With just one sentence, the atmosphere in the command room turned icy.
Athena not only cursed the commander but also made an indecent gesture.
Just when everyone thought the commander would be angry and lose his temper, Luciano unexpectedly switched to manual control of the aerial drones and carved out a path for Athena on the battlefield.
With the support of the drones, Filia found things much easier.
As she watched the high-level beast tribe shaman approaching, the dark energies surrounding him made it difficult for Filia to get close.
Thinking to herself, "Should I use magic? But that would expose me. It's a gamble, but now is not the time for hesitation."
However, as Filia reached out to summon an earth elemental to shield her from the dark energies, she was startled by ToTo's voice behind her.
"Athena, I'm here to support you."
Filia turned to see ToTo, who had readied a shield, and without hesitation, she pounced toward the high-level shaman.
Just a second before touching the dark energies, ToTo's expertly timed full-level shield enveloped her.
Once again, the scene of Filia tightly gripping the throat with her legs reappeared, effortlessly bringing down the shaman. Before he could counter with the dark energies, a sharp, powerful dagger sliced the orc shaman's neck.
Who said magic had to defeat magic?
In any world, Filia understood one principle: speed was key. These seemingly invincible high-level shamans were no match for her in front of her.
The orc's green blood sprayed over Filia; wiping her mouth, she stood up from the ground.
The resurrected monster beasts controlled by dark energies also collapsed once again.
At this point, the battle truly concluded.
At that moment, four surveillance drones encircled Filia, capturing her colossal close-up visage on the main screen in the Zeus command room.
Although only her eyes and lips were visible on the screen, the radiance on her face was evident.
Her commanding presence on the battlefield had impressed the many generals in the command room.
"Cough, this girl, despite her disobedience, is talented. I happen to need a new team leader. Commander, why not transfer her from Alpha to our Alliance Forces?" General Lin's eyes sparkled.
"Why should she go to your Alliance Forces? She's of the Bloodline, her veins carry our blood. If there's to be any transfer, it should be to my side." General Di pushed back, recognizing this exceptional talent, and loosening the constraints on bloodlines slightly.
"You, what are you doing? What are you trying to steal from me?" General Lin, a former warlock specializing in lightning magic, twisted his wrist, starting to emit white light in his palm.
General Di's biggest strength lay in his gaze; his black irises instantly turned blood-red.
As the two seemed ready to start a confrontation, Luciano stood up, activated the drone's audio, and in front of all Alpha team members and the many generals in the command room, he coldly uttered a sentence.
"Athena, for insubordination, you are confined for three days."
Filia, who was about to go to attend to the wounded, immediately changed expression upon hearing this announcement.
Looking up at one of the surveillance drones, she sneered.
"Why punish me? The mission is completed, and I can do without rewards, but to be punished? How is this fair? And who are you?"
With these words, Brook shut his eyes.
Regardless of who the commander was, they were beyond the reach of these soldiers; was Athena being suicidal again?
Trying to signal ToTo to stop Filia and apologize to the commander, ToTo shook his head frantically when Filia started to resist.
Suddenly, a chilling voice came through the drone's speaker.
"I am Luciano."
With those words, for a few seconds, Filia's mind went blank.
While the commander's voice sounded familiar, she couldn't have imagined that Luciano personally commanded this battle.
She had just cursed at him, even gestured rudely.
Oh no! What had she done?
She had uttered words she shouldn't have, and done things she shouldn't have. It was too late to apologize now.
Gritting her teeth, Filia, to maintain her image, turned her head slightly and bravely said,
"What about Luciano? Can't you distinguish between rewards and punishments?"
"Fine, very well. Add another one—disrespecting the commander, seven days of confinement."
"What?" Filia exploded upon hearing this, wanting to argue more. However, ToTo quickly covered her mouth, while Sam, covered in wounds, positioned himself between her and the surveillance drone, preventing her from speaking out of turn.
"Hurry, get her out of here, what are you all waiting for?" Brook was on the verge of tears, his many wounds hurting less than his distressed heart.
If Athena were to be expelled for offending the commander, it would be a significant loss.
Of course, it wasn't just Filia who was angry; Luciano was also full of hostility at this moment. After being in the military for so many years, he had never seen a soldier like this before. No matter how capable she was, insubordination was unacceptable.
Without saying another word, Luciano glanced at Athena, now being 'escorted' onto the Eagle Falcon, and walked away.
It appeared that not all half-human, half-bloodline women were as gentle and obedient as his wife.
On the spaceship, Filia, still discontent, took out two bags of blood plasma and drank them angrily.
Alpha didn't need to clean up the battlefield; when all team members had finished counting, this R-level mission marked a rare occurrence where not a single person from Alpha died. This miraculous achievement led all the team members to look at Filia with admiration and gratitude.
However, rules were rules, and by breaking Alpha's rules and defying the commander's orders, Filia also angered Brook significantly.
Walking up to Filia, Brook pointed at her and started reprimanding her.
"What did I tell you? I made it clear early on. In Alpha, mind your own business. But what did you do? You took on the role of a hero, and, you even defied the commander. You truly are…"
"What am I?" At this point, even Filia felt deflated, her eyes welling up with tears.
Seeing her eyes turn red with tears, Brook couldn't bring himself to curse further, and after a mental struggle, he pretended to kick her and ignored her.