"Rating and designation?" Zac asked. "What''s going on?"


    "There are several facilities near every Battlefield Array," Vri exined. "One of them is a recruitment center. You must first register to ess the Teleportation Array, War Merit Exchange, and various other features. At that time, you''ll get an evaluation and a designation. For example, I''m a Fourth-Degree Captain, the lowest Captain rank."


    "I''m a Strike Leader," Joanna added.


    "What''s the significance of the designations?"


    "All designationse with varying levels of authority, and some provide ess to additional features. My designation is equivalent to the authority of an Early Hegemon, which is enough to let us ignore any outside orders on most Early D-grade battlefields," Vri said.


    "So there''s really a problem with outsiders?" Zac sighed.


    This was something they''d feared since the beginning and one of the reasons he''d wanted to break through to Hegemony before the war. Factions without any elites were generally ced under themand of greater forces during sanctioned wars, and it looked like this inter-section war wasn''t any different.


    "There have been some problems, but we''ve been safe for now," Vri said. "As Ilvere said, the war is only in the early stages. Our battlefields only have up to three factions working together, and all are roughly the same strength. However, we assume the battles will expand in scope in the future, perhaps through merging battlefields. The chain ofmand will be a bigger issue at that point."


    "Your quest said to upgrade your rank with merit," Zacmented, seeing one route to avoid that headache.


    "They can automatically be upgraded from ruing enough merit. I am close to reaching my first promotion," Vri confirmed. "However, only War Merit gained through your designation counts. In other words, I can gain ranks from leading armies, but not through assassinating enemy leaders or crafting wartime resources."


    "Breaking through is another solution," Joanna added. "Might makes right, and your ranking will get upgraded when stepping through minor thresholds. Thanks to your disciple, we also have a Third-Degree Captain, which lets us act unhindered on one of our two Middle D-grade battlegrounds."


    "My disciple? Emily?" Zac asked with surprise. "Did she manage to hire a talented veteran?"


    "No," Joannaughed. "She broke through one month into the war, bing our first native Hegemon."


    "No wonder I didn''t get any title this time around," Zac whistled. "I can''t believe she broke through so quickly."


    "Since then, four more have followed in her wake," Vri said. "All of them are sealbearers. Of course, I expect that number will soon rise drastically. The Merit Exchange is almostpletely geared toward gaining strength, and it''s quite generous."


    Zac turned to Joanna. "What about you? What''s a Strike Leader?"


    "It''s great," Joanna smiled. "It lets me lead a small autonomous strike squad on the battlefield, and we get increased bounties for all leaders we take out."


    "That sounds perfect," Zac said.


    If possible, he''d definitely want such a role. Not having to bother with all the nitty-gritty or tactics, where he only needed to swing his axe and take out the leaders of the invading army.


    "But it sounds like the System created a mess through our ranks, rearranging our personnel like that?"


    "It was a bit chaotic at the start, but things quickly clicked into ce," Vri said. "The System has a very discerning eye. We''ve discovered quite a few talents hidden among our ranks."


    "I guess that makes sense," Zac said. "This is what the System was designed for."


    "Most roles are quite simple, too. Foot soldier, support, defender. Things like that," Joanna added. "You can also ignore your designation and stay in whatever position your faction awarded you. That''s generally a bad idea since working ording to your designation will reward more merit. We listened to the System''s rmendations and rearranged things ordingly where possible."


    "What about the evaluation you mentioned?" Zac asked.


    "We think it''s there for the designations, but it might have other uses. Like those who get higher evaluations might get more opportunities down the road," Vri said. "There''s no telling what other things the System might throw our way as things progress. It might also be rted to the quests."


    "So you registered, got a good evaluation, and became a Captain, which might have resulted in a quest for another piece of your seal," Zac summarized. "And you need to either break through or rue merit through your designation to progress it."


    "That''s the gist of it," Vri smiled.


    "How long do you think until you can break through?"


