“The estimated death count is in the hundreds of thousands. Although we’re receiving conflicting numbers from several different sources, at the minimum it seems to be double that of the deaths we’ve seen in Hangzhou: which was around seventy-five-thousand. Of them, we have confirmed that Archknell and Master Jin Junjie, Guild Master of Glory and Martials Guild respectively, have passed during the outbreak.

“It is certain that a new age of conflict is encroaching on the world. We haven’t been this close to annihilation since the Great Crisis; even then, the worst outbreak had occurred during the time was São Paulo with a couple thousand deaths. While we do not want to assume the worst and create panic amongst ourselves, it is becoming abundantly clear that the threat is stronger than it was two decades ago.

“In fact, countless experts on the subject are not calling this an ‘outbreak’. This incident cannot be compared to Hangzhou. An ‘outbreak’ states that our portal redirection systems have failed, but this is no failure. This is a directed attack on humanity’s soil by a warlord who supposedly calls himself ‘the Lord of Many’.

“As we speak, just about every world leader is convening at the Global Guards Headquarters in New York, undergoing long and important discussions on what to do next and how to defend against the Lord of Many. While we are not privy to their inner discussions, I believe our guest here can offer some insight. How are you this morning?”

The news anchor swiveled in his chair and the camera panned to the guest speaker on the left, a smiling middle-aged man who looked like a typical bureaucrat. There was nothing outstanding about him.

“As well as any of us can be considering the news.” According to the red header shown during the live broadcast, the man had worked in the International Office of Mandate. “Like what you said earlier, Gerard, our leaders are not treating this as an outbreak and thus will not be responding to it as such. They are treating this as an act of war; however, this is the first recorded case in history that an otherworldly force has specifically targeted us.

“Truth be told, nobody knows what’s going to happen next week or even tomorrow. This is uncharted territory we’re talking about here. We have no idea what this Lord of Many is capable of. Immediately, we are at a disadvantage. He has the technology to travel the multiverse while we do not.”

“Would you elaborate on that?” asked the news anchor. “Our audience at home might be confused on the nuance considering they lived with portal redirection systems all their lives.”

“I’m no expert on the matter but I can: everyday, we receive excursions from other parts of the multiverse in which we redirect into these facilities. In other words, these portals are natural occurrences that will appear regardless; we are merely controlling where they appear. It’s like a rainstorm, but we control where the raindrops fall. But this does not mean we have the ability to create rain ourselves, and so portals.”

“And that puts us in a disadvantage in what way?”

“Because we’re effectively forced on the defensive with no way to go on the offensive. The Red Gate Expedition was only accomplished because it appeared for us to conquer. If the Global Guards had to make one decision, then they’d tell the Rift Functions Agency to invent a method for humanity to travel the cosmos. That is our main obstacle that we must find a way to overcome.”

The news anchor hummed at the response. “This has been a key area where tens of thousands of scientists have devoted their careers to, but not one has managed to crack the code quite yet.”

