NOVEL NEXT Chapter 94: Roy's Recovery status
A massive building came into sight. Compared to other constructs of Arcana, this looked more… modern.
Within its walls, men in navy blue moved about, some busy at desks. On their chests were glistening silver badges.
Strapped to their waists were holsters holding loaded Glocks, stun guns, and batons. At their sides clinked silver handcuffs.
It was a no-brainer — this was definitely a police station. But what made it odd wasn't what it was, but where and when it was.
At the very top of the two-floor construct was the conference room. Within it were gathered eleven individuals, and a great white wolf lay at the corner, seemingly asleep.
Every soul in this room was a current higher-up of the entire Cosmic Police Force.
These individuals were known in the Cosmic Policing Estate as the 11 Great Captains.
Sitting at the head of the table was a black-haired individual, dressed in full tactical police gear save for the helmet. His eyes shone with a cold blue sheen, and an intersecting scar running through his eyelids made him look fierce and commanding.
The man's mouth parted into a smile.
"They are coming… I really hope they act hostile, as Rachel predicted…"
The others across the table shared chilling smiles.
One of them, a bald man with skin clad in tattoos, spoke.
"Ethan, what is the progress on Boss?"
The person who spoke was dressed slightly differently from the rest. His uniform was purple camouflage, his badge holding a different hue of black compared to the others' silver.
He was Dio, the captain of a force outside the police force — the Dark Vanguards, a force that mostly recruited ex-convicts. They were in charge of the territory's dirty businesses, a terrifying force to say the least.
But they still had a problem. They existed only by word of mouth. Without their Lord declaring them and giving them status, they truly couldn't hold any power in the territory.
This often led to other officers looking down on them and them receiving fewer resources.
Though Head Captain Richard always tried to be fair, the bias was still instinctive.
A lady among them shook her head, sighing.
"Here he is again with the daily checkup…"
She was Rachel, Co-Captain of the Intelligence Department.
Dio heard this but ignored their sighs, his gaze trained on Ethan, who slowly shook his head.
"Master is the same as ever. His body and soul are fully healed, more robust even… but he still remains unresponsive." Ethan recounted the practiced speech he had to give every day due to Dio's repeated habit of asking.
Dio frowned, his brows furrowed.
"We seriously can't continue like this… We've opened the borders after two long months, but Master is still in a comatose state…"
His gaze scanned the faces of everyone in the room as he continued.
"We can't keep trying by ourselves. We have to seek help from the outsi—"
Bang!
His speech was cut off by a fist banging the table. It was Richard.
"What do you mean seek help from outsiders? You want to expose our only vulnerability to the world?
Really, Dio? Look at us — everyone at this table are elites, powerhouses confident in facing Lords…
And you want us to show the world the only thing that could potentially unmake us? What if he was killed and someone else stole Master's Order? What then?"
Richard's words expressed pure anger and frustration at the matter. It was clear he had considered this very option severely.
The others remained silent, gazes complicated. Those that knew their Master were filled with a stifling sense of helplessness.
But the new captains were filled with helpless confusion. They truly never knew Roy — only heard about him. They had no bond or feeling for him, so when things usually got this intense, the newcomers always felt left out.
Dio, silent, his gaze still meeting Richard's unwavering, said:
"Well, it's better we risk it than to risk having the said weakness forever…"
His words struck a chord in everyone, even Richard. By now they were all nervous. After the disastrous battle, it had taken three weeks for Roy to be fully healed under the tender care of both Ethan and the legendary healer hero.
And even after recovering his body and soul, he still remained asleep.
Finally, a delicate silhouette spoke, breaking the tense somber atmosphere with her words.
"Alright, enough for now… We should be focusing on the incoming visitors…"
The beautiful cop's voice settled the atmosphere, her amber gaze even provoking nervousness from Dio.
This was a figure too well known — the bearer of the Order of Double, Ashley, AKA the Strongest Captain.
Due to the nature of their first encounter, Dio always dealt with the fierce lady cop cautiously, treading around her carefully, never willing to get on her bad side.
So a single word from her held enough weight to diffuse the topic.
Richard, letting out a breath of relief, declared:
"Whatever comes next, we meet head-on… Remember, even if Master isn't present, we must do well to uphold his prestige."
Everyone across the table nodded, their expressions solemn.
Suddenly, the conference room doors opened as an individual stepped in, bowing toward the captains as they relayed:
"Captains, several Lords have begun making their way through our borders…"
From the side, the once-sleeping white wolf raised its head, its crimson gaze glinting, as it let out guttural growls strangely betraying human words:
"Hostile… it is…"
---
Meanwhile, while all this was happening deep underground within a reinforced bunker…
A medical room came into sight, futuristic-looking with intricate luminous runic lines running across all technological artifacts.
Within a medic pod, a figure could be seen deep in slumber, tubes connected across his body, pumping streams of ether-filled nanobots.
Ethan had taken his time to create unthinkable numbers of nano-bionic bots all for his Lord Roy.
Roy was constantly being reinforced and bolstered by them, while they constantly repaired any minor damages across his system.
But right at this moment, a blaring red light suddenly went on as the constant stream of nanobots suddenly underwent changes.
As though they were being sucked uncontrollably into Roy's system, cutting off all connection they had to their summoner as they were assimilated into his body as his heart beats started booming in rhythm like drums…
Suddenly, the lifeless figure of Roy twitched as his eyes slowly flickered open.