The Glorious Evolution

Sometime later... 03:00 sharp.

Levi, Arthur, Jojo, Nurah, and Shia were seen standing in the center of the High Council's auditorium.

"So big and authoritative... I can feel myself forced to be serious." Arthur marveled, his eyes looking all over the place.

The auditorium was a large and impressive chamber, designed in a semicircle with rows of rising seats like an ancient theater.

At the center was a circular platform where speakers stood, softly lit by light coming through a domed ceiling decorated with three designs: Sun, Moon, Stars.

Tall banners behind the Governor's seats representing each settlement hung along the dark stone walls.

As Arthur mentioned, the atmosphere was quiet and serious, with a faint scent of incense in the air.

Abruptly, a loud noise echoed in the auditorium as a gate was pushed open... Arthur and the others turned around and were left dazed at the sight of High Chancellor approaching them... Not alone.

Lord Idriss Morningstar, Ysara Blackthorn, Feng Ling, and lastly Hicham Rahma... The Leader of Lightbearer Alliance.

Then, they each went to sit on high-backed chairs in a slightly shadowed area, giving them an air of authority and distance.

Feng Ling remained standing, leaning against a wooden pillar with a shiftless expression... yawning once in a while.

"Our apologies for the sudden call... We have just finished convening on a serious subject involving the five of you." High Chancellor smiled kindly, his wrinkled face making him resemble an old husky dog.

Levi and the others nodded in understanding, keeping their mouths shut... Though Shia and Nurah didn't seem to care as much about respecting the Council.

"Dad, what are we doing here?" Shia asked straight to the point.

"Mom?" Nurah wondered too.

"Silence... The High Chancellor will explain everything." Madam Ysara said calmly.

"Fine."

Both girls went silent, waiting with their arms crossed... As daughters of two of the Big Four, they had interacted plenty of times with other leaders and the High Chancellor in gatherings and such from a young age.

Levi and Arthur didn't enjoy the same casualness.

"First of all, I would like to thank you personally for your efforts in taking down the Lord of the Broken Peak... It wouldn't have been possible without you."

High Chancellor Valemont gave them a formal three-finger salute, which all of them returned... tapping three times with pleased looks.

Getting praised by the High Chancellor wasn't an everyday moment.

"In fact... your performance was so good in the expedition, we believe you have nothing more to learn in the Training Center..."

Hearing this, Levi wasn't too surprised.

He knew that the moment they returned from the expedition, they would be allowed to graduate from the training center.

After all, it was silly to have Daywalkers capable of taking down Tier 3 elites and hundreds of other nightcrawlers still in school... With unofficial IDs.

Nurah and Jojo also thought the same.

Though slow as always... Arthur was the last to catch on.

"Wait, does that mean we are graduating already?" He asked, startled.

They had been in the center for no more than a month, and while others took six months minimum to three years, they were about to graduate before their beds could warm up.

"Your skills are well needed in the real world, and we believe we know the right place to harness them to their fullest potential." High Chancellor extended his hand, "Sir Hicham... You have the floor."

Hicham Rahma stepped up, his hands held behind his back.

Levi used his Harmonic Spine to paint Sir Hicham with frequencies, wanting a detailed appearance of him to be marked in his library.

Once he saw his appearance, Levi couldn't help but marvel at his prince-like visage... He looked young and breathtaking, carrying with him an air of coolness.

His hair was pure white and shimmered with a subtle icy hue that reflected light like tiny snowflakes... His left eye had taken on a pale silver-blue shade, glowing faintly in dim conditions... a sign of his cryokinetic adaptation.

Tracing along his neck and jaw were fine frost-pattern markings, resembling intricate ice crystals.

He wore a practical navy coat with the Lightbearer Alliance emblem on the shoulder and sturdy, polished boots.

Levi heard that he was in his mid-fifties... which was the reason he was left dazed for a moment, not expecting such a young, handsome face.

Sir Hicham manifested a hologram with a single bold title written on top:

-Global Earth's Raid Campaign.-

"How familiar are you with our planet's Raid Campaign?"

Then, he asked, his voice as pure as snow, matching his appearance, but not his age.

"Plenty..." Nurah's eyes sparkled in interest. "Don't tell me, you have decided to give it another shot? Wait, is it us? Are we the team?!"

"Dad, is she right?" Shia's eyes widened in shock.

"What are they on about?"

Meanwhile, Arthur was left to scratch his head in confusion... He knew much about the CRS Platform, but this new Raid Campaign was something he had never heard before.

"What do you even talk about with your nightcrawler?" Jojo rolled her eyes at him.

Just as Arthur was about to answer sarcastically, Levi nudged him with his hand... Not the right place.

"Global Earth's Raid Campaign... Or in short, The Great Campaign. If you consider the CRS Platform as a systemized invasion, then this Campaign is a Global event."

Sir Hicham began his explanation right away with a patient smile. He brought out videos and pictures on the hologram, each showing a Death Game consisting of Six nightcrawlers vs Six Daywalkers.

The event's description and details were above the videos and images, appearing as such:

//Global Earth's Raid Campaign:

Sponsored by:

The Duskbound Order (Conquerors).

