Timeless Assassin

(Rodova Military Academy – The Academy Library, Aisle 1221)

Leo moved silently through the towering bookshelves, his sharp eyes scanning the carved numbers on the polished wooden frames.

1218… 1219… 1220…

There. Shelf 1221.

Crouching down to the bottom row, his gaze immediately landed on the book the librarian had mentioned.

"Quick Guide to the Universal Power Scale."

The tome was thick and well-worn, its dark blue cover slightly faded, while the gold-embossed lettering along its spine had dulled from years of handling.

Leo slid it from the shelf, feeling the unexpected weight of the volume in his hands.

Flipping it open, he skimmed the first few pages, his eyes catching key phrases—the universal hierarchy, the Six Great Clans, the evil cult, governing structures…

'Perfect.' He thought, as glancing toward the front desk, he spotted the librarian already back to his own reading, showing no further interest in him.

'Good. That means I won't be disturbed.' Leo concluded, as he began searching for a quiet place to sit.

At first, his search turned up only communal tables, occupied by senior-year students engaged in hushed discussions or independent studies.

Not ideal.

But after scanning further, he spotted something better.

Near a dimly lit reading alcove, tucked between towering bookshelves, sat an isolated desk and chair—a simple wooden setup, its cushionless seat likely designed to discourage long hours of use.

But comfort wasn't his priority. Privacy was.

Without hesitation, Leo strode over, settled into the chair, and placed the heavy book onto the table.

His fingers ran over the textured cover for a brief moment.

Then, finally, he flipped it open.

"This book is written by a country bumpkin, who grew up on a farm and had no idea about the various factions ruling the universe.

It's intended only for clueless individuals, who don't understand how tall mount tai is, and is written in crude language, based on my own experiences and understanding of the universe.

This is not an official text, and the contents written in here may not be entirely accurate.

That being said, I've tried to be as thorough as possible while writing this book, so that any clueless country bumpkin reading this, may not make the same mistakes I did, as a rookie recruit in the Universal Government–"

The very first page of the book was an author's note that informed the readers about what sort of a book this was and what to expect when they read it.

It explicitly told its readers that it was not an official text, and that the information contained within was subjective.

"There are eight great factions in this universe.

The six great clans, the universal government and the evil cult.

To understand what makes them 'Great', one first needs to understand the universal power scale.

Broadly, within the universe, a warrior is classified into seven different power realms.

1.Amateur

2.Master

3.GrandMaster

4.Transcendent

5.Monarch

6.Demigod

7.God

In most cultures, one is not considered to be a real warrior until they attain the minimum of a 'Master' realm, whereas, Gods are the absolute pinnacle of what a warrior can be.

In this universe, Gods are higher beings that are not only immortal, but have mastered the laws of space and time.

They are four dimensional beings that can travel between any two points in this three dimensional universe instantaneously, and cannot be hurt or killed by mortal weapons.

In other words, only gods can kill other gods, and in this universe, only the eight great clans have Gods at the pinnacle of their clans hierarchy"

The first couple pages of the book explained what were probably the most important concepts.

Who were the biggest fishes in the universe? And why were they such a big deal?

Turns out, there are eight biggest fishes in the universe, with the big deal about them being that they are backed by the strongest warriors.

"In this universe, the six great clans and the universal government work in tandem with one another to form the 'Righteous Alliance'.

Together they control over 75% of the universe's land, and about 77% of the total population.

Although smaller, independent clans do exist, none exert influence, equivalent to the Righteous Alliance.

In contrast, the 'Evil Cult' works alone.

They control less than 5% of the total universal land, and less than 3% of the total population.

They are the sworn enemies of the Righteous Alliance, and members belonging to their faction are hunted fervently within the righteous lands."

"The divide between the Righteous Alliance and the Evil Cult traces back to a single, pivotal event that occurred 2,000 years ago—the downfall of the most infamous figure in the universe's history, 'The Timeless Assassin.'

In a monumental battle, the strongest factions of the time united to eliminate him, marking the beginning of a new era.

However, his followers refused to fade into obscurity. Those loyal to his cause formed what is now known as the 'Evil Cult,' carrying on his legacy in defiance of the established order.

Meanwhile, the remaining divine entities and ruling powers consolidated their influence, shaping themselves into what is recognized today as the Righteous Alliance."

"While over 140 clans are currently part of the Righteous Alliance, at its heart, it only has six dominant clans, each wielding immense influence:

Su, Mu, Yu, Du, Lu, and Ru.

These clans serve as its pillars, shaping policies, maintaining order, and dictating the balance of power across the universe.

At the very core of this alliance, however, sits the Universal Government—the supreme governing body that enforces law and dictates the grand structure of civilization."

"While the majority of the Great Clans have only one or two gods backing them, the universal government has five, making it by far the strongest single organization.

However, with the Great Clans all sharing strong familial bonds amongst one another, the unity amongst the clans serves as a check and balance against the universal governments unilateral abuse of power."

As Leo read the next few pages, he gained greater clarity into what exactly were the power dynamics between the Six Great Clans and the Universal Government.

Turns out, all the Six Great Clans were fans of interbreeding and forming strong marriage bonds.

The family tree between the clans was complicated as hell, however, as a result of all the inter-mixing, the bond between the Great Clans remained strong.

At Least on the outside.

They usually had similar opinions against the Universal Government, and pushed to pass legislation beneficial to them as a group.