Chapter 513: Unshakeable Comradery

"Mother!" The young master had finally caught sight of his mother after dragging Ares around across various streets. The end goal was a neat cafe with some metal chairs outside, each stationed around a small table with an umbrella planted directly in the middle for shade. On one of the seats a smiling lady was chattering away with another lady who seemed to be in the middle of leaving. The young master's mother was spirited, animated, and gave off the air that she was ditzy but Ares couldn't help but question that assertion. She possessed a motor mouth that spewed syllables at a hundred miles a minute, and her arms were flying all over the place, but there was a certain kind of wisdom in her eyes that belied the fact she was a clever woman. It seemed her actions were exaggerated primarily for the sake of taking control over every conversation rather than being a result of empty headed air blowing. She wore a very traditional and vibrant yellow bouffant dress with floral patterns and the general vibe she gave off was incredibly friendly, like a warm ray of happy sunshine. The woman she was talking to left so she turned around to face her child and quickly stood up to grab his ear and pull him over to a nearby empty seat. Though this looked harmless Ares caught wind of her glancing at him for a brief moment and there was a flash of a frown on her face so hell was definitely coming for the young master.

"Son! Who's this 'friend' of yours?! Hm?! Have you been bullying people again?! Hm? Do you need to be punished again?! Should I take away some more of your treasures?! Better yet, should I drag you back home until the tryouts are finished? Hm? Hm? Hm?!" The mother's eyes were firmly shut and yet her smile looked fierce even her obstructed gaze wasn't capable of betraying her emotions. Her son, and the other members of the group that just caught up, were sweating and pulling on their collars as they wracked their brains for an answer that wouldn't leave them all sleeping the dog house tonight. Fortunately they were bailed out by the arrival of the mother's desert that she ordered a while back, cream tea. She immediately disregarded the earlier matter and bit into the jam scones with her feet swaying merrily under the table and her head wagging side to side with a beaming grin on her face. She squealed in delight as the rest of the group took up seats around her. As she gulped down some of her tea, Ares tried to initiate a conversation and save the group he came with some hassle by changing the direction of the discussion.

"Greetings Mrs. While I appreciate your concern, if anything, I happen to be the one bullying your family. Purely self defense, mind you, but after subduing them I've taken them on as guides. If you don't mind, can I borrow them for the next day and a half or so to have them show me around?"

"Yes yes! Pease do! If they raise a hand against you, feel free to raise two against them and beat some more sense into them!" The mother waved her hand dismissively but Ares could have sworn her smile grew a fraction bigger upon hearing him say he turned the tables on her family. It seemed she was utterly sick of their rampant terrible behaviour and found them getting roughed up preferable to them beating up others. Whether it was because she hated the reputation that her family earned doing this sort of thing, or because she just generally disagreed with that sort of poor morality, Ares didn't know but she clearly wasn't a fan either way. Them getting dragged around as tour guides was humbling humiliation that might make them think twice in the future and so the mother loved the idea and actively supported it. "They're really such troublesome men, the lot of them... I had a bad feeling they would get up to mischief without me around but they were insistent on searching outside the planet for clues about the tryouts... Even though I knew they'd mess with innocent people I let them go. I really am too soft on them..." Ares, out of the corner of his eyes, could see the men all shaking their heads as if her previous statement was a blatant lie but none dared correct her out loud. "... Ah but where are my manners?! My name is Alice! Who are you!? It's not often those stubborn boys show deference to just anyone!"

Ares belatedly realised this was the first time he'd gotten a name out of anyone he was travelling with. He hadn't bothered asking for the names of the four guys and only knew of Hugo because the young master mentioned it when he ordered him to attack. Ares still wasn't going to ask, he didn't care about these lot and was only going to be moving around with them for the next day or so, but knowing the mother's name was handy at least. She seemed like the indisputable lynchpin of this group so Ares would prioritise speaking to her from now on whenever possible. He had no interest in making her show him around, she'd done nothing to deserve it, but he had a feeling she would come along too once Ares got to explaining what he'd just seen before arriving here. Ares knew the rough location of the 'tryouts' thanks to all the wooden signs and if the young master was going to go then the mother would probably follow. She viewed the men as problem magnets but it was also clear as day she cared for them too so it was unlikely she would willingly miss out on her son's activities if she had spare time on her hands. "My name is Ares..." Ares waited for a split second to see if there was any visible reaction to his name but, when there wasn't, he continued. "... I'm from Sheryashka. I've escaped from the barrier temporarily and am looking around and taking in the sights out here. There's nothing specific I'm after so you don't really have to worry about my intentions."

