Chapter 956 Hostile Grounds
Compared to Ryze who was hurt by the conversation, Edward has his mind elsewhere.
At first, he hadn't paid that much attention, but now he sensed a familiar presence, much like the one he had sensed inside the Executor's castle before discovering the mark on the Executor's bed chamber door handle that he found odd.
It was as if something invisible, something beyond the naked eye, was watching him.
Glancing to the door, he pondered in thought.
'Rex is still outside, still hasn't come back yet. So I'm right, this has to do with him'
Edward's suspicion grew stronger because of this, and he couldn't shake the feeling that this strange presence had something to do with Rex. If it were a spell, there would be traces of mana, but the presence he felt was entirely different.
For all he knows, Rex has the capability to do this.
Soon enough, the presence suddenly disappears and vanishes into thin air.
Clack!
Right after the presence disappeared, the door was opened and Rex walked inside.
He made eye contact with Edward for a brief second before walking to the side and taking a rest in the dining room, deciding to recuperate before continuing their journey again. But that brief eye contact tells Edward everything, and he now is sure that Rex is planning something.
On the other hand, Rex decided to get some shut-eye to accelerate his recovery.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Using the Damned Specter skill to discreetly monitor the two while he was not here, testing whether Ryze would reveal anything to Edward, Rex found that neither of them was engaged in anything suspicious.
Both were even in a brief argument earlier, and it appeared that Ryze's anger was genuine.
Although this was the case, it's still the beginning.
Rex would keep monitoring Ryze's movement and actions until he was absolutely sure.
However, he decided to sleep now because he has a new weighing burden inside his mind that he accidentally found. Burying his face to his arms on the table with a sigh, he looked at the wall absent-mindedly.
A God, huh...? Will there be a way for me to die, then?
...
Dawn.
When the birds started chirping whilst the sky was still dark, the three finally arrived.
Upon crossing a couple of miles of open and continuous flat areas of grass, the three of them saw a military compound in the far distance with heavy armored vehicles and aircraft could be seen soaring in the sky in wait for the upcoming war.
Hundreds of military men were on patrol, marching in a fixed jog, ready with their weapons.
A scenery like this is pretty nostalgic for Rex.
Barely that long ago, he had been an integral part of the military forces, tasked as a bulwark against the Supernaturals, fighting and making sacrifices to ensure the continued strength and survival of the entire human race.
In addition to that, there were also Awakened, Black Hands, and the Elpida Alliance involved.
Seems like the news about the Executor has spread to the other major cities.
Now, the Elpida Alliance had been involved in this fight, and their personal Awakened army, the Cessation Knights who were wearing futuristic white and blue mana-powered armor were the elite part of the entire military column.
Each of them was a veteran of war, an expert in battle.
"Did this bring back some memory?" Edward asked, stealing a glance at Rex.
His sudden question snapped Rex out of his trance before he continued, "I don't know about you, but this sight definitely brings back old memories to me. From that, I understand clearly that I don't want humanity to crumble, I want us to survive. I may be a traitor to you, but I am a loyalist to humanity's side"
Upon hearing this, Rex scoffed in scorn.
If anything, the leader of humanity is the one to blame for this more than anyone.
Rex also puts humanity first in his priority list before anything, but all of that changed when the tragedy struck him. Had he been given the respect, and was accepted as another who wanted humanity to strive, then he wouldn't have turned out like this.
"Lead the way, I'll meet the Executor" Rex replied, ignoring Edward's remark.
Closing into the military compound, the three of them were stopped and surrounded.
All of them raised their upgraded rifles and pointed at Rex.
Edward reassured the group and guided them across the borderline and into the compound to meet with the Executor at the center. Along the way, Rex couldn't help but notice that some of the military personnel, Awakened, and Black Hands regarded him with an unfriendly and disapproving expression.
Seems like they were also whispering about him.
I thought the UWO blamed King Baralt for Ratmawati City's tragedy.
Knowing that the name Rex Silverstar carried significant weight in Ratmawati City as the rising star of humanity, the symbol of future hope, revealing that he was responsible for the tragedy would carry severe repercussions among the citizens.
An effect humanity couldn't afford right now.
But it seems, the rumor about him has already spread, causing this kind of reaction.
Coursing through along the path, indifferent to the curious onlookers, Rex surveyed the evolving compound with keen interest. What was once a collection of tents had transformed into octagonal temporary war camps, protected by sophisticated formations.
Signs of technology could be seen as these octagons made a light, humming sound.
Many things changed from the last time I was in the military.
After examining the alterations to the military compound, Rex fixed his gaze onward again to see where Edward was leading him. Suddenly, he caught wind of a commotion from his unattended side. He paid no heed to it but could discern their conversation distinctly.
"Look at him! Not a hint of guilt after killing so many innocent people!"
"Calm down! He's a friendly force. We're soldiers, not vigilantes, we have to follow orders!"
"I can't just let him walk away! He killed my family!"
"We get it, but if you do this, you're putting all of us at risk. Do you understand?!"
To the side, a couple of military personnel struggled to restrain a man who was desperately reaching for his firearm, his eyes filled with bloodlust and teetering on the precipice of madness as he directed his hateful glare at Rex.
It was obvious, the source of the man's hatred for Rex that is.
