Chapter 232: Great Barricade Bloodbath

After getting dropped by Rex and the others, Adhara went inside the UWO headquarters that is filled with federal members wearing a short white hooded cloak with the UWO badge on its chest.

The coat only covers their chests and the clothes underneath it are practically all white.

Adhara's heart is beating fast as she looks around, this is the first time that she will be doing what Rex usually does and it makes her nervous.

She's currently still outside of the UWO headquarter, 

Many of the people there look at Adhara weirdly because of her dress.

All of the people here are wearing the UWO uniform, so her sexy dress although added her beauty it's still make her stick out in this place.

Biting her lips, Adhara left the UWO headquarters to restart her try.

After about thirty minutes, she came back wearing a casual shirt and jeans that she bought from a store she found.

The dress that she wear before is in a bag, and she's holding it right now.

Adhara calm her nerves and brave herself and went inside the UWO headquarter office, and this time she didn't stop her steps until she encounter the receptionist's desk.

Before Adhara got dropped by Rex,

Rex explicitly told her to be confident and upfront because she represents him, he also told her that he will take the blame if something were to happen.

Because of that, Adhara puffed her chest up and walks to the receptionist.

"I'm looking for Sir Vargas, I have an appointment with him", Adhara said with a calm expression.

Hearing this, the receptionist lifts her head up and saw Adhara.

She looks at Adhara's clothes absent-mindedly before Adhara added snapping her out of her daze, "Tell Sir Vargas that I'm representing Rex Silverstar"

The receptionist then smiles briefly, "And may I ask who you are?"

"Adhara Alpenore", Adhara replied.

After that, the receptionist taps the hologram computer in front of her a couple of times before she started talking through an earpiece on her ear.

From her polite tone, it's certain that the person on the other side is Vargas.

"Please follow me", the receptionist said after talking to Vargas.

Adhara got brought onto the ninth floor, and the receptionist guided her until they both stopped in front of a door with Vargas' name on it.

"President Vargas is waiting inside", the receptionist said before she excuse herself.

Adhara stands in front of the door trying to calm her heavy breathing, the immense aura that comes from multiple doors on this floor is suffocating.

It's not direct, but her instincts can tell that everyone on this floor is overwhelmingly strong.

Knock! Knock!

After knocking two times, Adhara braces herself and opens the door.

Upon entering the room, Adhara's eyes instantly landed on Vargas' who is sitting behind his desk while gazing at her.

Adhara doesn't know why, but Vargas looks more gallant behind his desk.

Vargas' office is dominated by black and brown color, it's quite spacious that the office even has a sofa to attend guests.

The night view from the ninth floor is hanging behind Vargas' seat, and it's beautiful.

"Adhara?", Vargas said in surprise as he saw Adhara come inside his room.

Hearing Vargas' gruff voice, Adhara's attention got pulled towards Vargas who is sitting in his seat while looking at her.

He then continue, "I thought I will be meeting with Rex"

"Rex wanted to be the one to come here but something came up, I will be the one substituting him for this meeting", Adhara replied politely.

After she said that, Vargas stands up from his seat and signal to seat on the sofa.

Both of them sat on the sofa,

Adhara sat on the brown long sofa on the side, while Vargas sat on a single sofa that is facing the same way as his desk is facing.

"I can see that this matter is important, so you can tell me straight away", Vargas said.

But instead of going straight to the matter, Adhara replied, "This is a very important matter, and that is why Rex asks you to treat me as if you're treating him"

Hearing this, Vargas' expression turns serious.

All of the information Rex provided has been accurate all this while, and what Rex is trying to say is to treat Adhara with the same seriousness.

"I'm listening", Vargas' replied as he leans back.

Under Vargas' gaze, Adhara's heart kept beating like crazy because of the pressure.

No matter how hard she tries to find an easy way to open the topic, the topic just can't be soothed into it so she just needs to be direct.

Adhara looks at Vargas and finds a blue aura coming out of him.

The aura is not an elemental aura or any other, but it's his emotional aura that only she can see.

After nodding her head, "We want to propose you a proposal", Adhara said.

Vargas' frown upon hearing this before Adhara continues, "We want to propose a temporary truce between the UWO and the SCO to get rid of the strongholds"

Hearing this, Vargas immediately stands up in anger.

Adhara can see the subtle blue energy turning reddish signing his anger, "What is this?! How dare you bring up such profanity to my office!", shouted Vargas in anger.

This caught Adhara off guard but she still kept her calm expression.

"Even if I were to agree to this Sebrof will not agree, and the damned SCO will definitely refuse this too", Vargas added glaring at Adhara.

Adhara then reply calmly, "We already got the SCO's agreement, that is why we're here"

"What?! How did you get their agreement? Don't tell me...", Vargas gasps as he looks at Adhara, he's starting to get suspicious of her.

Feeling the situation will get out of hand, Adhara then said, "The news about the Supernatural Strongholds spread faster than the wind, and Rex met with an SCO member in Beah City and they proposed this deal"

"No matter how bad the SCO is, they're still on humanity's side and willing to fight against the Supernatural", Adhara added.

Vargas sat back down on his seat after hearing this,

He massage his forehead in thought while Adhara waits for his answer, it went on for a few minutes before Vargas lifts his head up.

