Choices.
At times, one could make a choice based on their own volition, and at other times, one’s hand was forced to make a choice.
At this moment, just as the dust began to settle.
Just as the survivors of Carthage began settling into the Sacred Gold Mountain while planning for the future.
The earth shook and tumbled once more, seemingly even heavier changes than before taking place as outside the scope of the Sacred Gold Mountain, the earth roiled and stretched out rapidly while a gray mist of deeply condensed Energiea began to blanket over and obscure many things.
From this mist, auras of life bloomed as with a flash of spatial brilliance, thousands began to appear across the rapidly expanding earth.
It was a chaotic phenomenon filled with the unknown as the moment it began…
SAA!
The figures of Claire and others appeared near the edge of the Sacred Gold Mountain where Alexander was.
Claire had a tired expression as she looked at all of these changes while shaking her head.
“What now?!”
They had barely a few hours of settling in.
Not even a day had passed after they created this refuge as now, even greater changes seemed to be occurring!
Alexander had a difficult expression as his mind that was about to make the decision on where to allocate Ruler’s Covenant Authority onto his Gem Constellations came to a stop.
He looked at the rapidly expanding earth and mist coming to blanket the lands as in the far distance, he could see the outline of another mountain rising, but what worried him the most…were the auras of lifeforms that came with these changes.
Each one seemed striking and potent.
Each one felt foreign.
And worst of all…
ROAR!
A booming roar echoed out within the roiling mist that caused Claire, Anastasia, and others to turn numb.
The figure of Alexander’s father and the past Branch Leader Axel who also just arrived behind them became ashen as their bodies felt a heavy pressure, their knees buckling as they fell to the floor!
It was a roar that could innately oppress the weak and make them unable to even stand.
Even Claire and Azazel were supported by Alexander’s power as they, along with the others under the banner of the Minion King Gem Recipe and the Undead Minions were the only ones capable of still standing tall!
But as each of them heard this roar, their faces shook as they prayed it would not come towards this direction.
“Father, the rest of you stay back. Climb as far inward into the Sacred Gold Mountain as possible, and only come out after things have settled.”
Alexander voiced out grimly as vines erupted from the ground and wrapped around his father and Axel, dragging them back towards the mountain as he also turned towards Claire.
“You don’t have to stay. I can’t guarantee anything from here on out.”
His voice was firm as truly, he could not with confidence say what would happen to them from here.
Because the roar they heard was the roar of a Ruler.
And unlike others, Alexander could more distinctly feel the tremors of the earth and knew it was getting closer!
And yet…
Claire looked at him with a hint of defiance in her eyes as she shook her head.
“Where you go, I go.”
…!
Her words were simple as Alexander could only sigh and prepare, because at this moment…
BZZT!
The mist near the Sacred Gold Mountain seethed as a massive figure broke into the clearing, stepping onto the green gold leaves of the Sacred Gold Mountain as if it was sniffing for the aroma of life force, and it finally found it!
A massive figure.
It was more apt to call it a behemoth!
Towering over 100 meters, it was reptilian in nature as it looked like a mythical dragon from sheer fantasy.
Black scales that glinted with vibrant light. Crimson eyes that held great intellect and brutality within them!
Wide spanning black wings that stretched out and covered the figures of Alexander and others entirely as the eyes simmering with intellect and brutality looked at them.
And before this massive beast…its jaws opened as waves of Energiea echoed out to make a sound.
[Where is this?]
…!
A powerful voice.
A commanding voice.
It didn’t resound like a normal voice as it was carried by waves of Energiea to become akin to a universal language anyone could understand.
It was the action of carrying one’s words through Energeia!
Something that weak entities could not do.
In front of such an entity, Alexander’s very being felt a sense of trepidation as he sighed and spoke out, adding as much energy into his words as he could to aid in understanding.
“This is the World of Ephesus. As natives here, we seek no conflict.”
WUU!
His voice was carried by the wind.
It went towards the titanic Black Dragon whose body radiated the terrifying pressure of a Ruler, with the eyes of this being showing their serpentine pupils flashing with brilliance as its jaws curved into a smile.
[Eph-esus? Interesting. I would ask you how we were forcefully teleported here, but you all are Lifeforms that haven’t even touched upon Covenants yet, so you would not know anything about this…]
As it spoke.
THUMP!
It began to take large strides into the Sacred Gold Mountain, its head looking around as it even gazed deeper at the radiance of gold all around that was reflected in its eyes!
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Gradually, its eyes came to land on Alexander who was the only one to speak.
[What are you called, Little Human? Are you the attendant of the Ruler of this Sacred Mountain? Why won’t your Master come out to even exchange pleasantries with another Ruler?]
…!
Its callous eyes were proving carefully.
It didn’t know much about the lands it was in as it was gauging the level of power!
Alexander looked at this massive Black Dragon as beside him, Jujugan and the Tier 9 Undead Summon gathered around him, their bodies pulsing even in the face of death.
Alexander felt the heavy beat of his heart as he spoke out again.
“We are the natives here, and we do not seek any conflict with you. There is another Sacred Mountain a few miles from here, and many more Sacred Mountains stretched out across Ephesus.”
His voice was carried by vibrant Energiea as it allowed the Black Dragon to understand.
Yet when this being heard this, the smile on its jaws only became more cruel.
[You don’t want conflict? In life, nobody wants conflict.]
HUUM!
Around the black scales of the Black Dragon, obsidian flames began to burn as an utterly brutal aura of a Covenant began to wrap around this being.
[Nobody wants conflict, and yet somehow. Always. Conflict seems to always find you.]
The brutality within its eyes became clear.
[This is a nice mountain here. I think…I will take it. And you…you seem to be the only thing here carrying traces of a Covenant. So I will assume that you are the Master of this Mountain. I ask you, Young One, how do you wish to die?]
…!
Its words caused Alexander’s eyes to burn with regret as he shook his head.
Around the Sacred Gold Mountain, roars continued to ring out for nearby hundreds of miles as among them, those of multiple Rulers could be made out!
It foretold the shocking brutality to come, and the strength that would be needed to overcome it.
At this point, a choice had already been made for Alexander as within him, 7 Ruler’s Covenant Authority points were used up.
He could wait 7 days before he inherited the Covenant of Gold as the current Owner of the Sacred Gold Mountain.
If he sent the Ruler’s Covenant Authority, he could reduce this by 1 point a day!
He didn’t intend to do this.
But he wasn’t given the time. And the choice was made for him.
Inside his mind, words flashed briefly before everything in his vision was painted gold, and the serpentine eyes of the Black Dragon coming in the distance flashed with surprise!
[You have gained the initial Recognition and Understanding of the Covenant of Gold.]
[Covenant Authority begins to flow inside you for the first time, promoting you towards becoming a more advanced Lifeform.]
…!
Within Alexander, a terrifying light began to bloom- forced out by nothing other than desperation as a brutal enemy appeared before him- with many more seemingly crowding in the distance!