Chapter 811: Complicated
...
Not long after Sagarus presented Izroth with the eye, the Storm Commander and remaining Lightning dissipated as the Great Lightning Army came to an end.
Izroth was not disappointed with the performance of the forged effect; however, the twelve-hour cooldown time was somewhat troublesome.
Nevertheless, Sagarus and the Lightning Soldiers had accomplished the tasks given to them.
Izroth extended his Energy Vision Sense to its maximum range as he observed the ancient races rushing out of the palace gates like water bursting through a dam.
'Their numbers are much greater than ours, but we have the advantage of quality over quantity. That being said... There are eight of them that will prove to be a little problematic for Kyamakri and the others celestials.'
After getting a decent grasp on the enemy forces, Izroth reduced the range of his Energy Vision Sense to conserve his essence.
"Are we going to catch up with the others?" Sychia inquired curiously.
Izroth gave a small nod and responded, "Yes. But, our goal will be somewhat different from the others. Excluding Astratis, we came here with twenty celestials. Among them, there are only three who have stepped into what we call the legendary realm back in the Mortal Realm. However, the enemy side has eight such beings."
Izroth, Hakros, and Sychia had begun to move and were currently headed towards the palace in the distance where the thousands of ancient races poured out.
"Eight against three... No, even if we include an opponent for each of us here, there is still an imbalance that exists. Although our main priority is to keep their attention drawn to us, it will be a rather demanding effort." Sychia commented.
"Isn't it fine? Whatever those guys can't handle, I'll just take the rest." Hakros stated confidently.
"Even for you that would be too reckless." Sychia sighed as she shook her head.
It was not that Sychia underestimated what Hakros was capable of, but rather facing multiple legendary beings at once was a task that was much easier said than done. This was even more so for individuals like them who had yet to step into the legendary realm.
While they would not lose in terms of talent or skill, when it came to raw power, it was still difficult to overcome the natural gap that existed between someone in the legendary realm and one who had yet to enter that stage.
"It's true that the number of those who have reached the legendary realm on their side outnumbers us, but that does not necessarily mean we are at a major disadvantage," Izroth stated calmly.
He then continued, "The source of energy in this Secret Realm is unique; however, I can still roughly gauge their overall strength. In Mortal Realm terms, three of the celestials are at the primary stage while one has reached the late stage of the legendary realm. The eight on the enemy side are mostly at the initial stage with only one being at the late stage and one at the primary stage."
'I can see why the system gave me that quest earlier at the black lake. If we were in a poor condition entering this place, our chances of success would have been practically nonexistent.'
Initially, Izroth felt that perhaps using the Great Lightning Army back then was too much of an insurance policy. But, in the end, that decision was currently playing to their advantage.
"When we arrive, you two will be responsible for taking care of the stray two causing trouble. If things get too dangerous, don't hesitate to withdraw." Izroth said as he accessed his inventory.
The next moment, he removed a golden talisman with cryptic white text etched into it. This was the grade three epic quality talisman he received from Zouren back in the Moonlit Dove Garden.
Zouren gave Izroth a total of three talismans, one of which he gave to Azalea as a reward.
"Catch," Izroth announced as he tossed the talisman towards Sychia, who caught it without issue.
Sychia briefly examined the talisman in her hands and was surprised to discover that it was one of such high quality.
"This is too much. I am afraid that I can not accept it." Sychia said with a troubled expression.
Sychia had used her life-saving methods to escape from Luxia, Zouren, and Agromin not long after they stepped into the Secret Realm. Therefore, this talisman could not have been given at a better time as they were about to go into a dangerous and chaotic situation.
However, Sychia did not feel right accepting the talisman from Izroth. She was already in debt to him for curing her poison and aiding in her recovery. There was also the matter of him revealing a possible way to heal her master and giving her hope when there was none.
