chapter 18: The ancient battle 2

"Following the intense spiritual sense battle that threatened to destroy Wonder and affected other countries on the Seventh Continent, numerous reporters and journalists flocked to Blue Fur City to live stream and gather information about the two enigmatic hybrids responsible for the destruction of Grey Brothel, a once-notorious establishment.

Despite efforts by imperial ministers to contain the information, it had already spread like wildfire, and they couldn't control the narrative anymore. The rarity of hybrids above the Lord level on the Seventh Continent, home to almost a hundred countries and billions of hybrids, only added to the intrigue - after all there are only five hybrids in the seventh continent that has surperse the lord level ."

"The news of the mysterious hybrids had spread far and wide, reaching all part of the seventh continent. Despite having no knowledge of the hybrids' identities, the imperial court was under pressure to provide a satisfactory answer to other countries and empires, to demonstrate their innocence and lack of collaboration with the hybrids. Emperor Zach was forced to spend a significant sum to employ Mrs. Lyla, a renowned reporter and journalist from Intelligence Gathering Solutions (IGS) which is also part of the moonstone Assembly (MAY) one of the most influential hybrid organizations in the world, to investigate the hybrids' identity and motives.

Mrs. Lyla and her team stood before Minister Smith, asking open-ended and specific questions to gather information and clues. She began by asking, "What happened before the battle?" Minister Smith replied, "I wasn't there." She continued, "As a hybrid, can you describe what you heard or smelled?" But he simply answered, "No I was far away from the battlefield." When she asked, "Who was present at the scene?" he responded, "Nobody." Mrs. Lyla realized her questions were leading nowhere and decided to change her approach."

Mrs. Lyla frowned, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Minister Smith, it seems you're not being very helpful," she said, her tone firm but polite.

The minister shrugged. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lyla. I truly don't know anything about the hybrids or the battle. I'm just a humble government official."

Mrs. Lyla sighed, her team nodding in agreement. They had expected as much, but they had to try.

"Very well, Minister," Mrs. Lyla said. "We'll need to speak to the emperor himself, then."

The minister's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded. "Of course, Mrs. Lyla. I'll arrange an audience for you."

As they left the minister's office, Mrs. Lyla turned to her team. "It's clear we won't get anything out of him. Let's hope the emperor is more forthcoming."

Her team nodded, their faces set with determination. They knew this was just the beginning of a long and difficult investigation.

Mrs. Lyla and her team from Intelligence Gathering Solutions (IGS) were granted an audience with Emperor Zach himself. They entered the grand throne room, adorned with intricate tapestries and gleaming marble. The emperor sat on his throne, his expression stern but curious.

"Mrs. Lyla, I'm told you wanted to see me, Emperor Zach said, his voice deep and commanding. "What progress have you made?"

Mrs. Lyla bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, we've encountered some obstacles, but we're still looking for clues. We believe the hybrids may be connected to one of the organizations on the Shadow order."

The emperor's eyes narrowed. "The Shadow order ? That's a dangerous game, Mrs. Lyla. Be careful which path you choose to tread."

"The Shadow Order, a formidable faction of powerful criminal hybrids, who has once united to challenge the Federation - a coalition of governments, emperors, and leaders of ancient families. Your Majesty, we cannot discount the possibility that the Shadow Order is behind these events after all years ago during the shadow purge not all of them was killed some powerful members escaped," Mrs. Lyla explained to the emperor Zach.

The emperor raised his eyebrows and said"according to our sources, they didn't attack ordinary citizens; in fact, it seems they were trying to contain the destruction, which is uncharacteristic of the shadow order usual tactics."

Meanwhile, Dean and Osa appeared on a mountain peak deep within the treacherous Godforsaken Mountain range. After flashing through the terrain, Dean stopped at the edge of a high cliff, one of the highest in the entire range. Osa bombarded him with questions: "What are we doing here? Why did you flee? How did you tear space apart...?"

"Kid, calm down!" Dean exclaimed. "I've caused quite a commotion, which might attract their attention. So, I won't be leaving the ring anytime soon."

Osa's curiosity was piqued. "Whose attention have you attracted?" he asked.

Dean replied, "The Gods, of course."

Osa was confused. "Why did you cause such a huge commotion?" he asked.

Dean's grin was mischievous. "I found something familiar in that masked dude's aura, so I got carried away."

Osa's questions came rapid-fire. "Dean, how did you tear space apart? That was cool! I've never seen anyone do something like that before."

Dean chuckled. " that is something normal for existence at my level?" Osa asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Can I do it too?

Dean's expression turned serious. "Even better, since this universe is your birth place . What I did was forcefully tear space apart, but for you, it might be different. It could feel like manipulating your own limbs."

Osa's eyes widened in amazement. "I never knew birthplace also influence abilities."

"It does," Dean explained, "because since you are born in this universe, the laws of this universe are in harmony with you. Unlike me, I can only forcefully bend the laws of this universe to my will, which in turn might cause some damage like natural disasters and others."

"What's more," Dean continued, "in my universe, I am at least 10% stronger than in this universe."

This really was an eye opener for Osa, who since birth had been made to believe all kinds of exaggerations. Osa just kept quiet as he listened to Dean's explanations.

Finally, Osa asked Dean, "I want you to tell me what you know about that ancient battle."