Chapter 54: Party

Zack walked down the hallway when he stopped in front of a mirror on the wall and looked at himself.

Even though his face was distorted so no one could see his features, his purple eyes still shone as brightly as ever.

Today he was wearing a purple suit and pants of the same color, with a white shirt, and as he looked in the mirror, he rearranged his clothes.

“You’re a total narcissist,” a voice said, and then a woman reflected in the mirror. With a smile, she asked, “Make space for me.”

Hope, the brightest Transcendental, smiled and swung the light blue dress she wore, causing Zack to move from the mirror and turn to look at her.

Hope, instead of wearing her child form, was in her adult form, wearing a radiant light blue dress, adorned with small gems glittering all over the dress. Her light blue hair was down and she smiled first at the mirror and then at him.

“How do I look?” asked Hope nervously. For her, this was her first party among inferior beings, not only of this world, but of her entire existence, and she was nervous about fitting in. She had dressed up and waited for her answer, but....

“Like an inferior being,” Zack responded without thinking too much.

She let out a snort and, ignoring him, turned to the babysitter and the boy. They both wore purple trench coats that matched in style, and unlike the boy, who revealed his face, the babysitter had changed his face for the third time that day.

“You look good, young lady,” the babysitter replied as calmly as ever.

“I’m sure you’ll stand out above anyone else,” the boy said, looking at Zack sideways, as if he was having difficulty responding.

“See, Zack? They say I look good. How about you accelerate your growth and join in?” invited Hope, smiling amusedly at him.

Zack adjusted his suit and floated in the air to be at the woman’s height. Looking back at her, he simply turned and floated towards the room where the party was taking place.

“Why don’t you show up in your true body? Your true form is more beautiful than what’s here,” Zack said, and as he passed another section of mirrors, he noticed Hope’s cheeks flushing. The babysitter and the boy looked at each other blankly.

They couldn’t comprehend the beauty of beings like themselves, but Zack didn’t care and continued his flight until they reached a wider hallway ten meters high. On each side were paintings of several people, and Hope, recovering, turned to look around with curiosity and approached him.

“We’re being watched too much,” Hope said in a low voice. She made sure her words were not heard by anyone except him. Floating towards the main entrance, Zack raised an eyebrow and looked at the Transcendental, who was nervous about the looks.

“Maybe it’s because you’re hypnotizing mortals,” Zack supposed, and Hope, as if she thought he was joking, pushed him and shook her head to calm her nerves.

She thought he was lying to her and did so because Hope thought he didn’t understand the appeal of inferior beings like humans, but she was confused. He didn’t like or attract them, but he understood what they liked, and the brightest Transcendental fit perfectly into the general public’s idea of beauty.

Hope was thin but had the right proportions. Although she wore a loose dress to hide her proportions, she was still physically attractive to the crowd. The white skin gave the feeling of being a porcelain doll, but she was not cold and expressionless like a doll, but smiling and cheerful. The celestial eyes that shone as she looked and learned everything around her gave a sense of naivety and at the same time, beauty that even caught his attention.

It was she who attracted attention for being a beauty, and the ignorant inferior beings who looked stupidly didn’t realize that the woman they were looking at was a transcendent... One who could probably crush everyone present without getting too upset.

Both entered the room directly through the main door and the scents captivated Zack’s senses. The smell of wine, juices, and different perfumes was striking.

“The strongest Transcendental and the brightest Transcendental with his two followers!” A waiter’s voice at the entrance echoed, and Zack felt the stares. Some were analytical, trying to see who he was; then he felt disappointment and contempt, but also caught the most piercing looks directed at the brightest Transcendental, which he did not like at all.

Zack turned to look at one of the individuals and saw the Triton he had seen when he arrived, looking at Hope from head to toe and licking his lips before locking eyes with her.

“Come on, it’s not that serious,” Hope said as she stood in front of him, looking closely at him and smiling playfully. She pointed, “And you don’t need to protect me. I can eliminate any inferior being in a second.”

The brightest Transcendental smiled without revealing her power, but let her voice spread so that everyone could hear her. There were individuals with sharp ears and senses, so it was impossible to ignore her words. Zack smiled, realizing that such a comment annoyed a couple of them.

