More and more top-tier professors, experts, and researchers who had long been declared 'dead' or 'missing' by their respective governments and academic institutions were carried out of the underground base, one after another.
Pioneers in neurology.
Trailblazers in bioengineering.
As well as international-level authorities in genetics, pharmacology, and cranial research.
This undeniable spectacle sent the global community into an absolute meltdown.
"Oh my god!"
"Weren't they all dead?!"
"What the hell was Severia doing?!"
"All the brilliant minds who vanished over the years were actually locked in a Severian dungeon, treated as lab rats for live human experimentation?!"
The explosion of outrage wasn't limited to the physical scene.
Across the globe, millions watching the live broadcasts were erupting in fury.
The diplomatic and academic networks of nation after nation spiraled out of control at the sight of these 'resurrected' dead.
The highest echelons of those respective governments were consumed by blinding, unadulterated rage as they watched the footage.
The tech center was no longer a competitive arena.
It was ground zero for the most catastrophic international scandal in modern history.
Severia had been publicly and irreversibly nailed to the pillar of shame.
No matter how desperately they tried to cover it up or suppress the narrative, it was entirely out of their hands.
Because the broken victims were still being hauled out by the dozen.
Fragments of the twisted experimental logs were continuously leaking to the public in real-time.
The irrefutable evidence of the attempted murder in Sector 10, the human experimentation in the subterranean lab, and the undeniable operational ties between the tournament organizers and the Obsidian Sun were now laid bare for the entire world to witness.
Chairman Alistair Kingsley of the International Gauntlet Committee looked utterly abhorrent as he stared at the victims being stretchered out.
Even the international delegates, who prided themselves on their refined composure, discarded all decorum, slamming their hands on the tables as they rose in fury.
"Absurd! This is absolutely absurd!"
"To think an anti-human experimentation facility was hidden directly beneath an international tournament venue?!"
"This is no longer a tournament incident. This is a severe international crime!"
"Severia must answer to the world!"
Hordes of journalists surged toward the main control sector, trapping the Severian tournament officials in an impenetrable wall of cameras and microphones.
The mics were practically shoved down their throats.
"Did the Severian government know about this from the start?!"
"Are the tournament organizers funneling funds for the Obsidian Sun?!"
"Why were globally renowned experts, who were presumed dead, discovered inside your underground base?!"
"Was deploying the Obsidian Augments and lethal gas into Sector 10 an act of premeditated murder?!"
"What role does the Pierce family play in all of this?!"
The Pierce family.
The moment that name was invoked, it was as if a colossal dam had ruptured.
Very quickly, Severia's top-tier medical financial syndicate, the Pierce family, was directly dragged into the spotlight.
Money laundering, trafficking innocent human specimens, and providing venue cover for the Obsidian Sun.
Piece by piece, the crystal-clear evidence of their atrocities surfaced.
Fully exposed to the scrutinizing eyes of the globe.
Just as the Severian officials were staging their dying struggles, racking their brains for any possible excuse to defend themselves.
Ambassador Sterling of the Elyndor State Department strode slowly into the venue, surrounded by a heavy security detail.
He stepped up to the endless sea of flashing cameras.
Impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his expression was unyieldingly authoritative.
When he spoke, his voice rang out in flawless, resonant universal English. "First and foremost, the Elyndorian government hereby issues its
strongest condemnation anial ne
the
Severian tournament organizers for maliciously targeting our representatives, severing the live broadcast, deploying unidentified dangerous specimens, and releasing lethal toxins within the competition sectors!"
"Secondly, regarding the
subterranean base within Severia's tech center which is suspected of harboring long-term illegal human experimentation, imprisoning international victims, and colluding with the global criminal syndicate known as the Obsidian Son, the Elyndor State Department demand's that Severia immediately cooperate with a full investigation, grant unrestricted access clearances, and provide a transparent explanation to the international community!"
aff
"Furthermore, our nation has allied with multiple global powers to initiate a joint international investigation, and we reserve, rights to pursue further accountability!"