“The Global Guards are continuing to struggle in their discussions with the world powers of today. Ever since the utter disaster that was the Darkspace Investigations, many nations are playing hard-to-get and instead focusing the security efforts within their own borders. Some have, reportedly, reached out to Kosmos and Conqueror with great interest in their new organization. Future collaborations are hinted at but the new player on the block has not reportedly made any major decisions. Competing with the Guards in the sphere of worldly security, there are many lessons we can derive from this conflict.

“We have one of our own here today to break this down.” The anchor turned to his cohort sitting next to him, a plump man wearing a suit that was one size too small for him.

The analyst scooted forward in his chair, eyes sharp towards the camera. “There is one moral you can take from this absolute disgrace of a catastrophe: the sheer disregard Kosmos and his new sidekick Conqueror have for our planet. Ever since the interview with Isabella Alvillar, we have dozens of prominent figures speaking out against the Global Guards and are undermining trust and public safety.

“Every second we aren’t acting against Sirius Aethfell is another second this world falls into more danger. And because of our so-called ‘heroes’, they are spreading around violent and dangerous and hateful rhetoric and intentionally jeopardized our safety and neglected to perform their duty to satisfy their own egos—and because a certain someone complained about the justice process when their significant other had intentionally committed a crime against the world.

“It is a great travesty to realize that the Slayers we’ve looked up to as children have become this authoritarian, power-hungry, fame-hungry, money-hungry despots who believe they are higher than all the world governments, higher than the Global Guards, and higher than the world itself. If it was anyone else saying these horrid things, they would be designated as Apocalyptic and hauled off to who-knows-where.

“We have fallen far as a society if we allow these superhumans to walk around blatantly ignoring what’s good for the earth. And worse yet, we have presidents and prime ministers eating this drama up like this is reality TV. We have our democratically-elected representatives selfishly concerned about their own interests—about their own constituents. No, your first responsibility is to this world because the apocalypse pierces through all borders!

“Look, I want to see people humbled. I want to see real accountability taken for the discourse we’re forced to have over the past couple of weeks. I want to see real cooperation and unity and not the fractured state we’re in today! And for the ones who intentionally caused this splintering, they should be chased after by the International Agency! They are monsters who want nothing but more tragedies!