“You’re right. I forget that sometimes inferior beings cannot control their physical instincts and become nothing more than depraved beasts,” Zack said loudly.

Hope laughed as she felt the looks go from curious or lascivious to threatening, and she took Zack by the hand and led him to the corner where a band was playing.

Both spoke openly, regardless of who they were angering or bothering, and Zack liked Hope’s attitude in that sense. As Transcendentals, having to endure those looks was inconceivable, but it was forgiven when one thought that they were inferior beings.

“You talk about physical instincts, but you don’t have those?” Hope asked only him. Seeing his seriousness, she corrected, “Apart from hunger.”

Body instincts that even the brightest minds could not control... For him, such instincts were related to hunger and the jailer’s drug, but talking about the topic was poking at a wound to his pride and he did not like it.

Zack criticized such instincts of inferior beings, and when he thought that he was affected by such defects of inferior beings, he became moody. However, Hope was asking about another kind of “physical instinct.”

“Lust?” Zack asked. Seeing the Transcendental remain silent at his direct question, he explained, “No. Although they may appear when this body reaches adolescence and adulthood. Another unpleasant defect of inferior beings.”

He had seen several documentaries enough to understand that in the adolescence of inferior beings; the body changed and males, in some cases, were prone to reacting physiologically to females or to people of their interest. Zack wanted to wait and see if there was a change in him as he grew up, but if the time came when his body reacted in such a way, he would prefer to be dead.

“This body doesn’t have any of that. I think it’s because I perfectly control physical reactions,” said Hope, proud of her abilities. Zack raised an eyebrow, remembering the times she had blushed and just let it pass, and followed her to the front of the stage where the band was playing, not wanting to embarrass her.

The music spread everywhere, and right now, there was a pianist and another person playing a type of bone violin. The sound was relaxing and had a power of its own, although it was not dangerous, just relaxing and enjoyable.

“I would like to learn to play an instrument. We practically have all the time we want, but I don’t understand why we don’t have hobbies,” said the brightest Transcendental, listening to the musicians.

“We have hobbies. In my case, I like to design and remodel my astral palace. So you can try to learn and even take knowledge from inferior beings to handle the instruments faster,” replied Zack, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the boy looking away.

“If I learn, it will be on my own, without stealing anything,” Hope retorted, and when she realized the boy Donovan was looking off into the distance, she asked, “Don’t you have a relationship with the Golden Girl? She’ll be angry if she catches you staring.”

Her joke-question caught Donovan off guard, and he opened and closed his mouth without knowing how to respond.

Zack directed his gaze to where the boy had been looking and noticed the Musician and the Little Titanide conversing with two women.

The first was a woman with long black hair, about one meter ninety. She wore a one-piece dress with a line at the hip that revealed a lot of skin, and it was so low-cut that many male lower beings lost themselves in her gaze. The woman’s eyes were black, her skin was pale, and her ears were long. She emitted a certain natural darkness that was very different from her companion, who was surrounded by a shining light and gave off a divine feeling.

The companion was of short stature, with a round face and white skin, measuring one meter and sixty centimeters. She had red lips and blonde hair that reached her hips. She wore a laurel crown and a red jewel around her neck. Unlike the first woman, she did not wear a dress, but a tight white shirt and a short skirt with a pair of long stockings that revealed her long legs. Both were enchanting beauties for the lower beings, and it was normal for the boy to stare at them.

Even Zack stared for a second, realizing the power they emanated.

“The one with black hair is a vampire and the one with blonde hair...”

“She’s half a celestial being and...”

Just as Zack was about to finish the sentence of the brightest Transcendental, the vampire turned to them, and so did the other woman. If the Vampire analyzed both of them, the younger-looking woman looked at the brightest Transcendental.

“I think she’s looking at me too much.” The Transcendental’s voice sounded in Zack’s ears, and he frowned, feeling like he was also looking at her too much.

Just as he frowned, the young woman said goodbye to the group, and walking through the crowd, she approached the Triton, touching his shoulder and whispering something in his ear.

The Triton’s expression changed first from surprise to a proud smile that revealed excitement, then turned into a contemptuous smile as he approached them. Meanwhile, the Troublemaker smiled at his back. Zack immediately knew that the Triton was looking for trouble, and from Hope’s smile, she realized the same thing.

