"Will we ask for his help?"
Although the young Lieutenant knew that Vlad was much stronger than him, the young man was not part of the military, and there was no way to compel him to obey if he did not wish to.
"Ahhh, we need to. We have less than sixty soldiers left, and I need at least twenty to secure the fortress."
General Anglius was not a coward or afraid of marching, but they needed to keep this place safe. After all, what kind of joke would it be if they rescued all those people only to return to a place infested with demons?
"Be careful, do not offend him, and keep our men safe. He seems eager to fight and obtain Origin Force, so leave the battles to him and focus on rescuing the people. I am pretty sure he will be happy with that arrangement."
The young Lieutenant nodded. Although he also wanted to obtain Origin Force to improve his level, saving the people was his primary goal.
"You will march in three days. Choose the people you feel will be the best for the mission."
---
Vlad and Jormungandr had reached the barracks. They were in front of a wooden stove, putting a large piece of meat in a frying pan. The barracks had all the everyday necessities that the duo could need.
It did not take long for the meat to be done, and then the duo began to eat. Vlad could not help but smile as he saw Jormungandr trying to use the fork and knife to cut the meat, but since the small cat did not have opposable thumbs, he was having a hard time.
"Hahaha, just use your claws."
"Hmph!"
The small yellow cat sneered as he heard Vlad's remark and kept trying to use the fork and knife before finally getting frustrated and using his claws and fangs to rip the pieces of the meat and devour it.
The meat the duo was consuming came from abyssal demons. Although it was not cleansed, none of them had a problem, and their system could endure it. Even if they were far from achieving their complete transformation, their Depravita Racial Heritage granted them a unique constitution, so toxic energy that could be lethal to others was nothing to them.
Only after Vlad and Jormungandr finished devouring several kilograms of meat were they satisfied. The young man could not help but look at the small cat after seeing that he had consumed nearly three times his weight in food.
"Boss, I thought you were trying to take control of this place, but you are just helping them be sustainable. Why would they need us if they can handle things by themselves?"
Vlad could not help but gaze at the small yellow cat. The wisdom and scheming nature of this one really surprised him sometimes.
"Jormungandr, even if I gave them a flawless formation capable of providing any food they need, they are far from self-sufficient. While the sudden spawn of abyssal demon beasts coming from every corner of the earth will kill a significant percentage of the population, those that survive will grow powerful enough to fight back, shedding a semblance of peace once more, but that is an illusion.
The abyssal demon beasts are the lowest rung of demons, and soon, stronger ones will begin to appear. It will not be long before Champion abyssal demons flood the earth with the wisdom and strength to rally those abyssal demon beasts into a somewhat structured force.
And if that was not enough, there are still the angels. Those are even more complicated since even if they are lower in numbers, they are smart and can easily rally humans behind them, generating a powerful army.
At that point, the people who don't want to die under the maws of the demons or be virtual slaves in the hands of the angels would have to rally together and would naturally look for a leader. It must be someone incredibly powerful, capable of amazing feats, and who everybody came to worship.
Now that we have this place, I will side with the soldiers, showing my power and rescuing people. General Anlgius can take the brunt of the population for him, but we will draw those worthy of careful training and slowly make our core group.
The new world order is not determined by codes or morality but by the might of the strong. You can create a just civilization or become a tyrant if you have power. I seek to control, but I do not intend to become a tyrant."
As he described his path, an intense and ominous light appeared in Vlad's eyes. He was already taking the first steps forward and would advance a little more every day.
"I am sure they will soon march into a rescue mission. We should be ready for when it happens. The fastest way to improve our strength without detrimental effects would be through Runes."
"Oh, like the one you built in the warehouse?"
Although Jormungandr had not said a word during the process, he was indeed surprised to see those glowing lines generate such majestic might.