After spending part of their earnings, Carod asked, "We have eleven arrow towers ready again. Do you want to buy more towers? Or something else from the catalog?"
Ruri and Bruno’s eyes lit up as they received a catalog filled with dazzling treasures. There were armors, weapons, battle formations, and anything else one could imagine. Their materials were crafted either from resources found in that place or on the supreme planet.
Ruri noticed formations she recognized and got excited. She could use them without drawing too much attention and even slightly enhance their effects. "Buy some of these," she said.
"Chaotic Mirror Reflection Formations? They subtly cloud the mind, but against strong cultivators, they’re almost useless. What would you use them for?" Carod asked skeptically, since the cost of one formation was so high that any profit would be wiped out.
"Buy three hundred of them. I have a use for them," Ruri replied firmly.
"Three hundred? Each one costs a thousand points. Three hundred thousand points is half of what we earned from this battle," Carod responded, alarmed, then turned to the round figure, looking for help.
"Even if they’re expensive, we have to buy them," Bruno said without a hint of worry.
"Not just those…" Ruri handed him a list with several other items.
The things she wanted made Carod’s face go pale. "…We don’t have that many points."
"It’s fine. Sell half of those balls we earned, and go talk to your brothers. Ask them to contribute whatever points they have. After this operation, return double to them," Bruno said calmly.
Carod grew serious. "I can’t… that’s going too far!"
Each warrior received ten points per month from the empire. These points were basically their lifeline, used to buy everything they needed for cultivation and survival during battles.
"Trust your soldiers. You’re the commander, but they’re not indifferent to everything. They all want to help and fight alongside you. If you’re sacrificing, they should be willing too. If that weren’t the case, they would’ve left your legion already," Bruno said emotionlessly.
Carod was tense. Other legions rewarded their warriors for successful battles. But in recent months... or even years, the Ninth Legion hadn’t earned any points to distribute. Everything was consumed by the costs of each battle. Now, as commander, he was supposed to ask others to give up their points?
"I’ll do it, master. I’ll honestly ask everyone," Arki said seriously.
Jilina added, "I’ll help ask too."
Seeing their determination, Carod nodded, unsure how to react. In the end, the three of them left together, willing to talk to each soldier personally and ask for their help directly and honestly.
A few hours later, Carod returned, visibly moved; everyone had contributed. "I never thought they’d support me so much. I feel like I’ve failed to meet their expectations."
Ruri smiled and spoke softly, "The reason they’re willing to risk everything with you is because of your charisma. It’s not even remotely close to master’s, but still, it’s a great achievement. A good leader doesn’t have mediocre soldiers. The idiots left a long time ago. Now… let’s start the show."
She finished, a dark glint passing through her eyes. Bruno sighed, while Alm nodded proudly.
***
The camp of the Eighth Celestial Legion was located in a deep rift. In this natural fortress were thirty thousand warriors from the Third Legion. Their armor gleamed, and their weapons were of the highest quality—all of them were mutant beasts, either from outside the universe or born on the planet.
Only the commander belonged to the Charming Eyes race, as was the case in all the other legions. This race wasn’t born frequently on the planet, and the few members born there were placed in important positions within the empire.
Their ranks depended on level, which hardly ever changed from birth. The Fighters became elite soldiers of the empire, the Kings commanded the Celestial Legions, and the Divines became High Elders or other prominent figures in the empire.
Outside the camp, hundreds of Giant Mutant Beasts patrolled, keeping a vigilant eye on enemy demon and divine beasts. If any of them approached, an alarm would sound immediately.
Everything seemed calm, until…
"Report!"
Suddenly, someone flew toward the center of the camp. Pouzek, standing on his war chariot beside a woman, turned around in surprise.
"Reporting to the commander: the Ninth Legion has surrounded a group of elite demon beasts in the Scorpion King’s Pit. It looks like they’ll wipe them out completely in less than an hour."
"Oh? Interesting. Let’s take a look and see if we can piss them off to death." Pouzek’s eyes glinted as he immediately led part of his people to observe.
***
The Ninth Legion was battling a horde of demonic beasts in their lair. They had chosen to attack a race that kept a large number of captured slaves. First, they freed them all, then focused on exterminating the beasts until...
"Retreat!"
Just as they were about to massacre the remaining enemies, Jilina shouted. Without hesitation, the soldiers flew away.
*Buzz!*
With a sharp buzzing sound, their bodies mysteriously vanished, as if the space itself had swallowed them.
The warriors had entered an illusion formation triggered near a spatial rift. Without direct proximity, there was no way to detect it.
At that moment, a war chariot rushed over. Standing atop it, Pouzek arrived, only to find a field littered with the corpses of demonic beasts. A few scattered creatures were still fleeing across the battlefield.