The Solar Aegis Sanctuary (Raiders).

Overview:

The Global Earth's Raid Campaign is a high-stakes, worldwide tournament designed to pit the mightiest forces of the Raiders against the Conquerors in a grand display of strategy, power, and survival. The event gathers elite teams from across the world, clashing for two titles:

Supreme Warmongers for Conquerors.

Supreme Reavers for Raiders.

Participants:

Raiders Side: 8 teams selected from the fiercest Raiders, featuring Reaver-ranked teams.

Conquerors Side: 8 teams representing the most formidable conquest factions, deploying Warmonger-ranked Nightcrawler nests (Shadow Castle).

Entry Requirements:

Slots are strictly limited to 8 teams per side.

To qualify, teams must compete in the pre-tournament phase, earning points through raiding missions (Raiders) or territory conquests (Conquerors).

Only the top 8 teams from each Faction, ranked by total points earned, will secure a position in the tournament bracket.

The Event's Duration: Two Years... (Eighteen months for the pre-tournament phase, and six months for the tournament.)//

After everyone finished reading the details, Sir Hicham smiled and said, "This event changes nothing about how the CRS Platform works... Everything you win in a Raid is the same as doing it outside of the event."

"Then, what makes it so special?" Arthur wondered, the details not mentioning the rewards or such.

"There are three benefits... Two regional, and one individual." Sir Hicham disclosed softly, "First, the Raider team winning the tournament will award their home region with Radian Blessings... Doubling or sometimes even tripling the Holy Light's coverage in our region for a century free of charge."

"Huh? Is that possible? I thought the Holy Light's range expanded only after offering a certain amount of crystallized seeds." Arthur was stunned.

"That's the standard method... But, unfortunately, it's not achievable by our region... We barely have the manpower to keep the lights on." High Chancellor sighed, "Now, with the Sunstrike Agency's wipeout, we have gotten much weaker."

"Our experts estimated that our Holy Light will shrink by 5% in the upcoming decade if we keep at this pace." Lord Idriss shared solemnly.

Levi and the rest were left with stern expressions, realizing that if their region's Holy Light shrank by 5%, they would lose their crops, outposts, and maybe even some settlements, which would become too close to the new borders.

The entire region would be forced to adapt, and not for the better.

"We have sent our strongest Raider Squads from the Big Four Agencies a decade ago... Yet, all the squads failed to collect the necessary points to qualify... Two teams even got wiped out." Madam Ysara said indifferently, her arms crossed. "Ever since then, we have never tried to join."

"After watching the five of you, we believe you might not be strong enough to qualify now, but you have the potential to make it happen and maybe... Even reach the finals and bring it home."

"Nurah as the assassin... Arthur as the tank... Shia as the aggressor... Houda as the support... Levi as the strategist and the all-rounder." Sir Hicham added softly, "My daughter, Jasmine, will join you too to complete the six-member squad required... Don't worry, she can carry her own weight."

'Jasmine will join, too?'

Nurah and Shia were left surprised, somewhat familiar with Jasmine... She rarely made an appearance outside; most citizens didn't even know Lord Hicham had a daughter.

However, the two girls knew her true monstrous talents...

"So... do you have any questions? Doubts?" High Chancellor asked kindly, "You can even reject our proposal... none shall look at you differently, for we know, it's no easy duty we are placing on your shoulders."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Levi and the others went quiet, realizing that their region was teetering on the poverty line when it came to sourcing the Holy Light and other benefits from the Solar Aegis Sanctuary.

Crystallized Seeds were everything to Solar Aegis Sanctuaries around the world... Unlike them, some Holy Regions in the far west and east had territories ranging from thousands of kilometers...

If they were compared to it, it was the same as a town to a metropolis.

Levi and the others knew this... The other Holy Regions were far superior to them, from the quality of their lifestyle to their overall strength.

To put it in perspective... The current Top three Heliodor's Agencies would barely rank in the middle in any of those regions.

This made them understand that the teams participating from those regions were going to be a different breed... Armed with the best artifacts, the best resources, and the best talents.

Yet, even those teams had failed to win the Great Campaign more than once... This spoke volumes about the kind of monsters the other side was sending.

"Can we have some time to think it through?" Levi requested politely.

"Of course, you have until the Graduation Ceremony." High Chancellor approved with a wrinkly smile, "You will be graduating in two weeks with the seniors, who were about to take their final exams and missions."

"Why then?" Arthur wondered.

"The graduation is synchronized with the upcoming Campaign's registration... If some of you reject, it gives us time to find a replacement." The High Chancellor said.

"What if all of us reject it?"

"No harm is done... You will graduate as Raiders, receive your Rifter Contracts, and join your agencies' raiding squads as you have imagined your road shall be... You will fight off against nests in death games, win them hopefully, and then use the resources to get stronger to fight against much stronger nests."

"You shall be repeating this cycle until you either hit your limit or you die... Believe me, as long as you remain in our region, your limits shall always be Solarbound rank."

"To be the best, you have to fight the best, from the beginning to the end." High Chancellor sighed bitterly, "Don't repeat our mistake... Your talents are good enough to leave a mark beyond this dried-up well."