[Chapter 66 Comment]
[Hunter_Keenan_2132: So much for the Ministers beastly instincts, not being able to smell a traitor amongst his own men. I guess even…see more]
…
Theo looked at the comment. Since he had played his part in delaying the enemies, Baold would take over while conserving his strength for the defensive battle later. After organizing his students back into formation, Theo responded to all the comments he received in the last few chapters, particularly the one he received this time.
"I don't think it's a matter of trust or instinct. Normally, an agency like that has very strict examinations, so the chance of one of them being a traitor is extremely low. If you ask anyone who joins such an agency or force, they will tell you the same thing. They trust all the people in their team. However, this is a different world, so what I said might not apply."
"Also, I think you misunderstand the concept of the world's consciousness. The consciousness is like a mother, and all living beings, whether humans or Marie, are its children. So, this is just like a fight between two brothers, albeit in an extreme sense."
"If you're thinking about a unique power system from the world, then I can't say much about it. I told you earlier that the world is like the mother and she definitely knows her own children. I am an outsider, so it's close to impossible to understand it. Other than that, yeah, I'm looking forward to it as well. At the very least, I'm bringing this Inscription knowledge back."
After recalling past comments, Theo apologized. "I'm sorry that I can't reply to all of you since I don't have much leeway to do that. Also, I have to consider the number of words I use because it would be troublesome if the story ends at a certain part. As I mentioned not long ago, I tried to end it at a certain point so that you might comment on a certain thing that would give me some advantages. However, what you say will be entirely within your control."
He finally finished replying to all the comments from the past few chapters. Because of the tower and his students, he couldn't even engage them, which made him feel a bit bad.
Now that he had finished, Theo looked back, observing the situation. It seemed that when people openly protected Baold, they started cooperating better, recognizing that the only way for them to survive was to follow Baold's command.
After all, Baold had demonstrated his capability by stopping the Light Bead Cannon. If he hadn't stopped the attack, more than thirty of them would have died from the blast, and many others would have been picked off one by one by the Marei.
With the added protection, Baold became even more confident. He used his inscription to slow down the Marei. Unfortunately, Devian actually survived, as the Marei didn't kill him; it appeared they had been ordered to spare him. Theo realized that the high-ranking Marei must have considered Devian's position and strength, intending to use him as a double agent. Despite being branded a traitor, keeping him alive was more beneficial due to his remaining strength.
"We have spotted the Regarn Hill!" someone at the very front shouted, alerting the others. Even Theo took a look at this hill. The slope was steep, and the humidity in the area was quite high, making the ground slippery and challenging. It was a perfect place to halt their enemies, but they had to climb it first before they could do that. If they could establish a natural fortress, they might be able to hold back the enemy forces.
Theo approached Baold and asked, "Are you planning to hold the enemies here? If so, for how long?"
"One day," Baold answered without hesitation. Recognizing Theo's abilities, he chose to openly reveal his plan to gauge Theo's thoughts.
"That's a hard thing to do, you know."
Baold was well aware of the difficulty of defending a single hill against thousands of enemies. And there was a possibility that the enemy numbers might increase to tens of thousands, making it virtually impossible to hold out with only a few hundred people.
"I know. I've sent Lushivar to relay the message and bring some reinforcements to relieve the stress while waiting for the main reinforcement to arrive. So, we can only trust Lushivar."
"…" Theo thought for a moment and asked, "How many elite soldiers does Devian have? And can they still be trusted?"
"There are fifteen elite soldiers. And yes, unless they have been brainwashed, they can be trusted. The way they abandoned Devian instantly indicates they aren't aware of his betrayal."
"If you trust me, you can entrust those soldiers to me. I'll turn the situation around and create a path for escape. Instead of waiting for a whole day, it's better if we use that opportunity to run straight to the reinforcement's path. If this works, we can reach the reinforcements within another two hours."
"The people will be exhausted…" Baold didn't dismiss Theo's idea immediately. He thought it was worth a shot, but he didn't know if Theo proposed this to save himself or not. If Theo didn't return, they would definitely die.
