Chapter 1022 Inconclusive of Sides
Reaching outside, the Executor swept his fierce eyes to his surroundings.
He looked at the thousands upon thousands of soldiers under his leadership with obvious mockery. None of them dared to look in his direction as the sharp aura he emitted was enough to tell that he was in a very bad mood.
King John ruined his peace, all because of such a small matter.
Since he was the second leader of the entire army, he should've handled this himself.
But instead, he came inside and asked for permission.
'It's a cost that I must pay for gathering an army of this size with multiple regiments. Had the Passue Matriarch didn't survive the test of time, I wouldn't have needed them. No matter, I'll do what I have to do to gain the sacred weapon' the Executor pondered and nodded.
He stretches his hand forward before he casts a spell.
An incursion of Chaos that summoned an entity of the dark void to do his bidding.
Catching sight of an immense surge of chaos mana, the tank operators abruptly brought the palanquin to a halt. Within, military personnel quivered as they beheld the chaos mana taking the shape of a creature, coalescing into a creature none of them had ever seen.
Even in the codex Supernatural, there were no creatures with similar features as this one.
From that, it was clear that this creature was definitely not of a Supernatural.
It was a hulking abomination of war as if it was ripped from the very bowels of the darkest corner of the void. Mounted upon a behemoth, the rider stood armored in serrated plates and spikes, each piece interlocking with the next in a perfect symphony of defense.
Amidst the predominant sheen of iron, an eerie purple aura adorned the edges of its armor.
Poised in its hand is a halberd, as dark as a moonless night.
It bore a blade that thirsted for the light, a handle filled with thorns, and furnished with fully intricate carved runes along the shaft with a menacing purple hue. Just the sight of this creature alone sent peril to the surroundings.
Not one soldier could stand their ground at the sight of this fierce being.
Had any Supernatural seen this creature, they would find their essence of being tremble.
Surely, what the Dread of the Shadowtorn Legion, Lisnguanx had done to them in the past was very hard to forget, remembered even throughout thousands of years of slumber. It was one of the most used soldiers of Chaos, summoned by the Executor on a battlefield.
A very powerful entity with every inch of it made for the purpose of war.
"Edward..." the Executor called.
In an instant, Edward appeared, kneeling beside the palanquin, ready to service.
Looking down at him, the Executor then instructed, "I believe there were only three supply routes left. You guard one until I call you back, and you bring this friend of mine, Lisnguanx with you to guard the other two. Begone now"
"As you wish, my Lord" Edward replied before he stood up and looked at Lisnguanx.
Nodding his head, he vanished from his spot.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtUnder the onlookers' gazes, Lisnguanx who was as big as small or medium-sized houses also vanished from his spot. It was not that it was able to teleport, but it was moving so fast for their eyes to see.
Despite boasting a huge stature, Lisnguanx is abnormally fast.
Clearly, this soldier of Chaos is easily at the very peak of the ninth-rank realm.
Gazing into the horizon following the dispatch of Edward and Lisnguanx to address the persistent challenges with the supply routes—repeatedly skirmishes and assaulted by Supernatural forces—the Executor crosses his arms and squints his eyes.
'We're late to get there. It's still about three to four more days' He pondered in distaste.
Due to the Shifting Realm, they were severely behind schedule.
He also hasn't taken into account the time it would take to go through his enemies.
Judging from the Supernatural forces—desperately trying to stall him and prepare for a fight at the Symposium, it was obvious that they were going to put everything to try and stop the Executor from getting what he wanted.
It would be a long bloodbath.
Many lives would be lost, but the Executor is prepared to sacrifice everyone to win.
Glancing in the west direction, he also thought of another thing, 'Hmmm... I believe that what I forced the Royal Black Prince to do would severe any form of cooperation between him and the Supernatural races. I wonder, what is he doing now...? He must still be in utter shock at what I did'
The Executor chuckled at the thought of this, pleased with his trap.
Surely, the mental effect caused by his unexpected trickery was devastating for Rex.
'Regardless, I need to be vigilant. He's not going to stop' He mused.
Although he was reveling in the favorable turn of events and commending his unparalleled wits, he abruptly shifted his attention to the entrance of the palanquin with an evident frown marring his face, 'What is he doing inside? Why hasn't he come out yet?'
Dwelling in his mind for a bit, the Executor just now realized King John was still inside.
He hasn't come out of the palanquin yet.
Owing to the intricate formations and spells he cast, even he couldn't sense what was King John doing inside. He would need to open the door to ascertain what he was doing inside, thus, he quickly strode towards the entrance.
Concern could be seen plastered on his face.
But when he was about to open the door, King John came out, seemingly in pain.
It seemed what the Executor did earlier still hurt him.
Not even saying anything to King John, the Executor went inside again and closed the door.
Just as soon as he did that, King John turned to look at the door.
His pained expression vanished before he swiftly jumped down from the palanquin and headed in a direction. Along the way, he took a military helmet from one of the soldiers, causing the said soldier to look at him with a frown.
Realizing who it was, the frown on the soldier's face vanished and he didn't say a thing.