Izroth had done all of this and did not even ask for a gift or reward in return. How could Sychia be so shameless as to continue receiving without giving anything in return? She would be too ashamed to face herself in the future.
But, how could Sychia know that part of the reason Izroth helped her was simply to return a portion of the "favor" to Zouren for daring to send someone to claim his life? Also, there was the ongoing quest that required Izroth to ensure her safety. It was not as though Izroth did not have anything to gain from helping the Thousand Blossom Maiden.
In fact, even giving her one of the talismans was an investment into the ongoing quest and an extra layer of added insurance.
However, that was not to say that Izroth was completely cold towards the idea of helping Sychia. In the end, if she lacked any redeeming qualities, he would not have lent her a hand even if it would throw off Zouren's plans or meant giving up a potential quest. After all, Izroth had his own standards for dealing with people.
Regardless, Izroth saw right through Sychia's concerns and could only inwardly shake his head. To turn down a life-saving item in this kind of situation could be seen as her falling back into her naive ways. However, that was not the case at all.
There was no naivety present in her eyes when she made her choice. Rather, it was merely one of morals and values. This was an aspect of Sychia that Izroth appreciated.
That being said, this was something that involved not only her but him as well. Therefore, Izroth had no plans on backing down.
"Once I give a gift, I consider it rude to be returned. It is the same as saying my gift is not good enough for you. Can it be that my gift is unworthy in your eyes?" Izroth said in a carefree manner.
"How can that be? This gift is more than generous. It is just that-" Sychia started to reply, but was abruptly cut off.
"Hey, flower girl, just take it. If that stone-faced guy is giving it to you, he probably has other tricks up his sleeves. As for me—my physique is all the protection I need. Between the three of us, it's only you who's lacking in this area. Or, do you plan to slow us down?" Hakros remarked.
Seeing that she was outnumbered and unable to return the talisman without seeming discourteous, Sychia decided to, albeit reluctantly, accept Izroth's gift.
"Then... I shall once more accept your generosity. Thank you." Sychia said as she tucked the talisman away into a safe place.
Although she felt guilty for feeding off Izroth's kindness, Sychia swore to herself at that moment that no matter what it costs her, she would find a way to repay Izroth once they returned to the Mortal Realm.
"By the way, you told us what we will be doing. But, where will you be?" Sychia questioned.
A carefree smile appeared on Izroth's face as he replied, "Taking the other eye."
...
A few moments later...
The sight of moving shadow could be seen moving on the ground throughout the battlefield that was covered by thousands of those from the ancient races.
This shadow appeared to have a will of its own as it weaved through the wave of enemies and into the backline of their forces.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, the shadow sped into an area near the palace gates cloaked in a layer of total darkness.
The following moment, the shadow rose from the earth, taking on the form of a humanoid silhouette before revealing an individual. This person was, of course, Izroth.
Izroth had already separated from Hakros and Sychia who went to take care of their assigned tasks.
He used his Shadow Movement skill to infiltrate deep into enemy territory and then immediately found an area to use the skill Shadow Blending. This allowed him to erase his presence as long as he transversed his steps within darkness.
Izroth observed the inside of the palace gates that the ancient races had stopped pouring out of just moments ago and instantly discovered something alarming.
'I got here without much trouble, but it looks like my previous plans won't be possible. This situation just became a lot more complicated...'
Izroth only caught a brief glimpse of a white garment as its owner entered the palace.
From his current distance, Izroth should have been at the very edge of being able to view it, but he saw it clearly in that instant—the system information that displayed for the owner of the white garment.
Name: Pillar of the East, Heaven's Son Yia(???)
Level: 0
Izroth wanted to use his Energy Vision Sense; however, before he could do so, he felt an intense warning from his Soul Sense as if urging him against the action.
Without a doubt, the moment he used his Energy Vision Sense, his presence would be discovered!
But, this did not make any sense. What was the Pillar of the East doing in the territory belonging to the Pillar of the West when their region was also supposed to be under assault?!