“Let me handle it,” whispered Hope, nudging him to stay out of it.

Zack gave her a look and simply waited, letting Hope have her moment. It wasn’t as if that Triton posed a danger, and while she was weak in that body, she could come out at any moment and reveal all her power.

The Triton came on his own and solo, and from the looks of the other individuals, it was obvious that his confident walk had attracted attention.

“Why is a beauty with a dwarf?” the Triton asked, and flexing his bare chest, announced, “You should be with someone your height.”

The Triton was tall, muscular, and brawny. In a way, he was pure muscle, since despite wanting to insult him, he was practically quite childish.

“Leave him alone and worry about what to say to the Golden Girl when she finds out you were looking at another woman,” Zack said directly into the ear of the boy, who seemed upset about being insulted.

“We’re not dating,” Zack heard the boy murmur and ignored him, seeing that the Transcendental was looking at him and the Triton, then smiling.

“At least he has legs,” Hope replied, and Zack laughed amusedly.

At this point, looking at the Triton up close, it was obvious that this individual had fake legs. Probably an object that allowed him to come out of the water and walk openly. His brazen laughter angered the Triton, whose veins bulged out of his body, and that fish without knowing his place threw a punch in his direction.

Zack saw the punch coming with speed, swiftness, and force, but Hope stopped it with a movement of her hands and then pushed the Triton back, sending him flying a couple of meters. The stupid fish landed on his feet, but his muscles tensed even more, and Hope simply smiled.

“Why are you attacking him? Didn’t you come for me?” asked Hope, frowning and shrugging. “It’s hard to understand someone with a fish brain.”

Zack raised an eyebrow, surprised by Hope’s words. He had thought he knew her, but he realized there was still much to discover.

Hope was sharp, and the worst thing was not her words, but the indifference and honesty with which she spoke.

“Get out of my way, bitch,” growled the Triton, advancing.

The brightest Transcendental laughed contemptuously, worthy of her rank and began to gather her power.

Just as the Triton was three meters away, space distorted, and a metallic being appeared.

It was a humanoid with a smooth, silver metal body, with two red robotic eyes that shone in its head. The torso was broad, but narrowed at the stomach, and the legs elongated, ending in three robotic claws on its feet.

The robot raised its hand, stopping the Triton. When he tried to advance, the robot’s entire arm turned into a laser-sharp sword and the Triton stopped.

“At the party, we do not allow conflicts,” said the robot, looking around. “If you want to fight, I will take you to the combat field.”

Zack frowned at the robotic and flat voice of the metal being. Unlike the doctor who had once treated him when the jailer took him to the hospital, this being had no human parts. Zack realized it was an entity of data and codes, what some would call an artificial intelligence.

Unlike the metal aberrations that left their physical bodies and abandoned the possibility of transcendence, these beings were born as data, without the opportunity to reach a higher realm than themselves. They would never have the possibility of transcending.

“I challenge you to a battle, and if I win, you will retire as a participant of the gathering,” the Triton challenged, not hiding his lustful gaze towards Hope. “And you will have to surrender your companion to me!”

“My companion?” Zack blinked, feeling that Hope was right about the Triton having a fish brain.

Some of the visitors frowned at the Triton’s demands, especially the Musician and the Little Titanide. The latter looked at the Troublemaker, who was covering her laughter with her hand. Zack, upon looking back at the Triton, furrowed his brow.

The Triton’s demands annoyed him, and when he thought about crushing that insignificant fish, Hope gave him a look and winked at him.

“I accept,” announced the brightest Transcendental, smiling playfully. “What? You demanded a duel with a Transcendental, and I am one.”

Zack sensed the strength and anger in Hope’s words, not only from the way she was being treated but also from the way the Triton was looking at her unpleasantly.

“Finish it quickly,” responded Zack grumpily.

But if nature didn’t do the work of evolutionary selection, then they would have to do it themselves.

The brightest Transcendental snapped her fingers, and reality blurred, only to reappear in a spectator’s stand that surrounded a combat arena. The seriousness elevated among the guests, even the demons, humanoids, and beings with animal features showed a serious expression. The Musician and the Little Titanide, the Vampiress, and the Troublemaker lost their smiles. If they hadn’t realized that someone else had moved them, one could imagine what would happen if that being wanted to harm them.

