"This way, Mr. Leon".
Led by a Synth who was dressed in a pristine gray suit and who put on a respectful expression on his face, Leon was led to the office of the leader of the Freegrid Collective.
This Synth’s na was Velasquez.
Mr. Velasquez was apparently General Ren Nora’s personal assistant, and the mont Leon ca to the city, he welcod him personally almost like he knew that he was coming and had been waiting for him.
Thud... thud...
The sound of his leather boots hitting the polished ground echoed as Leon walked with a swagger in his steps like he was going to his old buddy’s office.
He didn’t feel any tension at all, he felt at ho despite the fact that he was going to the office of one of the top 10 strongest Ascended in the world.
In different offices of one of the tallest tower-buildings in Iron Reef, the workers present could not help but throw scrutinizing looks at the foreign face that was being escorted by Mr. Velasquez through the transparent glass walls.
It was not every day that they saw Mr. Velasquez playing the escort.
Afterall, Mr. Velasquez was the General’s personal assistant, not just anybody could warrant him personally escorting him to go see the General.
What was the identity of this new guy?
They all stared at him curiously, trying to determine if he was famous.
Leon ignored all the stares that were coming his way as all his mind beca set on his century-long reunion with a true battle comrade of his.
The ti that he spent with Ren Nora in total was just a few days, but within those few days, they both took such crazy risks and built such a close bond that not even centuries of being separated could erode.
Together, they challenged fate, C Rank Ascended, and the Omnicore Federation and they both ca out triumphantly.
They were true battle buddies.
Well, a few minutes earlier, after taking his ti to admire the city from an altitude of 30,000 ters above surface, Leon finally started descending just to test the stealth capabilities of the Zerphyr-7 to know when it would be discovered by Iron Reef’s potent security grid.
It was only when the stealth aircraft ca within just a kiloter of one of the floating platforms forming the aerial defense grid of the city that they noticed.
WOM! WOM! WOM!
Loud alarms imdiately started blaring across the floating platform.
Leon’s test of the Zerphyr-7’s stealth capabilities was seamless, he maintained the 10/10 stealth score.
Coming so close to the floating platform without being detected ant that if Leon had hostile intentions, he could easily sneak attack them before they could truly understand what was going on.
Leon prepared himself to turn himself in when all of a sudden, the alarms stopped as a military aircraft floated up to face them.
The aircraft requested a video call communication and when Leon accepted the call, that was when he saw the white-haired Synth for the first ti, Mr. Velasquez.
"Mr. Leon Ardent, welco to Iron Reef". The Synth said directly in a respectful manner, surprising Leon. "The General has been waiting for you".
’Eh?’
Leon was confused but well, if Ren Nora summoned him, he had no intention of wasting ti.
Though Daren and Tyla had a lot of questions to ask due to the way that they were received, they held all their questions back till later as Daren led Tyla into the city while Mr. Velasquez led Leon to go et General Ren Nora.
They arrived after 2 minutes of walking.
Knock! Knock!
"Co in," a calm voice answered imdiately after Mr. Velasquez knocked.
The white-haired Synth opened the door and respectfully allowed Leon inside before locking the door and staying outside, giving the duo privacy.
The mont he entered inside the office, Leon casually ignored the person sitting in the office chair directly facing him as he observed the office instead.
He ghosted one of the top 10 strongest Ascended in the world!
Leon clicked his tongue curiously as he observed.
Compared to Ren Nora’s modest or better still impoverished office 131 years ago compared to now, his current office at the 87th floor of one of the tallest buildings in the city was the epito of luxury.
The office felt less like a workspace and more like a throne room for modern power, everything inside spoke of precision and wealth.
A vast wall of glass stretched from floor to ceiling, offering a panoramic view of the sprawling city beyond.
At the center sat a massive executive desk of dark tal, perfectly arranged and untouched by clutter.
A single monitor rested atop the desk like a command console, facing a high-backed leather chair that was stitched with diamond patterns and that was where the owner of this office currently sat.
Two sculpted lounge chairs sat across from the desk, positioned for visitors.
As for the floor, it glead like black glass, reflecting the entire office in sharp, mirror-like detail while a thick charcoal rug spread beneath the desk area, its soft texture contrasting with the cold shine of the surrounding floor.
Above, a geotric lattice of glowing light strips hung from the ceiling in angular fras, forming a modern chandelier of intersecting lines as their warm illumination cut through the darker tones of the room.
Behind the desk, the back wall rose in dark vertical patterns and mounted in the center were bold white letters spelling out a na and title-
[General Ren Nora- "The Glitch"]
Seeing the na and the title, Leon grinned but still avoiding eye contact with the other person in this office, he observed the sleek display shelf and a row of coat hooks that were directly beneath the line of words.
Tall shelves in the office frad the space with books, artifacts, and decorative pieces which were all tokens of success, knowledge, and influence.
Nearby, a deep leather sofa and side table created a quieter corner for private conversations or negotiations.
The entire office carried a quiet gravity. It would intimidate 99.9% of people in the world simply due to the identity of the owner of the office, but not Leon.
With a satisfied chuckle, he casually walked towards one of the two lounge chairs and sat down. "I can see that soone is living a luxury lifestyle now", he muttered with a grin, then he finally looked at him.
Ren Nora was, well, he looked different from 131 years ago but at the sa ti the core of the bold and reckless young man who led an army of rebels to fight against the Omnicore Federation was still there.
His erald eyes reflected the sa deep and bold glow like the sa reckless young rebel leader that Leon knew. His curly silver hair were long now, draping across his shoulders.
But the most glaring difference was in his face and bearing.
There were slight wrinkles in his face now, and his eyes had a touch of weariness now. It was clear to see that this was no longer a man in the pri of his youth but a middle-aged man, but still he looked charismatic and handso.
Leon chuckled again. "You’ve aged gracefully".
Ren Nora finally reacted as he snorted. "Unlike you, I’ve actually been active in this crazy world for the past 131 years".
The both of them looked at each other for a few seconds as they seed to transport to over a century ago.
Ren Nora finally grinned. "Old friend, welco back".
"It’s been a very long ti".
...
[Special Appreciation to r03n, Yatekudastop, Katcan20, and Shadesworn for the Golden Tickets!]
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