“Only God knows what schemes they are up to right now!”

~~~

[Private Channel - Cool Kids Guild]

[Conqueror]: Hey.

Multiple read!

[Conqueror]: Oi.

[Conqueror]: Who changed the name?

[Conqueror]: It’s someone with mod or admin powers

[Victor]: it’s probably you

[Victor]: i know how much you wanna be taken as a cool kid

[Conqueror]: It’s you isn’t it?

[Victor]: hey i don’t have the mod powers

[Victor]: you took it away from me

[Conqueror]: That’s because you kicked Kaiya out multiple times

[Uprise]: i deserved it

[Victor]: she deserved it

[Conqueror]: Okay so if it isn’t you, then who is it?

[Victor]: leo?

[Celestial War Empress]: I’m recovering from my emergence, so I don’t have the time to sit around and fiddle.

[Uprise]: actually it gives you a good excuse to do that

[Uprise]: that’s what i did and i accidentally set off an alert

[Forest Master]: You had our professor running into your room within seconds…

[Celestial War Empress]: If anyone has the sense of humor to rename the channel to ‘Cool Kids Guild’ then maybe it’s our Queen.

[Spirit Beast Queen]: nope i don’t have mod powers

[Spirit Beast Queen]: alex took it away from me

[Conqueror]: You pinned: ‘Conqueror is an asshole and I hate him’

[Spirit Beast Queen]: you deserved it

[Victor]: you deserved it

[Operator]: it’s not me

[Operator]: you never gave me mod powers in the first place

[Operator]: you probably would’ve taken it away from me too

[Conqueror]: Okay, who are the mods/admins here whose permissions I *didn’t* revoke?

[Celestial War Empress]: Problem, Gul, Initiate, Shinzo, Seraph, Kosmos, Firebrand, and Rector

[Celestial War Empress]: In no particular order

[Conqueror]: At least *someone’s* helpful

[Conqueror]: What about Votary?

[Votary]: You took mine away…

[Conqueror]: Oh right.

[Conqueror]: Why?

[Evenfall]: Ahem.

[Votary]: I changed a certain demon’s username to [Demonic Gnat]

[Evenfall]: How adorably petty of you

[Conqueror]: Right I remember now

[Conqueror]: Again Votary, is this how WH wanted you to ‘watch over’ our resident demon here?

[Votary]: Nope

[Votary]: But I like using my power over him

[Evenfall]: Help me, Conqueror. You are my only salvation from the demonic nun

[Votary]: I am resisting the urge to block you

[Conqueror]: Okay back onto the mystery

[Conqueror]: Who’s the comedian who changed the name?

[Operator]: just change it back

[Conqueror]: I did.

[Conqueror]: Watch what happens

[The Private Channel has been renamed to Watch]

[The Private Channel has been renamed to Cool Kids Guild]

[The Private Channel has been renamed to Stop Doing This]

[The Private Channel has been renamed to No]

[Victor]: no

[Spirit Beast Queen]: no

[Celestial War Empress]: No

[Evenfall]: Yes!

[Operator]: well it’s definitely not me

[Operator]: uh

[Operator]: @Problem

[Problem]: What.

[Problem]: Oh.

[Problem]: @Initiate

[Initiate]: Who died?

[Conqueror]: Who keeps changing the name?

[Initiate]: Heh, that’s hilarious

Initiate is Away!

[Conqueror]: Goddammit

[Forest Master]: I apologize for not helping more

[Forest Master]: If it’s any of a hint, Gul did not do this because she’s been occupied all day

[Conqueror]: Thanks FM

[Victor]: always so sweet

[Uprise]: and so pretty

[Evenfall]: And so useless right now!

[Forest Master]: …

[Evenfall]: I’m sorry it’s a joke I couldn’t resist don’t kill me

[Forest Master]: What did Evenfall say? I blocked him.

[Evenfall]: I’m dead

[Victor]: i’m dead

[Forest Master]: I apologize for your loss.

[Conqueror]: Okay, the suspect list is narrowed. It can’t be FB or Shinzo

[Celestial War Empress]: Mhm, they’re in a meeting right now

[Spirit Beast Queen]: so it’s either seraph, kosmos, or rector

[Spirit Beast Queen]: you sure you’re not pranking us alex?

[Conqueror]: I’m sure

[Conqueror]: If it’s actually one of them, I swear…

“Nathan…” Sera looked at him disapprovingly. “You’re torturing your co-founder. The last thing he needs is getting pranked right after getting discharged from the Hospital.”

Nathan laughed knowing he was the only one who thought this was funny. “I’m a mastermind, honey. There’s no better way to raise morale than playing a few harmless jokes.”

“What you’re doing is called manipulation.”

“Do you always have to be a contrarian?”

“I’m the realism to your ideals.” Sera walked over and pressed a finger against his chest, exactly where his beating heart was. She smirked. “Don’t push your luck; I know you’re excited because you don’t have to act like Kosmos all the time now, but you still have to maintain a modicum of respect and distance.”

“Okay, I got it. Nobody will know. A secret is only kept safe if two people agree, right?”

“Yes, one dead and one alive.”

Nathan made an awkward expression.

Sera’s smirk grew wider. “It’s not like you can die anyway.”

~~~

“Hey!” a man crashed through the door nearly taking the hinges off. In fact one had actually snapped off, cracked onto the ground and rolled. He winced before shaking his head, pushing that issue to another day. “I got big news!”

The other Slayers within the Broadsword Community Center gave him a few morsels of their attention, mainly focusing on their own affairs. These were freelancers, solos and contracts, or small guilds and teams who found residence here. Although the world knew the high-rankers like those belonging to the Big Four, this was reality for many Slayers even before the Disaster.

The rambunctious Slayer, seeing he had little attention, cleared his throat, visibly anxious. “Applications are gonna open soon!” he exclaimed, loud enough where even the ones outside in the yard could hear.

When those words were spoken, silence. Whetstones were half-drawn, firearms half-cleaned, blue screens still open. Although the Slayer did not specify whose applications were open, they knew the identity. It was the very organization that’d taken the world by storm, something greater than a typical guild like the Big Four. A new movement led by Kosmos and the future EX-Rank Slayer, Conqueror, towards the subjugation of Sirius Aethfell and whatever bastards he was commanding.

Across the world there was going to be people lining up to join.

Here, in Ordo, these Slayers here were lucky enough to be within the borders to possibly join the first wave.

Immediately the man was bombarded by questions from his peers. He stammered, jetting around the room trying to get some space to breathe but the questions kept coming and coming.

He threw his hands out and sped through his answers: “Hey hey hey, I don’t know how many they’re looking for! I heard this from a friend who works in Royals, but he’s eighty-percent sure the Baptists are seeking new recruits!”

In other words, the circle closest to Kosmos and Conqueror. First created during the Ordo Disaster to combat the Kreutz Sungrazers, it became a mysterious conspiracy of outstanding Slayers privy to resources and training no one else had. The golden ticket to success, but this meant impressing the two founders themselves.

