"Baptism? What baptism?"
When Zephyr's bewildered voice rang out, Yas did not answer immediately.
He merely signaled Brannew with a glance to connect a special Amplifying Den Den Mushi to the entire fleet's broadcast system.
Then his cold, commanding voice reached every warship and every soldier's ears with perfect clarity.
"Everyone who has made their choice, listen carefully."
"I will grant you a chance to transform yourselves completely."
"I will use my power to forcibly shatter your bodies' shackles and awaken the potential in the deepest reaches of your lives."
"This process will be painful."
Yas paused, as though recalling some insignificant experience.
"You will feel every bone shattered and reconstructed, every muscle torn apart and regenerated, every cell screaming beneath the scorching lightning, annihilated, then reborn."
"Your souls will experience the ultimate agony of being thrown into the furnaces of hell and burned over and over."
"The mortality rate for this process is approximately thirty percent. Even if you are lucky enough to survive, you may become imbeciles if your wills are not strong enough."
"Now, I will give you one final chance to withdraw."
"In one minute, the 'baptism' will officially begin."
As Yas's voice faded, deathly silence fell over the fleet once more.
A thirty-percent mortality rate!
And they might become imbeciles!
This was no longer a test. It was an insane gamble with their lives at stake!
Zephyr's eyes twitched violently as he listened. Unable to hold back, he growled, "Yas! You're treating human lives like dirt! They're Navy soldiers, not expendable subjects for your experiments!"
"Expendable?" Yas glanced back at him, his gaze like that of someone looking at an ignorant child. "In my eyes, trash that doesn't even dare take this much risk isn't qualified to be expendable."
"You..."
Zephyr was left unable to