"Hm? Curious. Where are they? They retreated without even cleaning the battlefield?" The messenger who had reported the situation looked puzzled.
"Something’s wrong," one of the vice-commanders murmured, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.
The Ninth Legion was infamous for being dirt-poor; when they cleaned a battlefield, they left nothing behind, not even crumbs. So why would they leave without collecting the corpses this time?
*RUMBLE!*
Suddenly, space erupted. Runes appeared in the air, startling everyone. Upon seeing those runes, Pouzek’s expression turned cold. "Reflective formation runes?"
No wonder he had found the situation strange. What they had been seeing was nothing but a mirrored illusion.
The runes exploded, and deafening roars filled the sky. A horde of giant demonic hawks descended, diving from above. They had been silently observing the battle the whole time. Seeing the lone chariot, they attacked without hesitation.
"What a joke. They wasted so much money just to deliver us some food?" Pouzek sneered, full of disdain. To his legion, these hawks were no threat at all.
But before he could finish, another formation activated behind them, revealing a group of massive black frogs. These frogs spewed a dark mist that surged toward the chariot.
Pouzek roared with seriousness: "Activate the chariot’s defenses to block the poisonous mist!"
The venom from these frogs was feared for being able to corrode even the strongest armors.
Suddenly, strange noises echoed in the distance, and someone shouted in panic: "It’s the king scorpions!"
Giant scorpions emerged, their tails whipping as laws of wind and lightning intertwined. These creatures were feared for launching those laws like arrows at extreme speed, making them nearly impossible to dodge.
As soon as they appeared, the scorpions fired lightning and wind arrows from afar. The arrows exploded as they struck the chariot, which shook violently. Though the chariot wasn’t destroyed, the mutant beasts pulling it were wiped out instantly.
Furious, Pouzek shouted commands. His soldiers were forced to hide inside the chariot as defensive runes flared to repel the attacks. Pouzek activated one of the chariot’s costly abilities, which began slaughtering the nearby hawks.
However, the frogs’ poisonous mist continued corroding the chariot’s exterior. Seeing this, Pouzek’s eyes widened. It was almost as if these creatures had been handpicked specifically to destroy the type of metal the chariot was made of!
But the worst were still the king scorpions. Their lightning and wind arrows had destructive power comparable to arrow towers.
While all this unfolded, Ruri and the others watched through a formation tablet. Ruri couldn’t hold back a nearly villainous laugh, smacking her lips in amusement. "These scorpions are kinda cute, hehe."
Beside her, Carod commented, "Of course they are. They’re terrifying existences we never dared approach. Whenever we encountered them, we’d retreat and focus on defense. If we’re not careful, they could wipe us out in an instant."
Still stunned, Jilina added, "Luckily, their range isn’t very far. That’s the only reason we were able to lure them here… you calculated everything perfectly. This is incredible..."
To lure the demonic beasts with such precision, Ruri had used multiple reflective formations, manipulating them into position without even realizing it.
A few minutes later...
"Bastards! Do you think this is enough to stop me?! How childish!" Pouzek roared, activating the full power of the chariot, ignoring the costs.
In his eyes, a faint violet line appeared. At that exact moment, he noticed the tablet on his waist blinking frantically. His expression immediately changed.
"The Eighth Legion’s defensive line is under attack!"
Pouzek exclaimed, and the chariot sped away, narrowly escaping the demonic beasts’ attacks. But the creatures pursued relentlessly. With their limited intelligence, they saw the lone chariot as a perfect opportunity for an attack.
The chariot shot through the sky, but as it advanced, more groups of demonic beasts appeared in its path. Upon spotting the chariot, they attacked immediately.
"Bastards! They definitely prepared something here!" Pouzek roared, completely enraged.
The retreat path had also been meticulously prepared. Without knowing where so many demonic beasts were coming from, Pouzek started to panic. He knew that if his defensive line fell, recovering it would be nearly impossible.
Pouzek was furious. He was certain this was the work of those golems. With his knowledge of Carod, he doubted the man was capable of pulling off such a clever scheme.
One of the reasons was Carod’s lack of courage. He would never have the boldness to risk his soldiers, much less harm enemy troops. For him, blame always fell on commanders, not soldiers.
A naïve and foolish thought. But after nearly dying and seeing Arki killed because of him, he reconsidered. There were no innocents, and no one could claim they were "just following orders." Everyone had their own intelligence and could choose to leave the legion. But if they decided to stay, they had to bear the consequences of collective karma.
More and more demonic beasts kept appearing. Fortunately, Pouzek had the war chariot. Without it, he might’ve escaped, but his soldiers would’ve been doomed.
