Chapter 326: Countdown to War
After returning to the Conclave, Leo did not rush to leave the place immediately.
Instead, he calmly spent a few more days going through additional books, hoping to gather more information about the ancient teleportation gate system Moltherak had mentioned, as well as learning more about this world’s terrain.
He dove into a few old geography scrolls, trying to piece together what the world used to look like before it was sealed in time, and managed to successfully duplicate a perfect map of the whole world.
It took a couple of days, but by the end of it, he managed to cross-reference the world map with the gate network that once existed.
As he located the precise gate that linked Castle Bravo to a location just twenty miles from the exit point of this world.
’If I can time my raid on the castle with a rescue plane coming in, and flare a signal from just twenty miles out... there’s a high chance I could be evacuated in time,’ Leo thought, as a rough and risky plan began forming in his head.
However, with how tight the escape window was, and how uncertain it was to reactivate a teleportation gate that hadn’t been used in millennia, Leo had no intentions of putting the plan into motion just yet.
’First priority is strength. This world is a training ground... and since the old dragon suggested I track, stalk, and hunt beasts—then that’s exactly what I should do for now,’ Leo mused, as he began pooling mana behind his eyes and resumed practicing the [Sevenfold Revelation Codex] at once.
"From now on.... I will spend my days here slowly making my way towards Castle Bravo, while killing beasts and training the [Sevenfold Revelation Codex] at the same time—" Leo talked to himself, as he packed everything valuable he could find in the Conclave into his storage ring, before locating a separate exit, that led him to a new section of the underground tunnel system.
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(Border Planet Juxta, Outer Defensive Ring, Cult Military Base)
A man sat quietly on top of a huge anti–Arc Ship cannon, his eyes locked on the star-filled sky above.
He did not look like he was gazing at anything in particular, however, then again, his gaze did peer far beyond what the mortal eye could see.
A cigarette rested between his fingers, its tip glowing faintly in the dark. Bits of ash fell near his boots, but he didn’t notice, as his coat continued to flap gently in the wind, marked with the crimson symbol of the Cult.
He was Vice-Cult Leader Charles.
The strongest active warrior the Cult currently had.
A Monarch-tier fighter who could have easily been one of the twelve elders, but chose to stay on the frontlines, for he did not care for politics.
His job was to protect the Cult’s borders— and he liked it that way.
"Sir! I have an urgent report, sir!" a soldier ran up and saluted, his chest rising fast from the sprint.
Charles did not look at him. He didn’t say a word. He just flicked some ash off the cigarette and raised two fingers without taking his eyes off the sky.
As the soldier took a breath and continued.
"Sir, the First Elder has sent emergency rations, thirty tonnes of gunpowder reserves, and all the extra artillery he could find.
Apart from him, the Third, Sixth, Tenth, and Twelfth Elders have sent backup too. A few hundred thousand troops, several thousand crates of healing potions, and about two dozen anti Arc Ship missiles."
He hesitated, then added, "But that’s all we’ve got. If the righteous faction attacks in full force... this won’t be enough. We need more, sir. Much more."
Charles finally smiled.
"Thirty two planets under the Cult’s control," he said softly. "Thirty three if we count Ixtal."
He slowly turned his head toward the soldier, speaking in a calm voice.
"Twelve elders on the council. Each one running between one and four planets. And all they could send to protect three of their frontier planets... is this?"
He let out a small laugh and stood up on the cannon. Then, without effort, he jumped down to the ground, as he landed without a sound.
"I always told you Fred, the council is made of a bunch of brain dead idiots.... If Lord Soron allowed me, I’d kill them all tomorrow, including the kind and intelligent first elder.
However, I can’t—" Charles complained, before letting out a deep sigh.
"So what can we do but whine, Lieutenant Fred?" he said with a shrug. "We make do with what we have—"
"But sir... if what the first elder fears will come true, then we need more forces and ammunition to secure our borders! Please Sir, if you write a letter to the other elders, perhaps they will arm us better...." Fred begged, however, Charles only patted him on the shoulders in response.
"It’s already too late for that, Fred..." Charles said, as his face turned serious.
"Tell everyone to prepare for war....." He said, as he glanced towards the night sky once again.
"I can see enemy Arc Ships entering our solar system,"
"We make contact in two hours."
—---------
Alarms blared, and all men took their battle stations, as the Cult operatives prepared for an imminent war.
Soldiers scrambled across the base, retaliatory ships powered up, mana shields flickered to life, and long-range cannons turned skyward in perfect sync.
Vice-Cult Leader Charles stood silently at the edge of the base, coat billowing behind him, eyes locked on the dark horizon where dozens of enemy Arc Ships had begun appearing in the distance.
A slow grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Let them come," he muttered under his breath, voice low and sharp.
"It’s been a while since I’ve washed my hands with righteous faction blood."
The ground rumbled softly beneath his feet as mana surged through the base’s core defenses.
And thus, the countdown to war began.