During his violent rampage in Ratmawati City, when he had unleashed his grief over losing his parents, he had sought to wreak havoc without restraint, inadvertently claiming the lives of innocent bystanders through his destructive aura and energies.
One belongs to this man's family, causing him to be filled with rage at the sight of Rex.
Rex didn't react, but inside, he sighed inwardly.
He knew that killing innocent lives was not the optimal way of doing things, but he couldn't do anything about it. Even if he was pulled back in time to do that day all over again, he would still go berserk and lose in his rampage.
Seeing his parents' lifeless bodies was not something able to be endured.
Frankly speaking, nobody is going to be ready for that.
No matter how many chances he was given to relive that day and make it right, he knew it would be futile. His anger will always surge, triggering the feline wrath within him as his Werewolf form reacts.
Due to that, he could only sigh and think of that as his unrefutable mistake.
But then suddenly, the man who had been struggling to break free managed to liberate himself and bolted, drawing the pistol from his belt. With fluid movement, he aimed the firearm at Rex and fired a single shot, aiming for the head.
A banging sound resounded as the bullet pierced the air.
It was a reckless attempt that caught even Edward off guard as he didn't actually think that the man would be able to break free from the restraints of so many people, and also pull the trigger knowing Rex's background.
However, at this point, the man was only driven by his raging emotions.
Surprisingly, before the bullet could even reach its mark, Ryze moved in and parried it swiftly.
Encasing his arm with scales, the bullet ricochets away.
Not even a dent was left on Ryze's scales as the bullet, even though it had been significantly upgraded with mutated animals' components to increase its penetration power, would only amount to harm a sixth-rank realm entity.
Ryze, who far surpassed that realm has no problem dealing with it.
Instantly, the entire place became chokingly silent as the banging sound echoed and waned.
Only the rough breaths of the man, fuming in anger, in the background.
Additionally, his comrade who was holding him back earlier held their breaths when they realized that the man actually shot at Rex, someone who was powerful enough to be called here by the Executor to help in the upcoming war.
Just the thought of what Rex could do to them made them gulp harshly.
However, all of them tried to pull the man back, but he still retaliated and stood his ground.
Upon parrying the bullet, Ryze straightened his back and towered over the man imposingly.
His reptilian eyes, sharp and glowing stared directly at the man's eyes.
Frowning deeply, Ryze then asked whisperingly, "What do you want me to do to him, Rex?"
"No need to fret over him, the bullet wouldn't hurt me anyway," Rex replied nonchalantly, catching Ryze off guard as he had expected some form of retribution for the man's actions of wanting to kill Rex due to his own vendetta.
Especially, seeing what Rex did to the Demon Lords, it's the very likely case.
As Ryze stood down and walked to the side again, Rex's gaze fixed on the man who stood there with a clenched jaw as the bullet did absolutely nothing. "Here's a piece of advice when you plan to do something like this. Consider the size of your enemy, attacking someone much larger than you will only make you appear pitiful and reckless"
Listening to this, the man could only clench his fists hard, pure hatred in his eyes.
Giving no more thought, Rex signaled for Edward to continue and they resumed.
It was then that the man's action ignited a series of events, the people who were also hostile gained confidence and started throwing things at Rex. Some were throwing the rations in their hands, a bullet, or even spitting at him.
None of them reached Rex, protected by the Red Force, but this keeps on going.
Ryze was greatly troubled by this, but Rex was not.
Despite the disrespect that he was forced into, he kept a calm composure and walked onward, following Edward closely behind as the three of them headed to the center octagonal structure that's the heart of command, the Executor's place.
I know you're happy watching this, Executor. But it's fine, your reign will not last anyway.
Arriving at the Executor's place, the three of them walked inside.
Rex and Ryze could feel that they were passing some kind of forcefield, not created by mana, but technology instead which turned out to be muffling the sounds from inside and also providing cover so that no one could look inside.
In an instant, Rex stepped against the plush ground, sucking his own feet.
A cover was placed, separating the entrance and the inside.
Some guards who were stationed there checked him and Ryze for weapons or anything that could be used for lethal activities and found nothing. Only then that the two were let inside, going through the soft cover.
Upon reaching inside, Rex scanned his eyes around and saw that everyone was present.
King John, Brigitta, and the Executor, sitting on his pompous throne.
Ignoring the others, Rex made eye contact with the only entity who could pose a threat to him, the Executor who was grinning. He was the same as the last time Rex had met him, dripping with arrogance and unfathomable power.
An urge was present, beckoning Rex to check the Executor's stats.
But the pressing energy made him think twice.
I want to scan him right now, but I don't think it's the right time. He's still very strong.
Dissuading from that thought, Rex took brave steps forward and approached the Executor's throne steps. He keeps his guard up, knowing that there's a chance that the Executor will do something outrageous.
"Quite brave of you, Royal Black Prince. To think you dare to come here" the Executor opened.
Crossing his legs and settling into a more comfortable position, he leaned forward and continued, "You don't appear to be a reckless person. So venturing into the heart of your enemy's territory with only a single company, a reckless action, it's almost as if you have a remarkably powerful backer..."
Upon hearing this, Rex frowned in contemplation.
What does he mean by that? He seemed to be hinting at something.
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