Wasting no time, Pouzek commanded the chariot forward. Countless runic swords were fired, carving a bloody path through the demonic hordes. There wasn’t even time to gather the corpses.
It was as if Pouzek had stirred up a hornet’s nest. But instead of hornets, there were millions of demonic beasts.
From afar, Carod sighed. A sigh that chariot years of resentment, finally eased, if only a little.
The warriors of his legion began cheerfully collecting the bodies left behind, until Arki exclaimed excitedly:
"War chariots are really powerful! If we had one, couldn’t we reclaim our lost territory? With that, we’d never have lost anything!"
"Don’t dream. A treasure like that couldn’t be bought even if we saved all our points for ten years. But now, it looks like we won’t just recover our investment—we’ll even profit," Jilina replied, sharing the enthusiasm for their gains.
Looking at Pouzek’s miserable situation, everyone felt deep satisfaction. On top of that, the corpses of the most powerful demonic beasts would fetch enough points to more than compensate for what they’d spent.
"I think that’s enough. If we get any closer to the Eighth Legion’s camp, the formation will detect us," Carod said, glancing at the pair.
They were still on the edge of the region monitored by the Eighth Legion’s base. There were strict rules there. Taking bodies you didn’t kill would be considered theft. Of course, if no one saw, those rules were meaningless.
"With the profit we’ve already made, we haven’t lost anything. On the contrary, we’ve gained a lot and can leave now," Carod added.
Bruno, his expression unchanged, said, "Leave now? You think I’m satisfied with so little? This is just the beginning. The real show hasn’t even started. We’ve barely used what we bought."
"Oh? So what’s next?" Carod tensed up.
Ruri smiled, her voice playful. "The next step? We’ll settle in and watch the show. He should already be back at the camp."
Pouzek didn’t know it, but his tablet had never been triggered; Ruri had manipulated the formation’s mental power to make him see and hear things. So he had finally returned. However, upon arriving…
"Son of a bitch!" Pouzek’s face twisted, turning purple with rage.
He realized there were no signs of demonic beasts attacking the camp. Everything was calm, and the warriors stationed there stared at him in shock. Behind him, though... an endless army of beasts was closing in, giving chase. He’d been tricked again!
"Activate all defenses! Fire the arrow towers! Use everything!" Pouzek roared.
The warriors of the Third Legion, who were inside the Eighth Legion’s camp, were stunned. What had happened? Why had their commander brought so many demonic beasts here?
A slender yet strikingly beautiful woman from the Charming Eyes race emerged amidst the chaos. She began commanding the troops into combat. She was the commander of the Eighth Legion—and Pouzek’s partner. But she was clearly terrified despite everything.
*BOOM! BOOM!*
Arrows fired from the camp’s ballistae, piling up demonic beast corpses at the front. However, no one smiled.
"There are too many demonic beasts! We can’t hold them back!"
Even using all the available weapons, they couldn’t stop the advance. The beasts were fast. Even as the front lines fell, their bodies served as shields, protecting those behind them.
The worst thing that could happen in this region was facing a wave like this. Once started, it had to be stopped quickly. However, this time, things had happened far too suddenly.
The demonic beasts had followed Pouzek to the camp. The explosive formations buried in the ground, which normally served to halt charges, couldn’t be activated. If they were detonated, they’d also blow up Pouzek’s priceless war chariot.
He hesitated, unwilling to accept the loss of his chariot. That brief moment of indecision was enough for the enemy hordes to breach the camp. As soon as the chariot crossed the gates, Pouzek roared:
"Detonate all the Flaming Thunder Bombs!"
*KABOOM!*
Violent explosions shook the ground. Lightning mixed with flames tore through the demon beasts.
After just over ten blasts, silence returned. Pouzek’s expression was grim. "Why are you hesitating?! Detonate all of them!"
"Darling... this is my Eighth Legion camp, I can’t... I only have these bombs left to use," the woman said in a panic.
If they were at his camp, there would’ve been endless resources, and those demon beasts would’ve been wiped out instantly.
Pouzek had forgotten that, and he grew even more furious. "Useless! Fuck you! Stop wasting words and focus on the defense! We can’t let them get in any further!"
Everyone heard those words and saw the woman lower her head, humiliated. Pouzek, on the other hand, was so enraged that his face alternated between shades of purple and green. He stepped forward and personally took the vanguard position.
It went without saying that he was extremely powerful. His armor radiated a brilliant glow, and his sword danced through the air, slaying a powerful demon beast with every swing.
Watching the Third Legion’s display of strength, everyone in the Ninth Legion sighed bitterly. It was a direct punch to their pride: the difference in power was undeniable.
"Rather than saying they’re strong, it’s more accurate to say they’re rich. They were essentially molded with money, but they have one fatal flaw," Bruno said calmly to the legion around him.