    "I could technically begin the process within three months, but my Soul isn''t quite at the level I''d like," the Revenant said. "And unless my stepping into Hegemony is required, I''d prefer to find the second piece of my seal before evolving. I used the first to form a Bloodline Cultivation Method, and I wish to use the second to fuse my heritage with the Crown of Despair to create a path uniquely suited for me."


    "That''s fine," Zac said, remembering his n to get his hands on another Moss Crystal for Vri. "Follow your instincts. I''ll do what I can to help."


    "Vri should be able to speed up her Merit now that you''re back," Joanna said. "She''s been forced to be on standby in case someone dangerous appears on the battlefields. Now, she can properly lead a few offenses."


    "Yeah, I should be able to deal with anything that crops up. What about you? Have you found any clues to the Indomitable Court?"


    A smile spread across Joanna''s face as a simr quest screen appeared before her.


    [Indomitable Spirit (Campaign (1/?)): Personally execute hostile leaders worth 25,000 Merit. (18,321/25,000)]


    It was simr, but there were some notable differences to Vri''s quest. For one, Joanna''s only said it was a campaign quest, while Vri''s was tagged as both Campaign and Inheritance. However, the name was promising. Not only that, but Joanna was well on her way to finishing the first step. It really looked like she''d grabbed onto the opportunity.


    No wonder she was covered in a new set of scars.


    "Between our twos, another two have been awarded simr quests so far," Joanna said as the screen disappeared. "I''m hoping it''ll be my way into the inheritance, even if it''s as a second-string participant."


    "Don''t be so sure about that," Zac said. "I don''t know if he told you this, but Ogras had toplete a difficult quest to get his seal. And he was the first sealbearer apart from myself in our group. Actually, there''s more."


    Zac shared how Kruta had gained an epiphany even when taking a seal from the body of another. Before that, the assumption was the seals would only provide an epiphany once. Recalling the event was extremely odd. He hadn''t noticed before, but the information seal was already active. Thanks to his first round of negotiations with Sendor, he could remember all his encounters on top of his cultivation.


    However, he couldn''t remember where he and Kruta fought Valsa. He could vaguely recall they had entered some sort of dangerous cultivation zone, where Valsa ambushed them. But the details eluded him. The same was true for all his memories. Apart from remembering the Cmity and Mount Illumination, all his other adventures had grown blurry, like they had happened eons ago.


    It was diforting having his experiences altered like this, but Zac knew that would happen going in. Besides, just remembering those two ces let him intuit many things about his experience. The reason he could recall his home base and the Red Zone was no doubt rted to the remnants and the Peak of Chaos, and Zac smiled at the thought of holding onto yet another of Sendor''s secrets.


    "Really? I actually get insights this way?" Joanna eximed, flush with excitement.


    "Our working theory is that it''s based on affinity. Anyone can get a seal, but only those with affinity to the courts would receive their insights," Zac said. "And I''d venture affinity won''t be a problem considering you got the quest."


    Joanna nodded eagerly, and it almost felt like her momentum was burning. It probably wouldn''t be long before she also stepped into Hegemony.


    "By the way, who are the other people?" Zac asked.


    "They''re—" Vri began, but a ring rm cut off the Mentalist.


    "Now?" Joanna swore, and Zac could feel themand centere abuzz through his Soul Sense.


    The three ran back into themon room, where Ilvere was already barking orders.


    "It''s an early invasion!" Joanna eximed as a bloody aura leaked from her body. "Someone is making a move on one of our war fronts."


    "What''s going on? How can I help?" Zac said.


    "You''ve just returned; you don''t need to worry about this," Vri said. "We can handle it. Why not focus on getting ustomed to your evolution?"


    "You''ve fought for months while I was off-world. This is the least I can do," Zac said. "Besides, what better ce to get used to my breakthrough than on a battlefield?"


    Vri and Joanna shared a look.


    "Do you wish to lead the army?" Vri hesitated.


    "No, I''ll just join as a fighter," Zac said, almostughing upon seeing the relief in their eyes. "You know I''m no good at that micromanagement stuff. Unless the System forces me into some other role, I''ll be the vanguard."


    "Then follow me," Joanna said. "The battlefront is on Ensolus, so we need to teleport there first."


