The Eleso faction elders and their teams were killing the remaining monsters and mutated beasts that lingered in their vicinity. The elders of the Eleso faction had already helped their former non-Ascendants become Ascendants, while also aiding others who had recently joined their ranks.
There were five elders in total, each with their own team.
Although they weren't happy about having to work alongside people they once controlled, they had no choice. To remain in their ranks and avoid drawing the ire of Akinde, they had to perform their duties.
"Tch, that guy is behaving high and mighty."
Mr. Miracle's voice carried his irritation. He despised being forced into such petty tasks. As one of the senior officers in the police department, he had been accustomed to sitting in his office, signing files and reports about crimes. He had minions for this kind of work, he wasn't supposed to be the one doing it.
When he first saw the angels before the apocalypse, fear consumed him. His corruption and countless sins weighed on him like a curse. Mr. Miracle had never believed in God. He came from a lineage that worshipped idols, hence his surname: Ifalola. To him, heaven and hell were fairy tales. His belief was simple: everyone had one life, no second chances, so what was the point of doing good if it might harm you later?
Though he wasn't entirely satisfied with the current world, he still preferred it over the one where judgment awaited him. At least in this new world, as long as one continued to ascend in power, they could climb their way into heaven or so the last angel had claimed. Whether good or evil, it didn't matter. Only strength did. This became Mr. Miracle's new belief.
"Are you talking about the leader?" Adogun asked. His tone was calm, though his soldier-like demeanor carried over from his former life as a soldier before the apocalypse.
"Who else? He commands us as if we're his juniors, when he's younger than all of us!" Mr. Miracle spat, his voice brimming with frustration.
"Well, you can't blame him. He's stronger than all of us," Adogun replied with an unshakable calm that didn't fit his stern appearance.
"And we should consider this a blessing, since we were able to level up as well," Adogun continued.
True, they had been Level 5 Ascendants before, but now they were Level 6. Although it was just a single level, the increase placed them above the faction's minions, who were mostly Level 4 and below. This further solidified their status in the faction.
"That Sola needs to be taught a lesson," Mrs. Samirat said, her eyes flashing with hatred.
"What did that little girl do?" another elder, Kingsley, asked.
"Are you blind? She looked at us as if we were clowns during the meeting!" Mrs. Samirat snapped.
"Me? Blind? It seems power has gone to your head and stripped away your reason, you stupid woman." Kingsley's anger erupted at her insult.
"Who's a stupid woman, you bastard?!" Mrs. Samirat cursed furiously, her Level 6 Ascendant aura bursting forth to suppress him. Kingsley countered immediately, releasing his own aura to clash with hers, the pressure suffocating everyone of lower levels.
"The two of you are senseless."
The final elder, Raphael, spoke casually, cigarette smoke curling from his lips.
Both Samirat and Kingsley withdrew their aura, but neither dared to insult Raphael. There was something about him they didn't want to provoke.
Raphael had once served as a king's guard in the Akure Oba's palace. He had been sent on an errand for the king when the apocalypse struck, cutting him off from returning. He had hoped to fight his way back to the palace, but upon arriving, he was stopped by a mysterious force that barred him from entering.
That day was cursed. The palace had been his home, the king a man he had sworn to protect with his life. With both stripped away, his purpose shattered. For a time, Raphael wandered without meaning until he met Niniola, who offered him shelter and a place to belong.
Even so, Raphael had never liked the other elders. He knew their power was necessary for the faction, but if there were stronger Ascendants with better morals, Akinde would have replaced them without hesitation.
Among the faction, Raphael was the fourth strongest, a position secured not just by power but by his background. To serve as a king's guard required skill, ingenuity, and discipline, traits that carried into the apocalypse.
Raphael tilted his head slightly, his Yoruba accent thick as he spoke through the smoke.
"You people keep rambling about things that aren't the problem, when you yourselves are the problem."
He didn't care if his words offended them. Bonds with the faction meant nothing to him.
"Just because you were a king's guard doesn't mean you can look down on us. It's not like you served the president," Adogun snapped, anger flaring.
He took pride in being a soldier who had served his country and the president. Yet in reality, he had been forced to join a faction within the military to climb ranks, and corruption had swallowed him whole.
"Hmph… A corrupt ex-soldier like you, speaking as if you're righteous?" Raphael sneered.
"Do you want to have a go at me?" Adogun's voice carried a sharp edge, his aura slowly rising.
"Oh yeah…" Raphael smirked, his mocking expression daring him to move.
The air thickened as both men's auras steadily grew. Adogun's stern gaze never left Raphael, carefully watching for any sudden attack. Meanwhile, Raphael looked at Adogun with scorn, smiling as though he were observing a clown.
The other elders watched in silence. None interfered. They were waiting for the clash.
But just as the tension reached its peak…
A young man came running, panting heavily as if he had sprinted for miles.
"Ha… ha… ha…" he gasped.
"What's wrong with you, huh?" Mr. Miracle barked angrily, annoyed that the anticipated fight had been interrupted. Both Raphael and Adogun withdrew their aura, though their eyes remained locked on one another with undisguised hostility.
"You better explain yourself," Mrs. Samirat demanded, equally displeased.
"When me and my team tried to recruit people into our faction, they refused. We attempted to coerce them, but they still wouldn't budge. One of my members lost his temper and attacked them. They seemed weak at first, so I allowed it… but we didn't know there were two young men among them. Those two completely overpowered us. I only escaped because they allowed me to." The young Ascendant blurted everything in one breath, trembling.
"So what you're saying… is that you and your team lost to just two people?" Mr. Miracle asked, fury rising.
The young man's face went pale, sweat pouring down his forehead.
"There's no need to pressure him, Mr. Miracle." Adogun stepped in, his tone serious.
"Lead us to these people. I want to see who dares to trifle with our faction." His gaze was cold as he turned to the trembling Ascendant.
"Yes, sir!" the young man replied quickly, saluting before leading the way.
Raphael didn't want to involve himself, but he had to for Niniola's sake. He owed her too much to turn his back on this.
Besides… he was curious. Who were these two young men who had beaten a team of sixteen Ascendants, even if they were low-level? Whoever they were, they weren't ordinary.