"Ares?" The mother pondered but couldn't recall whatever memory she was searching for. In the end she gave up and discarded that line of though entirely with a casual flick of the wrist. "Anyway, welcome to the outside world! Are you having fun?! Do you want to go bowling!?" The mother began listing off all sorts of entertainment venues Ares had never heard of and it seemed she was bored enough to drag around a complete stranger if he dared show any interest in the events she was rattling on about. "Or..." She was gong to keep sounding off but thankfully the father interjected and saved Ares before the situation got out of hand.

Ahem

"Alice.... Dear... Our guest is perhaps more interested in the tryouts..."

The mother shot the father a sharp glare and kept up the unwavering duel of nerves for about five seconds. When he didn't back down she nodded her head in understanding and her innocent charm returned in full force as if the hostility mere seconds ago had been a complete lie. It was a test to see if Ares had been bullied into showing interest in the same thing her son was after. If his interest was completely natural, however, the father had nothing to hide and he wouldn't have any reason to feel shame in the non-verbal confrontation against Alice. Her reason for doubting Ares' fascination for he tryouts in the first place was... "Ah but didn't you just arrive here not too long ago?!" Alice was all smiles again and her voice perfectly jolly. "How do you know about the tryouts anyway?!" The mother was essentially asking, 'what did my stupid boy do to get you involved?'. It was a way of finding out how the initial meeting between Ares and the men went as well as understanding Ares' strange inclination to get invested in something he must have only barely heard about recently. Alice was a woman with plenty of cunning and nothing would ever slip by whatever net she felt like casting, that was the type of woman Ares had her down as. She was clearly perturbed that whatever memory she had of the name 'Ares' wasn't being dredged up so she was searching for clues in his response. She was taking charge of the conversation in small ways but that was fine as Ares had nothing to hide.

Ares' response was entirely honest and he recalled the meeting from start to finish, omitting any superfluous details about how the scuffle between him and Hugo unfolded exactly. There was no need to show off and he was actually concerned Alice might be more hesitant around him if she had a rough grasp of how strong he was. He didn't lie, he omitted! To that end, he even excluded the details about the spacian encounter. Ares kept things very simple and framed his interest as wanting to know what drove the men to attack him in the first place which wasn't even untrue anyway. His curiosity was warranted but it still seemed a tad overboard to Alice who was narrowing her eyes at him. She'd understand his fascination when he mentioned the hidden signs all around, that nobody else could see, but he wanted to know what the tryouts were before he brought it up. If these 'tryouts' were an opportunity to get ahold of a rare resource or something then the less competitors there were the better. Ares had no obligation to share the location of such a thing with people who hadn't earned it. Of course it could just be something like sports team or sect tryouts, in which case informing them was no problem whatsoever because it wouldn't really affect his chances much and even then he might be interested. "The young master mentioned it would be better to explain the tryouts to me here..." and that was where Ares left his half of the conversation. The mother nodded and then looked towards the young master who was fiddling with his phone and searching for something. Eventually he found it and slid the phone across the table to Ares while explaining what it was he was showing him.

"Brotherhood.

A sect of the elitist elite the world has ever known. They have a handful of disciples, never any more than about fifteen or so members, but they're a fully fledged sect and arguably the strongest one in the world. Every single person in Brotherhood is said to be capable of wiping out domains if they exert their full strength, even the outer court disciples. They're extremely tight knit and will do basically anything for one another, that's a sort of creed of theirs. If you're a member of their sect, and not currently occupied, when another remember requires help you must drop everything you're doing and rush to their location to assist them. Offending one Brotherhood disciple is like offending them all and, given how powerful they all are, the sect is widely feared and renowned.

Untouchable.

That's what the Brotherhood is.

They win wars and defend their territory all by themselves and slowly carve out multiple legends. Funnily enough, though, theoretically anyone can join... It's just that joining is nearly impossible for 99% of the entire universe's population. For starters, even finding the place the tryouts are held is a pipe dream for most. The Brotherhood believes quite heavily in fate so the location the tryouts are held in is random and never announced ahead of time. Sometimes it leaks, because one of their members is a bit of a drunkard with loose lips, but even then the exact location is never known. I'm here because it was leaked that the Lowe domain is where the next tryouts are but nobody has found them yet. When I saw you come out of the Sheryashkan barrier I thought they were maybe hosting the tryouts inside as it honestly wouldn't be too farfetched for a group as crazy as them. Getting inside that barrier would be a difficult task but, in addition to fate, the only other thing they believe in, when taking onboard new disciples, is raw talent. They have no qualms with not accepting anyone into their sect regardless of how many people show up for their tryouts. Zero new disciples because nobody could find them? Tough luck. Billions of rejections because the tryouts were held openly and none who attended met their criteria? Too bad. They really don't care. You either find them and pass the test or you don't and your dreams go up in smoke. How they host the tryouts is up to their discretion and the one thing they never are is lenient about the criteria needed to pass to get in. Hosting the tryouts inside the barrier would unironically be pretty normal for them given some of the places they've held them before." The young master nodded towards his phone on the table and continued. "Brotherhood is so famous they're often referenced in films and TV shows. If you watch that video on my phone you'll get a rough understanding of what they are and the sort achievements they've accomplished over the years."

