Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1283: The Lion Lineage’s Aurex

When was the last time a True Disciple had been taken in? No, when was the last time an in-name disciple had even been named?

In recent generations, it felt like it was happening less and less. But this tended to happen when you closed in on the end of a cycle.

Warlords weren’t named and elevated one by one. Instead, according to Sanctum concepts, all Warlord Lineage Heads were promoted to the Sanctum at the same time. Meanwhile, their replacements were named as well.

That was to say that they were approaching the 714th Cycle now, and because of that, the Lineage Heads had already mostly had their fill of accepting new disciples.

The only one who didn’t seem to listen to this much was Gralith, who had accepted a truly outstanding disciple not long ago. She was a true monster on the verge of entering the D-tier as they spoke. When she was an F-tier, she had been top 10 on the strength leaderboards across the Sector, and top 5 in Rune Masters.

However, Gralith had never tended to do things by normal measures. Though he was still taking in disciples even now, he actually had the fewest disciples of all the Lineage Heads—just three. It was his timing that was odd, not how frequently he took them in.

It could be said that Gralith was the only one to take in a disciple in the last several decades. The fact that another was doing the same really perked several ears up.

There was no way a Lineage Head would take in a normal disciple at a time like this. Whoever it was had to be exceptional. And the fact that it was Thorak who came to get them personally... well, that was even more of a sign.

Who didn’t know how arrogant Thorak was?

”Ah, yes, right away. I can get you the information you want, I just need to know which outer ring world your junior came from.”

”Planet Vortan.”

Thorak’s gruff voice responded, crackling like lingering thunder after a cacophonous boom. The administrator got right to it before his face became weird.

Thorak said that the starship should arrive today, but according to these reports, it actually should have arrived half a month ago. Suddenly, the young D-tier found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Should he tell Thorak that he had made a mistake? How would that go over? But if he didn’t tell Thorak and the starship still didn’t arrive today, and then Thorak found out later that he had known of the original delays...

Just as the administrator was trying to decide what to do, the Runic screen before him suddenly lit up and he sighed a relief of all reliefs. It seemed that today was his lucky day.

The starship had just arrived.

The administrator was about to inform Thorak of this when another commotion was kicked up. When the D-tier saw what it was, he couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was going on today. To think a C-tier would show up down here.

A man wearing wild beast skins, the head of a skinned white lion hanging over one shoulder akin to a pauldron, strolled in.

There were dozens of Lineages in the Sanctum, this much was true. But... there were four of them that stood above all the rest...

The Serpent Lineage.The Whale Lineage.The Ape Lineage.And...The Lion Lineage.

Not only had a member of the Lion Lineage appeared today, but though they weren’t a disciple under the current 713rd Lion Warlord, they were a C-tier.

No matter where you were in the Sector, C-tiers were still very rare. C-tiers were relatively more common in an organization as powerful as this one, but one from such a strong Lineage...

They held a completely different weight.

A boisterous laughter shook the hall.

”Don’t mind me! I’m just here to see an old friend.”

Thorak looked back with what actually seemed to be hints of apprehension in his eyes. The wild, white hair of the C-tier seemed to bristle with its own life, carving out space for itself as though it wanted more room to display its might.

Aurex Erouth. He was ranked in the top 1000 of the Lion Lineage’s C-tiers, a true monster only a rare few would dare to cross even in the case that they were a C-tier themselves.

BOOM! BOOM!

”Ah, looks like he’s here.”

Aurex’s gaze turned along with much of everyone else.

...

Gralith looked up all of a sudden. ’Hm? How unexpected...’

Slowly, he rose to his feet.

”Gralith, where are you going? This meeting is not over.”

”It is to me. My disciple is here.”

”Disciple? Has Gwenu returned?”

”No.”

The frowns in the room deepened. None of Gralith’s other disciples would need such attention. Ekear was already in the C-tier. Khan was on the verge of the C-tier himself—unless it was to help this second disciple of his to break through?

Unless...

”You’ve taken a new disciple again?”

Gralith’s form was already wispy as he left to the distance. But his voice reached them just the same.

”Not officially. He’ll have to pass the Sanctum’s tests first, won’t he?”

A silence fell over the meeting room.

A meeting room where even Lineage Heads had come together. And yet a room Gralith hadn’t hesitated to walk out of.

They all looked at one another, knowing how important this meeting was. The words of the Leava Clan weren’t to be taken lightly, but Gralith, he...

Had he taken another monster under his wings in such short order? What other explanation could one have for his eagerness?

...

No one knew exactly when it happened, but the smile on Aurex’s face had completely frozen.

There, standing on the hull of a descending ship, a young man stood in silence, his trench coat dancing under the harsh winds. A dark emerald hung around him, a wild, bestial aura that meshed all too well with their Sanctum radiating out from him in waves.

To his side, a C-tier, beaten and bloodied, was left kneeling. And apparently, this C-tier was none other than Aurex’s friend.