The guest nodded. “During those years, we were spurred by our own desire as human beings to dominate our environment. Now, we face extermination. If we’ve learned anything from mother nature, then we know what animals are capable of when backed into a corner. Only time will tell what’ll happen next, but I believe this crisis will bring humanity to the next stage of our evolution.”

~~~

[You have entered Ordo Public Channel #23]

[Quickstep]: It’s crazy out here

[Quickstep]: 8-14s and guards everywhere

[Quickstep]: My GM’s arguing with one of the eggheads bc apparently we’re suspected of foul play, fucking bullshit

[Gatekeeper]: God I know three other guilds who’re being investigated rn

[Gatekeeper]: Everyone else is being ordered around by these motherfuckers, my guild included but we’re an affiliate of Martials

[Gatekeeper]: Everything’s 100x slower cause of the GG: do this do that while we got our own orders

[Quickstep]: Isn’t Seraph still leading us?

[Beake]: nah her emergency powers expired when the barrier came down, she has no actual authority but idk I’d listen to her over 8-14s or guards

[Beake]: besides what gives GG the authority to boss us around?

[Dare]: the ORO

[Dare]: outbreak relief organization, sorta their job to come in and tell everyone what to do after an outbreak

[Dare]: works for smaller countries or less populated areas, but not so much for a place routinely called ‘the slayer capital’

[Dare]: in a nutshell: their plans work on a smaller scale and can’t mesh well with larger areas, makes sense since like 99% of all outbreaks/breakthroughs happen in places with less than 10k people and/or inhabitable areas

[Beake]: you know this stuff from experience?

[Dare]: nah

[Dare]: my older brother was a slayer too, had been assigned to hangzhou during the disaster

[Dare]: he told me stories about the mismanagement and miscommunication, said it was absolutely hell and nothing got done

[Quickstep]: I mean what do you have?

[Quickstep]: OGs, the Chinese, the 8-14s, ORO and a dozen different agencies on different governmental levels…

[Quickstep]: Holy shit I understand

[Dare]: yeah

[Beake]: so things are gonna get jammed up?

[Dare]: a lot especially when no one here likes the GG

[Dare]: especially when the 8-14s are already preparing their witch hunts

[Quickstep]: You’d think Gadabout would make things easier for us since him and Kosmos are tight

[Beake]: i mean everyone in my guild can’t even agree on what we’re having for lunch

[Gatekeeper]: I’m more worried about the 8-14s poking around. Earlier I got a DM from them asking if I had any information about a whole list of topics

[Gatekeeper]: They literally compiled a whole list and I couldn’t recognize most of the shit they were referencing

[Quickstep]: Block em

[Gatekeeper]: I can’t bc they’ll fine me

[Quickstep]: They’re gonna fine you for blocking them?

[Gatekeeper]: Yeah on the website it says it’s apparently “maliciously impeding communications regarding intersystemic peace”

[Gatekeeper]: 12.5k fine

[Dare]: sheesh, i heard SEB is planning on taxing us for the stands we earned from the disaster, they did it for hangzhou

[Beake]: fuck i already spent most of mine on maintenance and repairs

[Gatekeeper]: That’s a fine

[Gatekeeper]: 1 million stands

[Beake]: i’d rather die than pay one more cent to SEB

[Quickstep]: I heard the 8-14s are coming after Seraph

[Quickstep]: Apparently her and Monarch made a contract with a Nem so they could take the Sungrazers down

[Beake]: i heard the same rumors but like hell they’re going to indict two of the biggest GMs in the world

[Beake]: even if it’s true it’s probably justified, we were getting our shit kicked in and the world hasn’t ended yet

[Beake]: the GG is looking for any excuse to knock the B4 down a peg *esp* Seraph and

[Beake]: they’re probably salivating rn knowing an apocalyptic designation is on the table

[Quickstep]: But going after Seraph means going after *Kosmos*

[Dare]: yeah the GG is getting really bold and I don’t like it

[Dare]: ever since Kosmos rose onto the international stage he intentionally kept himself out of politics

[Gatekeeper]: Hell I’d do the same thing if I had as much power as him

[Gatekeeper]: I remember Oasisgate. Once Kosmos signal-boosted the story, it instantly made top trending and a shitton of investigations were launched bc of his word alone

[Dare]: yeah he’s that influential

[Dare]: i’m pretty sure he has problems with the GG but keeps them behind closed doors

[Dare]: but now the GG is forcing him to take an active stance and defend his wife’s apocalyptic allegations

[Dare]: i wonder if she will actually go to prison

[Quickstep]: Nah, for Seraph they need irrefutable evidence

[Dare]: so why are they doing it?

[Quickstep]: It’s obvious dumbass

[Quickstep]: The GG wants the publicity. All they need is *some* evidence, *some* reasonable doubt, and Seraph’s reputation goes down the drain and Kosmos’s too

[Quickstep]: You know what they’re saying right? About Sirius Aethfell?

[Dare]: we’re in a war

[Quickstep]: Yeah follow my diagram real quick

[Quickstep]: GG wants to make big international moves bc of the war -> they need world unity -> they have opposition -> their biggest opponent is Kosmos who can change public discourse with a single word -> need to knock him down a peg -> how? oh look, his wife might’ve contracted with a Nem -> publicize it, drag them through the mud -> public hates them -> the GG got rid of their biggest opponent -> easier time to do whatever they want

[Dare]: so if the rumors are true this will happen?

[Quickstep]: Doesn’t have to be

[Quickstep]: If there’s enough evidence for an arrest they’ll take it

[Gatekeeper]: You know this from experience?

[Quickstep]: Yeah my uncle was targeted by the boys in blue

[Quickstep]: He’s serving life behind bars so I fucking hate the GG

[Quickstep]: But they’re good. All they need is a foot in the door and they can bust the house down

[Dare]: i hope they don’t

[Gatekeeper]: Nobody does

[Gatekeeper]: If Angels crumbles idk what’ll happen next

[Beake]: stuff no one likes I’d bet

[Dare]: so we’re living in unprecedented times

[Dare]: i’m tired of it already

~~~

[Mystic has been kicked from all Guild-related communications!]

