In the Sect of Hedon, the Shameless Sect had been prepared to go back into another long period of hibernation, after which their goal was to emerge as those who would be powerful enough to at least conserve their lives in the inevitable war that would soon engulf the continent.
They had even made all of their preparations. They had stocked up on snacks, made ample visits to the village to clear out all of their desires, and they had even found a perfect place right outside the sect where they wouldn't be disturbed while they consumed the bountiful harvest of Ker Gems.
It was just close enough that they would be able to run back in case there was an attack, and just far enough that it wouldn't be found easily by anyone who might have gotten a grudge against them due to their actions.
Alas…all of their preparations were in vain, as right on the day when their isolation began, the King's words were heard all over the continent.
Convinced that the Church had arrived, they had hightailed it back to the Sect, with the fattie even being so scared that he didn't pause to dress himself after his bath, which resulted in quite a few memories which would later be wiped away with the help of mages well-versed in the consciousness, as they were just too traumatizing to hold in one's mind without being affected by them.
Rather than his image, it was his act of showering everyone with his special concoction made from the liquid excreta of various animals which he claimed gave him glowing skin that would be remembered with a special hatred. He had been bathing in it, and the revolting liquid had fallen on the many who had gathered in the main square when he passed over them while hurrying to the dorm, where they had planned to hide and try not to be enlisted.
Hence, their plan of not calling attention to themselves seemed as if it had failed, but thankfully, the situation was so tense that no one had the time to deal with them.
From the dorm, all of them watched Champions were put in charge to create squads so that they could be called upon at a moment's notice in case something did go down.
The uncertainty was the most unsettling thing. All of those in the Shameless Sect wished that they had obtained some or the other means to contact the King after they had interacted with him so that they could understand the present situation better, but sadly, they had been too blinded by happiness at that point on the discovery that they would soon be rich.
Finally, with no other option, they even tried to contact Travis, but with all communication to the outside cut off, it looked as if they would have no option but to stay just as uninformed as everyone else.
Only…that changed a few hours later.
It started with a knock on the door, and fearing that someone had arrived to enlist them, all four of the Sect backed up against a wall and prepared to fight.
They had already made a plan: they would rather be arrested for insubordination and thrown in prison for the duration of the war, than fight when they knew they were weak and eventually die an unwilling death.
Their hope was that they were weak enough that no one would take the effort to force them onto the battlefield regardless, so as a small storm of elementary particles were kicked into action in front of them, it seemed as if they would have to go for this plan, after all.
The door was allowed to open…and what happened next would be remembered by them for the rest of their lives.
A man wearing a jacket with a hood appeared, and at once, they all shot the attacks that they had prepared.
It was a second after doing so that they realized that he couldn't be a Champion, which made horrified expressions appear on all of their faces.
All of the main squad leaders were Champions, so the idea was that someone at that level would at most be a bit injured due to their actions, as they were just a bunch of Warriors.
However, if they ended up killing a Peak Warrior who might have been sent…they would be in for a much worse fate.
The fattie even began to wish that he could jump forward and endure the attacks by himself so that that wouldn't happen, but it was at that point that the man in the jacket moved.
He raised his hand, and first, the special arrow that had been shot by Henry, who was a Warrior, was deflected.
At the same time, the rest of the attacks looked like they would land, but all he did…was wave those hands.
Clyde's globe of concentrated lightning fire was met by a smaller one revolving in the opposite direction, which deflected it and made it harmlessly fly to the side.
Jared's 1000-layer ice bolt, which was only supposed to decrease in size and shed some layers in case it was attacked, was made to fall to the ground as the links between the layers were destroyed.
And finally, the fattie's ball of slime, which was his special trick that could dissolve stone in an instant, was met in the air with the exact same substance, causing the two to cancel each other out.
With jaws hanging loose, the four watched as the man let out a sigh of relief and removed his hood.
This reveal only served to heighten their shock, though, as they recognized who he was.
"Brother Percy! But you were supposed to be usele-…I mean, how did you know th-that you had to use my attack in reverse like that?!"
"How did you know where the links were! I took a year to learn the trick to hide them!"
"HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT MY SLIME? IT'S NOT EVEN IN THE LIBRARY!!"
The three who spoke were Clyde, Jared, and the Fattie, and the last even shouted in an indignant manner.
It was a matter of great pride to him that he hadn't trained in the techniques that were available to all in the library of the Sect of Hedon, but today, it had been crushed.
They expected an explanation, but what they got…was a beating.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! OW!"
Percy instantly sped up and began to rap his knuckles on each of their heads until they could do nothing except cover them and shout out with pain.
A few seconds later, he was standing at the door, satisfied, in front of 4 people who all had multiple lumps growing on their heads.
Dusting off his hands, he said, "Don't ask. The King gave you gems, right? This is what he gave me. Anyway, I'm here on his words: we've got work to do."
They couldn't believe their ears at first, but the very thought of helping out the King again and gaining even more made them all get up eagerly.
Nodding, Percy let out an internal sigh of relief.
That had been very, very close. He had only barely managed to learn the trick of understanding and replicating attacks in an instant using the training he had undergone in the home of that tyrant, and it had been put to the test already.
If the four in front of him were even a bit stronger, he would have been the one on the ground, but thankfully, he had been able to act quickly enough.
It was odd, as it felt as if it had been working a lot faster ever since that harrowing experience of having an old dude pulled out of his head, but having no way to know whether it was true, he got right down to business.
"I have a job for you. It'll be risky, but if you do it well, you can ask for anything for the King. He won't let you avoid the war- so don't even think about it. But…he might just have a few techniques which will make sure you survive."
Percy's words had instantly made all of their eyes shine, but that had been followed by disappointment on finding out that they couldn't completely guarantee their survival.
When he said the last part, though, they realized that their plan was foolish. If they went through with it, they knew that they would get on the bad side of the King who was fiercely loyal to the continent, and that was something that only the dumbest of people would do.
It was clear that he was their idol who might lead them to the path towards a long, powerful life filled with riches and pleasure, so it was best to take some risks, and use this opportunity perfectly.
All of this passed between them wordlessly, and the decision was made.
"We're ready. Lead the way."
Hearing Henry say this, Percy shook his head, marveling at the King's ability to judge people.
He had said that these four were cowards, but that they would choose to fight when given the right incentive. And for their task…they were the perfect scapegoats.
With another nod, he began to speak.
"Good. Here's what I need you to do…"
…
In the Sect of Hedon, it had been decreed that there would be a combined meeting every evening where the progress of the day would be assessed.
They had fully entered the preparation stage, with rigorous training being carried out every day where mages were being taught to work together, so that they could take down individuals stronger than them, if such a situation arose on the battlefield.
However…the most maddening thing was that they still didn't know just when the war was.
Whispers could be heard everywhere, and multiple speculations were being passed around, with each being more silly than the last.
In this atmosphere, the Champion in charge rose into the air to begin the assessment, but suddenly…four Warriors also rose alongside him.
He was about to humph and smash them to the ground as he was already in a bad mood, but before he could do so…
"THE WAR IS AGAINST THE KING OF LANTHANOR, AGAIN! AND THIS TIME, ALL OF THE SECTS ARE GOING TO FIGHT HIM TOGETHER! IF WE STILL LOSE, HE'S GOING TO DISBAND ALL THREE SECTS AND CREATE ONE INTO WHICH WE WILL BE ASSIMILATED! AFTER ALL, AT THAT POINT, THE BIG FOUR WOULD JUST BE A JOKE, RIGHT? SO, EVERYONE, PREPARE TO LICK THE BOOTS OF THE MIGHTY GODKING, DANEEL ANIVRON!!!"
As all hell broke loose in the Sect, Percy chuckled from his vantage point.
This was being broadcasted in the other two parts of the Big Four, too, and the reactions were the same everywhere: anger, indignation, and shame.
The fresh wound of their loss was ripped open, and it would be a long time until peace would be restored in the Big Four.
With his duty done, Percy sent a message to his King.
"They're gunning for you now, my King. The fire has been lit, and I'll continue to stoke it each and every day. Seeing their fury, though, I'm definitely glad that I'm not in your shoes…"