Understanding settled over Levi almost immediately.
Mount Jukai sounded like the perfect place to begin mastering Super Intuition. The unforgiving wilderness wouldn't hinder the growth of his Stardust either. If anything, it would accelerate it. Survival had always been the whetstone that sharpened him into the blade he was today.
Without another word, the Shogun reached into the sleeve of his kimono and retrieved a small glass bottle filled with several dark capsules.
He held it out.
Levi accepted it, turning the bottle between his fingers.
"...What's this?"
"A medicine developed by our scientists," the Shogun replied. "Each capsule temporarily suppresses all five of your senses. Your sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch will gradually disappear after taking it. The effects last for approximately one week."
Levi stared at the bottle before looking back at the old man.
"...And you're giving this to me because?"
"I want you to take one once you enter Mount Jukai."
Levi blinked.
"...You're serious?"
"For a forest like the one you just described, I'd need every one of my senses. If they're gone, I'll be dead before the week is over."
The Shogun calmly nodded.
"Precisely."
"You have relied on your five senses your entire life. They shape how you perceive danger, how you react, and how you survive. Remove them... and you will be forced to rely on the only sense the medicine cannot suppress."
"...Super Intuition."
The old man gave a slight nod.
"It cannot be awakened through comfort or instruction. Only when your mind is stripped of everything it has always depended upon will it have no choice but to awaken what has always existed beneath."
Levi looked down at the capsules once more.
That wasn't training.
It was an ordeal.
"I recommend you begin immediately," the Shogun continued. "You will need every moment available before the Auction."
"The Auction?" Levi asked.
"The Auction is one of the rare gatherings where Super Intuition users naturally converge. You should know how difficult they are to overcome. The more who stand beside us, the greater our chances."
He paused.
"With you, there will be three."
Levi's eyes narrowed.
Three?
Nury... me...
His thoughts immediately searched for the third name.
The Shogun isn't attending the Auction. Only the battalions are.
So who...
The question lingered in the back of his mind, but he chose not to ask. Eventually, he will come to find out who it is himself.
Without another word, the old man turned and began descending the long stone staircase leading back toward the monastery. Their unexpected meeting had finally reached its end.
Halfway down the stairs, he stopped.
Without turning around, he spoke one last time.
"I wish you luck, Seventh Blade..."
A gentle breeze swept across the summit.
"...on your journey to master the gift that knows no limits."
Then he continued down the mountain until his figure disappeared beneath the clouds.
Levi remained where he was.
His gaze drifted back toward Mount Jukai.
The forest looked no less ominous than before.
If anything…
It looked even more inviting.
His body still hadn't fully recovered from his battle with Rumbler, and in a month he was expected to travel to the Nordic Hemisphere to visit the Einherjar. After that, he would have little more than another month before the Auction began.
Time wasn't on his side.
If he intended to stand among monsters...
There was no better place to begin than the mountain that had already claimed countless lives.
—
A week later...
Back in the country of Breedom, Commander-in-Chief Benson sat behind his desk, sorting through stacks of reports and military documents. He had only just finished a meeting with the leaders of the other planets, and judging by the weary look on his face, it hadn't gone well.
Nitchtron was still in the midst of rebuilding after the recent catastrophe. With an entire city in ruins and countless lives lost, Benson understood why they could only commit one Seraphim Tier B and eighty Guardians to the Auction. He had hoped Ragnor would be available, but Nitchtron needed every capable soldier it had.
Earth's situation wasn't much better. Much of its own military had already been deployed to assist with Nitchtron's reconstruction, leaving Benson with fewer forces than he was comfortable sending. He still hadn't decided how many Guardians or militia soldiers he could spare.
But the question weighing on him most wasn't the number of troops.
It was whether he should send Hope.
That same dilemma echoed throughout the meeting. Deciding which four planets would deploy their Archangels had become the subject no one wanted to address. The Auction was an event where the balance of power could collapse in an instant. Sending an Archangel meant leaving an entire planet without one of its greatest deterrents, exposing it to enemies who might seize the opportunity. It felt as though the galaxy's fragile balance was beginning to tip.
With the relentless criticism from both the public and the media over how he had handled the Nitchtron crisis, Commander-in-Chief Benson had barely been given a moment to breathe. And now, in a little over two months' time, he would have to stand before those same people and announce an operation on Planet Luve—one that would consume even more military resources and taxpayer money.
The worst part...
He still hadn't settled on a formation capable of carrying it out.
The weight of everything was finally beginning to catch up to him.
Leaning back in his chair, Benson pressed two fingers against his furrowed brow and closed his eyes. A slow breath filled his lungs before escaping as a long, weary sigh.
...What a damn mess we're in.
His mind continued to turn over the same problems, searching for a solution.
No...
Not just a solution.
The right one.
Every decision carried consequences, and a single mistake could cost countless lives.
After sitting in silence for another moment, Benson slowly straightened himself and reached for the next file resting on his desk.
Work didn't stop simply because he was exhausted.
Just then, the phone beside him buzzed.
"Sir, Lieutenant Charles is here. He's requesting to speak with you."
...What is it now?
Please don't tell me it's another problem.
Benson rubbed his forehead once more before answering in a tired voice.
"Send him in."
"Understood, sir."
A brief silence followed.
"He's also brought some company."
Benson's hand stopped.
Company...?
Before he could ask another question, the office door slid open.
Lieutenant Charles stepped inside first.
Two figures followed behind him.
The moment Benson recognized them, his eyes widened.
One was Hope, dressed in his immaculate white knight armor, carrying himself with the same calm dignity as ever.
But Hope wasn't the reason Benson had frozen.
It was the man beside him.
Clad in reinforced black combat armor, a crimson power core pulsed at the center of his chest like the heart of a roaring engine. Towering over everyone else in the room, he stood with the unshakable presence of a mountain forged from steel.
Triumphant.