[Gildstar has been kicked from all Guild-related communications!]

[Lavender has been kicked…!]

The Glory scrolled through the notifications, flipped through them with her dainty finger. “I recognize all of them. Every single person was apart of Mystic’s faction; I guess Silverhonor got the confidence to kick them out for good.”

“Finally,” replied her partner, who was sitting around loading bullets into magazines. “I didn’t know how Glory managed to survive with this freakin’ civil war going on.”

“There’s still an entire process to suspending their activities to the guild, but this pretty much confirms it.” She sighed, rubbing her neck, looking up at the blue sky that Ordo was given after nine long days. “What’s gonna happen next…? You think our GM will report him to OSOA? The case might be big enough to be sent to international court.”

He shrugged. “Maybe but everyone’s gonna have their hands full. I ain’t a prophet so don’t go asking me about the future. But I know things are gonna change, so it’s best to be prepared for that. It’s why I’m already looking at other guilds outside Ordo just in case Glory collapses.”

“I might start doing that too…” Almost everyone in Glory Guild liked Silverhonor as a person; they’d accepted her as one of their own despite being an outworlder. Then again, being half-elf and unreasonably pretty and innocent would earn you love from most people. But you wouldn’t entrust a child with keys to the family car.

Glory had barely managed to come out intact out of the Disaster, and that was with the assistance of the other guilds plus the Army; knowing the Guards were in play, nobody would have time to help her. Or more cynically, no one wanted to help her.

The woman sighed. “I don’t want to speak ill of the dead but maybe Archknell did make a mistake in choosing her as Vice; she’s just too new. Maybe in a luckier world, she would’ve gotten the experience she needed.”

“In the real world, we don’t get to choose when we’re ready,” her partner replied. “Hardships create tough Slayers and we saw what hardship does to her. I ain’t speaking ill on Archknell either but Silverhonor isn’t meant for this. Unless she spontaneously has her thinking corrected, Glory Guild is a dead man walking.”

“It’s still hard to believe that one of the Big Four might collapse.”

“It’s what happens when you got a disaster this big. The entire landscape will get shaken up; towers fall but the real question is: who’s gonna rise after the dust settles?”

