In truth, it was actually more likely the Consortium wouldn’t do anything. Defeating a Platinum-led Stronghold was doable, easy even. But to do it with such sharpness and quickness that the Ersatz wouldn’t even have time to respond, was almost impossible.
The most dangerous part of sieging a Stronghold was the risk of retaliation. It was the fact that during the invasion, it was very much possible that the Ersatz would find out about their attack, and send out their forces to support their Stronghold.
And by that point, the Consortium would be the one on the defensive, trapped in a Pocket Dimension that wasn’t their own.
Even with the most detailed plan, it was very much possible that an Ersatz soldier would slip through the ranks and get out. It would only take one. And by the time they exit the Pocket Dimension, the rest of their forces would immediately charge to retake their Stronghold.
So, for the Consortium, sieging a Stronghold was never the first option.
But they did it. He did the impossible.
Somehow, they were able to blitz the Stronghold and take them for a complete surprise.
They invaded so fast that the Ersatz rats didn’t even have any time to try and escape. Michael and this group of Orcs were able to defeat them in the snap of a finger.
How did she know the Ersatz hadn’t yet known that one of their Strongholds had fallen?
It was because there wasn’t total mayhem right now.
Knowing them, they would have had thousands of soldiers barging in right now just to retake their Artifices, but their pride as well.
A Stronghold was a cornerstone of their organization, especially here in New Sparta where they had something nefarious planned for the long run.
Losing this was a massive setback for them.
Katarina was actually quite shocked and impressed that they were able to do this. How did they kill thousands of Maugnetics in less time than a thousand blinks of an eye? It was impossible without the help of a Nascent Spirit cultivator.
Was it those Orcs?
"Are these your... allies?" she asked Michael.
"Yeah—"
"We are Lord Michael’s Shadows, BU TO TO!"
"We make sure to let the light of Reborn reach even the farthest depths of hell! RAH TA TA!"
The two Orc Chieftains proudly presented themselves to Katarina. She looked at them, noticing their 3rd stage cultivation.
"Amazing...," she remarked. They’re not just Maugnetics. They’re S-class cultivators too! The quality of Aubility Power threads they were giving off were enough to even make the Consortium consider them as an elite!
Then, there were the ten Orcs behind them. They, too, exhibited a kind of strength that only a dangerous squadron could emit. Cohesive and deadly.
And the three hundred other Orcs weren’t that bad as well. Any one of them would be considered as a talent in any other organization.
Katarina simply couldn’t understand it. Where did these Orcs come from? And how did ’Michael’ make an organization as sharp and cohesive as this?
But before she could ask another question, Michael asked his first.
"Is the Ersatz going to retaliate because of this?" he asked.
She thought about it for a second. "They will find out about this. It’s just a matter of time. But it’s good that you’ve told me about this. I can take the heat off of you."
If the Ersatz found out that a small company was the one who took down their Stronghold, it was very likely that they would strike back and take what was rightfully theirs.
But if a Nascent Spirit cultivator such as Katarina took the ’blame’ for this attack, then the Ersatz would be a lot less likely to attack. They were unlikely to start a war against the Consortium just because of a Platinum-led Stronghold.
"I will report this to the Consortium. We’ll take care of everything and leave signs of our involvement," she assured him. "You don’t have to worry about anything. You did a tremendous job here."
He practically did something that the Consortium themselves were afraid to do. If they don’t protect an asset as important as them, then they’d be doing the Ersatz a favor.
"Good," Michael said, taking a breath. "Now umm...."
She frowned at his hesitation. "What is it?"
Michael looked at the two Orc Chieftains beside him. Their eyes were expectant, like a bunch of children waiting on their parents to give them the go signal to play in the swings.
"Fine, fine, fine! I’ll ask her," he said, shooing them away.
"If you want a reward for this achievement, then I’m going to have to disappoint. In order to not leave any trace for the Ersatz to see—"
"No, no, it’s nothing like that," Michael corrected her. "Ahem... they’re asking if they can invade another Stronghold."
Katarina’s mouth opened, her whole body freezing.
They want to what now?
Did she just hear that right? Surely they weren’t planning another invasion against a Stronghold when they haven’t even finished cleaning up this one. Surely they weren’t that crazy, right?
She massaged her forehead. "That... that is not how this should go."
Did they think it was as easy as breaking down a wooden door?!
Of course, from her perspective, this was nothing but a preposterous thought. But for Michael and the Shadow Orcs, it was only a natural thought.
After all, they already knew where the second Stronghold was located. Thanks to Fudge, the converted Ersatz soldiers were very easy to talk to.
When asked about the Stronghold that the ribbon woman was in charge of, they immediately spilled the beans.
They went on a proselytizing tirade, talking about wanting to convert their other Ersatz brothers and show them the light of Reborn.
The Shadow Orcs, still high from their victory, wanted to immediately attack this other Stronghold.
Not only were their Shadow squad stronger, but they knew that they would get even stronger once they completed this task.
They were hungry for more advancements.