Reaper of the Martial World

Book 12: Chapter 74: Void Surge (2)

“… Did we hear you clearly, Tier 3 General Tovias…?”

“I don’t like repeating myself. There’s been a draft for this Star Segment. The Spiritual Sages have predicted a Surge is coming. Your Dark Flame bubble world will take part in this.

“The draft list has already been sent to you in advance. It was taken directly from only those who have registered to the Void Army. This is part of the job.”

Patriarch Nightwell’s expression turned downcast.

He had been preparing to receive youths from a rival bubble world just today, but he had never expected that their arrival to come with this sort of news.

Their rival, the Violet Meteor bubble world, had of course come with their group of three geniuses, escorted by an elder of their Clan. It was already a slap in the face enough that they only sent a mere elder as though this service was owed to them, but to also come with a Tier 3 General of the Void Army to conscript his daughter away was a level even more shameless than anything he could have possibly expected.

While it was true that conscriptions in times of hazard were not uncommon, how was it possible for a Surge to be coming without him, the Patriarch of the Nightwell Clan, not being informed about it? And on top of that, there were several unwritten rules when it came to conscriptions, one of which most definitely protected a Clan genius on the level of Crystella.

Youths would serve in the Void Army, but their locations would be carefully selected by their families so that they could enter a branch network already outfitted with much of their Clan. That way, a path of succession would be clear and if any deaths did occur, they wouldn’t be avoidable deaths like being sent to the frontline as cannon fodder.

The idea that a Tier 3 General would descend to conscript his daughter personally was beyond ridiculous, especially with the reasonings that were being used.

For context, a Star Segment was defined as a network of bubble worlds that had a semi-collaborative ecosystem between them. It wasn’t as defined as a quadrant having 100 universes, for example. Instead, it was loosely defined as a self-sufficient region of the Immortal Plane. Even if they were cut off from everything else, they could not only survive, but also maintain their current level of power and strength for several generations.

To put this in even greater view, a Star Segment being larger than the entire mortal plane, even back when its universes were too numerous to count, wasn’t a rare sight at all!

Yet, a single Surge could completely wipe out a Star Segment. This was what kind of disaster it represented. The idea that he as one of the rulers of this Star Segment would have no idea about this event left him brewing in a rage.

“Father-in-law, there’s really no need to be so angry. General Tovias has been a loyal member of our Clan’s Void Army Succession Path for a long while now. It will be no different from Little Crystella marrying into her future family. This is a good thing.”

“… Boy. I suggest you watch your tongue when you’re before me.”

Patriarch Nightwell fumed, his oppressive aura nearly choking the handsome young man in violet robes who had spoken.

Tovias clapped his palm over the young man’s back, alleviating the pressure he had been feeling.

“I suggest that you stay your hand.” He said, turning to Patriarch Nightwell. “You know well that I have no ability to force a conscription without proper cause. Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant, I have the order right here.”

Patriarch Nightwell’s jaw set. His wife gripped the arms of her throne so tightly the microscopic thread-like cracks began to run through them.

At that moment, a sudden burst rushed through the door. A frantic messenger rushed into the throne room. Judging by his erratic qi and his profuse sweat, it was no doubt that he had given his everything to get here as quickly as possible.

“Patriarch! Mistress!”

The messenger skid to his knees, having tried to kneel down so quickly that they forgot to stop their forward momentum. However, even with this being the case, and even as he continued to slide forward, he never stopped speaking even more a moment.

“The warning bells have been sounded! A Void Surge has been detected. In as little as three years, a tide of Void Beasts will pass through our Star Segment!”

Mistress Nightwell’s arm rests shattered, falling into a sprinkle of precious gems and metals off to her sides. Her ample chest rose and fell as face reddened with rage. If her eyes could spit fire, it would be exactly what they were doing now.

“Now that these things have been confirmed, you realize how time sensitive this matter is.” The elder of the boy’s Vio Clan finally spoke, having remained silent this entire time.

He looked even older than the retired patriarch, no different from a walking corpse. But, he still had a power to him that couldn’t be underestimated. The fact he was just a mere elder made the Nightwell Clan pair even more apprehensive.

“The faster you can allow young master Conan and his companions to see your world core, the better. We do not have time to waste.”

Conan touched his throat, coughing slightly as he sent a murderous glare toward Patriarch Nightwell.

“I’ll treat your daughter well.” He said with a sneer.

Just when Mistress Nightwell had had enough and raised a hand to kill the boy without thought for the consequences, a violent earthquake suddenly surged through their world.

Several heads snapped toward the direction of its source, shocked to find that that very direction was the very world core that the Vio Clan scions had come here to use.