"Questions? What kind of questions?" Reina asked as they trekked toward the next leaf.
"What is this warped space, really? And what does 'soulless beast' actually mean?" Alexander asked, sticking to the fundamentals.
"What a warped space actually is remains a mystery that very few at the upper echelons of the world truly understand," Hakon began. "Aside from the Almighties, the Founding Fathers, and the Divine Beasts, only the oldest Divine Rankers—those who survived the War of the Worlds—know the truth. Some say they are temporal rifts leading to small pockets in the 'Between Lands.' Others speculate they are clusters of souls that refused to go through the recycling process."
"And as for the soulless beasts," Ketovan added, "it's exactly what it sounds like. They have no souls; they are feral constructs made of pure mana. They can rank up, and they do so much faster than we do, but they are less effective. A Royal Rank soulless beast can often be defeated by a high-level Noble Ranker, provided the beast doesn't possess any overwhelming elemental advantages."
"So the orcs are soulless beasts?" Alex asked.
"No, they have souls. It's simple logic, Alexander: if an aura beast is present, there is a soul. If not, there isn't," Ketovan clarified.
"But according to Renald, they escaped from a Royal-ranking warped space somewhere in the far west," Alex countered.
"They were prisoners there," Franklin interjected. "Roughly three centuries ago, the Lord of Daro—a Royal-ranking tyrant—faced the Forest Orc Lord of that era. He slew the Orc Lord and sentenced the entire tribe to life in that warped space. At the time, they were three million strong."
"What? If there were three million of them, couldn't they have just overwhelmed the Royal and Noble Rankers with sheer numbers?" Alex asked. Reina nodded beside him, clearly sharing his doubt.
Franklin and Hakon exchanged a knowing look.
"Do you really think an army of three million orcs, ranging from Normal to low Royal Rank, could defeat a true Royal-ranking monster?" Hakon asked grimly. "No, Alex. The orcs tried; they were too stubborn to realize what they were up against. The City Lord simply swept his hand, and two million orcs dropped dead instantly. That single move wiped out every Royal Ranker left in their tribe."
"You say that as if you were standing right there," Ketovan noted, keeping pace with the giant.
"We were," Franklin said. "I was still in the upper levels of the Soldier Rank, visiting home after completing a massive quest in Derrus."
"And I was on spring break from the Imperial Academy in Skyfall," Hakon added.
Alex wasn't entirely shocked to realize both Noble Rankers were over three hundred years old. The sub-skills he'd gained from consuming the Book of the World had already provided him with the basics of longevity.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Alex said, testing his knowledge. "A Normal Ranker lives up to 150 years—fifty more than a non-core user. A Soldier Ranker can reach 300, a Noble Ranker 800, and a Royal Ranker over 1,500. Emperor Rankers can hit 3,000, and Divine Rankers are effectively immortal."
"Emperor Rank…" Hakon trailed off. "That's a rare one, Alex. Not everyone reaches it."
"I know it gets harder as you rise in power, but—"
Franklin cut him off. "It's not just about hard work. Most people actually skip the Emperor Rank entirely, moving directly from Royal Rank 99 to Divine Rank 0."
"What? How is that possible?" Alex asked, genuinely stunned this time.
"The Emperor Rank is an anomaly," Hakon elaborated. "It's a transitional rank between Royal and Divine. It is a boon to some, but a curse to most."
"What's the criteria for unlocking it?" Reina asked.
"Trauma," Franklin said. "Soul trauma. The more actual damage your soul sustains and survives, the more likely you are to unlock the Emperor Rank."
"That doesn't make sense," Ketovan argued. "One could just intentionally inflict soul damage on themselves to unlock it."
"You should be the one with the most knowledge on this, considering both your father and brother have unlocked it," Franklin said with a hint of disappointment.
"I don't go to them for information," Ketovan snapped.
"The soul has its own defense mechanisms," Hakon explained. "If it senses intentional harm—if the brain wants the damage to happen—the soul retaliates by pulling up barriers to save itself. Even the Almighties can't damage a soul in that protected state. It's a natural, subconscious process. Knowingly throwing yourself into a warped space filled with Mystic Centipedes won't work."
"Mystic Centipedes?" Alex asked.
"Creatures that specialize in soul attacks," Ketovan filled in. "Dangerous soulless beasts. Even the weakest among them can wipe out an army of Noble Rankers in a single strike."
Reina walked behind them, listening as the conversation drifted from feral beasts to hidden ranks fueled by trauma.
"So, how does someone know if they've unlocked it?" Alex asked.
"At the start of the Royal Rank, everyone has their soul scanned by the Church of the Scholar," Franklin explained. "If the scan shows white, it's confirmed. Grey means there is a fifty-fifty chance. Black is a negative."
"You said it's a curse to many. Why?" Alex asked Hakon.
"Trauma, Alex," Franklin explained in Hakon's stead. "There comes a point where the soul has had enough; it wants to give up on this cycle of life. It yearns to die and be recycled, but the mortal brain continues to fight with everything it has to survive. That conflict between a weary soul and a surviving mind is a heavy burden to carry."
They reached the next leaf, which was slightly larger than the previous one. Alex pushed his All-Seeing Eye to its maximum, a 300-meter sphere of perception taking in every detail. He counted around 200 Normal Rank grasshoppers led by three Soldier Ranks.
The Commander and Noble-ranking trio showed little to no interest in such weak prey. Reina glanced at the swarm, then fired three precise shots from her revolver, instantly picking off the three Soldier Ranks.
"The rest are yours to kill, Mr. Sobreviviente," Reina said, holstering her weapon.
"Okay," Alex replied, stepping forward. He drew Emperor's Will, the black blade humming in his grip. He paused and looked back at her. "And one more thing. Please, feel free to call me by my first name—or even just Alex."
With that, he turned and walked toward the horde of grasshoppers.
***