Of course, powerful beings were proud and sometimes did not understand what it meant to face a Transcendental, let alone someone who was not restrained like the brightest Transcendental.

“I don’t want to hurt you... Ughh...”

The foolish fish attempted to speak without realizing who his opponent was. Hope moved her hand downwards, and the fish was crushed against the floor of the arena and buried in the ground.

“It will be boring if you don’t attack, little clown fish,” said the brightest Transcendental with an indifferent and bored tone.

“¡GAHH!”

Water exploded from where the Triton was buried and massive water tentacles sprouted out to strike at the brightest Transcendental, but they were deflected by Hope’s defenses. Then the same Triton rose up and, spitting blood onto the ground, leapt towards the brightest Transcendental to strike her, but was unsuccessful.

 “…”

The punch did not connect with the brightest Transcendental, and it wasn’t that she dodged it, but rather that he simply couldn’t touch her. Fists went straight through the Transcendental’s body as she simply transferred her body to an alternate reality in which she could be seen but not touched.

The shockwave from the punch extended more than a kilometer away, while the spectator stands simply got out of the way and the blows kept on coming. Punch after punch, each strike created a shockwave that destroyed several kilometers away.

“Weaker than the Great Monkey,” murmured Zack as he realized. Was that Triton a candidate for the Circle of Supervillains or was he another guest? Regardless of the answer, in his eyes, he was weak. The Sun of the City that he had launched out of the planet was probably stronger, and the brightest Transcendental who was expecting something more entertaining also realized this and moved her hand.

 “Ugg… Aghh…”

The Triton flew backwards with a flick of the wrist and with another movement was buried in the ground again. Then came other blows that crushed him several times. Each blow was not destructive, but rather concentrated psychic force that sought to harm the body of its target. Hope succeeded when the Triton floated in the sky.

She didn’t do it on her own, but Hope’s telekinesis had caught him and, seeing that he had fallen unconscious, she threw him to the ground.

Zack, using the mental strength of the prisoners in the tower in his collar, appeared next to the Triton when everyone returned to the party.

“The duel has ended. We will withdraw...” the robot began to say.

“Ended? So after insulting us and boring us, it’s all over?” Zack interrupted, moving his hand towards the Triton’s body.

“HAAA!” A crack appeared in reality and a white hand came out, grabbing the Triton and crushing it until the fish spat blood.

Hope looked at it for a second, but realizing he was angry, she simply shrugged when the babysitter looked to her for support.

“The battle wasn’t against you,” the robot said, looking at him coldly. “It’s better if you leave. There are rules we must follow.”

“These are your rules, not mine,” Zack replied, squeezing the Triton even harder. Smiling aggressively, he asked, “Or do you want to fight to save the fish?”

If the stupid fish didn’t want Zack to use his brain, he had to give him utility as a battery. Besides, he had no other choice since he had control of the tower and practically dominated all the prisoners at his will.

“He’s right,” the Troublemaker said, taking the first step towards him. Ignoring the brighter Transcendental, she smiled at the robot. “He’s right, Ulises. If he wants to be one of us, he can’t allow insults to himself or his companions.”

The Stirrer introduced herself as Luzbael and shook his hand. “I’ll approve of your actions, although it’s not chivalrous to hide behind a lady.”

“Says the one who sent that fish against us,” replied Zack, ignoring the Troublemaker's hand.

The woman let out a soft laugh, covering her mouth with her hand.

“The accusations hurt me and ruin this party. I invited that ‘fish’. I figured he was going to be worthy, but you can do what you wish with him. Those who don’t know their own limits should understand that they have to be careful.” The Troublemaker added with a smile without taking her eyes off him.

The last words were directed at Zack, but he simply smiled as if he was daring her to attack him. In his eyes, it was she who was not careful, and even though they were in someone else’s “house” and surrounded by individuals who didn’t know him, Zack wasn’t afraid. He could control half of them before the other half could react.

“You heard her. Let the party continue!” announced the musician, signaling for the musicians to start playing again. The crowd dispersed and went back to their own affairs, and he approached the brightest Transcendental, the boy, and the babysitter.

The night was fun, and from Hope’s smile, it was obvious that she was having a good time too.