The Election (I)

The meeting room was a large space with a podium in the middle facing the crowd. The podium had exactly nine seats, four on each side, with one in the middle. The crowd was not excited after seeing the setup.

They wanted to know why these nine people got into the spotlight but did not. As great fans of Rick and Morty, they knew one of the negative aspects of the citadel. All Ricks had the same IQ, yet countless members of the Citadel were reduced to doing menial jobs.

So, they would never allow themselves to fall into that category. Furthermore, their pride is even higher than Ricks, so how could they admit their inferiority to their counterparts?

Luckily, before everyone rioted or made a scene, they received a message from the Citadel Communication System explaining why these nine people received preferential treatment.

The first reason was they were all Tier 8 or above. Such an explanation was barely enough to satisfy these people. After all, they understood the concept of respecting the strong. Given that their peers had such achievements before them, it was proof of their excellence.

However, numerous variants had weapons or other methods to deal with Tier 8 Mages, so this was not enough. Luckily, the message also provided other reasons, such as these nine people have displayed the highest level of technology, magic, and influence.

These Edwards were not convinced since they were all confident in their abilities. Furthermore, the Citadel did not provide in-depth details of these people's technology nor explain what they meant by "influence."

However, such an explanation was enough for them to calm down and watch the ceremony. Then, everybody became quiet and waited.

A beam of light flashed on one of the seats on the left, transporting one of the Edwards. The man had a robe similar to Dumbledore's, and even his demeanor was similar. He had a goatee that was perfectly trim, making him look older than normal.

"Hello, Edward Bones. My name is Edward Bone," said the man, generating a few cackles at his corny joke. "I'm from dimension C-654. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

A bright light appeared, showing another Edward. However, he was dressed as if from 19th century London; he even had a monocle.

"That guy stole my joke. It's like he knew what I was thinking."

Another chuckle from the crowd.

"They gave me the numbers B-235."

A third one appeared. However, he was dressed in all red with a dark aura surrounding his body; even his eyes were blood-red.

"C-666," he said directly without any other words. Everyone looked at him and did not say anything; they decided to stay away from anti-social versions of themselves; those guys are the truly scary ones.

The fourth person to appear had everyone looking at him strangely, and that's because he was dressed like a Pharaoh from Egypt.

"It's a long story," he said with a wry smile. "On the first test of my multiverse ship, I failed and crashed in ancient Egypt. With no resources and knowledge to fix the problem, I took over and used the magic system and resources of that period to fix the ship.

"Then, one thing led to another, and the rest is history."

People understood this guy belonged to the Empire Faction but was kind of due to an accident. Maybe he assimilated into the culture after years of being a ruler.

"By the way, I'm F-823."

The seats on the left side were filled, so the light brought the fifth person sitting furthest from the center on the right. The man immediately caught everyone's attention since he was elderly with long white hair and beard.

This variant's body exuded a vicissitudes of life that made people understand he had experienced immense suffering in his life. As soon as the variants laid eyes on him, they understood this would be their fate if everything in their lives went wrong.

"I am A-001," said the elderly Edward. "I'm here as a cautionary tale to all of you."

The atmosphere became somber for a moment before the sixth person appeared. It was a man dressed in a more futuristic attire; his outfit bore some resemblance to the Time Lords from Gallifrey in Doctor Who; the ones who appeared during the 13th Doctor, not the old ones.

"I am M-616."

People immediately paid attention to him as soon as he said these words. C-137 and 616 were the numbers these variants wanted the most. Moreover, he also took the moniker M, which should be for Marvel.

For a person to receive that number for their dimension, there must be something special.

The seventh person to appear was also eye-raising. He did not have the signature black hair and blue eyes of the majority of variants. Instead, he had golden hair and eyes. A noble aura of divinity emanates from his body.

"Booo," said one person, followed by the majority of the group; they did not hide their disdain and contempt.

"Come one guy, the Divine Civilization has plenty to offer," argued L-123. Unfortunately, most Edwards had the same disdain for Godhood and Divinity.

In the end, L-123 did not have time to introduce himself, and his dimension number appeared above his seat like the others.

The eighth person to appear was our protagonist, Edward Bones G-003. He wore his usual white-gold robe, catching the attention of the group. His robe was not unique since the design originated from a game, and it was called the Archmage Robe. As such, many people had similar designs.

However, the magical lights and beautiful runes sewn on the roble gave him a unique charm.

"I am G-003, and hopefully, your next Council President." Edward resisted every urge in his bones to say he was the [Prime] Edward.

People's response to his introduction was lukewarm at best. After all, everyone wanted to be president. So, who is this guy to say he will be their leader?

Finally, after a few seconds of chattering, a light brighter than everyone appeared in the middle position. A man wearing a black magic robe with golden patterns appeared in the center.

"I am C-137," he declared. Then, he released the terrifying aura of a Tier 9 Mage, suppressing the entire event. The variants did not take kindly to this kind of provocation and responded.

Everyone used different methods, mostly technology and artifacts, to disperse the suppressing aura. The eight individuals sitting next to him were the most successful in this endeavor.

Hmph!

A cold snort resonated in the citadel as a pressure on par with the C-137 manifested. In an instant, the new pressure suppressed C-137 partly. Everyone looked at the source and discovered it was G-003. The odd part is that they did not detect any magical artifact, implying he used his strength to achieve such a thing.

Of course, Edward would not tell them about his Arcane Spark that allowed him to fight above his Tier. So, he only smiled with all the attention on him.

Meanwhile, C-137 made great efforts to control his emotions; his overwhelming entrance was ruined by one person. In his mind, he recalled all the information he knew about G-003.

[G-003: Member of the Empire Faction.

[In a short period, he used his overwhelming knowledge to become the leader of the Alchemist Factions while also significantly influencing the Empire and Magitech Faction. He also has a friendship with the Headmaster Factions.

[Technology Level: Highest Tier.

[Conclusion: Greatest threat to the Council President Position.]

'The threat he posed might be greater than I anticipated,' thought C-137.