Again the man was struck with question-after-question, assaulted until relief came in the form of news. The same rumors had spread throughout the [Public Channels] and social media, and so gradually the Slayers drifted to scavenging online for any tidbits of information.

He looked around the hall and sighed, finally able to breathe, but among the excited faces he did not find the celebrity of Broadsword Community Center. Drawing from previous knowledge, he squeezed between bodies before coming outside into the yard, faintly smelling smoke in the air from the barbeque earlier.

Then he heard it: the strings of a cello. He followed the music. It was Ordo. Whether this attraction was caused by phenomenon or skill, that was unknown, yet his heart beat in tandem with the rhythm. There was the taste of tragedy inside, and he thought of the city. There was the dance of vengeance and hope, and he was reminded of the two founders. Within this piece was the tale of the Ordo Disaster from beginning to end.

The Slayer saw the musician sitting in the shade of an oak, his long ashen hair falling down over his shoulders. His expression was soft and feminine in the same way that Monarch was a handsome beauty. He was performing for an audience of his own soul, to see if his heart was aligned with today’s atmosphere and to see if his hands could properly convey the stories within.

Now the musician had an audience of one. Neither knew how long the playing lasted until his dark eyes opened, finding the acquaintance there awestruck.

“Ah,” began the musician as his slender fingers teased the strings of his cello once more, “I didn’t notice you until now. Did you come to listen or is there something you have to tell me?”

“Uh…” The Slayer glanced away, pink in the cheeks. “I wanted to tell you that apps are opening up.”

