It was still nighttime as both the meeting and replying to the messages hadn’t taken all that long.
It was around thirty minutes since Lassim lifted off the ground and led his new team through the sect’s southern gate.
They moved swiftly and silently through the air underneath the perpetual thunderstorm. The shadows flickered in and out as various bolts of lightning traveled between clouds.
Lassim glanced over his shoulder at the three figures who trailed behind him.
Though they hadn’t exchanged many words yet, he could feel their eyes on him, studying him with curiosity and a touch of skepticism.
He couldn’t blame them; after all, he was an initiate disciple with a lower cultivation level than them who had somehow become their leader in this mission. That alone was enough to raise eyebrows.
As they flew into the night, the full moon appearing in the open, casting its pale glow over the landscape below as they quickly crossed the storm’s edges.
Lassim decided it was time to break the ice and get to know his team as in the courtyard they had only shared a mere nod before taking off together for their secret assault campaign.
He slowed his pace slightly, allowing the others to catch up.
When they were all flying together, side-by-side, he spoke up, his voice carrying easily through the air. "We should probably get to know each other a bit better if we’re going to work together. Why don’t we all introduce ourselves?"
The disciple closest to him was a tall, lean young man with short-cropped black hair and sharp, almost hawk-like features.
His eyes were a piercing blue, crackling faintly with lightning energy. He flew with a casual confidence, his arms crossed as if he stared back at Lassim.
He was the first to speak. "Name’s Kaelin. Outer sect disciple, Spirit Ascension stage, level 6. Specialize in lightning speed and precision strikes. I use dual Kris that I’ve trained to complement my speed. If a target needs to be taken out before it can blink, I’m your guy."
Kaelin’s voice was smooth, almost too smooth, with a hint of arrogance that made it clear he knew exactly how good he was.
He had an easygoing smile on his face, but his eyes were sharp, constantly scanning their surroundings as they flew. There was a self-assuredness to him that was hard to ignore.
Next to him flew a woman, her long blue hair flowing behind her like a shimmering waterfall. Her eyes were a soft violet, glowing faintly in the darkness. She flew with a graceful elegance that contrasted sharply with Kaelin’s more laid-back demeanor. Her posture was straight, and there was a calm, almost serene energy about her.
She offered a small nod to Lassim. "I’m Lara. Outer sect disciple as well, Spirit Ascension stage, level 7. My specialty is defensive formations and barriers. I use a glaive that I’ve refined to channel lightning energy into creating protective constructs. If you need a shield to block attacks in the Spirit Transcendent stage for hours, I can create it.
Kaelin and I come from the same village in the Veridian Continent along the southern coast. Sorry, it’s got no name, but it’s close to Sailor’s Rest if you’re familiar with it."
There was a hint of warmth in her tone, a kindness that Lassim instantly pegged as her being the type to look out for her teammates. Despite her peaceful demeanor, there was no mistaking the power that radiated from her. He instantly felt a natural sensation like they’d probably get along well.
Lassim nodded, noting their strengths. Speed and precision from Kaelin, defense and protection from Lara.
"Oh, Sailor’s Rest, I went there to hitch a ride here. I come from the Aurora Kingdom if you’re familiar?" Lassim replied.
Lara’s eyes lit up briefly with excited trembling lightning bolts, "Oh neat! We’ve never been there but I’ve heard about their army that helps protect the continent."
Lassim smiled. It was a good start, but the third member of their team was the one he was most curious about.
This disciple had kept to himself during their flight, hovering slightly behind the others. He was shorter than Kaelin and Lara, with tousled unusually brown hair and sharp, intelligent violet eyes that seemed to take in everything at once.
His expression was one of quiet amusement, as if he were in on a joke that no one else understood.
He finally spoke up, his voice tinged with a hint of sarcasm. "I’m Aerin, and before you ask, yes, I’m aware of how ridiculous it is to have such a random team put together as we all didn’t attend the God’s Trial for whatever reason." He rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
"Outer sect disciple, Spirit Ascension stage, level 8. My specialty is stealth and infiltration. I use a chain whip that I’ve customized to channel lightning energy for disabling opponents silently. I’m also the brains of this operation, in case you were wondering."
Aerin’s tone was light and playful, but there was no mistaking the sharpness behind his words. He had a smirk on his face as if daring anyone to question his self-proclaimed intelligence and position in the team.
There was a mischievous glint in his eyes, an arrogance that he knew he was smarter than most people and wasn’t shy about showing it.
Lassim couldn’t help but chuckle at Aerin’s introduction. Aerin’s voice was quite high pitched and almost like a caricature of a real person’s voice. It didn’t suit him at all and made Lassim not take his bravado as seriously, "Well, I’m glad we have someone who can give us the best strategy then," he said, his tone slightly teasing but friendly.
Aerin raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. "Oh, don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t get us killed out here."
Kaelin snorted. "Good luck with that. I don’t think our fearless initiate rank leader here needs much help in that department. I mean, c’mon, he’s the weakest out of us and they made him leader?"
Lara shot Kaelin a disapproving look. "Let’s not be so quick to judge. We haven’t even seen him fight yet."
Lassim scratched his head at their accusation. Kaelin and Aerin seemed to have a playful rivalry, while Lara acted as the more level-headed mediator. It seemed to him that they all had worked together before at least to some extent.
Satisfied with the introductions, Lassim decided to share a bit about himself. "I’m Lassim. Initiate-ranked disciple as you all clearly pointed out, and recently advanced to Spirit Ascension stage, level 1. I guess you could say my specialties are offensive techniques, defensive shields over a wide area and I recently picked up a healing technique.
