OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 359: Gateway Alliance II

Chapter 359: Gateway Alliance II

?

Before Emir could say yes, Darius continued:

"Not many got tight lips, and even those who do, I wouldn't trust. You, however... I read your file; trust between us is impossible, but I know for certain that all of what I told you will never be repeated to the public."

Acting as if he didn't know about the report they had about him, he asked:

"My file?"

Darius nodded towards the link point, using his neural network to send over the report.

"Check it out."

And that was what Emir did, pulling it up on his HUD.

{Subject:

Summary of Emir's Activities and Ascension in Sector 11-A

Background:

Emir's name first began to spread at the age of thirteen upon his arrival in Sector 11-A. His

early notoriety stemmed from his first official kills defending a convoy from being raided by rogue pirates, an event nearly fatal due to the gun's kickback.

Initial Struggles:

Emir narrowly survived an assassination attempt, barely defeating his attacker.

In his quest for vengeance, he utilized a local kid for information but inadvertently committed his first massacre, gaining little intelligence in the process.

Exploiting his relationship with the kid's leader, Emir continued his search for the perpetrators.

Notable Actions:

Emir publicly announced his search, using himself as bait to lure out his targets.

Suddenly, Emir vanished, presumably captured and tortured. Three days later, he emerged from a compound, leaving only rotting corpses behind.

He sold an Aether core, attended an auction, and casually annihilated another gang, obtaining coordinates for a secret ruin entrance.

Transformation:

Emir was later seen entering Arcadia's bazaar, spending nearly an entire day there. He emerged a changed man, having written a will and undertaken a tour of the academy for further training.

Significant Disappearance:

He ventured into the Silent Archive ruin and was not officially seen again for a prolonged period, no less than seven months. His 'disappearance' is believed to have fundamentally altered the ruin and himself.

Reappearance and Demonstrations of Power:

Upon his return, Emir publicly demonstrated his Aether prowess by exploding a man inside out at a café, announcing his Ascension from mortal to Celestial.

He was subsequently seen with Nathan, a Hunter Association Manager, and later visited his former gang and the Hunter's Den. It is suspected that he struck a deal to acquire remnants of their company to further solidify their relatively new start-up, Prince Emporium.

Personal Connections:

Emir ended his night visiting friends Jake and Emma. Shortly after, his assistant, Amanda, presumably left the Sector to gather evidence for an upcoming court case.

His time passed, spent sparing his people, and preparing for the day, until their judgment day arrived.

They lost the court case even with Elijah's help. Yet despite that, Emir continued his usual activities as if nothing was wrong.

He and his cohort-Emma, Jake, and Alex-set out to rescue Aria among many others, but only they successfully returned her safely to her father. Their reward was a fair court hearing - a chance to rectify past injustices, or so it is assumed.

Combat and Victory.

During their return, Rogues and several monster hordes attacked Emir and his group. But they were no match, and Emir emerged victorious.

Once Amanda returned, they managed to maintain a fair court hearing and won it, cementing them as actual competition.

Seraphim and Seclusion:

Emir dedicated himself to secluded training and frequent ruin dives, uncovering many new ruins and clearing old ones, ultimately reaching a significant number of seventy-seven.

He then became a professor, excelling in the test, claiming the first position, and was selected as Professor SS-1, the elite's playroom.

As the students underwent a test, he, for unknown reasons, challenged all the Hunter Group leaders and made them back down, establishing himself as a new pillar of Sector 11-A and a household name. Devil, also known as Azazel.

Current Status:

Since that event, no further information has been received from the Academy, which remains in a completely protected environment, allowing no way in, their ICE (Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics) unbreakable.

But if rumors are to be believed, the devil's influence is growing ever stronger in the Academy and will one day bring significant change to Earth.

Report End.}

'Hm, better than I expected. Though thankfully, it isn't much better. A lot of it is wrong, downplaying what happened, and most of what I actually did is still hidden. The plans, blackmail, deals, and threats. That's what allowed me to survive to this day.'

A smiling Emir stepped back to the nearest wall and said:

"You all got me figur

Darius's grin died out.

out, eh?"

"The Ebonfyre do. I do. Your students do. We all know that you'll do anything that benefits

you. Revealing this doesn't."

"You don't know me; I can publish it just to fuck with you."

They locked eyes.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll do it while ensuring you won't find out, making a quick buck in the process."

"That won't work. You just outed yourself. If anything happens, I'll know that it's you."

"...Hm."

Emir opened his mouth, then closed it only to nod his head.

"Maybe."

