The Extra Wants Control

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows through the expansive windows of the high-rise office. Madam Keller, a woman whose sharp demeanor was only accentuated by the piercing blue of her eyes, finally looked up from the mountain of paperwork adorning her desk.

A frown creased her brow as Agent 009, a man whose stoicism was only betrayed by the faint blue glow emanating from his eyes, delivered his report.

"Another unaffiliated group has gone dark, Madam," he said, his voice a steady murmur. "Stonegate. We've lost all communication, and the surrounding regions are reporting an unusual darkness creeping in."

Madam Keller sighed. "Stonegate itself wasn't critical, but this... this string of disappearances is troubling. Any leads on what's causing it?"

Agent 009 shook his head ever so slightly. "Not yet. Should I dispatch a field team to investigate?"

A flicker of steely determination ignited in Madam Keller's gaze. "Hold off for now," she said, tapping a manicured finger against the desk. "Rumor has it a new organization is forming - Null, wasn't it? They've been poaching clients left and right, all thanks to them having information on that vampire appearing at the academy."

A spark of understanding passed between them. "You suspect this might be their doing?" Agent 009 inquired.

"An ideal opportunity to establish a base of operations," Madam Keller confirmed. "Tread carefully, though. Their strength and backers remain shrouded in secrecy."

Agent 009 raised an eyebrow, a flicker of concern evident in the faint blue glow of his eyes. "Madam, what about Agent 011? He's currently deployed in that region. Do you think he'll simply let this... operation happen?"

A wry smile played on Madam Keller's lips. "Let him act," she said, her voice betraying a chilling coldness. "This Null organization... we can gauge their abilities through this confrontation. It's inevitable - a clash will happen. It's just a matter of when."

A grim understanding settled over Agent 009. He knew the ruthless efficiency of the organization they served. Agents wouldn't be missed. They were expendable pawns in this larger game of power.

Just as he was about to reply, a sharp rap on the desk cut him off. A single sheet of paper materialized in front of Madam Keller, bearing the insignia of Null. But it wasn't the list of services offered that caught their attention. A single, stark sentence dominated the bottom: "Submit or else."

Madam Keller's hand trembled as she clutched the paper. Her eyes flickered with fury, then steeled with icy resolve. She took a deep breath, reigning in her emotions.

"Agent 009," she said, her voice clipped and cold. "You mentioned the area is still protected by our defensive grid, correct? Top of the line security, the best money can buy?"

Agent 009 offered a curt nod.

"Then how the hell did they manage this?" Keller slammed her fist on the desk, the force rippling across the smooth surface. "We have two damn 8-star agents stationed here! Sealing the area isn't an option anymore, whoever delivered this message is already long gone. Useless! All of you!"

For a brief moment, a flicker of fear danced in Agent 009's eyes. He'd never seen Madam Keller lose her composure in such a way.

"You said Stonegate was the afflicted area, right?" she continued, her voice regaining its icy edge. "Wake the other eight Serpents. We are going to raze Stonegate to the ground. Assemble the soldiers. This message... this humiliation... we shall answer it with fire!"

Agent 009 straightened, his professional demeanor returning. "Understood, Madam. But there is the matter of Clan Rutherford. Though their region encompass Stonegate, and they are the weakest territory. Even their Count families only possess 6-star or 7-star heads. Interfering with a Clan is..."

"Rutherford's patriarch is on his deathbed," Madam Keller interrupted, her eyes glinting with a dangerous light. "He's the only 9-star they have left, with their second strongest, a fresh 8-star. We'll deal with them later, once Stonegate falls and we establish control over the area. I refuse to let this blatant challenge stand. Let's burn Stonegate to the ground. Tonight, Stonegate bleeds."

A heavy silence descended upon the room, broken only by the resolute set of Madam Keller's jaw. The hunt for Null had taken a brutal turn, but one thing was clear - the Serpents were determined to crush this upstart organization with a merciless hand.

**************

"So, a 1-star Blessed is basically an Olympic athlete on steroids," he mumbled, highlighting a passage with his finger. "While a 2-star... super-soldier territory."

He flipped a page, his eyes scanning the densely packed paragraphs. "Hmm, 3-star... alright, that's where things get serious. Building-level demolition."