    "Be careful," Vri added, clearly opting to stay behind to manage things.


    "We''ll catch up properly after we''ve dealt with this mess," Zac said.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ''Remember to listen to your subordinates before storming the enemy lines,'' Vri urged through a mental message. ''Fighting on these battlefields differs from the inheritances, and the Kan''Tanu have some dangerous methods. Even you can fall if not careful.''


    Zac nodded in understanding before he and Joanna rushed out of themand center.


    "Do our warriors always go to the same warfront, or do we switch it up?" Zac asked as they ran toward the Nexus Hub.


    "Usually the same unless one front needs reinforcements or finds themselves needing specific talents," Joanna said. "We do have some reserve units who can help shore up our ranks. Themand center will no doubt some this time around. We are spread a bit thin, though. We''ve managed to recruit a lot of new recruitstely, but they''re not ready to join the battlefield yet. "


    "So, what''s an early invasion?" Zac asked.


    "We mentioned that we have the option to activate our Battlefront Arrays early," Joanna said. "Some Kan''Tanu regiment must have done just that. The eighth army fought just three days ago, and it shouldn''t have activated this early otherwise. As far as we can tell, each battlefront is only called upon once every two weeks at most, though there are always smaller skirmishes in between.


    Joanna''s face was somber as they rushed toward the battlefront. Zac also had a bad feeling. He''d just returned, and some details were still hazy, but it wasn''t difficult to understand the implications of an early attack. No one could fight continuously. The casualties would be staggering if a faction pushed its soldiers too far, and a war at this scale couldst centuries unless one side managed to overwhelm the other.


    Normally, both sides would use the downtime to regroup and recover. An attack just three days after the first meant the Kan''Tanu must have received reinforcements and nned to take out their enemies in one go while they were at their weakest. Furthermore, the fact they dared attack an overgeared army like his must mean they''d brought a whole lot of firepower.


    A few more jumps took them to a huge war camp on the Mavai Steppes, its scale making it evenrger than Port Atwood. It wasn''t just the soldiers of the eighth army but also their families and a huge support system. Of course, the inner sections would only be essible to the enlisted.


    It was only the third time Zac visited the life-attuned continent, having been busy with his cultivation over the past years. Still, Zac could sense that the environment had improved slightly since he was herest time. Releasing the twinned Realm Spirits into the''s center had done wonders.


    The chimeral energy on the Ensolus Continent was kept stable enough not to descend into a situation like the Cmity, and the energy on the two single-attuned continents had improved in quality. It couldn''tpensate for the loss of Origin Dao, but the environment would slowly improve as the Realm Spirits grew up.


    The camp was already full of bustle, with a constant stream of warriors pouring toward what looked like an Incursion Pir in the distance. Many of the soldiers were Mavai, with this being their continent, but Zac saw there were soldiers of all living races represented. Of course, most of his armies were mixed, but they couldn''t have Raun Spectrals and Revenants stationed on a Life-attuned continent.


    A small party was already waiting for him as they stepped off a private Teleportation Array, including the Mavai Warchief and two of his adult children.


    "Wee, Emperor Atwood!" Ra''Klid greeted with a small bow, which was mirrored by the others. "We just got word of your return. Congrattions on your breakthrough."


    "Thank you," Zac smiled. Zac didn''t know if he''d ever get used to being called Emperor, but he didn''t bother trying to correct people any longer. "How''s the situation?"


    "Fighting has already begun, but we are not yet sure of the extent of the attack," Ra''Klid said, pointing at the pir. "We''re entering with full force just in case, and the Lord''s reinforcements will soon arrive."


    "How''s the reaction to our integrated armies been?" Zac asked as they hurried toward the pir.


    "Not great," Joanna grimaced. "The Undead Empire has been a huge asset for Zecia, having a massive army and winning almost every battle they''ve joined. It has drastically improved their reputation, but three months isn''t enough to erase eons of bad blood. And that hatred has spilled over on us. We''ve had to rearrange two battlefronts to avoid infighting with the other participants."


    "People actually cause us problems while we have the invaders to deal with?" Zac frowned. "Who are these people?"


