Chapter 950 Leaving for War
Knowledge of Edward's transformation is not foreign to him, the attack on the Dark Elf Kingdom back then made it very clear that Edward had turned to the dark side. He has been turned into something inhuman by the power of the Executor.
A sudden visit from him is an unexpected scenario.
However, Rex decided to use this opportunity to size Edward's new power.
Being turned by the Executor means that his power is of the same source, connected with one another. Thus, Rex assumed that if he knew more about Edward's power, he might as well gain crucial insight into the Executor's power that seemed bottomless.
Now, he couldn't find that insight, but it's definitely a start.
"What did you do to Gistella?" Rex asked gratingly, a hint of threat inside his voice.
Edward grinned in return, "I was only testing if you are connected to her"
"I'm not talking about your petty test. I'm asking, how did you know about the city's location?" Rex quickly intervened with icy eyes, he wanted to know exactly what the Executor did to gain the location of the city.
Forcing Gistella to talk is not an easy feat.
Out of the other pack members, it could be said that she has the most loyalty.
Adhara and Evelyn's affection for him could potentially be manipulated to sow discord within their loyalty to Rex. However, Gistella's situation is entirely different. Having the past of being abused by another Werewolf Prince had become a trauma to her, rendering her exceptionally obedient.
But the showcase of care that Rex had for her slowly changed her perception.
Slowly, he helped her overcome her trauma.
Gistella changed and could even be mad at him not that long ago albeit a misunderstanding.
It's a good sign, showing that she has broken free from her past.
Due to the help from Rex, she became reliant on him way more than the others.
Even the thought of Rex trying to kill himself made her instantly snap into madness, and this made Rex confident that she would never betray him. So the fact that the information of the city was leaked greatly troubled him.
Not because of the exposed city itself, but because it was forced out of Gistella's mouth.
Something atrocious must've happened to her.
Rex doesn't know the method or even dare to imagine, but he could feel his blood boiling.
"Ah, I see... you knew already" Upon realizing that Rex knew already that the information was gained through Gistella, Edward remarked, a casual shrug punctuating his words. "You don't have to worry about her. She's alive and well, at the very least"
At the sound of his teasing words, the air instantly changed around Rex.
Suddenly, it became suffocating.
Gazing at Edward with the same icy gaze from earlier, the veins across his body bulged, showcasing that he was not in the mood for games. "Be careful with your words, Edward" Rex warned in a whispering tone, "If you're not, then you might not see the next five minutes"
Swoosh...
Upon saying that, a sudden chilling wind breezed against Edward's body.
It was a wind that gripped the onlookers' hearts.
Edward knew how blood-lusted Rex could be if he was triggered and put into beast mode, he knew his killing intent accumulated through the killings he had done was nothing to be scoffed at. But right now, he truly understands what Rex's opponent feels.
Being the center of Rex's killing intent, he felt as if he was in a whirlpool.
Moving his muscles has become a chore, and any sign of struggle would only drown him.
If a gaze can kill, Rex's gaze would've annihilated him multiple times already.
"Woah... Hold on there, I'm not here for that" Raising both of his hands into the air, Edward resigned as it was not his intention to come here and fight against Rex. "If you want to know about Gistella, then ask the Executor. I'm here simply to pick you up"
"Pick me up to do what?" Rex asked, squinting his eyes.
Flicking his hand, Edward put his lance away, "To fight, he needs you for the war"
"Don't do anything to Gistella, I'll come with you" Rex replied instantly, a mysterious glint appeared in his eyes before he stood down, pulling his energy and killing intent back. "Give me a minute, I will be out shortly"
Rex turned around and gestured for Flunra and Evelyn to follow him.
Stopping beside Gelmar, he whispers, "Keep an eye on him for a while until I come back"
"Yes, my Lord. I will not stray my eyes away from him" He replied resolutely.
Knowing that Rex would arrange the matters regarding the city and them while he was away, Flunra and Evelyn cast one last look at Edward before the three of them leaped onto the wall and disappeared.
Looking at their fading silhouettes, Gelmar then turns to look at Edward once again.
"Aren't you going to let me inside?" Edward asked playfully.
Gelmar spat to the ground to his side in contempt, his expression turned hideous, "Stay where you are. Lord Rex told you to stay here, so that's what you are going to do. Also, even if Lord Rex allowed you to get inside, I wouldn't let an enemy enter my city"
In return, Edward only chuckled in hubris and waited.
Meanwhile, Rex brought the two to meet up with Ryze and Adhara not far from the walls.
Now, the five of them stood in a circle, their attention on Rex.
Each one of them looked at Rex with anticipation, their gazes were firm. Since the situation escalated, they would need to deal with it with full focus. But even then, there was not a hint of great concern inside their eyes.
As long as Rex is here, as long as Rex is with them, everything will be fine.
For a solid minute, Rex spaces out.
In that silent minute, he was arranging his thoughts and future moves before he eventually broke the silence, "Since Gistella has become a hostage, I already knew that this would happen. I knew that the Executor would use me to advance his own motives, so my leave is not a surprise, it's inevitable"
Upon hearing this, the others wore conflicted expressions.
Evelyn and Adhara specifically, both blamed themselves for Gistella's reckless actions.
"I'm sorry, Rex... It's my fault. Had I not overly shown my discontent with Calidora, Gistella wouldn't gone to the Executor to try and fix the situation herself. It's my fault..." Adhara was the first one to speak, her tone was extremely guilty.
