300 years had passed since Carter had been in his chrysalis state. A lot had changed in the time Carter had been gone. The residents of Pnet Carter were made aware of the coming war and began drafting more people, steadily growing their army in preparation. Meanwhile, Rak and the other Sentinel Guardians continued training the celestial knights. Carter’s forces hardly diminished in numbers, as one in ten who fell would become part of his heavenly force.

  Rak and the other guardians not only trained all the celestial knights but also handpicked certain knights they deemed worthy of their personal attention. Through this selection process, several separate factions were formed:

  Rak created The Children of the Void?. Rak prioritized strength above all else. Regardless of how someone fought or the kind of abilities they wielded, he would take them under his wing if they proved their strength. Because of this strategy, his faction rose to the top in terms of raw power.

  Jirak created The Ancestral Dragon Cn?, which, as the name implies, consisted of beings with abilities simir to dragons. While none were true dragons, many were aliens with dragonic lineages.

  Lorna created The High Heaven Faction?, the most religious faction. Even though all factions praise Carter, Lorna’s was centered on governing the faith itself. She became the overseer of the sanctuary.

  Rorak created The Iron Vanguard?, a faction of valiant warriors—men and women who had been fierce fighters in their lifetimes. The Iron Vanguard took their duties more seriously than any other group. Because of this, they were unanimously chosen to serve as the first line of defense, and Rorak was granted the title of First Commander(In battle).

  Sinith created The Bck Lotus Cn?. a faction comprised exclusively of women. These warriors were trained assassins who prioritized stealth and speed. Most of them possessed abilities that aligned with these priorities.

  Drenok created The Forgotten Legion?. No one truly understood their purpose or what they did, and they were not the ones who named themselves. Their reputation as an enigmatic group earned them the title.

  Zha created Severing Sorrow§. a neutral faction that embraced all types of guardians. Unlike Rak, who valued strength, Zha recruited a variety of guardians with unique abilities, focusing on their potential usefulness.

  Meanwhile, within Rak’s faction, the Guardian himself strolled through the corridor, heading toward the training ground where his strongest underlings were sharpening their skills.

  BANG! SWISH! BOOM!

  The sounds of combat echoed loudly, mingled with shouts and groans. By the time Rak arrived, the skirmish had already ended. Over a hundred celestial knights y sprawled across the ground—some scorched, others bruised and battered. At the center of the chaos stood a young man with golden hair and gleaming feathered wings, no taller than 5’6. His spear was pnted firmly in the ground, his posture rexed despite the destruction around him.

  Rak tilted his head tiredly. “What did I tell you about beating up your seniors, Percy?”

  The golden-haired youth turned around, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin. “Haha, sorry, boss man. These guys were acting all tough because they’re in your faction, so I had to teach them a lesson.”

  Rak sighed, muttering to himself, This brat acts like a saint but is the exact opposite. On my lord’s name, I’d bet he started this fight. He’s only been a guardian for fifty years, and yet he’s already strong enough to take down elites I personally selected. Not to mention, he died as a child but somehow became a guardian in an entirely different form from his original Nyth race. Changing races only happened when the Primordial One is awake, which makes his whole existence strange.

  Composing himself, Rak spoke up. “You know I’ll have to discipline you for this.”

  Percy rolled his eyes. “Pfft, the Vanguard punks aren’t going to do a thing. Last time, they acted tough, but as soon as you left, they ran off.”

  Rak’s lips curled into a slight grin. “Good thing it won’t be them disciplining you this time. It’ll be me.”

  Percy flinched, Propelling him self back pressing himself against a wall. “I’m just a knight, faction leader! Please, I promise I won’t do it again!”

  Rak chuckled. “Rex, kid. I won’t attack you directly. Here’s the deal: I recently learned a new skill and need someone to test it—.”

  . “So, you want to kill me.”

  “Let me finish!” Rak shouted, shaking his head. “It’s called Perfect Double. I’ll create a clone of myself, but it can only use a single percent of my power at its peak. If you win, I’ll let you beat up whoever you want without interfering. Hell, I’ll even introduce you to the Lord himself once he awakens.”

  Percy’s expression shifted to one of cocky enthusiasm. “Only one percent? Easy.”

  Rak lowered his head slightly, hiding a mischievous smile. “So, it’s a deal then.”

  With a single cp of his hands, the unconscious knights vanished from the training ground. Extending his hand, Rak allowed a drop of blood to fall from his finger. The droplet expanded, taking the shape of a younger version of Rak, dressed in a jumper, shorts, a dress shirt, and a bck tie. Though wingless, the clone bore small horns on its head.

  Percy blinked unimpressed. “I don’t remember inviting Young Sheldon.”

  A vein bulged on Rak’s forehead, but he quickly regained his composure. “Are you going to fight him or not?”

  Percy ughed, releasing a surge of golden lightning from himself that illuminated the arena. His spear snapped into his hand as he decred, “Hell yeah, I’m ready!”

  The clone remained motionless, devoid of emotion, its eyes locked onto Percy.