FOLLOW MY WORDS

It was almost laughable. In fact, if she had been in the mood to do so, laughing was pretty much all she could have done. She had bided her time, waiting in the shadows, and only struck when she felt that she had all the information she needed at her fingertips. But not only had she failed the moment she took a step out, she had done so in such a resounding fashion.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

Of the Cross Elders of Shield Cross Star, over half of them were here. There were only eight remaining at base. If things continued this way, over 20 of their Ancestors would fall here, and their ability to continue to control the situation would crumble. She couldn't allow this to happen, but she also most certainly couldn't allow herself to fall here. Selfish or not, her life was by far the most important.

If there was no one present in the Human Domain that could counter Leonel's access to the Dream Plane, then it would all be-

'Follow my words.'

The voice was light and sweet, and Veiga recognized them immediately. Of the high profile targets, there was Velasco, and then there was this woman. She was a great talent, and if nurtured she could become a supreme asset to their cause. In addition, while she was arrogant, she had never painted outside the lines. She could be controlled and she could be guided. So while Veiga kept one eye on her, she didn't make any moves to deal with her like she did the others.

This woman was, of course, Cynthia Omann, the Scorned Queen Beauty.From .

But what shocked Veiga was that she hadn't sensed when Cynthia entered the Dream Plane at all. Had she been wrong all along to not pay attention to this girl? No, that wasn't in her personality; she had most definitely done her due diligence, it just hadn't mattered in the slightest.

Velasco had never bothered to hide his presence because of his arrogance, so she had known he was from the very beginning. In fact, she didn't dare to even probe him as Velasco was simply on another level compared to her. Unlike she who could only enter the Dream Plane in an Incomplete World, Velasco was just like a King who could enter the Dream Plane even in a complete one!

Leonel had been easy enough to spot because Maxx had somewhat exposed him, and the actions he took afterward were purposely bold and arrogant.

But this woman...

Veiga's heart trembled. This Incomplete World was always marked as an anomaly. They knew that there was a reason the last remnant of the Fawkes family had chosen this one of the dozens of others. And time and time again, they were proven correct as one monster after another simply appeared.

Should she even listen to this woman? Clearly she was just as dangerous as the family before her, but she was also cautious enough to hide her intentions and bide her time for the perfect opportunity. How could she listen to her.

'What choice do you have?'

Veiga shuddered again. Indeed... what choice did she have?

Her heart trembled and her hands shook. Were these her own thoughts? Or was Cynthia manipulating her? When had she become so uncertain of herself?

As though she couldn't hear these thoughts at all, Cynthia spoke easily and plainly.

'There is no way out of this situation except for sacrifice-'

Was that even true? Veiga felt her head spinning. Did Cynthia have a way to get them out of here unscathed but preferred that her enemies not be too powerful? How could she even trust these words?

'-the formation of the Half Spirituals is powerful, but not to the point of being untameable. The issue is the son of Velasco has already claimed the initiative and taking it back from him is impossible. So, the only remaining choice is for you to flee. But you are trapped and space is locked. Whether its reinforcements, or your own escape, neither will work. Even if you attempt to run out of the encirclement under your own power, the moment you leave the strongest core of your own formation, he will cut you down. He has his eyes on you and in his eyes, it's people like you who are the reason for his father's death, it is impossible that he would ever let you go, even if he has to let everyone else go.'

Veiga fought hard to control her exterior emotions. By now, she was certain that Cynthia was manipulating her. She was a person who had always been in control of her exterior, at the very least. But now her entire mind was focused on it. What else could this be if not Cynthia's efforts?

But it was the best kind of scheme... an open one... one your enemy knew was there, and yet had to fall into anyway... This was the method of the smartest individuals in the universe.

'In that case, if you want to live, you'll have to follow my instructions and sacrifice your people at timely intervals. Do as I say... if you want to live, of course.'

...

Leonel looked off into the distance. He had sensed another mind approaching this region the moment it happened, and though they were subtle, they couldn't hide from him.

This meant one very important thing, though: this person was close.

He knew just how difficult it was to travel across the Dream Plane while your body stayed in place. The further you moved, the further stretched your Dream Force became and it was soon akin to a rubber band on its final legs. If you pushed too far, then not only would the rubber band snap, but even if you pulled back just before it did, it would lose its elasticity.

He knew all of this, he had learned it not just once himself, but seven times over through the memories he had sensed.

So... why couldn't he find where this person was even though his senses were expanded across the solar system with the help of the formation of the Half Spirituals?