“For what—? Oh, I remember now. Yes, it seems a grand opportunity is arriving right at our doorsteps.” The musician paused and a deep thought seemed to strike him. He hummed with satisfaction, having accepted whatever he had to accept. “What a delightful experience this will be. It would be a disservice to not participate. Please tell me more. I'm very interested.”

~~~

Trending:

Conqueror

Kosmos

#KeepHolding!

Applications

Bastion Universes

@tythely

Yall who had this shit in their bingo this year cause this shit is wild ngl

@RedWagon10

To our elected representatives: do not bend the knee and keep fighting! Your responsibility is to the people WHO VOTED YOU IN!!! The GG has no right to tell us what to do in our own sovereign nation! #KeepHolding! #DisgracefulGuards

@silverhonormylove

hey i’ve been hearing rumors that silverhonor is stepping down as guild master??? hello??? what’s going on at glory? (ps to all you trolls attacking my account recently have fun getting reported + blocked + get a job fucking losers)

@NCTrading

A series of images were attached of President Lee Seung-hyun shaking hands and smiling with Ordoians. Behind them were buildings under construction. In one picture in particular, Hunter was seen in the background glaring.

We at NC Trading are dedicated to the Reconstruction effort! We have partnered with the Ordoian government to rebuild critical infrastructure, businesses, and homes to bring the wonderful city back to its state prior to the Disaster!

If you are: an Ordoian who’s seeking aid, a volunteer who wants to lend their two hands, want to make a donation, or interested in the Reconstruction in general, please click the link below and follow the resources accordingly!

@hjackson

Reportedly across the globe, thousands of Slayers have expressed interest in becoming apart of Bastion Universes. Additionally according to insider sources, even governments have reached out in hopes of future cooperation including the current administration in America. Right now, though, it seems the Big Four are key investors.

@ordo_university

Within the post was a few pictures taken of Conqueror speaking with the community housed inside the campus, including parents, fellow students, and other refugees.

Today we have been honored by Conqueror’s visit to our campus. He spoke with family and friends of those who had passed during Operation Scorcher and promised to make the world a safer place for this generation and generations after. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors and hope he remembers his time as a Wayfarer!

Thank you, Hero of Ordo!

@phenom5691

The Phenomena Society is going through it. Since the Founder sided with Bastion there has been an uproar from Phenoms who had contracts and projects with the Guards. Apparently there’ll be a walkout protesting the decision. Honest opinion? It’s not going to work. The Founder is notorious for being stubborn and no one can get him to change his mind.

Maybe this is an attempt by the GG to destabilize the Society? I can’t see that happening with the Founder still in the picture.

@isa_alvillar

After spending weeks knee-deep in the Reconstruction, it’s time to return home! I have to thank Kosmos and Conqueror for giving the opportunity to speak with them personally, and I support them full-heartedly in their endeavors with Bastion Universes!

Stay tuned for my thoughts about the entire affair once I get off the plane.

@BaptistVictor

The image here oversaw a massive site outside the walls of the Slayer Capital. It seemed to have once belonged to Angels Guild given from its logos distantly seen upon some walls.

Our new HQ is going well! Can’t wait to be apart of the new movement!

“Oi.” Alexander snatched the phone out of Victor’s hands. “Maybe you should go help your teammates, you internet addict. How many times you posted today, yeah? Ten, twenty, thirty times?”

Victor scowled and plucked his phone back, taunting his new commander by waving it around. “I’m helping with marketing and public outreach.”

“Who the hell are you marketing to? Mars? Only cavemen don’t know about us.”

The B-Rank pouted. “Look man, I’m improving our public image. We gotta look our best ‘cause everybody got their eyes on us. I don’t wanna disrespect my boss right away, but a selfless saint like you don’t know two things ‘bout appealing to your audience. People my age? They love this shit.”

Alexander sputtered, “Y-Your age—? Motherfucker, I’m twenty-three.”

“And the co-founder of a worldly defense company who shouldn’t be cursing like a sailor.” Victor smirked. “Motherfucker.”

That earned a peeved smack of the lips from his boss, who couldn’t disagree with his point but still wanted to knock his teeth out anyway. “Okay, dummy. As that co-founder and your boss, go help your friends set up research equipment over in the east-wing and don’t cause a social media scandal while you’re at it.”

“Yessir.” Victor sarcastically saluted him before marching off, whistling like he was on his way to meet a lucky lady. But honestly a part of Alexander wished a tragic accident happened to him. Like an anvil falling on top of his head or something.

Alexander rubbed his mouth with his only hand, his tied-up sleeve swaying uselessly in the gentle wind. It coursed through the new Bastion Universes Headquarters. This had been an unfinished Angels installation but thanks to the fact the other co-founder’s wife coincidentally happened to be its Guild Master, ownership was transferred to the new company plus the surrounding land was bought out.

This was going to be his compound.

To train the core of the Bastion Universes, the Dawn Baptists, against Sirius Aethfell. To research and develop of spatial rift technology in collaboration with the Phenomena Society. To send people around the world and give humanitarian aid to whoever required it. To help protect this damned world.

“God…” Alexander muttered to himself as he recounted his major goals, “...what the hell did I get myself into?”

“I can hardly believe it myself.” A familiar friendly voice approached him: an intimidating man donned in his [Compound Myth Armor]. Though despite his appearance, his voice had zero of the pressure he would normally emit as his alter ego. “Did Victor give you a tough time again?”

“You know him, any amount of attention and he latches on. How’re things with Hamidi?” Alexander recalled an issue earlier when Hamidi was unsatisfied with the current conditions.

Nathan answered, “She calmed down. She understands we’re just beginning construction but she’s anxious to get started as soon as possible. Her and her Phenoms. We have a small town’s worth of researchers aching to work.”

“And our overlords in the Big Four?”

“Also anxious. We’re working on the revised draft of the Parallel Enrollment Agreement. And speaking of them, you should talk with Righteous Jin Tiehan more. He’s been bugging me because you won’t answer him.”

Because I’m unnerved by him. I can’t believe that bastard orchestrated Wolf Prowl but what can I do about it when he’s one of our biggest investors. “I’ll make time to entertain him.”

“Good.”

Something crashed in the distance. Loud but the supervisor running up to the incident was louder. He rattled off to the driver who’d ran his forklift into a stack of crates. Over eastward, another couple trucks were driven in, possessing more materials and equipment needed for the construction. And somewhere on these grounds were the Dawn Baptists attempting to help in any little way they could for their future enterprise.

“Overwhelmed?” Nathan asked him.

Alexander nodded a few times, amazed by it all. “This is crazy. I’m barely getting used to the attention but all of this is… It’s mine. I’m the boss. I run the show.”

“That’s how I felt once I realized Angels wasn’t a small guild anymore. Congratulations though. At the age of twenty-three, you’re an international hero and the next face of the new generation. No pressure or anything.”

A chuckle left the trailblazer. “No pressure, right.”

Alexander dug into his pocket and found the first design of the logo of his future: ‘BASTION UNIVERSES’, taking after Bastion Guild in the Previous Earth. Here, the ‘I’ and ‘O’ in ‘BASTION’ took on the shape of a shining tower and the globe respectively.

He smiled and imagined what Mom and Dad would say.

They’d be proud of him.

The System dinged—a new notification, this time from Leona. A reminder. He had a meeting in the Encampment.

“Need to head out,” he told Nathan, grinning from end-to-end. “It’s time to act as Conqueror again.”