Chapter 458: The Promise (2)
In that moment, Bloodmader remembered what the Engineer had shown him...
That dreadful future where flames devoured the world, rivers flowed with blood, and people died without rhyme or reason.
To avoid such a fate, Bloodmader had done everything he could to escape what he saw.
But all his efforts were in vain.
When everything he had lived for was denied... when his noble cause died before his very eyes...
I saw Bloodmader falter... unable to accept it.
He stood abruptly, slamming his hand on the table, about to speak.
But his voice vanished completely as the hall erupted in thunderous applause .. the summit had finally concluded, and Aegon had finished presenting his plan.
It seemed his strategies had been so brilliant that they made the royal hall explode with excitement.
Sadly, we didn’t hear a single word of his speech. Practically speaking, we missed the summit, despite being there the whole time.
"This is truly hilarious,"
Sansa chuckled under her breath after witnessing the final exchange.
The timing was just too perfect.
"I suppose this marks the end of our delightful gathering..."
We all stood, bringing the summit to a close. I turned my back on Bloodmader, who clearly had so much more he wanted to say.
Unfortunately, I had no time to further emphasize his ignorance.
He would have to face his own future alone, just like the rest of us.
I was about to leave, but stopped when I saw a familiar face making his way toward us, deliberately radiating his blazing aura and drawing everyone’s attention.
That pressure...
He had already reached the SS+ rank.
"Forgive my intrusion. Though the summit has ended, I have something to say before everyone leaves."
With steady steps and eyes fixed on Sir Alon, Phoenix Sunlight stepped forward, addressing the entire hall.
It’s fair to say most of those present were surprised to see that he had already reached the SS+ rank at his young age.
You could say he was the fastest to achieve it since Abraham Starlight.
"Lord Sunlight, is there a reason behind your dramatic entrance?"
Sir Alon smiled, seeing another powerful individual emerge before him. Phoenix gave a slight nod.
"I would like to join Bloodmader’s vanguard squad."
What Phoenix asked for caught most of the audience off guard.
Here he was, another survivor of the pursuit, willingly volunteering to return to that cursed continent where he had suffered so much... of his own free will.
"May I ask why?"
Sir Alon inquired as Phoenix turned toward us .. the infamous squad, the suicide unit that would lead the war.
"No matter how I look at them, those warriors standing there in the corner of this hall... they are not monsters. They are not a suicide squad. They are my students."
"Even though they graduated early from the temple, I am still their teacher. Do you expect me to stand by and watch them march to war while I simply stay behind?"
That went against Phoenix’s very beliefs.
In the end, like me... like Snow...
He too had his own reason to return.
"Do you truly wish to return to that hell... for a reason like this?"
To that question, Phoenix had only one answer.
"Yes. And besides, I have a debt to repay."
Many of his students had died during the hunt...
Those deaths cast a long shadow over Phoenix Sunlight, and he did not want history to repeat itself.
That was why he showed his willingness to return to that continent once more.
Back to the place where it had all begun.
Phoenix’s sudden volunteerism made many wonder .. just how many suicidal madmen existed in this world?
Until now, the war’s vanguard looked like nothing more than a suicide squad—one that many believed was filled with war criminals sentenced to death.
But now, people began to question whether this was truly just a suicide squad.
With Phoenix having broken into the SS+ rank...
And with all the other powerful individuals joining the squad...
Perhaps this was the strongest force the Empire had assembled since ancient times.
A force that might very well become the decisive factor in the coming war.
Sir Alon approved of Phoenix’s stance.
When the lord of the Sunlight family turned around, what he saw were the warm smiles of his students .. those who had fought by his side until now.
"We’ll be in your care again, Professor Phoenix."
It was Snow who greeted him first, and Phoenix smiled without realizing it.
"With how insanely fast you’ve all been growing, I’ll be the one under your care soon enough."
"Says the man who just broke into the SS+ rank. What growth are you even talking about? Aren’t you the prodigy of our era?"
Snow wasn’t wrong. Iris Sunlight had lived far longer, yet never managed to break past SS rank no matter how hard he tried. And now Phoenix had accomplished what Iris couldn’t .. at only twenty-five years old.
Phoenix’s addition was more than welcome.
Standing off to the side, I watched as they gathered together.
These were the people I would be fighting alongside from now on...
And as I stood there, quietly observing them, I couldn’t help but wonder ..
What does the future hold for us?
Who will survive?
Who will die?
I had trained like a madman over the past few months, trying to grow stronger, desperately hoping to avoid repeating what had happened with Danzo.
But I already knew...
No matter how strong you became in this vast universe, there would always be someone stronger.
In the end, all I could do was hope that the power I carried under my belt was enough.
Among our so-called suicide squad, there was one member who had been on my mind for a while now.
And it was that very member who walked up to me alone, as we both stood apart from the others.
For once, Sansa had left my side, allowing Uriel to finally approach me.
"Hello, Frey."
Despite everything that had happened before, this was the first real conversation we’d had in a long time.
I suppose that was what prompted her to greet me.
"It’s been a while, Uriel. Still as radiant as ever."
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been thinking about Uriel just a few minutes ago...
For the first time, the girl standing before me would be fighting by my side on the battlefield.
She was one of the main heroines I had once written about, naturally with enormous potential.
But among those gathered here, she was the weakest link.
I couldn’t help but think about it, even though she would be stationed in the rear most of the time, where she’d be relatively safe. But on the battlefield...
You never knew what could happen.
With a gentle smile and her hands folded in front of her, Uriel had already guessed what I was thinking.
"Your eyes say it all, Frey. You see me as the weak link, don’t you?"
With a hollow smile, I didn’t try to deny it.
"I wouldn’t say you’re the weak link... but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about you."
"So, you are thinking about me."
She stepped closer, raising her head so that our eyes met.
"As the next Saintess, I am bound to follow the Hero wherever he goes. That has been my destiny since the day I was born."
"Destiny, huh?"