factions.

”I guess the rumors are true, then,” Albaromoz shook his head. ”The Order and Valhal were never on good terms, and many say Valdemar still carries a grudge against the Viper after their last encounter, even to this day. Seeing as they didn’t even show up with even the smallest delegation, things can’t be good. Even the Holy Church has at least a few diplomats.”

”Will an actual conflict break out?”

”I don’t know, but if it does, the Draconian Accords will stay far away. All I can say is that things don’t look good,” the A-grade dragon sighed. ”Ah, it is beginning now!”

Helen turned her head and saw that the Hall Master of the Order had indeed appeared on the stage below. A massive screen appeared above the stage, displaying it so even those with lower Perception could see everything.

”I, Viridia of the Verdant Lagoon, Hall Master of the Order of the Malefic Viper, bid you all welcome,” her voice echoed throughout the massive hall as she spoke. ”I welcome you, and I welcome a new future for the Order of the Malefic Viper.”

”The Order has long been stagnant, long nothing but a shriveled reminder of its previous glory. No more. Our Patron, the Malefic One, has returned and already begun making himself known to the multiverse once more. Know this is only the beginning. Today, I stand here as the sole Hall Master of the Order, but soon more Halls as come as we expand beyond the first universe. I hope that the day we do so, you will all welcome us as we welcome you today. With that said, I know none are here to listen to my ramblings. You are here to finally see the two new Chosen of the Order… and listen to the words of the Malefic One himself. So, without further ado…”

A giant black swirling gate opened up in the middle of the stage, pulsating with power.

”It is with honor and privilege I present to you, the Chosen of the Lord Protector, Lord Sandy, the Cosmic Genesis Worm!”

Out of the gate floated a giant mass that Helen didn’t recognize right away. It was some kind of monster, that was for sure. This Chosen did not look particularly threatening or scary, but she still felt something odd as she looked at it.

A magic circle on the stage activated, and the aura of the creature was amplified and spread throughout the hall for all to feel it as if they were standing on stage themselves. The unquestionable presence of a Chosen washed over all of them, mixing with the actual presence of the worm it belonged to.

Strong, Helen concluded. She instinctively knew that despite appearance, this was a peak-level creature.

”The fabric itself bends to the will of the Chosen… it is almost as if space itself is of different property in their vicinity,” Albaromoz muttered, partly for her to learn. ”I have never heard of such a variant either.”

”A fitting Chosen for the Hydra,” Helen nodded.

”Yes, I do believe so,” the dragon agreed. ”Their Paths appear to aligned too, both focusing on concepts related to consumption.”

Chatter was heard all around, but the general consensus was one of approval. The giant cosmic worm was a fitting choice for the Boundless Hydra. A powerful beast filled with talent and of an unknown variant that was clearly incredibly powerful. The only weird thing was that the Lord Protector had blessed a C-grade, but considering it was his first in so long, most didn’t question it. People did wonder if this was a variant of the new universe, as it was so unknown, not knowing they would soon get their answer.

The Chosen of the Lord Protector moved to the side of the arena as Viridia spoke once more.

”Many of you are likely left with questions regarding the variant race of Lord Sandy. Perhaps some are even asking themselves if perhaps the Chosen of the Malefic One, the figure behind the re-emergence of the Vespernat True Royal Lineage, played a hand… I can confirm that suspicion.”

More chatter filled the halls as Helen’s eyes opened wide. ”How is that possible?”

”I do not know… but if that is the truth, then I think we may have underestimated this ability,” the dragon answered. The Emberflight did have a meeting regarding this entire True Royal ordeal but had concluded the ability had to be unbelievably limited. So limited none from the Draconian Accords had a chance to make use of it. However, If he had already done it twice now…

”Do know that this doesn’t mean it is something the Chosen can do on command. The system still demands balance, and there is a price for every action. Before you dare to approach the Order or the Chosen, be confident you are willing to pay this price and respect when he is not,” Viridia said sternly, clearly warning all those present who were forming machinations in their minds.

The Hall Master let the words linger a bit before she spoke once more. ”I believe there is no reason to further delay. I invite the Chosen to enter the stage!”

Energy cracked as the gateway spun to life once more. Soon, a figure began emerging, and Helen was practically at the edge of her seat to see who the Chosen was.

The first thing they saw were two glowing eyes in the swirling darkness of the gateway. Helen concluded it had to be some kind of monster, perhaps a dragonkin, but then a leg exited. Boots on humanoid feet. The form was slowly revealed as Helenstromoz thought this humanoid looked familiar.

”It can’t be,” the A-grade beside her shook. ”It’s him?”

Wait… impossible! How?

She also realized who he was as the Chosen stepped towards the magic circle.

”Behold, the Chosen of the Malefic Viper! Jake Thayne!”

Silence roamed as frowns formed after many correctly saw he was a human. None had expected this… perhaps it would have been a snake, likely a dragonkin, or in rare cases, some other beast. But not a human. Doubt had begun to sprout, questions were forming, and disbelief was rampant.

And then he stepped on the circle, a wave of his presence blasting through the halls, instantly washing away all doubt and shaking Helen to her very core as she and everyone else realized what stood before them.

An apex predator.

No…

The monster who hunts them.