Ares tapped the phone' screen and what the young master said was immediately proven accurate. The clip Ares was watching was from an animated show that delved into the history of the Brotherhood in the first episode because it was the main setting of the fictional world following a new hopeful joining their ranks. The show itself was obviously not real but the contents about Brotherhood prior to the hypothetical scenario were so this show's introduction was often used to explain who the Brotherhood were to people not in the know. It was all rather flashy but easy to follow along with and pleasing to the eyes. Ares had never seen animation before so he was engrossed in the stylistic depiction and the information presented in a clear and concise manner. There were stand-ins to represent the major historical figures of the Brotherhood and Ares got a feel for what each of them stood for and how they fought.

Interestingly, the previous sect master of Brotherhood... Was the previous owner of the war aura... Apparently he was a farmer hobbyist which explained the whole scarecrow thing. He also wielded a scythe much like Ares did so maybe it was fate? The video showcasing his talents recreated a scene in which he summoned a field of wheat, tall enough to reach the waists of every man in an approaching army, and then slashed them all from where he stood. All the men in his summoned field were sliced in half in a single moment, alongside the wheat, and Ares had to admit the visual effects really sold how cool this old man creating innumerable chaffs and corpses in the blink of an eye was. Unfortunately he disappeared from the lime light and rested in a shack nobody knew the location of in his final years, as he was aging whilst suffering from an incurable disease, and he hadn't been heard from or seen since. According to whenever this show was made, it was unknown whether the old man was even alive anymore... Ares knew he wasn't otherwise he wouldn't be able to possess the war aura as only one person could have it at a time. Still, it was funny though. The brotherhood quite literally just lost their scythe-wielding, war aura commanding sect master and now a scythe-wielding war aura commanding new recruit was about to show up and take the tryouts.... If any of them happened to believe in reincarnation they were about get the shock of a lifetime...

That aside, the brotherhood operated exactly as the young master described it. Indestructible and blind loyalty to one another was the name of the game. If you didn't help your fellow disciples when they called you would be immediately banished from the sect and have a bounty put on your head depending on the severity of the infraction. OF course if you were unable to help for whatever reason then that was perfectly fine but there were no excuses for those capable of showing up. Even if you didn't believe you could help, even if you were certain you would die, you had to heed the call. It wasn't uncommon for mighty warriors to be summoned to alchemy competitions, in which they were utterly useless, and lost miserably in the first round after burning a basic pill. That wasn't the point, though, they still had to show up, make an effort to try, and lose embarrassingly as proof of their dedication to the Brotherhood. Of course nobody dared make fun of them, and most felt pity because they understood the nature of the sect, but the point was that the responsibility that came with joining the Brotherhood was great and inescapable.

On the flip side, however, that meant a disciple could also summon everyone else and request aid in much the same way. You needed a valid reason to call for help but, once you did, you could be certain reliable helpers were speeding through the galaxy to come watch your back. It was a sect with a few handfuls of people at most but it was arguably the best sect going and there were no real restrictions on its members. Ares, being a sect master, or soon to be anyway, could still join if he wanted to and there were no problems on that end. As long as you didn't mind being summoned occasionally against your will, it was nothing but upsides. The members also had their own special robes that denoted them as disciples of Brotherhood and the reputation from that alone opened myriad doors. If Ares, as a fundamental champion, could also become a member of Brotherhood, alongside all the allies he'd already made, he might actually hold status equivalent to a God, or even potentially higher than some, the second he wore those robes. Of course it meant nothing in Sheryashka, where the Brotherhood was unknown, but if he ever found himself in the outside world again, before the barrier came down, and even after that, he would have one hell of a deterrent up his sleeves.