Following this, Evelyn also chimed, "She's not the only one to blame, it's my fault too"
"No need to dwell on that, there's no point" Rex waved his hand, he was not going to blame them for this situation. "I don't know what the Executor might try to do, but all of you would only need to focus on safeguarding the city, don't worry about me. The Executor wouldn't dare to try and do something to me with the Hare Moon so close"
"Even if it's not the Hare Moon, I'm confident that I would not die" He added confidently.
As he was about to leave, he would need to make the others believe in him.
"The Executor and I have a bad blood more than killing each other, it's also a battle of ideals about power. It's not me he's aiming at, he's aiming for all of you. So keep alert, protect the city, and also protect yourselves" Rex continued, telling the others what they need to focus on.
In return, the others nodded their heads determinedly.
Remembering what Rex had done for them, they were determined to not cause any trouble.
Gistella is enough, another one might spell their doom.
Following that, Rex then started assigning their roles while he was away. Adhara would be in charge of the military forces of the city, she had shown to be adept in acuteness in battle and tactics and thus trusted with this position.
On the other hand, Evelyn would be in charge of regulating the city.
Aside from having a reputation, she knew most of them already, a perfect position for her.
Flunra would be doing what he does best, and that is to support the two from the shadows while he worked on the slave mark project that Rex had concocted. It will be his main focus until the fight with the Executor ends.
"Lord Rex, I'm asking permission to learn more about Kirgil's slave mark" Flunra whispered.
Upon hearing this, Rex raised an eyebrow.
He was about to ask Flunra what had happened to Kirgil as he was extremely weakened but was interrupted by the news of Edward's visit, now that he remembered, he decided to ask about it now, "Explain to me briefly what happened at the battle"
"Yes, my Lord" Flunra nodded before he briefly recounted the ordeal with Kirgil.
At the end of the report, Rex had his eyes opened wide.
Rex gazed at Flunra with a questioning look, seemingly asking whether he was lying or not, and Flunra responded by shaking his head. Finding out that the slave mark could make him berserk like that is quite surprising.
If we can find a way to replicate that, it would be even better!
Nodding, Rex then gave the permission, "You can go, but don't take too long"
Lastly, Rex told Ryze that he would be tagging along with him to meet with the Executor.
Although the prospect of meeting the Executor greatly terrifies Ryze who is nothing but a kid, the desire to prove himself to Rex is stronger than that fear, so he accepts that role without thinking twice.
From the side, Adhara looked at Rex with a peculiar gaze as he talked with Ryze.
Deep down, she knew why Ryze was dragged along.
It was obvious that Rex was swayed by her words and only accepted Ryze back because of her, thus, he hadn't fully trusted Ryze like she already did. Rex is planning to keep Ryze close to him to keep a close tab, and this moment also serves as an opportunity to confirm whether Ryze was sent here by the Executor or even Edward.
Living in a world full of malice, Adhara understands why Rex is being like this.
"Here are 5,000 Rastrikan Demon Cores," Rex takes out a sizeable sack from his inventory and gently places it in front of him. Extracting one from the sack, a diaphanous crystal adorned with radiant crimson demonic engravings, he continued, "All of you should absorb them until you reach your limits. Adhara, I entrust you with the distribution of the rest of the cores to who you deem worthy"
Upon hearing this, Adhara snapped out of her daze and nodded in understanding.
Now that most of the matters are settled, comes the most difficult one.
Rex scanned his eyes to all of them again before he eventually sighed, knowing that Adhara and Evelyn would not accept his decision.?But I have no choice, the war is nearing. The Supernaturals could only hold out for not that long without the intervention of the Elders. I have no choice but to go there.
"I will not be coming back here after I finished the Executor's request" Rex said firmly.
Without even needing to elaborate, the others knew instantly.
Adhara and Evelyn could feel a painful pinch in their hearts knowing that Rex would be going to meet with Calidora, he would be staying with her. "Know that this is not what you think. I really have an important thing to do, essential for my plan against the Executor. Without this, the probability that I would die is very high"
"I could stay, but would you be fine with the consequences?" He added, giving an ultimatum.
In response, the two girls could only grit their teeth and clench their fists.
But then surprisingly, Evelyn raised her face and smiled in understanding, "We understand. Do what you must to win. If Calidora is the only one who could help, then go to her, we are going to keep the city safe while you are gone"
"Evelyn?! Are you really-" Adhara was about to rebut but was stopped by Evelyn.
She grabbed her hand, gesturing to follow her lead.
Upon hearing this, Rex gazed at Evelyn for a second longer before he nodded his head, glad that the two could accept this without too much trouble, "I'm counting on all of you. Ryze, let's go, we're going now"
With that, Rex and Ryze turn around and head to the walls once again.
On the other hand, Adhara quickly freed her hand and looked at Evelyn with a frown.
"What are you doing? I'm not okay with him being with Calidora"
"Stop it, Adhara. It's obvious that Rex really needs to do this for his impending fight against the Executor. If we force him to stay, we would only be a burden in his eyes. Do you want him to perceive us as burdens?"
Evelyn calmly shifted her eyes to look at Adhara, an enigmatic aura swirled inside her pupils.
"But I also don't want Calidora to be anywhere near him!" Adhara argued.
"Do you think I want her to be close with him too?" Evelyn asked back, her eyes sparking maliciously. "I also don't want that to happen, and I'm not saying that we are going to resign against Calidora. All I'm saying is that we need to take a different approach..."
Watching this from the side, Flunra kept his gaze on Evelyn.
A smirk crept onto his face at the sight of the familiar expression, 'Hooh... Yes, that's it, Luna has never been reliant on the Alpha, she has a battle of her own. It requires wits and intuition more than anything. Seems like she's maturing as the Luna, good, I wouldn't be bothered to force another to replace you in this case'
'Now, we'll see who will win...'
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