"..."

""

They continued to stare at each other in silence, but then suddenly...

"BUAHAHAHHAHAHA!"

"AHAHAHAHHAHAHA!"

Wild laughter erupted from them both as they brought themselves together for a half-hug.

"Not all of you guys are absolute asses, huh?!"

"Fuck you too, man!"

As they separated, Darius couldn't help but ask:

"Heh, I'm curious; you got a problem with the other two?"

"I hate them. One jacks off to depraved shit, and the other is a fucking fanatic."

Darius chuckled.

"Who are you to talk? I told you, I read your file; you read your file; we both know how happy

you get when death is involved."

Emir raised both his hands as if he had surrendered.

"You're right. But there's a difference: men who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with.

I don't like that, they are my opposite. Besides, what's so wrong about it? I enjoy being a hunter; to be a hunter is a way of life."

Darius shook his head.

"No, to be a hunter is a way to die. It's a quick path to an early grave. But when you travel, rediscover, and uncover new places, that's when you truly feel alive. You folks wouldn't know that, the expiration date stamped right on your foreheads makes you stupid." Lowering his hands, Emir locked them below his chest, laying one over the other.

"Oh, on that, I agree. But, you don't do much of that anymore, I can easily argue that you're

more depraved than the old devil I mentioned."

With brows that flinched, Darius stepped back and leaned on his desk once more.

"Bah! I ain't biting, no matter how curious you make me, I won't jump into that rabbit hole."

Emir stepped closer.

"No comment on the argument?"

"No, I acknowledge the evil shit I do. I give people hope only to destroy it and deliver them to

a slow death... all for profit."

"And the reason you chose this occupation is?"

"...Besides my love for adventure, I guess I had no other choice. The front lines messed me up

more than I'd like to admit. I can't fight like I used to, and fighting was all I was good at. So, I

had to make do."

"That you did."

"Yeah..."

They shared a quiet chuckle as they both reminisced about times past, but that second was

ruined as Darius randomly said:

"You know, back in the military, we had this sayin'..."

He momentarily paused, then dropped to the ground and screamed:

"Oh god, where's his leg? FUCK!! IT'S GONE!"

"..."

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"..."

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Emir quietly stared at him for what felt like an eternity.

And this eternity was finally broken as Darius tried to make up for his failure of a joke with

another one:

"F-Fun fact, I saw a woman get dragged off by six men a few years ago."

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The one-man audience didn't even react to his shocking words, his dead eyes remaining

locked on his.

"Uh... how about this..."

Lowering his right hand to his crotch, he pulled on his mechanical elbow, dislocating it and

causing his arm to fall limp, going unnaturally backwards through his legs.

"I've got a magic dick!"

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11

Emir's deadpan face began to fade as he slowly showed signs of anger...

"What?!

And at that point, Darius finally gave up, spouting out excuses to save face:

"These are popular military jokes; it used to be a hit back in the day!"

"....."

"Mannn... You don't know what lying in those coffins did to us-panzers that sizzled us, Celestials-alive. It was like being stuck in an oven, a goddamn hotbox. But you know what? That wasn't even the worst of it. And no, it wasn't the annoying onboard AI either. It was the

Geiger counter. That damn thing just never shut up, click-click-click-click-click-click. so

fucking annoying!"

"..."

"Haaah... Look, I lost a lot, alright? That hidden department in the underbelly holds whatever

I remember. Their names. All inscribed in black lockers. Their faces? All gone. This is my way of remembering them; others might do it by honoring their deeds or whatever, but that

doesn't fit me. I'm not built like that. Those jokes are all that's left when those bastards took everything else."

Emir blinked, then turned around, heading out of the room.

"...You should consider therapy, it's free. It might fix that room-temp IQ of yours."

Leaving those words behind, he walked up the stairs and exited the building under a speechless Darius.

Once he got out and back to the convoy, he entered the frontmost APC, sitting in the driver's

seat.

[Alright everyone, buckle up; we're moving now.]

"Yes sir!"

As he heard their loud screams echo behind him, he stepped on the gas, and the vehicle moved

forward.

And just as their little journey began, his brain went over what he had learned.

Darius acted like he expected, with the only variation being the state of his faction, but again,

that didn't come out of left field, he knew something similar had happened.

The card link point was new but that was about it--

'...Wait.'

He noticed something that cut off his own thoughts.

'Big Eight and Big Three. They total eleven. But with the Gateway leaving the ranks, they'll

become ten...'

Emir let out a long sigh.

'The goddamn trend continues.'