"Look at that painting", Vargas said while pointing at a painting behind Adhara.

Adhara glance to her back and saw a painting hanging on the wall,

Because of her nervousness upon entering the room, she doesn't see this painting at first but now that she looks at it the painting is very beautiful.

The painting is a painting of a war between two armies,

She can instantly know that the two armies belong to the humans and the Supernatural.

The battlefield is a death plain, and dust and debris filled the paintings showing the impact of the charging two forces.

It was devastatingly powerful, and the blurry paintings show that even the ground trembles.

Hundreds of men and women holding weapons are charging towards an army of Supernatural, the bulging veins and muscles portrait the battlefield clearly.

Some of the humans emit elemental aura, and some of them are not.

Even Adhara can somehow hear the sound of them roaring fearlessly charging towards terror, it pulled her into the battlefield as if the painting is alive.

"That is the Great Barricade Bloodbath, the battle that makes the Great Barricade possible to be built to shelter humanity", Vargas explained snapping Adhara out of her daze.

There is a hint of nostalgic vibe coming out of Vargas as his emotional aura turns light blue.

He then continues, "The fight goes on for years, and it took several million lives of normal people, and thousands of Awakened. That wall is made with the blood of our comrades, a blood sea of the Awakened"

Adhara saw that Vargas' blue emotional aura turns lighter and lighter.

It makes her subconsciously teary for some reason, but she held it in and focus on the goal.

"The SCO is trying to overthrow us, and you're telling me that we should team up with a cancer who will laugh and rejoice when we die?", Vargas said sharply.

Adhara can feel the pain in his voice, she  takes a deep breath trying to calm her own emotion.

Vargas kept looking at her eyes with his teary eyes, he can be clearly seen hurting inside remembering the battle he just told.

"Nevertheless, you can't deny their influence in the fourth-level city. Many of them are also strong, and we need any help we can get to fight the Supernatural", Adhara replied.

Vargas can only shake his head while leaning back on the sofa.

He's still not convinced about this proposal, his ego and painful memories still kept him shut.

"You out of all people should understand, many people died because of the demonic cities and if you banded from the start you may intercept this from happening", Adhara continues.

But Vargas' emotional aura turns grey, he didn't want to hear her anymore.

He walks towards his desk before tapping on a hologram,

Looking at this, Adhara becomes desperate as she stands up, "My father almost died because of it, I almost lost what little I have left!"

"Take her away", Vargas said to the hologram.

Not long after he said that two men came inside the room, both of them went towards Adhara.

Adhara got grabbed by the two men as they drag her outside, she kept staring at Vargas in disbelief while getting dragged.

But when she's about to get dragged out of the room, she forcefully freed herself.

"I can leave on my own", Adhara said sharply.

She then glance at Vargas and said, "You lost your daughter because of your own decision and you still regret it until now, this time you can help make it right"

"Throw away your ego and accept the proposal, your decision can save fathers and daughters out there that needed your help", Adhara added before she left.

The door closes again after Adhara left,

Vargas stands stiff while still staring at the door, he sat in his chair in thought.

After a few minutes, Vargas lifts his head up and stretches out his hand reaching to a frame with a smiling picture of a teen girl in it.

He stroked the photo a couple of times before he put it back.

Then suddenly, he realizes something, "So that's why she came here instead, you're aiming for my weak spot huh, Rex", Vargas mumbles with a smile.

~ 

Meanwhile,

"Rrughh", Edward groans after coming back to his senses.

Upon coming back to his senses, he can feel his body is hurting all over.

Edward realizes that he passed out as he pushes himself to stands up, he blinks his eyes a couple of times and looks at the surrounding.

After a couple of seconds, Edward widen his eyes remembering what just happened.

He remembers that he's trying to help Kyran from the dark orb, but the dark orb suddenly spread to him too, and also the fire orb he got from Rex falls and engulfs the both of them.

Remembering the accident, Edward felt lucky that he survive after that accident.

But then suddenly he realizes, "Kyran!"

Edward looks around and finds Kyran is still on the floor unconscious,

Looking at this, Edward hurriedly approach him wanting to check his state but then suddenly,

Ngoong!

Edward's hands suddenly got stopped by a dark barrier enveloping Kyran, he find it impossible to pierce the barrier in his state.

Not knowing what to do, "Rex!", he remembered and scour towards the exit.

But just after he takes a few steps he suddenly stumbles and falls to the ground, his body still feels weak because of what happened before.

He crawls himself to the wall and struggles to lean on it.

"What did Rex give to us, really?", Edward mumbles as he tries to activate his element.

But then suddenly,

SWOOSH!!

Edward got startled by his own fire, his fire now is black as if it's corrupted by the darkness from the dark orb before.

He swings his hand and throws the dark fire to the side,

BWOOSH!

The dark fire scorches the measuring equipment on the side, it got completely burned by the dark fire.

This makes Edward panic,

He tries to control the dark fire but then something bizarre happened, the measuring equipment that is enhanced by a rune suddenly turns to ash.

It didn't melt as it should be, but it turns to ash instead.

Black charcoal ash, not the usual grey one.

Edward looks at it in horror, he looks back to his hand in fright, "What the heck happened to my fire?"