Stone

Radlis coughed awkwardly.

In truth, it could be said that he and Leonel had a decent relationship. They could have been friends had it not been for Radlis maintaining some distance between them by always disappearing to places unknown. However, it was also the case that Radlis had been a help to Leonel at least once before as well. Though it wasn't really a big deal now, back then, it had been about as far out as a person could stick their neck for someone they hardly knew.

Back when Leonel had been faced with those three seniors, it was Radlis who had run off to get an authority figure who could help out. Even though Leonel hadn't ended up needing the help, had he actually needed it, it could have put Radlis in an awkward situation for the rest of the time he was there.

Leonel, of course, recognized Radlis. But, he wasn't as surprised as the latter might have thought he would be.

Radlis had always been odd to Leonel. He always seemed to be aimless at Valiant Heart Mountain, chasing girls and even joining a Force Crafter Guild even though he was clearly not a Force Crafter. And yet, despite being so 'aimless', he had managed to gain a quota to enter the Valiant Heart Zone. Not only had he entered it, but he had actually managed to be among the few who survived all the way to the end.

From that moment, Leonel knew that there was something off about Radlis, but he never pressed to find out because he could tell that the latter was trying to keep some distance between the two of them. In addition, given Leonel's state of mind back then, he didn't really care about the feelings of anyone else outside of Aina, so he hadn't been in the business of making friends.

Seeing Radlis here, rather than making things more confusing, actually made things make more sense. At the very least, it made the questions Leonel have about him far more pointed.

Had Radlis gone to Valiant Heart Mountain for the Valiant Heart Zone? That was very likely… But why? Was the Valiant Heart Zone enticing even to someone with a background like Radlis? To the point where he would actually choose to infiltrate it?

Leonel had to believe that for Radlis' family to be scheming on Earth, they must have gathered a lot of information on the Milky Way. With that information, they should have known that Valiant Heart Mountain was being eyed by three other forces all at once. That meant that there was nothing to be gained from establishing yourself in such a place unless your only goal was their treasure.

Due to this line of reasoning, Radlis must have entered the Valiant Heart Mountain for the sake of its Zone, this would also explain why he didn't show his talent until the crucial moment. But… Leonel still felt like he was missing an important part of the puzzle.

Rather than replying to Radlis, Leonel spoke to the army as a whole.

"You all have two options. Since there are three groups among you, I'll let you make the decision for your respective people.

"The first option is to continue this one sided massacre. The second option is to surrender and become prisoners of war. Which will you choose?"

When Leonel's words fell, he had already raised up his bow and began to draw his two fingers through the air. Another bronze arrow began to take form, shimmering with Bow Force that bent and twisted the space around it.

Of course, Leonel was only using Level 2 Bow Force currently while masking it with Space Elemental Force to mimic the same effect. But, they didn't need to know that. Right?

Leonel knew that if he really pushed himself to draw a third arrow, he'd fall into a coma for a long while. If he wasn't here to command the war, then who would? He had too many responsibilities to fall here.

"I surrender."

Leonel raised a brow.

The voice was female and came immediately after his words fell. It was clear that this person had made a decision long ago and chose to surrender.

Leonel was a bit surprised to find that it was Libli. From what he knew about this young woman, she was quite headstrong. But, it seemed that she also knew how to be flexible as well.

From the look in her eyes, it didn't seem like she was afraid of death. But, she also didn't seem like she was faking it either. Content is property © .

Leonel nodded her way. As long as Libli surrendered, it meant the rest of the Radix family would follow suit as well.

"Raj."

"Gotcha."

Raj's chubby fingers moved and a swarm of metallic sand shot forward, wrapping around Libli who had long since stepped out of her battlesuit.

"I surrender as well." Radlis chuckled. "You won't treat me badly, right Leonel?"

Toward Radli's casualness, Leonel could only be speechless. Did he not realize how serious these matters were? Or maybe this guy was just always like this?

Dee and Dre took this matter the most harshly. The Crars family had the most to lose in this endeavor and they had gone all out to fulfill that goal. And yet, their plan had been thwarted like this?

Even though Dee and Dre only represented one prong of their attack, they were among the most powerful. What did this say for the rest?

However, as much as they wanted to fight back, fear gripped their hearts. The river was still dyed with blood that had yet to be washed away. If they answered wrongly, that could be them.

"Brother." Dee's jawline clenched.

The twins looked toward one another, their expressions grave.

Dre sighed. "I'm with you if you're with me."

Dee grinned. "Might as well go down swinging."

This wasn't a casual matter for them. Libli and Radlis might be able to surrender, but that was because their people would be just fine. Their families would likely negotiate a large ransom for their return. However, the Crars could not afford this. All of their chips had been pushed to the center of the table. Even if they couldn't win this battle, they had to weaken Earth as much as they could.

Leonel could already tell what their answer would be the moment he saw these looks.

"Men of Crars!" Dee's voice boomed. "Protect your homes!"

Dee and Dre dashed forward through the cone of blood formed amidst the battlefield, taking on the vanguard. If they died, then they died. As Princes of their empire, they had to be the last to give up hope.

Leonel's gaze narrowed and he waved his hand.

Thousands of soldiers swarmed out of the Speed Boats, the final battle for the second Lake Crossing beginning…

Unfortunately, it seemed that the finale was already set in stone.