"I still need you to help me solve the trouble of my own assassination attempt."
Baold fell silent for a few seconds before shouting, "Lendrix."
"Sir!" Lendrix squeezed in and arrived near Baold, ready to receive the command.
"Bring your whole squad and follow this man. While he is not from our empire, he is an exceptional man with brawn and brain. This is a task for survival and the only way to clear your name and your comrades' names."
Lendrix hesitated. On the one hand, he didn't know anything about Theo. But it was true that Theo had shown enough prowess. And since this would also give him the opportunity to clear their names, Lendrix ultimately agreed. "Understood, Sir."
"If you need anything, tell him. I'll be bringing the entire group to the top of the hill."
"Alright. You should get ready to leave in one hour. That should be the time I'll appear again. We'll regroup and head to the reinforcements."
"Got it."
Theo turned his head to Lendrix and said, "Follow me. We'll lure some of them our way."
"Yes, Sir."
As soon as they reached an agreement, Baold made the first move.
"Everyone, use your inscription to create stairs and climb the hill!" Baold shouted, giving his order.
Four men understood his command and immediately increased their pace while forming an inscription in front of them.
When they activated their inscriptions, the ground started to shake, slightly disrupting their balance. However, huge stairs suddenly emerged from the ground, reaching the peak of the hill.
The Marei obviously understood their intention and didn't want to let them do whatever they wanted.
However, this time, Theo made his move. He pointed to the right side, signaling Lendrix and the others of the direction they had to go. Avalon and Haruka obviously followed Theo since they were his students.
"!!!" The Marei were startled because they didn't expect the humans to split into two groups. On the one hand, they thought it was a desperate attempt since Theo's group wasn't high in number. But Theo's prowess made the high-ranking Marei worry about his existence.
As a result, all five high-ranking Marei regrouped first to discuss their next move. They wanted to kill Baold and the others, as they were the primary targets, but Theo couldn't be ignored either.
Still, because of the numbers, the high-ranking Marei decided not to put too much thought into Theo's action. They agreed to let only one high-ranking Marei chase after Theo. Even if they couldn't defeat Theo, they could make him use all his power.
The high-ranking Marei was slightly worried because Theo could emanate intense killing intent. While it was only an illusion, there was a chance that their bodies couldn't react because of it.
After the warning, one high-ranking Marei finally split up from the rest. With a single roar, two hundred Marei followed, chasing after Theo.
Seeing the situation, Lendrix reported, "Only one high-ranking Marei and about two hundred low-ranking ones are following us."
"How many Marei could you and your group handle?" Theo asked.
With confidence, Lendrix stated, "We could easily defeat one hundred of them."
"In that case, my students and I will take on the high-ranking Marei and one hundred low-ranking ones. You will handle the remaining Marei. Once you're done, you should get some rest as the next battle will be intense."
Lendrix didn't know how Theo had gained this much confidence, but since Baold had ordered him to follow Theo completely, he had no choice but to put his trust in Theo's decision.
"Understood."
"Avalon, Haruka, you two will follow my lead and eliminate all the Marei you can. I'll handle the rest."
"Yes, Teacher. We won't disappoint you," Haruka replied, while Avalon gave a nod.
As soon as they moved far enough from the hill, Theo finally stopped and turned around, ready to face the Marei.
"!!!" The high-ranking Marei were confused and began to panic, thinking this was a trap that Theo had laid. It seemed that Theo was planning to lure them away so that he could kill them and help the main group.
However, Theo had used his essence to levitate his body in the air and waved his hand. "It's too late!"
The wave of his hand caused the ground to shake violently as if an earthquake had struck the area. The Marei panicked, wondering what they should do.
It was at that moment Theo spread both arms. Even Lendrix couldn't help but gasp because the ground started to crumble into deep darkness.
"!!!" Lendrix and the others dropped their jaws to the ground, wondering what Theo could actually do.
A hole gradually expanded, engulfing numerous Marei.
The Marei could only panic and watch helplessly as Theo hovered in the sky, a sight resembling that of a God.