Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Berserker - Sage Ivar Ironside with the title Lionheart.

Assassin - Sage Yuffie Loxley, who bears the title Lufthansa.

Archer - Sage Nira with the title Nightshade.

And lastly, Sage of the arrays - Lin Lehan with the title Sansara Sage.

These four Sages were the grand dukes of Edinburgh. Their names and titles became synonyms with the names of the regions they used to rule which eventually became the four grand duchies of the kingdom.

In Eren's past timeline, the students of LA were allowed to compete in an event in which they could claim the berserker Sage Ivar Ironside's legacy for themselves. This was an event meant only for LA's top-tier students. So of course, he wasn't allowed to see it unfold from the audience zone much less attend it as a participant.

Eren wasn't sure if other academies in the kingdom had similar events on their academy grounds or not. Because the five academies had never come together like this to conduct a joint event.

Eren was told the details of the event after it was over. He had come to know that it was a team-based event in which an entire team could benefit from Sage's legacy.

Of course, the event was in Eren's last timeline. And he had no way of knowing if his knowledge of the past would be relevant at this point.

Things had changed too dramatically after Eren's intervention in various ways in this timeline. The difficulty of the event had been raised to unprecedented levels because of the involvement of other academies and their talented rankers.

However, increased risks come with greater rewards. The potential war had spooked Edinburgh into organizing this event. And it would feature the four Sage legacies as potential rewards for participants.

Had Eren known this was going to happen, he would have made the White Ravens grind some more. After all, even a single Sage legacy was precious beyond imagination– let alone four of them at the same time.

***

Hansen had been busy with his potion-induced epiphanies for the last few weeks. So he couldn't coordinate with the organizers of the event on time regarding its fine details. Yet, the Sage quickly coordinated with the rest of the rankers on the panel before addressing the entire group.

"So that settles it. Rufus, you will be the one entering the Sansara Array as its moderator. Make sure you do everything you can to make this event a success.

After all, our "friends" from the kingdom of Layos are watching. We don't want to make them feel disappointed with our show."

Hansen commanded Rufus and the latter bowed to show his affirmation. With everything settled on the moderators' end, Hansen turned around and looked at the participants.

"First of all… sorry to keep you waiting, younglings."

The participants were shocked by Sage's humble attitude. The latter chuckled and explained as if he could read their faces.

"When you get to my age, you start understanding the value of time. There are only a few things that are worth spending one's time on. And you certainly don't want to spend it waiting for an old-timer like me. Hehe."

Hansen chuckled before adding further.

"This graduation event is special. Rufus has explained the background of the event. So I'll just go ahead and confirm the suspicions you all have.

Four Sage legacies can be claimed by participating in this graduation event. They belong to Sage Lionheart, Sage Lufthansa, Sage Nightshade, and lastly, Sansara Sage Lin Lehan– who is also my ancestor."

The participants' gazes turned fervent when they heard Sage Hansen Lehan confirm the open secret they'd come to know. All of them had worked really hard in their on-field assignments and ranking wars to get qualified for this event. All so that they could have a chance to claim Sage's legacy for themselves.

An event in which four Sage legacies could be claimed was unheard of. They all understood that the kingdom of Edinburgh wanted to leave no stone unturned in raising heroes. Such heroes were a potent fighting force. But their true value lay in how they could act as mascots for the rankers fighting alongside them.

It was as if the kingdom of Edinburgh wanted to rebirth its founding heroes by allowing their legacies to be claimed by the younger generation. The winners of the four legacies would serve as excellent morale boosters for the general populace.

Members of various guilds, as well as mercenaries, might be inspired to participate in the war if and when these heroes are employed by the kingdom. The kingdom could use all the help it could get from the majority of the rankers within its borders. After all, the kingdom of Layos had elves as their enemies.

Hansen Lehan smiled as he saw the excited faces of the participants. He pointed upwards and looked up before speaking in a serious, mana-imbued voice.

"The massive golden sphere you see floating over your heads is a Sansara array– a creation of Sasara Sage. It is a special kind of separate dimension.

This special dimension will place limitations on you and make it difficult for you to fight using your full potential. But since restrictions will be placed on everyone, it can still be considered fair game.

The Sansara Array contains the legacies of Edinburgh's grand Dukes. It will serve as your battleground and road to success. It might also leave a mental scar on your consciousness if you are not mentally prepared for it."

The participants started looking at each other's faces when they heard a grim premonition from the Sage. Everybody had heard rumors about the four legacies but nobody knew the hurdles involved in claiming them.

For the first time, Hansen's innocent smile stopped looking innocent. It turned into a wicked grin before the Sage spoke further.

"Your mental fortitude will be tasted more than any of your other qualities inside the Sansara array. After all, inside this separate dimension, you will be able to experience.... death!"