Return of the Mythic Bloodline

Chapter 476: The meeting with Rankers

A few hours ago...

A private jet landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York. From within, three figures emerged, wearing formal attire.

At the middle was Aryan, the sleeves of his tucked-in shirt folded, revealing his broad forearms. His hair was neatly tied into a man bun with a few strands covering his face.

On his left was a beautiful woman wearing round eyeglasses, her short black hair styled into numerous braids. She had deep, emerald-like eyes and carried a calm demeanor.

She was the Guildmaster of White Lotus Guild from India, S-Ranked Awakener, Saintess Riya.

On the right of Aryan was a man with numerous tattoos around his neck and arms. His muscular brown frame was clad in a skin-tight suit and his long hair was tied into a ponytail.

He was the Guildmaster of All-Mighty Trident Guild, S-Rank Awakener, Leviathan Rocky.

"Good evening, Mr. Aryan, Miss Riya, Mr. Rocky," a middle-aged man in a black suit with short blonde hair and spectacles greeted them. "Thank you for coming to our aid on such short notice."

He was the Vice Chairman of the American Awakener Association, AAA Ranked Awakener, Jason.

"Forget about it," Rocky said in a naturally heavy tone. "Tell me where Noah is. He is the only reason I came here."

"Mr. Noah along with the other high rankers are currently at the association, waiting for the three of you," Jason replied in a calm tone.

"Alright, straight to the association then," Rocky said with a wide smirk.

Just as he said those words, Aryan spoke up. "Where is my brother?"

"Mr. Raj is currently accommodated at a house along with his companions in Oakland," Jason revealed.

Aryan frowned at the word companions. A few hours earlier, he had received a message from Raj:

"I’m with the secret S-Rankers of the Indian Association, Nymeria and Kitsune."

Aryan understood that Raj was telling him to cover for this obvious lie, but what he wanted to know was who exactly these women were and how they were related to him.

"I wish to see my brother first," Aryan said in a tone that left no room for rejection.

"Sir, you may meet him after the meeting. I assure you that your brother is not and will not be mistreated," Jason said, trying to convince him given the urgency of the current situation.

However, Aryan was in no mood for compromise. Raj’s safety was his utmost priority. He needed to confirm with his own eyes that Raj was fine.

"Aryan, given the current circumstances, they would obviously not do anything that might break this alliance," Riya said in a calm tone. "I don’t think the meeting will take more than a few hours. Given the urgency of the situation, we should prioritize the meeting first."

Aryan’s frown deepened, but he reluctantly agreed. He decided that he would take in only the necessary information during the meeting and leave straight for Raj afterward.

Once everyone was on the same page, a luxurious limousine arrived at the airport, taking the trio straight to the association.

It was a monumental tower made of black marble and glass. Atop it, in bold black letters, ’AAA,’ standing for American Awakener’s Association, was written.

It was the headquarters of the association, where some of the world’s strongest awakeners were currently gathered.

They entered the building and reached the door of the meeting room, guided by Jason.

"Please enter. Everyone is inside," Jason informed them, opening the door by the handle.

The door revealed a massive round glass table at the centre, surrounded by nine people.

"Took your sweet time arriving, eh?" one of the men from the group said.

He had long, ashen-brown hair in a mane hairstyle reminiscent of a lion’s. His eyes carried a sharp glare and his fangs were slightly longer than those of a regular human. His massive frame, combined with the wide smirk on his face, was intimidating to everyone in the room.

He was one of only three SSS Awakeners in the entire world, the Lion King, Theodore Walker.

"Well, India is not a neighbor of America that we could arrive at a moment’s call," Aryan answered, his face unreadable as he reached his chair. Riya and Rocky followed, taking the empty seats.

"Oh, you could have asked your brother to teleport you here," Theodore said in a mocking tone. "I heard he learned some teleportation skills."

Aryan’s eyes narrowed at Theodore, and he returned the glare in kind. A heavy atmosphere descended over the meeting room.

On the other side of the table, Rocky was locked in a similar silent standoff with another person, one with short cyan hair and deep black eyes, seated opposite him.

"Noah, have you said your final goodbyes to your family?" Rocky asked with a sharp glare. "I will definitely kill you this time."

"You will only be eating dirt like last time," Noah, the blue-haired man answered with a mocking shrug. "Have you already forgotten how you were carried on a stretcher the last time?"

Noah was an SS Ranker who had dueled Rocky two years ago for the title of Lord of Oceans, since both of them possessed the water attribute. Noah had barely won that time by a narrow margin, but a victory was a victory. Since then, Rocky had wanted to challenge him again to reclaim that title. He had finally gotten his chance.

"You want to have a go right now?" Rocky muttered, an overwhelming energy releasing from his body.

"Let’s do it," Noah answered, revealing an equally overwhelming force.

Jason, the host of the meeting and the only AAA Ranker in the room, struggled to even breathe under the suppressive aura of these monsters.

’Why do I always have to go through this?’ he muttered inwardly, struggling to keep his expression calm. He needed to stop them before the situation could escalate, but that was far easier said than done. If he said something that offended them, they might bring down the whole building and the fragile alliance might shatter.

"All of you should stop," a voice echoed, drawing everyone’s attention. It belonged to a lean man in formal white attire wearing spectacles. He appeared the most sophisticated and professional among the group. His short, well-styled auburn hair and a perfectly trimmed beard only added to his bearing. He was Aiden, the S-Ranker who was also responsible for the protection of San Francisco.

"There are far more pressing concerns here than your petty quarrels," he continued. "The fate of America, if not the entire world, depends on this meeting."

The pressure in the room finally vanished as everyone withdrew their Soulforce. Jason let out a sigh of relief before speaking. "Thank you, Mr. Aiden."

He pressed a button on a small remote in his hand, activating a projector on the ceiling.

First a blue screen appeared, then it blinked, transitioning into a video call. On the screen sat a man with a wrinkled face and grey hair, wearing a navy blue blazer over a white shirt.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming to the aid of our country," the man said in a respectful but firm tone.

"Good evening, Mr. President," everyone said in unison, their voices polite.

The President nodded, acknowledging their greetings before continuing. "You are all no doubt aware of the reason I requested your aid. Only five years have passed since the Awakening Phenomenon changed the entire world. There is still much we do not understand, and new mysteries continue to emerge."

Taking a brief pause, he revealed, "Just like this Dungeon Break that occurred without any warning. Our radars, which were capable of detecting even S-Ranked gates, went haywire after the sudden appearance of the rift, showing corrupted readings that surpassed anything the awakeners of this world are capable of confronting. I needed to make a quick decision to overcome this crisis, and the best option I could think of was to nuke the city."

Everyone in the meeting room had their eyebrows twitching at the word ’was’.

"Do you have a different idea now, Mr. President?" Aryan asked what everyone wanted to know.

"You are as sharp as ever, Blood Demon," the President said in a calm tone. "Before I answer that question, I would like to show you something."

At those words, Jason pressed the buttons on the remote again. The call on the projector switched to a video clip. It was footage of San Francisco. Some buildings were still standing while others had been reduced to rubble. Smoke, fire, and debris littered the roads. At the centre was a towering crack in the air, splitting reality like shattered glass.

"So this is the Dungeon Break in San Francisco. It looks more mind-boggling than I imagined," Riya said, her lips parted in shock.

Across the area, several trolls wearing armour and carrying weapons could be seen. From appearance alone, each of them seemed as powerful as an S-Ranker.

As the video continued, a ripple of gasps echoed through the meeting room. Aryan rose straight from his chair, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

"Is this some kind of joke," he muttered, clenching his fists.