    "Just some backwater D-grade factions," Joanna said. "Most of them are essentially dead weight."


    "Worse than dead weight," Ra''Klid added. "Nothing is more dangerous to a tribe than an ipetent Warchief. Second is ipetent allies."


    "Can''t we just get rid of them?" Zac asked.


    "Attacking them counts as a betrayal. Even ignoring their orders can cause issues if we don''t have high-enough officers among our ranks. That''s partly why we''re pushing ourselves to break through and rack up merit."


    "This battlefront isn''t too bad. Our allies aren''t the strongest, but they''re taking the matter seriously and are fighting hard," Ra''Klid said. "As for the others…"


    Zac grimaced. It wasn''t hard to figure out the rest, thinking back to the desperate situation disyed on the War Map. Zecia had a lot of useless factions, but even useless factions could nurture a couple of Hegemons if their foundations were strong enough. And the Atwood Empire was the perfect meat shield—strong, well-equipped, andcking seniors that could suppress their allies and take charge.


    "Hopefully, Emperor Atwood''s return will help with this matter. As the ruler of the faction, your status will impact all battlefronts," the demon added, looking at arge structure ced just outside the inner walls of the militarypound.


    It was no doubt the Recruitment Station, yet the scene in front of it made Zac''s brows rise. A swarm of agitated demons currently blocked its entrance, all of them old, maimed, or both. A few even hadpletely white hair, while the gold in their skin had long faded. Their auras weren''t anything to call home about, but Zac could feel their steely determination as they red at a couple of clerks standing by the entrance.


    "What''s going on?" Zac asked.


    "Volunteers," Ra''Klid sighed. "Old veterans whose bodies didn''t properly adapt to the integration. Warriors who have been deemed too wounded to participate effectively on the battlefield. Many have tried to join for months, and they rushed here when the warning red."


    "Why not let them register if we''re already spread thin?" Zac asked.


    "Teleportation is only free up to the minimum personnel listed by the System," Joanna exined. "The rules are simr to the Incursions, with one important difference. We also lose Faction Merit when sending warriors beyond a certain point, which is our most critical resource. If we let anyone join, we won''t be able to spend merit on fortifications or other upgrades the Atwood Empire desperately needs. We need warriors, but they need a minimum strength to warrant sending them to the battlefronts."


    "Some of these old goats are trying to join for selfish reasons," Ra''Klid added. "They''re not the ones who have to pay for mobilization, and they don''t care if they''ll be weak links in our ranks. Their eyes are on the Merit Exchange, thinking it''s the key to return to their former glory. For example, a pill to restore an E-grade cultivator''s limb only costs 2,500 merit. There are also Dao Fruits and other good stuff.


    "We chose to restrict the recruitment centers when people began causing problems, like trying to sneak onto the battlefields in search of merit. One lunatic even tried setting fire to the barracks to create a diversion. Now, there''s a pre-screening process."


    "The seniors who came here today just want to help," Ra''Klid''s daughter quickly added, clearly not agreeing with her father''s opinion on the crowd ahead. "Every time the tribes enter the pir, many will be forever left behind on some distant world. Even more wille back inside Spatial Rings. The seniors are willing to take the most dangerous roles, all to protect the future generations."


    "The young have yet to experience the darkness in the hearts of men," Ra''Klid smiled, ignoring his daughter''s blithering stare. "If they had such desire to serve, where were they when we called for army reserves in the past years? Why didn''t they apply for nonbat roles to help our efforts through the proper channels? They can earn merit that way too. They''re hoping to stay at the backlines and reap the far more generous wartime rewards when we conquer a world."


    "That''s—" Wrok''Sa said, but Ra''Klid waved at her to stop as he turned back to Zac.


    "Either case, we can''t let them onto the battlefield, especially not now," Ra''Klid said. "Do you want me to disperse them?"


    "I think it''s good if you solve this," Joanna said to Zac. "Times are tough, and people need a beacon of hope. Or at least a beacon of power."


    "Hope and power," Zac said, slowly nodding. "I''ll deal with it."