"FALL BACK!"
Rey's command to the troops was thunderous and bold.
Despite the incredible noise that pervaded the battlefield, his voice traveled to every single corner of the darkened space, causing every single member of his army to hearken to his instructions.
There was, of course, a concern that once they retreated, the opposing forces would flood into the village like an unstoppable force of nature.
However—
"Such filthy and perverted creatures… polluting my sanctuary."
—They would soon find out that there was no need to be worried in the slightest.
After all, the Divine was on their side.
"First, to separate the shaft from the wheat." The Oracle muttered, waving her hand to instantly form a translucent blue barrier. It circled around the Elf Village, creating an effective barrier that prevented the Undead from spilling inside.
Fortunately, the army had been included in the barrier, ensuring their safety.
"You've all done well." The Fairy King said, looking at the surviving troops that slowly trickled into the Elf Village to report to their superiors.
More than half of them remained, but a lot of them were severely injured and were suffering from Miasma Poisoning. To ease their pain, Ater stretched out his hand and easily began to absorb the corrupt energy from the tens of thousands of targets who were infected.
In no time at all, he was done with the extraction.
"For injuries, whether light or heavy, I'll treat them. Let the injured step forward." The Fairy King added.
With The Oracle halting the advance of the enemies, Ater curing the Miasma Poisoning, and the Fairy King helping to heal the injuries, Rey witnessed all of their amazing Skills being put to good use and stored all of them in his [Doppel].
He silently observed the entire scene, refusing to make any sound or sudden movements.
Once the Mass Healing was complete, the army was mass-teleported to the entrance of the Fairy World, and the Fairy King accompanied them in order to make preparations for what was to come.
Rey, Ater, and The Oracle remained in the village for obvious reasons.
—Exterminating the enemy.
"Let me handle this…" The Oracle said, her tone displaying a bit of emotion. "They desecrated my territory and corrupted my people, after all."
She stretched both hands forward and commanded a massive beam of light to descend from the sky—very similar to sunlight. However, the light was so intense and it covered a massive scale that thousands upon thousands were perishing by the second.
As if that wasn't enough, she added in a bit extra.
"[All Evil Must Die]."
This instantly caused a massive pulse of purity to explode from the beam of light, easily covering the land for hundreds of kilometers. The seemingly unlimited number of Undead suddenly began to reduce in size and mass—drastically so.
Within a minute, they were completely extinguished.
It was over.
**********
[Moments Later]
"I'm done completely cleansing the entire Continent."
The Oracle descended from the sky, approaching Rey and Ater who were at the Refinery, making observations on the structure. While they had been investigating all of their assets, The Oracle was tasked with the task of making the Eastern Continent their habitation.
She was only able to do so after some time due to how deep the Miasma had seeped into the continent.
"Good job." Rey smiled at her. "As for this Refinery, it looks to be in good condition, and it apparently has a transportation mechanism that sends the products made here to its destination."
Ater nodded.
"It's unfortunate that we can't utilize it to reach Adrien directly. He's most likely already aware that we've taken over this place, so he's cut off connection with this teleporter."
"Yeah." Once again, the dark Familiar nodded. "But even then, I doubt this teleporter would lead directly to Adrien. I wouldn't really call it a misfortune."
"True… true."
"In any case, now that we've seized the Eastern Continent, what next Master?"
The Oracle was silent and Ater gazed at Rey with expectations, once again putting him on the spot as he took in a deep breath.
Then, he gave his answer.
"After my experience here today, one thing has become very apparent. I need to grow stronger… and fast. My lost Stats and Skills need to return, and I also need to transcend my previous heights, if possible."
It seemed his answer satisfied both parties who listened to him, because they nodded.
"Each and every one of you, my heavy hitters, are plenty impressive, which means I have to be even stronger. I can't possibly afford to slack off when my subordinates—"
"I never said I was your subordinate."
"—And partners are working so hard." Rey cast a knowing glance at The Oracle, answering her rebuttal as soon as it arrived.
He never considered The Oracle or The Fairy King as his subordinates. They were partners, and so equals. However, even in such a scene, there was such a thing as 'First among Equals.'
Rey would fit into that category.
"First, we'll need to return to the Fairy World. Time moves incredibly quickly in the Fairy Kingdom, so the Fairy King should have made all the necessary preparations already."
The goal was to build a powerful stronghold in the Eastern Continent as they prepared themselves to fight against the Fairy King. They could use the abundant resources of the Continent and all the infrastructure already available to support their military forces in readiness for the inevitable war.
As this was happening, Rey would be achieving his goals of getting stronger.
"I'll require both of your assistance in my training." Rey said, looking at Ater and The Oracle.
They both nodded in agreement.
"The Fairy King will also assist me greatly, and I won't step out of seclusion until I've reached my goal."
"What goal is that?" Ater asked, curious.
He smiled.
"Max Level."
"Well, that's quite ambitious." The Oracle said with a smile. "But it's doable."
Rey snapped his fingers and a large Magic Circle instantly appeared beneath the feet of all three of them.
"Let's head back first."