CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: THE ACADEMY’S COUNTEROFFENSIVE PART VIII: THE PROTOCOL EXCALIBUR PART I: SHUTTING THE DOORS OF INFILTRATION
The Students of both Classes remained in the Class Of Deviants.
"Okay, for the last bit of Ninja Tag, Rikishin, I want you to travel to Endregen to the period right after the Galagan War Games. Raygaard and his comrades should be seeking out their Guardian Forces in that period. Raygaard should be in the midst of three selfish spirits who tempt him with false promises of influence, longevity and invincibility. Fortunately, he resists them. You will observe his struggle and bond with him after he resists the three selfish spirits. Aurora, I'll need to extract a fraction of the Twin Saggeesian Sabres' power for this" Ryu said.
Aurora nodded and stretched out the blades. Ryu extracted a fraction of the Aurora Sabres' power and infused them into Rikishin. As a result, Twin Blades appeared in Rikishin's hands, one the colour of the Sun, the other the colour of the Night. Rikishin departed.
"So that's how Master Raygaard comes into possession of his Twin Blades" Reis said in awe.
"With this, the first phase of the Academy's counteroffensive against Tristran and the Sanctum Of Decadent Wyverns is now complete. The second phase begins now" Ryu said.
"The second phase? What do you mean Ryu?" Atlanta asked.
Suddenly, Ryu's crystal key began to hum loudly. Ryu raised it up and a projection of the Academy's Director appeared in the Class Of Deviants.
"I just noticed a drastic reduction in the number of infiltration points the Sanctum Of Decadent Wyverns can utilize. There are now less pathways of infiltration for the evil forces in the Seven Great Realms. I suppose you've completed your preparations haven't you Ryu?" the Academy's Director asked.
"Yes, we have. So far, Tristran hasn't made any notable moves implying that we're probably still off his radar but that won't last for long. We'll have to move quickly" Ryu said.
"Then it's time to put the 'Protocol Excalibur' into operation" the Academy Director said.
In the next instant, the Academy Director's voice began to speak from within the Students' crystal keys.
"Announcement to all Students aboard the Ark. As of this moment, you have all been granted access to a new protocol. The 'Protocol Excalibur' can now be accessed from your crystal keys" the Academy Director's voice announced.
The Students checked their crystal keys and found a new protocol named 'Excalibur'. When they accessed it, they found themselves transported to a very brilliant location. Beneath the Students was the Ocean. Above them was the Sky and in the Sky, the Sun, the Moon and the Stars shone brilliantly. Standing before the Students was the Academy's Director.
"Welcome, Students Of The Academy. I imagine you are surprised to find yourselves within this space. This is a deeper level of the Academy which can only be accessed by legitimate Students Of The Academy once they have been granted access to the 'Protocol Excalibur'. You might ask why this space is necessary. In your various homeworlds, you may have noticed a dramatic rise in the influence of evil. A force you may all have experienced in different forms is responsible for this. A force commonly referred to as the 'Darkness Of The Worlds'. It is a force that possesses the ability to take on a variety of forms and infiltrate various worlds to cause massive destruction. Recently, this force has gained great influence in multiple worlds and by so doing has managed to create portals of infiltration through the Gates linking the Seven Great Realms to the Academy. Fortunately, thanks to the activities of the Classes of both Deviants and Honours, a number of these infiltration points have been shut. Preparatory measures have already been put in place to counter the Darkness Of The Worlds which has now infiltrated the Academy under the guise of the Sanctum Of Decadent Wyverns. The Academy's main counteroffensive begins now. You will notice a red gauge in your crystal keys after accessing the Protocol Excalibur. It shows the degree of influence the 'Darkness Of The Worlds' has in your homeworlds. A large number of you will be sent home to counter this influence. A number of you will remain here to expel the Darkness Of The Worlds within this Academy. When the gauge turns green, the form the Darkness Of The Worlds has taken to plague your homeworlds will be weakened enough for the Protocol Excalibur to be implemented. It means the evil plaguing your world that has now infiltrated the Academy can now be expelled. Representatives from the Seven Great Realms will be sent to do this. When the bar turns green, those of you sent to your homeworlds will be returned to the Ark" the Academy's Director said. "Whether you will remain here to expel the Darkness Of The Worlds or return to your homeworlds to weaken it by countering its influence is completely up to you. Thanks to 'Protocol Limelight', a protocol invented by Michael Of Kolmnid, you should be able to carry out your activities without detection".