The eight legions split perfectly into a circle, like a pizza with eight slices. The tree was massive, so each legion had a pretty large area. But everyone stayed far from the tree, almost like they were at the edges of the circle.
The reason for this was that the closer you got to the tree, the more powerful the beasts in the area would be, also competing for the fruit. The beasts living there had always been fixed in this region, absorbing all the gains from the elven beast world and the tree’s power.
The moment of the confrontation would be when the fruit fell, so it didn’t make sense to waste energy fighting now.
There were very rare occasions when the beasts managed to win and take the fruit. But when that happened, the High Elders would attack the beasts and take the fruit back.
Technically, after the fruit fell, it should be absorbed by the elf. The beasts would try to get it to her to help her recover. But after so much time, the beasts had degenerated to the point where they just tried to stay and absorb the fruit themselves. So, it wasn’t a big deal if they won; it was easy to just take it back afterward.
With just a few hours left before the event, Carod seemed deep in thought and a little downcast. Arki was by his side and sighed softly. She glanced at Ruri, who nodded, understanding the reason.
In the region next to theirs was the Eighth Legion. Now, even though their number hadn’t changed and they were still the Ninth Legion, the other army seemed to have swapped places with them, and they were in a miserable state.
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Remember, they had lost their camp in that first counterattack. Now, their leader had lost all sponsorship, and on top of that, all the crimes of the High Elder and Pouzek had been exposed.
Being noticed by everyone as being close to him, she was accused of consenting to everything, and a lot of problems and animosities had fallen on her. In the end, that High Elder and dozens of other Elders related to him no longer existed in this world.
She had been absorbed. It was proven that she wasn’t involved in the schemes, but the hatred from those affected still created countless problems for her. She might not have been involved, but she had benefited a lot over the years, enjoying the status of her boyfriend.
She lost the camp, lost the sponsorship, and now had infinite enemies. At least Carod wasn’t hated—people were usually neutral or mildly liked him. But they preferred not to get involved with him because they knew he was too passive and destined for trouble.
But her situation was much, much worse now. Her legion had no prospects of a turnaround. The proof was that her legion now only had a third of its warriors left. The rest had abandoned them and tried to join other legions.
Since they had been heavily supported by the Third Legion, their warriors had many resources and could offer them to join another legion, even if they weren’t that strong.
Carod could only feel pity. He couldn’t bear to see someone going through what he had gone through. He understood the desperation of just trying to survive, with no prospects for the future.
Alm and Bruno noticed Carod’s bitterness and sighed. In the past, when they were villains, they almost always encountered pathetic and degenerate people. Now, as they walked around, they occasionally bumped into people who were too pure and kind. Maybe it was their change that caused this, not the blatant manipulations of Heaven’s Will.
They looked up and felt something flowing between the branches. They noticed something that could only be received with the celestial soul.
After confirming, they turned to Carod. Alm spoke coldly, "Hey, idiot. Are you the commander or not?"
Carod turned and seemed uncertain. "How?"
"Why are you hesitating to do something? If you want to do something and think it’s the right thing, just do it. Are you gonna keep making that crying face?" Alm snapped.
"But…"
"Are you afraid of the consequences again?" Alm cut him off with a cold look. "You’re hesitating again and prefer to keep acting passively without taking risks. If you think it’s the right thing to do, screw what people will think, or screw the problems it’ll cause."
He froze in place, then Ruri smiled slightly and added, "Master meant he likes your way, and he’ll support you."
’Humf, I didn’t say that,’ Alm mentally retorted, almost conceding without admitting it.
Carod nodded, his eyes shining. Bruno continued, but sent him a mental message: "The plans haven’t changed, but… the fruit will fall precisely on that side."
Carod jumped in surprise. How the hell did he know that? But he didn’t ask and just decided to accept it. Then he realized what he was implying earlier.
"Shit, she’s gonna want to try and will consider this her salvation. But… the chances of extermination are practically guaranteed," Carod said tensely.
Bruno quickly replied, "We don’t have time. Prepare everyone."
That commander quickly took action, and now he could truly be called one. He already had the talent and wasn’t inexperienced in battle. But he lacked a solid foundation and direction. With a little help, his ability had come to the surface.
Thirty minutes later...
Suddenly, a bright light, like a star lighting up, appeared high above. Which fruit would mature could only be seen at the exact moment before it fell. Everyone’s eyes turned to the region above where the Eighth Legion was.
The tree’s branches trembled, and then a fruit the size of a watermelon, made of pure celestial energy, slowly fell.
The commander of the Eighth Legion woke up stunned by her luck. Then she heard something and got scared. The Ninth Legion was already in her region! How the hell did they get there so fast?
The distance between them was large, it usually took several minutes for another legion to reach the area, so the lucky legion always had a chance to get the fruit if they were competent. But this Ninth Legion, they had already moved before the fruit even appeared and fell?
Many questions flooded her mind, then the fruit fell to the ground, and deafening roars from the beasts near the tree echoed. They charged toward the fruit.
Suddenly, the spatial laws pulsed.
"SHIT! MOVE OUT!" She roared, seeing the Ninth Legion use a spatial formation to quickly move ahead of her people.
But they were already behind, and it was clear they couldn’t pass them. Their chance at the fruit was gone. A deep pain and sadness took over the woman, until...
The entire Ninth Legion moved straight past the fruit without looking back. They just attacked the approaching beasts head-on without hesitation.
"What the hell…" The woman muttered, stunned, then saw a little girl turn and look at her with a gaze that pierced into her eyes.
No words were needed. It was just a glance for a second, but it conveyed everything that needed to be said. Then Arki turned back and engaged in the fierce battle.
Carod didn’t hesitate. He wasn’t lacking resources right now. Would it be nice to gain more? Maybe, but this younger woman needed help. Everyone was turning their backs on her, but the two of them never had real problems, and he wanted to help her. Screw what others thought of him; his choices were his own.
This might not solve her problem, but it would be a huge relief and give her a chance to recover her camp. Since they had only lost it recently, there were still few beasts occupying the area.
All the other legions rushed quickly in the same direction, but only the Fourth Legion was closest, and it would still take several minutes.
Quickly, the commander reached the fruit, unable to believe it. All the enemy beasts were blocked, and her warriors seemed to be able to fight easily. She clenched her fists and held her ground.
With that, it was now officially hers; no other legion could steal it. "Let’s go…"
"You don’t need to come, you’ll just lower our profits," the voice of the vice commander, Jilina, rang out, cutting off the woman’s command, who just swallowed dryly, unable to react.
Meanwhile, the couple of golems couldn’t be seen by anyone. They moved silently, using the celestial soul and mental power. They calmly crossed the beasts and then headed straight for the tree. This was the perfect moment to do this without drawing too much attention.