Soon enough, King John reached another palanquin.
Compared to the huge one that the Executor has, which needed to be pulled by tanks, this one is much smaller, only fits three people, and is being carried by four Awakened. Despite the size difference, this one bore the weight of modest majesty with ease.
Its curtains, a rich velvet purple are perfect for the esteemed royal woman it was crafted for.
King John stood on the side and said, "It's me, Gistella. May I come in?"
A long pause happened as Gistella didn't reply back.
King John furrowed his brows, she should be inside this palanquin as the Executor ordered.
"Yes..." then, a hurried yet soft and dulcet voice replied back to him.
Upon hearing this, King John climbed the palanquin, opened the curtain, and settled within.
Beside him, Gistella graciously made space by shifting to the side. An unusual silence draped over the two figures as the palanquin swayed in harmony with the rhythmic steps of those who were carrying it.
For once, Gistella looked at him with slight confusion.
Since he came inside, he must have something to say to her, or else he wouldn't be here.
However, she soon realized that King Jork trying to say something.
Additionally, there seemed to be anger etched on his face, one that was not directed toward her. In the end, he managed to force out what he wanted to say, "I want you to be perfectly honest with me, Gistella. Are you really here to make a deal with the Executor?"
Not expecting the question, Gistella was stunned for a second.
"Yes, I want him to kill Calidora, you know abou-"
"I said be honest with me! I'm really, fucking undecided right now, and you're the only one that can help me" King John intervened with a shout, his mind was in a mess right now. It was a very shaky situation he was currently in.
Realizing that he was being loud, he took a deep breath, calming himself down.
"Please, I want you to give me an honest answer. Before we departed, Mavenna came to my place and told me that Rex was giving me a choice to be on his side" He continued, but with a more relaxed tone.
Gistella looked at him and found that he was also looking at her in frustration.
He was clearly not in the right state of mind.
But judging from his looks, he seemed to be serious about this and was telling the truth.
'Rex did want King John on his side, so I don't think he's lying right now' Gistella pondered.
Swish!
Before she answered his question, she waved her hand, using her light blue energy to create a bubble surrounding the palanquin, blocking their conversation from being heard from the outside, "If I were you, I would take that offer. Unlike Rex, the Executor has no true ally, and his arrogance would guarantee his demise"
"How did Rex know about the price I had to pay to the Executor?" King John asked again.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmUpon hearing this, Gistella opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to answer.
Despite wanting to say something, she closed her mouth again, refraining from giving the initial answer that she was about to give. It was caught by King John's attention, she was clearly hesitating.
In the end, she averted her gaze away and said, "I don't know..."
Knowing that she wouldn't cave in and say what she was initially about to say, King John trained his eyes forward again, "So, your advice for me is to take Rex's offer. Is that really what I'm supposed to do?"
"Forget about your pride. You're a leader, act like one" Gistella replied harshly.
Needing that slap to his ego, King John nodded his head convincingly, he decided that it would be best for him to do as Gistella told him. "But even if I want to accept, how can I inform Rex about my decision? How can I find him?"
"As long as you accept it in your heart, Rex will know" Gistella assured.
Reaching a decision, King John wiped his face with his hand roughly with a long, heavy sigh.
"Thank you," he said before he left the palanquin again.
Just as he exited the palanquin, drawing the curtains closed behind him, a subtle smile crept to Gistella's face, signifying her satisfaction with King John's decision. "Everything is set. Now, it's your turn, Witch," she murmured with a hint of anticipation.
...
It was a brand new day, and Rex woke up even more refreshed than before.
Even though he found it hard to fall asleep, especially with the nightmare he had during his brief nap, he surprisingly managed to fall asleep. A miracle for him as he was quite sure last night that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep.
But maybe the blessing from the Vampire Origin—increasing his luck helped him sleep.
Calidora is right, I need this once in a while.
Feeling that his mind was clearer and his physique felt stronger, Rex was somewhat glad that Calidora forced him to take a rest day. Had it not been for her, he wouldn't be able to rest as his mind will always haunt him.
She was capable of giving peace, which made Rex have mixed feelings towards her.
Not to mention, they ended up kissing last night.
Rubbing his forehead when he was reminded of that moment, he groaned and stepped out of bed to change into better clothes. Now that he was more refreshed than ever, it was time for him to get back to what needed to be done.
While he searches for Calidora to resume his training, his mind wanders to other things.
I don't know the situation with the Executor right now. But since Nezera and Viscardi came and met me, Elder Nolacula should know that I'm here. I should be expecting an envoy to fill me in on the situation.
Aside from thinking about the Executor, he also found a bad problem.
Since all of the System's features were down—including the inventory feature, which means that he couldn't use his one Invincible item and also Jar of Malice to increase his epiphany as quickly as possible.
Both were not some light problems, it's very bad for Rex.
Rex couldn't help but frown as he would need to be prepared for these shortcomings, but for the latter part, he hoped Calidora would know of a method that would match or even surpass the Jar of Malice given by the Witch of Chaos.
I doubt it, but who knows? It's Calidora.