(Planet Juxta, Juxta Military Base)
*Alarms blaring*
*Boots pounding*
*Voices cracking in panic*
All around Charles, chaos spread like wildfire, as news of the incoming invasion raced through the barracks and struck every soldier like a hammer to the chest.
Captains, Lieutenants, and Legion Commanders bellowed orders at the top of their lungs, trying to hold the line of discipline, yet Charles could hear the tremor in their voices, and he could see the fear in their eyes.
This time, the men knew that the upcoming battle was unlike anything they had ever faced before, and that survival through this one was nothing more than a feeble hope.
*Huff-*
Exhaling a slow drag of smoke, Charles tilted his head toward the night sky, the glow of his cigarette ember painting faint light across his face, as he muttered to himself with a half-smile that carried no joy.
"Tonight might be my last.... This cigarette might be one of the last ones I ever smoke."
It had been less than three months ago when Charles first received that peculiar call from Leo, the one where the boy outlined the 'Ghost Protocol,' a fallback plan meant to safeguard the Cult should Soron ever fall to an untimely death, yet back then Charles had never truly believed it would need to be activated so soon.
At the time, he had thought it to be a brilliant precaution, clever even, but one the Cult would not have to call upon for at least another century, yet now, with two hundred thousand enemy ships bearing down on Juxta, he realized with a grim certainty that the Ghost Protocol might very well be their only way out.
"Soron appointed me in charge... but perhaps the boy was better suited all along. Perhaps I was wrong about him not being ready.... Perhaps he really is ready to shoulder the mantle of temporary Sect Master," Charles murmured, crushing his cigarette under his heel before pulling a communication crystal from his coat and dialing Leo's private channel.
*Trrr* *Trr*
*Trrr* *Trr*
The call beeped a couple times, before an answer came from the other side, as Leo spoke in a cheerful voice.
"What's up? Commander? How pleasant of you to call me today..." Leo said, as Charles smiled faintly listening to his voice, soaking the vibrant energy in as he stayed silent.
"Commander?" Leo repeated, feeling confused on why Charles wasn't answering, as he finally heard the alarms blaring in the background.
"Are those planetary attack alarms in the background? Are you okay?" Leo asked, his voice now tinged with panic, as Charles finally responded in his usual calm voice.
"200,000 enemy ships are headed Juxta's way. There's a Demi-God and Five Enemy Monarchs amongst the attacking ranks. The Demi-God being the son of Kaelith, named Raymond. It's sad to say but.... I don't see a way out of this fight." Charles began, as the certainty in his voice made Leo's stomach roll in fear.
"What do you mean you don't see a way out of this fight? Soron will intervene... won't he? He'll protect the Cult... right?" Leo asked, his voice clinging to hope, yet every second of silence on the other end chipped away at it until it finally cracked.
"Soron... isn't present inside the Cult, he's away refining the origin metal. So it's all on me now." Charles admitted, as Leo felt his breath get stuck in his throat at this admission.
Without Soron, Charles had no means to handle an army this size, which meant that it was extremely likely that he was going to die a pitiful death today.
"No.... No, no, no, no, no. There has to be some way for us to save you! If you know this is a suicidal fight then why stay back? How far away is the enemy? You can still run away, can't you? You can still stay alive? No? The Cult needs you.... You're the vice sectmaster! We need you when Soron's not here!" Leo pleaded, however, he could already anticipate Charles's reaction even before the monarch said it.
Charles was not the kind of man who would run away from a fight. And hence, although Leo pleaded with the man logically, he could already anticipate his reply.
"I appoint you as the vice-sectmaster now. Activate the Ghost Protocol and save as many of our Cult members as you can, for you are their only hope now. Once Juxta falls, the rest of the Cult lands will be quick to follow, with Ixtal being the last to fall in under 14 days. Keep the flame of our rebellion alive. At least till Soron comes back in 6-12 months time, and then let him judge what to do with the Cult next. But promise me. You will save us from certain ruin, at least until then." Charles requested, as Leo's hand tightened around the crystal until his knuckles turned white, his jaw trembling as he listened to Charles's voice.
What was happening wasn't fair, and Leo could almost not believe the unfairness of the situation, for it seemed like fate was particularly cruel to them this time. After their victories on Koral and Juxta, the morale within the Cult had just started to pick back up again, its people finally starting to live with pride.
However, just when there seemed to be hope for better times, the Cult now faced its worst existential threat yet, where they stood to lose everything they had, down to their home planet Ixtal.
"I know this is a tall task, boy, and I know this won't be easy. But this old man has no-one else to turn to. No-one else left to trust. In you, I see a warrior with the potential to ascend to god-hood someday. And in you, I see our next Sect Master. Maybe, I won't be there to see the day where you restore this Cult to its previous glory. However, just knowing that the day will come, will definitely allow me to pass away easy. So what will it be, son. Will you let your master pass away in peace, or will you make him die with regrets?" Charles asked, as after a long pause, Leo answered from the other side, his voice resolute.
"Don't worry old man.... I'll take care of the Cult till Soron returns. You just focus on giving them hell and surviving if you can. You're the strongest warrior I've had the honor of sparring against. And you're the best mentor I could have asked for." Leo said confidently, his voice firm at the start, but cracking towards the end, as Charles let out a sigh of relief listening to his resolve.
With Leo taking up the mantle of temporary Sect Master, he could finally focus on the war at hand. Where for once, he no longer needed to hold back his strength anymore.
(More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)