Arki, curious and innocent, asked the question that everyone else was reluctant to ask out of pride: "What fatal flaw?"
Bruno replied with the same calm:
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"They’re far too proud. They think that wearing powerful armor makes them invincible. Watching their movements, you can tell they’re not used to real battles. In other words, in the past, they always crushed their opponents outright. To put it bluntly, they’re like adults who’ve only ever learned to defeat children. They don’t know how to fight as a team."
Bruno’s comment made everyone uncomfortable. Noticing this, he continued:
"Pride is a double-edged sword. Believing in yourself strengthens the Dao Heart, something essential that allows a cultivator to challenge the heavens in their pursuit of power. But that same pride can’t be used as a mask to hide your vulnerability. Belittling others to feel important is the perfect recipe for an early death."
"Idiots like the ones before you will only reach mediocrity at best. Resources and equipment can be acquired over time, but the greatest treasure can’t be bought—it lies within you. Don’t worry about the power you have now. If you follow the right path, time will reveal the truth."
Everyone swallowed hard and refocused on the battle with more attention. Ruri smiled faintly, waiting a few minutes before commenting:
"Even though their attacks look sharp, they’re just firing randomly. They have no control over the rhythm of the battle. Soon, gaps will appear in their defenses."
"Really? It looks to me like they’ll definitely win. I mean, their equipment is crazy strong," Arki said, still puzzled.
Ruri smiled and pointed at the formation tablet. When Arki saw the information on it, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "You lured demon beasts from three neighboring regions?!"
Everyone froze at her words. What was coming would be a number of beasts several times larger than the ones currently attacking.
"Y-you guys... aren’t we taking this too far? If the Third Legion gets destroyed, we..."
Carod stammered, visibly nervous. Fooling Pouzek was fun, but this was going way too far. If the Third Legion suffered major losses and the Eighth was wiped out, it would be a disaster.
"Don’t worry, everything’s under control," Bruno promised. "This battle will naturally attract the attention of the surrounding demon beasts. When the other legions see that the demon beasts are about to breach this defensive line, they’ll naturally come to reinforce it. That’s why we’ll be able to profit even more. I only make real bets: I either walk away with everything or nothing."
Sure enough, when the reinforcements of demon beasts arrived, the Third Legion started showing signs of collapse.
"Commander, we need to retreat!" one of the vice-commanders shouted.
Pouzek’s partner didn’t even bother speaking to him again. In moments of difficulty, she had seen his true character—he had completely ignored her, as if she didn’t matter. Before, she’d been willing to fight for him, but... was she just a pretty trophy he’d won?
It wasn’t just his current outburst; it made her reflect on everything about him and her own choices. If she survived this, she would change everything, even if it meant great losses.
Minutes later, the wave of beasts kept growing, forcing them to a point of no return. If they didn’t retreat now, they’d be surrounded and doomed. By then, even calling for help from the Empire’s Elders wouldn’t save them in time.
Besides, the nearest legion was the Ninth, notorious for their weakness. The Seventh was much further away. As for the Ninth... they’d definitely pretend not to notice this event.
"Pull out the mobile equipment and unleash the full power of the arrow towers for offense! Don’t worry about their defenses!" Pouzek barked furiously.
The arrow towers were fixed defenses that couldn’t easily be moved. Losing that defensive line meant destroying them. That’s why all power was redirected to attack, sacrificing the towers in the process.
With dozens of towers firing a frantic rain of arrows, the demon beasts were finally forced to retreat.
*BOOM!*
One by one, the towers exploded into rubble. However, they’d done their job: the Third Legion bought enough time to pull out all their mobile weapons.
The cost was immense—not for the Third Legion, but for the Eighth, which commanded that camp. Pouzek didn’t care one bit; after all, he could afford it.
Without the arrow towers, they lost the power to stop the beast tide. Pouzek waved his hand, and all the warriors from both legions flew into the war chariot, ensuring a safe retreat. That was the power of money!
The defensive line was breached, and the foolish demon beasts, believing they had won, charged forward furiously, destroying buildings along the way as they chased Pouzek.
Retreating swiftly, Pouzek flipped off the beasts, mocking them. Until...
Suddenly, explosions erupted underground. A thick smoke began enveloping the demon beasts.
The smoke seemed to terrify them. The beasts began fleeing desperately, and even those further away tried to retreat. One by one, they fell to the ground, powerless.
Pouzek had used yet another outrageously expensive secret weapon... Money was terrifying, like a bottomless abyss, and once again, it proved invincible! So he thought.
He spat on the ground and sneered, "Stupid beasts, I’ll use your bodies to make up for my losses. Everyone... WHAT?!"