Plus, what with being stuck in Sheryashka right now, Ares had no method of assisting the other members if they called for him. He would be excused from lending aid given he was trapped and couldn't escape. Brotherhood was particularly appealing as he could maybe even get his hands on rare resources and treasures the sect was hoarding and had no use for. Their treasures vault was basically open 24/7 and you could take whatever you wanted so long as you were contributing stuff to it as well. If you found something mythical but it didn't suit you the polite thing to do was just slap it in the treasury and let somebody else have it. In some ways, it was a very casual sect but, in others, it was at the top of the sect rankings in every way and quite fearsome. Any event or competition the sect entered it won basically without fail as the members were all talented beyond reason. Some had various specialties but every single member was at least in the realm of those like Armageddon or Veteran as far as combat prowess went.

It was no surprise the tryouts were pursued by those even remotely interested and they were like rabid dogs trying to sniff out the location every single year. The young master before Ares didn't look like he'd be able to enter Brotherhood, the test itself was notorious for being borderline impossible, but he was chasing that dream regardless and wouldn't stop until he got crushed by the test itself at least once. He would make a judgement on how probable joining the sect was after he'd at least given it a go! That was the prevailing line of thinking for most people so plenty of wannabees flocked to the Lowe domain in search of this year's tryouts. Of course there were also various experts too from across the universe which is partly why this planet was so packed. It always was but right now it was the worst it had ever been in many years. Ares' first thought was that this domain had become incredibly dangerous but, thankfully, the domain leader had activated a runic formation that limited the cultivation of everyone in it to the natural upper limit of the domain as a whole.

Though some creatures, like spacians, managed to eke their way above transition realm with unique methods, the normal limit was transition realm so Ares wouldn't find anybody with strength exceeding that during his stay here, thankfully. However, even when restricted, expert cultivators had abundant advantages that made them near invincible against actual transition realm cultivators. Perhaps they lost upwards of twenty realms of cultivation but what about their tens of thousands of years of absorbing resources, body tempering, and acquiring treasures and insight into martial styles? These people were still experts at the end of the day. Some things didn't magically disappear when cultivation did and Ares was reminded of his fight against Slick during the entrance exam to Heaven's Path. Having the body of a robo meant no matter how much Slick lowered his cultivation Ares still couldn't ever really strike and damage him properly once he started using mana. It was that same sort of deal now but Ares was maybe strong enough to manage if he happened across such a cultivator, as he'd grown significantly since then, and needed to scrap with them for whatever reason. If the tryouts were head to head against other contenders he might need to fight such a person and it was better to at least be aware and mentally prepared for that potential outcome now.

"I know where the tryouts are." Ares finished watching the video, handed the phone back, and dropped that bombshell causing jaws to drop. Not even just those of the group he was with, that reaction spread like a plague and anyone who heard his words turned to stare at him with some even dropping food or spitting out their coffee. Ares had no issues with informing people about the location for the tryouts because they weren't capable of competing with him anyway. You had to be at the level of seeing the signs before you could even take part so anyone who skipped that phase was basically already doomed anyway. The pre-requisite filtered people and even if they got lucky, or someone else told them the answer, it was meaningless as they weren't up to snuff and wouldn't go much further. Those who arrived at the tryouts via their own measures would far outclass those who didn't so informing people was pointless but held no repercussions either for Ares. Ares was going to tell the young master because he simply didn't care if took part, that was all...

That and Ares wasn't entirely convinced Alice couldn't see the signs either. She was a strange woman and Ares wasn't sure if he was being tested here or not. Whether he mentioned the signs openly or left to 'be on his own for a while' without mentioning them would probably affect her judgement of him going forward. If there was nothing to lose by speaking openly about the signs then he'd do it and not give Alice a reason to be wary of him. She was smart but Ares was no slouch in the brain department either, Alice was coming to understand that, but Ares didn't direct the conversation at her so things were left as is and their unspoken battle of wills ended. Instead, Ares used telekinesis to bring a wooden sign over and then scribbled on it with his Omniscience. There were runic formations on the signs, each and every one of them, that prevented them from being viewable in standard ways. Once removed, however, the sign became visible and anybody could see it. The arrows on these signs pointed towards a specific location and that was inevitably where the tryouts were held. Ares, as an expert rune dismantler, showed the sign in all its glory, briefly mentioned there were hundreds all across the city, and then stood up with a clap. "Let's get going, shall we?" He was only talking the young master group but everyone around was naturally going to run along too as missing out on this was unthinkable. Regardless, the tryouts were probably starting soon and those who could actually arrive via their own merit would be gearing up for a challenge. Ares didn't mind a bit of competition and figured it would be interesting to see what sort of prodigies and experts he would be dealing with in the future. Also, this was a good chance to make his name echo through the galaxy once more. Ares hadn't expected to get involved in such a thing but, now that he was here, there was a new task on his to do list.

Join the Brotherhood!