The oath General Regalia had sworn was brutal and extreme. She had sworn on things she had barely any control over. If even a single person present decided that submission was preferable to an eventual punishment, her life would end.
These kinds of oaths were so rare that people were not even sure if they worked. Nobody carelessly bet on things like this. Was it even possible to swear on someone else's action? In the past, Seekers had tried to make weaker Seekers swear an oath like this, but they hadn't worked. However, it was possible that the oaths hadn't worked because the person swearing the oath was forced to swear the oath. General Regalia had sworn the oath voluntarily, which might change things.
"I swear on my life that..." Protector Ziccan suddenly said as he repeated General Regalia's oath in front of the others.
More shocked expressions appeared. Two people were willing to go to this extreme?
Overlord Cloudhorn gritted his teeth in frustration. He seemed to be wrestling with something.
Overlord Stygian stared into empty space, lost in thought.
"I swear on my life..." Senior Protector Blooddrought said as she swore the same oath.
"For Humanity's sake!" Overlord Cloudhorn suddenly shouted in anger and frustration. "Are you three crazy?!"
The three of them didn't look at Overlord Cloudhorn. At the same time, some of the other onlookers moved further into the background and suppressed their auras. Some of them had thought about joining the three of them, but Overlord Cloudhorn's words had stopped them in their tracks.
Kyle could feel the atmosphere changing. The hopeful atmosphere vanished, replaced by carefulness and hesitation.
"Are you scared?" Overlord Stygian asked neutrally.
"I'm scared for them!" Overlord Cloudhorn answered. "They're throwing their lives away! It's bad enough that their oaths essentially prioritize these six Sages over Humanity, but it's even worse that they're handing their lives to our enemy!"
"Do you not trust Humanity?" Overlord Stygian asked. "Do you not trust that Humanity wants to defeat the Demons?"
This was a loaded question. As an Overlord, Overlord Cloudhorn could not possibly say that he didn't trust Humanity. With his position, he had the power to change Humanity, and if he said that he didn't trust Humanity, it would be like admitting that he was incapable as a leader. By extension, this also meant that he shouldn't be an Overlord.
Yet, if he said that he trusted Humanity, he wouldn't have any excuses to refuse anymore. As a leader, he was supposed to lead by example. If he demanded trust, he first had to extend trust.
"Because I don't," Overlord Stygian suddenly said.
Everyone looked at Overlord Stygian in shock.
One of the most respected and powerful people in Humanity and one of its core pillars said that he didn't trust Humanity.
"Humanity, as an organization, can be trusted," Overlord Stygian said, "but an organization is just a collection of individuals. By definition, Humanity is opposed to the Demons. Therefore, by definition, Humanity can be trusted in regard to fighting the Demons, but that is all theoretical and does not represent reality."
"Trusting in Humanity is not any different from swearing this oath. You're betting on something you have no control over."
Overlord Stygian looked at Overlord Cloudhorn. "But none of that matters. While our thoughts and feelings might be different, our positions demand trusting Humanity. We are expecting countless Shields to throw their lives away. These Shields know that they will almost certainly die. As Humanity's Overlords, we must stand behind the thing we've built."
"Therefore, I swear on my life..." Overlord Stygian said as he swo-
Overlord Cloudhorn pulled out his sword before Overlord Stygian could finish the oath. Most of the present people couldn't even react to Overlord Cloudhorn's rapid actions as tremendous amounts of Energy gathered on his sword.
And then, he unleashed the full power of his Battle Rite.
The surroundings fell into chaos as a transparent wave of cutting Energy moved through a seemingly random person in the audience.
Everyone immediately readied for battle, but just a moment later, Overlord Stygian's calm aura pressed down on them. It was like a tall and kind man putting his hand on their shoulders, telling them to calm down.
An instant later, the person whom Overlord Cloudhorn had attacked suddenly turned into the expanding corpse of a Demon.
For a moment, the onlookers almost couldn't believe what they were seeing. The red of Humanity represented trust and confidence! Every direct member of Humanity went through countless screenings and investigations to make sure that they were not Demons.
It was supposed to be impossible for a Demon to infiltrate Humanity this deeply!
Yet, here it was, a Demon, wearing the red of Humanity, and what was even more shocking was the fact that Overlord Cloudhorn knew about it.
While all of this was going on, Overlord Stygian never stopped speaking his oath, and eventually, he finished it. Now, four people, including one of Humanity's three pillars, had joined Kyle's team.
After finishing his oath, Overlord Stygian looked at Overlord Cloudhorn calmly. It was almost like he had already known that this would happen.
General Regalia and Protector Ziccan just looked at Overlord Cloudhorn in shock. He was their superior, and they had trusted him! Yet, he had known about the presence of a spy and hadn't dealt with them!
"Well, there it is," Overlord Cloudhorn said with an annoyed sigh. "There's no way back anymore. There might be more, but this was the only one I knew of. If there's only one left, you still have a chance. If there are more, it's difficult. As long as two of them simply talk to each other about today's events, the four of you will die. You've not only handed your lives to Humanity, but also potentially to the Demons."
"The others might not have known," Overlord Cloudhorn said as he turned to Overlord Stygian, "but there is no way you didn't know. Why?"
"The same reason why you killed that Demon and why General Regalia swore the oath," Overlord Stygian answered with a calm smile. "We can only survive if everyone present steps into the fire. If one individual does not enter, everyone who has entered will die."
"Someone has to be the first, and the second, and the third. We are Humanity's leaders, and it is our job to protect those who are weaker than we are. As I've said, trusting everyone present to sacrifice themselves for Humanity is foolish and unrealistic, but as leaders, it is our duty to do so anyway."
Overlord Cloudhorn sighed in annoyance once again. He wanted to wait and see how things developed. Kyle's argumentation had already convinced him, but General Regalia's oath had been impulsive and made it much harder to plan. Overlord Cloudhorn wanted to help and invest in the group from the Supreme World, but they had to do it slowly and secretly.
A moment later, one of the onlookers stepped forward with narrowed eyes. It was a Senior Protector. "I swear-"
"Wait a moment," Overlord Stygian suddenly said with a smile. "I support your dedication, but there is another oath that I must swear first."
Everyone looked at Overlord Stygian with curiosity.
Another oath?
"As the strongest person present, I must swear another oath," Overlord Stygian said. "I swear on my life that nobody present will receive any negative consequences for not swearing the oath as long as it is within my power to stop. If anyone present tries to force anybody, either directly or indirectly, to swear this oath, I will be forced to immediately kill this individual. These oaths must be voluntary, and the only way to make them truly voluntary is to get rid of all negative consequences of not swearing them."
"If I kill or hurt any of the present beings who have not sworn the oath, I will die."
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