They looked at each other, seemingly knowing the answer.

~~~

Trending:

Ordo Disaster

Dawn Baptists

#WhoisConqueror

#APOCALYPSE

Kosmos

@julixx_77

Apparently according to a friend who lives in Ordo (she’s safe y’all! I’m sending positive energy her way!) she says there’s a whole team of Pseudos in DB! I don’t want to share misinformation but multiple other accounts are saying the same thing which is crazy because (1/3)

The DB, according to trusted sources, were tasked with subjugating the Sungrazers. So like? Why is a team of Pseudos there in the first place? I’ve been researching and they don’t seem to be rifles or scientists. One of them is rumored to be a minor?!?! (2/2)

Omg!! I can’t believe this blew up! Please donate to these charities!

@harryguards1234

Can anyone confirm if Conqueror actually defeated one of the Sungrazers by himself? I’ve been hearing the same reports from Ordoians but I’m skeptical this is the case, considering he has been confirmed to be a Pseudo-Slayer.

@ordoian919

The video captured a debris-ridden street with civilians on the sidewalk as trucks cruised down the road. The filmer let out a long sigh, the camera shaking as he walked. “I’m sorry for the shakiness, but I just got kicked out of the last camp because the area was dangerous to hang 'round. That doesn’t really matter right now ‘cause I needed to get this video out.

“Before I get into it, though, I just want to say thank God for our Slayers. Thank God for our soldiers. Thank God for Seraph and all the other high-rankers. Thank God for you all who kept us in your thoughts. If you’re planning on donating your money, please do some research first. There’s a lot of bad people out there who want to take your money, so please please do your due diligence on the internet. Thank you.

“Now that’s said and done, I wanted to post this sooner after the last one but my phone decided to die on me and I couldn’t find a charger until this morning, so I apologize for that.

“On my last video, one question I’ve seen popping up was about Conqueror. Did he actually defeat Kreutz by himself? Yes. The entire city saw it. When it happened, there was this…” The man pointed upwards to a seemingly random direction, “...silver pillar of energy. Slayers told me that he got a Second Emergence but I’m not too sure if that’s correct. Everybody’s saying it is and there’s a general consensus on that fact, so take it as you will. They’re probably right, but you can’t hurt to question things ‘til a confirmation is had.

“Now, after that pillar, another pillar popped up. That one, nobody knows what happened there. Like before, everyone’s sorta assuming Conqueror is the cause but anything beyond that is anyone’s guess. But they’re saying it’s an [Honor]. Normally I’d nod my head and go, ‘Well alright, that makes sense I suppose.’ Yet it doesn’t, really.

“‘Cause this leads into another question you guys had: is Conqueror a Pseudo-Slayer? Yes. Yes, he is. I haven’t heard of a Pseudo creating an [Honor] before. I guess it’s possible under the right circumstances, but I dunno. I’m not too sure what to think after everything that happened. That’s up for you to theorize anyway, because I’m just the messenger here sharing what I know. I make no promises that my information is the most reliable; I’m only one man after all.

“But I guarantee you this: all this talk about the GG charging Seraph and Monarch and who else for apocalyptic actions is straight nonsense. If there’s one thing I’m absolutely certain about, then it’d be their innocence. Without them, your grandkids will be reading about Ordo in a textbook like how they read about Rome.

“That’s the truth.”

@victorievans

Reports state Conqueror is currently in a coma after allegedly slaying Kreutz, the leader of the Kreutz Sungrazers. His location is unknown but it is assumed he is under the care of Angels Guild and Kosmos.

@superstar1929

One of my friends said he met Conqueror during OU’s Expedition Week bc he was one of the applicants. Here’s what he said

- Conqueror’s real name is Alexander Shen

- He’s Chinese-American

- Survived the Hangzhou Disaster

- Moved to Ordo for school with his little sister

- Econ major (1/2)

- During Ex.Week, he managed a sparring event and beat most of the applicants

- People at OU said he’s the best fighter

- But he said he didn’t want to be a Slayer(?)

This is all I could get for rn. I’ll update with more info soon (2/2)

@realtoni90

Can confirm. I bunkered in OU throughout the Disaster. Alexander Shen *is* Conqueror.

@typhoon223

Alexander Shen? Bro he was the crazy kid back in high school. He got into fights with the teachers everyday. We were making bets thinking he’ll get his ass expelled

@lookingthru$$

I found a video where Alex knocked Reynold Serrano on his ass. Best day of my life

“My people compiled hundreds more posts,” said Isabella Alvillar, gesturing to the monitor. It showed a spreadsheet of links to various social media platforms. In the box next to each entry was a brief summary of its contents. “We’re waiting on official reports from basically anyone with authoritative standing in Ordo but I think it’s confirmed at this point: Alexander Shen is Conqueror. He led Seraph’s strike force, the Dawn Baptists, as a Pseudo.”

“I see…” the man muttered to himself in deep thought, rubbing his arms. His sleeves were kicked up and revealed dark tattoos spiraling down his forearms, the entire figure unknown with this snippet. “I guess it’s a good thing I decided to come here first thing. Once the news begins to report on his identity, they’ll find me. Lord...”

The man rubbed his face, pushing his glasses up doing so.

Isabella frowned when she saw her guest disturbed by this confirmation and leaned forward in her chair, the seat squeaking. “Do you need anything—?”

“No no, I’m fine, thank you.” He smiled warmly, though he knew he looked like the opposite of a well-rested, composed man. “It’s been a long week for me, Miss Alvillar. I haven’t slept a wink. I feel so relieved and so daunted at the same time.”

“I understand. If it was my niece and nephew…” she paused, genuinely thinking about the possibility, “…I’d be just as worried as you, Mister Romanos.”

Alistair Romanos felt sincerity from her words. The simple yet powerful emotion of sympathy could do wonders for the spirit. “Thank you. On second thought, I think I do need something from you.”

“Name it.”

Public flights into Ordo is impossible as of currently, but that didn’t mean private flights. “I want a flight arranged as soon as possible.”

Isabella had a feline grin. “I’m already working on one for myself. There’s more than enough room for another passenger.”

“Thank you—“

“No, I’m just repaying the favor. Your nephew helped me lots back then,” she said. “I’ll warn you: you’ll be walking into pandemonium. By tonight, everyone’s going to want just a crumb of info on Alexander.”

“Don’t worry, missy. I’ve been in Hell before and I walked out. A little press won’t scare me away,” he replied confidently. “When will we leave?”

“The end of the week if we’re lucky.”

“Let’s pray we are.”