If Michael wasn't fully awake then, he certainly was now. Fudge's casual admittance of seeing members of Ersatz made him fully alert.

"You're seeing them in New Sparta?" Michael asked, his eyebrows furrowed. "What exactly do they look like?"

"Oh, they're boring, Master. They always wear…"

Fudge perfectly described the assassins who kidnapped Lyra. He could still remember them as they peered along the battlements of their Stronghold, before Katarina turned them into nothing but corpses on the ground.

"Where? Where did you see these guys?!"

Fudge, still not understanding the gravity of the situation, shrugged cooly. "I don't know. They just appear and disappear around New Sparta randomly. I think they're using some kind of magic."

Michael turned silent, hundreds of thoughts coursing through his recently refreshed mind.

Platinum said that they have a Stronghold in New Sparta. That must be where they're disappearing off to.

Could Fudge have actually found their secret location without even knowing it?

Because of the little slime's childish tendencies, Michael always perceived Fudge to be nothing more than a troublesome pet. But in truth, this little slime was one of the most talented people on the entire planet.

His title as the world's greatest ninja wasn't just for show. Fudge was adept in the shadows, becoming indistinguishable from it that he could even fool professional assassins themselves—including the members of Ersatz.

"I could show you where I saw them, Master."

He nodded. Fudge's insight would be extremely helpful in eventually finding the Ersatz Stronghold in New Sparta. In fact, he may be the only one who could do it.

But then, he remembered something.

The Grandmaster.

That mysterious entity was an extremely powerful being who was on the verge of transcending the Nascent Spirit realm. Not only that, but he was also extremely secretive, doing anything he could to shroud his identity from anyone who tried to disinter his whereabouts.

Even Katarina and the global influence of the Eternitus Consortium hadn't gotten a whiff of the guy after years and years of trying.

In short, it wasn't a good idea to try and spy around his Stronghold without any backup.

"Tell me where it is, but never ever go anywhere near it, okay?"

Fudge perked up. "Is there some treasure hidden there?!"

"No. This is serious, Fudge. The person that may be hiding there is dangerous. He's not a person we can defeat for now."

Fudge deflated, disappointed. "Okay, Master…"

This relieved Michael. Fudge may be whimsical and mischievous at times, but even he knew his limits. He wouldn't be entering anything that he knew he'd get found in.

In fact, Fudge probably subconsciously knew that even his stealth won't work if he tried to follow those hooded figures. Otherwise, he would have already sneaked around inside without even knowing what he was getting himself into.

"...master…"

While deep in his thoughts, Fudge called out to him.

"What is it?"

"If we're dealing with someone very powerful… isn't it better if I have someone to protect me? I'm just a little slime, after all! Maybe someone like her?"

Fudge was clearly pointing towards Alpha, his strongest Unity Clone.

Michael was no idiot. He knew that Fudge was saying that to get what he wanted. The little slime was afraid of nothing, after all.

But… having him be protected by a Unity Clone wasn't a bad idea.

He knew that Fudge wouldn't get himself in trouble, but if he did, then having a Unity Clone beside him would certainly assure his safety, especially if he'd be rummaging through the hidden network of Ersatz in New Sparta.

And… he just couldn't help but give in to Fudge's entreating puppy eyes.

"Fine. But not Alpha," he said. "Take Bravo."

Bravo was the second Unity Clone, and coincidentally, the weakest one among them. He only had 1 kilo of GodForge pieces, equivalent to the 1st stage.

"But… but he's weak, Master!"

Michael smiled before reaching down into his shadow and retrieving a huge chunk of black, crystal-like mineral from his inventory.

This was the Artifice he obtained from Katarina after sieging the Stronghold.

"It won't be long."

With a single command, Bravo marched towards him and reached out his hands.

Michael pushed the Artifice towards the Unity Clone.

Bravo held the Artifice in his left hand, while his right hand clutched his own chest.

Prismatic light emanated from his chest as a small incision appeared, directly in line with his heart.

Flaming metallic drops began to surge out of Bravo's heart, which immediately combusted into a white, holy fire.

This was all the GodForge pieces in his heart.

Once taken out, Bravo then pushed the Artifice towards the rift in his chest, pushing it inside and replacing the void that was now left in his Unity-filled heart.

The Artifice took purchase in its new territory. Immediately, stygian veins emerged from the black iceberg mineral, slithering around the cavities in Bravo's heart trying to corrupt anything it touched.

But as soon as it did, the purifying fire of Unity immediately blasted it into nothingness.

And with the help of Alpha's experience, the domination of the Artifice became a lot smoother than the first time this happened.

A few minutes later, an almost tangible shockwave of pressure emanated out of Bravo, spreading far out into the Nation of Reborn and creating tremors on the ground.

Fudge took shelter behind Michael, peeking out in between his feet. The overwhelming Aubility Power pouring out of Bravo scared the wits out of the little ninja slime!

"Powerful!"

Michael smiled. "Yup. He is now the strongest being below the Nascent Spirit realm."

Now rid of his initial shock, Fudge slowly hopped on over to Bravo, inspecting the Unity Clone with a glean in his eyes.

"Hehehe… you'll do," Fudge muttered to himself. Then without batting an eye, he turned back to Michael with a wide smile. "THANK YOU MASTER! I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT!"

Michael pursed his lips, unsure if he made a mistake or not. "Don't put Bravo in too much trouble, okay?"

"Of course!" Fudge nodded. "Hehehe, I'll take care of Master Michael 2.0!"

"What?"

"Nothing!"

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