Chapter 45: Is this big enough?
The wind blew sand into the air as an army of a hundred men appeared, with Tayin leading them. They were all low-level Sovereign Realm soldiers.
For Tayin, the weaker they were, the better. At least Grand General Ren had helped him with this.
He hadn’t brought anyone too strong, but neither had he brought too weak people.
Tayin looked at the excited humans. All of them felt as though they had been blessed by Lady Luck to join General Tayin on this expedition, not knowing that most were marching toward their deaths.
Tayin sighed.
He couldn’t go alone. They still had to make everything look real.
Carrying the new greatsword on his shoulder, Tayin walked forward as the hundred men followed him with smiles on their faces.
Their destination...
The core of the Javo territory.
The journey took roughly a day, mainly because of the relatively slow speed of Sovereign Realm experts.
Finally, they reached the Dark Forest.
At this moment, the peripheral region was once again filled with Javos.
The purge Tayin had carried out a day ago seemed to have had no major effect.
Seeing the humans approaching, the Javos’ mouths began dripping with saliva as their hunger was aroused.
But the instant they sensed Tayin’s aura, they bolted away, wondering what the human wanted.
The Sovereign Realm humans following behind him were stunned.
What the hell?
This was the first time they had ever seen Javos run away from someone.
They felt excited.
Yes, this was General Tayin, the most talked-about general not only because of his handsomeness but also because of his strength.
Only someone like him could make the Javo race this terrified.
Just as they were happily cheering, Tayin suddenly poured cold water over their excitement.
"Go back. At the very least, stay ten kilometers away from here."
General Tayin suddenly spoke.
The soldiers quieted down as they nervously swallowed.
What?
"Sir... did we do something wrong?" one of them couldn’t help but ask.
Tayin clenched his hand around the greatsword.
"You might not know why we’re here, but we’re not here to hunt an ordinary Javo."
"We’re here to hunt a Half-Step Supreme Realm Javo and to make matters worse, it’s inside their territory."
"Even if this mission doesn’t succeed, you can imagine what would happen just from entering their territory."
Tayin spoke calmly.
Everyone lowered their heads.
"Go back."
Tayin’s words made sense.
After all, what could a group of Sovereign Realm soldiers possibly do in a hunt against a Half-Step Supreme Realm Javo?
But more importantly, Tayin was certain that among these men were spies from the Royal Family.
They were here for two reasons.
First, to confirm that Tayin had entered the Dark Forest.
Second...
To confirm that he had died.
At least he had already completed the first part.
Now, he simply had to put on a good show.
"Sir... please. We will do anything. We can help."
"Help? What can a bunch of Sovereign Realm soldiers possibly help me with?"
Tayin’s expression turned stern.
"I won’t say it again. Leave immediately."
Although the humans weren’t convinced, they still flew into the air and left.
However, they flew slowly, constantly looking back.
The majority of them were worried about the famous General Tayin. They knew he had ordered them to leave for their own safety.
But only after hearing the details of the mission did they truly understand how dangerous it was.
Even then, they still wanted to help.
The remaining soldiers, however, were the spies who needed to confirm that Tayin had actually entered the Dark Forest and died in it.
Seeing the humans flying away so slowly, Tayin sighed.
He looked back toward the Dark Forest.
The Javos were watching him from within.
"Ha..."
Another sigh escaped his lips.
Everything seemed to fall silent.
Tayin took a deep breath.
At this moment, it felt as though he were the only living being in the world.
He could hear nothing but his steady heartbeat, his calm breathing, and the faint sound of his fingers tightening around the sword’s handle.
His grip tightened.
Then he moved.
The moment Tayin began walking toward the Dark Forest, several of the soldiers who had remained behind smiled.
Happiness flashed in their eyes.
Meanwhile, Tayin entered the Dark Forest.
The instant he did, the world seemed to fall silent.
The hundred humans stopped flying and stared toward the Dark Forest.
One second...
Two seconds...
Then the ground beneath them trembled.
For a brief moment, everything was still.
Then...
"Fuck! Run!"
No one knew who shouted first, but everyone had already bolted.
The Sovereign Realm soldiers flew faster than they had ever flown in their lives as a blinding light filled the sky.
If Ronan had been there, he would have complained that it was the same kind of light he had seen when humanity invaded the Abyss.
A massive sword projection appeared briefly in the sky.
Even the clouds were shattered by its terrifying force.
Then the sword descended toward the Dark Forest.
Immediately, multiple Half-Step Supreme Realm and Supreme Realm auras erupted from deep within the Javo territory.
What the hell?
They had been peacefully resting when a foreign human suddenly barged into their territory and attempted to wipe them out.
They were furious.
Roars shook the forest as countless attacks were launched toward the sword projection, meeting it head-on.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted.
A fierce wind accompanied by a massive shockwave spread across the land.
Trees were uprooted and sent flying.
The Sovereign Realm soldiers hadn’t managed to escape the area in time.
They were swept away by the shockwave, with several of them suffering concussions.
The destructive range was terrifying.
The shockwave spread for more than five hundred miles and was still expanding.
---
At Conjol City...
Ren stood atop the city wall, gazing toward the direction of the Dark Forest.
He knew Tayin should have arrived by now.
It was already morning.
The one-day journey, slowed by the Sovereign Realm soldiers accompanying him, should have been completed.
Had he done it?
Just as Ren asked himself that question, he suddenly saw something in the distance.
A massive wall of sand, nearly a kilometer tall, came rolling toward him and the city of Conjol.
Ren’s expression instantly changed.
"Fuck..."
He stared at the approaching sandstorm.
"I told you to make the attack big, not to try to destroy their entire base and ours as well"
"What the hell is this attack?!"