I use a halberd with both lightning and water elemental energy alongside my two elemental companions."
The others listened intently, their expressions varying from curiosity to mild surprise. It was clear that they hadn’t expected Lassim to have such a diverse skill set, especially not at his level of cultivation.
Aerin was the first to speak up, his tone skeptical but intrigued. "Wait, double elements? Aren’t you that guy that kicked Kaito’s ass in that duel and nearly killed him? I missed out on that duel but I heard about it."
Lassim shrugged modestly. "I do what I can when my friends are being bullied."
Kaelin chuckled. "Well, if you beat Kaito then I suppose you might be strong enough. I guess we’ll see what you can do soon enough though."
Lassim nodded, appreciating Kaelin’s straightforwardness. "Let’s not waste any time then. Well Mr. Big Brains, what’d you have as your plan for our first target from the list?"
Aerin grinned, clearly pleased to assume his self-proclaimed role. "Glad you asked. Based on the map we’ve been given, our first target is an outpost located to the west of the former Thornbush site. It’s a smaller outpost compared to the others, but it continues the route that the Thornbush outpost had been trying to build into our Sect’s lands.
If we take it out, we’ll continue to cut off a major route for the Endless Sun Sect’s reinforcements and supplies."
He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I suggest we hit this, then move on to the others in a clockwise pattern. It’s the most efficient route, and it’ll give us the element of surprise for the first few at least. By the time the Endless Sun Sect realizes what’s happening, we’ll have already taken out their main supply hubs in the area before we move on.
After we finish this route we’ll go to the southeastern region where they’ve taken over a few towns formerly controlled and protected by our sect."
Lassim considered Aerin’s plan, nodding slowly. It had more thought put into it than he had bothered with, and the logic behind it was sound. "I agree. Let’s move in that order then."
Aerin looked pleased with himself, while Kaelin and Elara both nodded in agreement.
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As they approached the western outpost, the tension in the air grew thicker.
The outpost was nestled within a dense forest, similar to the Thornbush outpost. The layout was similar with its wooden walls barely visible through the thick canopy of trees. The faint glow of sunlight infused torches shone in the darkness, casting long shadows across the ground.
Lassim held up his hand silently to call the group to a halt, hovering just outside the range of the outpost’s spirit senses from the defending guards. He could sense the presence of the enemy cultivators within, their auras faint but distinct enough to get a rough idea that there wasn’t a barrier up yet.
Kaelin glanced at Lassim, his expression serious as he whispered, "How do you want to handle this? We could go in fast and take them out before they have a chance to react, or we could play it safe and take them out one by one with Aerin, you and I coordinating our attacks together."
Lara nodded, adding, "I can be ready to set up a barrier just past the wall’s defenses to protect us from any counterattacks once they catch on. That way, you can focus on eliminating the enemies without worrying about a safe place to retreat to once they get angry."
Aerin chimed in, his tone slightly more skeptical, "Or we could take a more subtle approach. I could slip in and disable any key figures or disrupt their barrier formation that they’ll eventually try to activate before you all move in for the kill on the leader. The report says they’ve been reinforced with a peak Spirit Ascension guard after the destruction of Thornbush.
We don’t want to be overconfident and make mistakes."
Lassim listened to their suggestions, noting the careful thought each of them had added to put into their approach.
But a confident smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he spoke. "Actually, there’s no need for any of that."
The three disciples looked at him, puzzled.
Lassim continued, "Just sit back and watch. This’ll be over in a second."
There was a brief silence as they processed his words.
Kaelin’s expression shifted to one of slight disbelief, while Lara frowned, concerned. Aerin raised an eyebrow.
"You can’t be serious," Kaelin said, his voice tinged with disbelief. "There’s no way you can take out the entire outpost by yourself."
Lara added, her tone cautious, "We’re a team, Lassim. The war council put us together. I know you’re designated as the leader, but we should be working together."
Aerin chimed in, "You might be powerful enough to best Kaito, but it’s risky to go in alone and you’d not only be playing with your life but the lives of the rest of us."
Lassim, however, remained unfazed.
He met their concerned gazes with a calm, steady expression. "I’m serious. This isn’t about bravado or overconfidence. Trust me, it’ll be over in a single attack. All you need to do is position yourselves around the outpost and catch anyone who might try to escape. I promise you won’t have to do much."
The three disciples exchanged uncertain glances.
Still, he was their team leader, and they had to follow his orders. Reluctantly, they nodded.
"Alright," Kaelin said, still sounding skeptical, "we’ll take positions around the outpost. But if things go south, we’re jumping in."
Lassim nodded appreciatively. "Fair enough. Just be ready."
Without further discussion, the team moved into position, each disciple taking a spot around the outpost to ensure they could cover all possible escape routes. They kept a close eye on Lassim, waiting to see what he would do.
Lassim hovered just above the treetops, his halberd materializing in his hands as he gathered his divine mana.
The runes along the polearm began to glow with an intense azure light, the power building within the weapon like a storm ready to unleash its fury.
Above him, the Leviathan constellation formed, its massive, serpentine body coiling through the night sky, glowing with an ethereal, otherworldly light.
The constellation’s eyes gleamed with a fierce intelligence, and the azure hue of its scales gave off a dangerous, predatory aura. It was a sight to behold—both beautifully realistic and terrifying.
Kaelin, Lara, and Aerin watched in stunned silence as the constellation took shape.