A 4-star could erase a city block from the map, a 5-star could flatten a mountain, and a 6-star... a 6-star could reduce an entire small island to rubble.A seven star easily destroys a country.

Beyond eight stars, things get... trickier. Paths. True Names. All these adds amplification. At that point, the destructive potential depends on an individuals unique abilities.Destruction depends on the amplification...

Well all this destruction levels applies to Earth standards.

Elnova... is much larger than Earth... continents being almost twice the size of Antarctica. And it seemed everything here, fueled by the omnipresent mana, was scaled up, they were tougher than your avarage stuff in Earth- the landmasses, the creatures, even the destructive potential of individuals. A town here translated to a city-sized area on Earth.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows through the library windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Neveah, ever the scholar, meticulously re-shelved the ancient tomes he'd devoured, his mind still grappling with the complexities of Elnovan power levels.

"Verona said that ten-star dragon could have leveled half the continent with that single charged attack," he muttered, recalling a passage he'd just read. "Back on Earth, that'd be a continent-busting monster, easy. Shit, maybe world ending. And yet, Verona called it miserably weak?"

A shiver ran down his spine. If that ten-star could be considered weak, what did a truly powerful being look like? His mind conjured terrifying images of beings capable of reshaping continents with a flick of their wrist.

He sighed, frustration tinged with a hint of awe. "Just how strong is a legit ten-star, then? And what about 11 stars what can they do?"

Another detail from his reading gnawed at him. He'd learned that most races boasted eleven-star beings as leaders. These 11 stars could be counted by hand. "Elves have two currently... that's insane!" he thought. The implications were staggering.

Neveah shook his head, the information overload threatening to drown him. "This is getting way too complicated," he mumbled. "Focusing on what I can handle seems like the saner option."

"Apparently, seven-stars and above are already pretty rare, well compared to the insanely huge population." he mused. "And anyone above eight gets treated like top celebrities. My three eight-star subordinates may make me seem impressive, but I'm the freaking prince of an entire race, having this much should be normal... right??."

"Still, even five, six, or even pseudo-seven-stars are considered exceptional achievements, especially considering the students at this academy a whooping 65000 below 7 stars and below 50 years too. But it's just another rung on the ladder. Then things get complicated. Seven stars and above had tiers - upper, middle, and lower.

It felt like Verona had glossed over the whole system in their crash course on Elnovan power."

"I really need to stop thinking about this with an earthlings perspective... sigh"

Neveah reached his apartment building, the weight of knowledge both empowering and burdensome. He missed the time before, when power levels were a simple concept. Now, it felt like an ever-expanding universe, filled with complexities he was only beginning to grasp.

With a sigh, he pushed open the door, the familiar scent of his apartment greeting him like an old friend. Maybe tomorrow, he'd tackle another book. Maybe tomorrow, he'd understand a little bit more.

*********

Neveah groaned, the buzz of his communicator a rude intrusion on his carefully curated pre-sleep routine. He eyed the untouched blood packs stacked on his nightstand with a flicker of annoyance. Cooking was a chore, but a shower and those blood packs were essential for a decent night's rest.

"Sir, they are coming," Constantine's clipped voice cut through the quiet.

Neveah sat up abruptly, the weariness replaced by a chilling focus. "Damn, why today of all days?" he muttered, frustration lacing his words. He glanced at the window - still bathed in the twilight hues of the setting sun. The timing couldn't be worse. "Babel hasn't even been opened for an entire week," he continued, more to himself than Constantine.

Neveah sighed, a gust of cool air swirling around him as he pushed himself off the bed. The annoyance melted away, replaced by a steely resolve. "Fine, let's get this over with," he said, his voice flat.

He rose, moving with the grace of a predator. A flick of his wrist activated a shimmering teleportation circle inscribed on the floor. With a low hum, he stepped into the swirling vortex, disappearing in a flash of crimson light.

Moments later, he materialized in a desolate plain bathed in the eerie glow of two moons. Stonegate, the heavily fortified entrance to Babel, loomed ahead, the sounds of battle echoing faintly in the night air. Neveah adjusted his face and body, now he was Ray Alistair, a chilling smirk playing on his lips. Sleep could wait. Tonight, he had work to do.

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