Blockade

In any case, the HH corps were standing out whenever there was such an 'ambush' coming. It wasn't like they killed everything and every enemy that appeared around or that they brought the most Creatures when it was hunting time and so on, having to feed themselves at least once every day when marching like this even as cultivators; Ciemnosc's orders and discipline.

But they did help lessen the amount of felled fellow sect disciples and even managed to be the ones to kill a few more, a few extra, whenever the enemies were retreating without forcing a chase and going outside of Ciemnosc’s orders just for the sake of catching up some more prey.

Looking like they were about to chase but never really chasing, merely hunting down a few more enemy sect disciples or cult believers or just killing them all the same. Though Ciemnosc especially preferred them to be caught, as that would mean more ‘fun’ time when he went back to the stronghold and so on; stuff like that ah.

Well, not only were they that good in terms of following Ciemnosc’s orders, as whenever there was a thing to follow or to do, they seemed to do it better than the rest of the whole a million plus sect disciples within the marching lot. Not in a sense of better in anything per se, but that the task at hand that everyone had was completed smartly, rather than in plainly ‘greater’ amounts or quality of whatever it was.

For example, be it the at least single daily dish of the day, or meal of the day. The HH corps would end up either going out a little to explore and would come back with a ton of herbs, some grass, and even fruits. A few hours later, they had more than enough food for 5 the amount of the HH corps, which was about 40% of the entire new army of the commander.

Following their example, after about the 4th day of the long ass marching group, the rest of the line of sect disciples were more or less making their own food and that of a friend, lover, or simply another fellow warrior in this marching group mobilization. Making it much easier for all to be fed, abiding by commander Ciemnosc’s strange rules, and not having to exterminate nearby fauna.

Though it was practically impossible to actually extinguish even a branch of a Creature’s race, and that was proved both scientifically and by the simple aging of the world, it would at last end up taking decades before certain ‘harmed’ Creature races or sub-branches of their race could surface again before the massive onslaught of such; but they always came back, always.

…As such, the sleeping, marching, and feeding oneself continued for about 7 days, allowing the current force of the new army of commander Ciemnosc to arrive at the outskirts of outpost 2 on this very same day but at night. By the time Ciemnosc was just a few kilometers away from the outpost, he could see it already, but it was also close to 12 AM.

However…

Vroom…trckrr~ trckrr~. Pfuss.

“... Who the hell are you?” Ciemnosc, who had just come out from his commanding vehicle, seemingly without brains as he would have remained within it where it was much safer, said with a towering Mosto following right behind him without any sentiment of looking kind at the people blocking the road in front of them.

“...” - “...” - “...” Though Ciemnosc, the commander of all these forces, asked, nobody responded from the couple hundred people that appeared before him. They were all mostly at the Spirit Gathering realm, and there were dozens of 8th, 9th and 10th stage sect disciples within their ranks.

“... Who are you? Who left you inside the territory of the Self-Mutilating Honores Sect?” At last, but late, a response came from the couple hundred people in front, about 30 meters away from where the armored car stopped moving. Ciemnosc didn’t even bother to look at who was the one who shouted just now and looked backwards to see the long marching line of his new army still needing a few minutes to catch up with his commanding vehicle.

“Okay, who is your boss here? Let him come out. I’ll see what he or she can answer my doubts on whether or not to pulverize you all to nothing.” Ciemnosc said after looking back at the couple hundred people and white stepping towards them, seemingly fearless and having no qualms over approaching an ‘unknown enemy’ as soon as he met them.

Following right behind him without any questioning glance, sensation, or word, though the latter was never an option, Mosto walked while analyzing with his eyes every single opponent on the other side, which made them all shudder and apprehensive of who goddamn Mosto is.

“It’s me!” From within the couple hundred people’s crowd, and just as many fellow sect disciples were seemingly shaking in fear, a voice that seemed to want to be heard as the loudest and mightiest sounded.

“...” Looking at the center where he was walking to, Ciemnosc watched as they made an opening not for him to go through but for someone else to come out of it. Still, he mindlessly moved towards there and saw a slightly chubby, very tall, and with barely any grown hair on his head and of brown-orange creamy skin - teenager come out and walk up to him as well.

“C-Ciemnosc, so it was you. I couldn’t tell because there wasn’t any notice nor people who came to report us if there was anyone coming. We’re really sorry,” the teenager said, his cultivation at the 8th stage of the Spirit Gathering realm being there but his tone and eyes somewhat restrained by the towering trouble named ‘Mosto’ still.

“Eh, ‘we’? Who is it you are working with? Isn’t everyone here ‘us’ since you all are under my command?” A cynical, small smile with thin lips emerged from Ciemnosc’s mouth as he looked at the teenager who in return put his hands together against his belly and bowed, seemingly not daring to say another word now that Ciemnosc ‘picked on upon something’ due to his own words.

“Hmm, well. Aren’t you Oscar?” Ciemnosc spoke again, seeing the teenager not say anything else, too afraid to reveal anything more as if he was actually unaware of the shit that was happening before he left. He then continued, his tone flat but his eyes scanning around behind Oscar. “Let’s not waste time, no, let’s not waste my time. So where are the messengers I sent?”

“...Commander Ciemnosc, I might have to be rude and ask you to please explain yourself. What is that accusatory tone and words coming from you?!” Calmly, Oscar seemed to regain his foothold, his words becoming louder as the second half of such were what was important to be heard and he did well to let it be so.

“I’m talking about the ones you ‘accidentally’ killed,” Ciemnosc suddenly said, surprising everyone including Oscar and Mosto. But Ciemnosc the Surpriser continued on, “I know it’s tough to differentiate between friend or foe, especially when it was getting dark and as they were ‘only’ wearing the sect’s uniforms and colors. They can be fabricated, and such precautions against them aren’t wrong, at all.”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes…” Nodding like a chick addicted to rice-pecking, Oscar had his palms skywards beside his waist, voicing out in agreement as he remembered what Joah and Jenlin told him about taking advantage of any fault from the ‘enemy’.

“I know I should’ve, I don’t know, maybe given something to them for the sake of being recognized.” Ciemnosc added, looking at Oscar, who was nodding even harder now and closing his eyes, still repeating ‘yesses’ nonstop. “Like a bit of my blood, one of my eyes, my whole hair, the ones from above I mean. And maybe even my head. Those are pretty obvious to notice, you know?”

“Y-... … …” Oscar was still nodding even after Ciemnosc’s words were finished. But he at least stopped once he realized the words that if they were not sarcastic then they couldn’t be any other kind of humanity’s many ‘talented’ forms of expressions. With his eyes still closed, Oscar no longer nodded and stopped talking, simply quieting down once more as Ciemnosc looked at him without an ounce of pity or emotion at all.

Step, step, step.

“So, say it. Where are those who accidentally killed the scouts I sent a few hours ago?” After stepping forwards a few more times, Ciemnosc said into Oscar’s right ear. The scene itself somehow made the latter shake uncontrollably for a pair of seconds before he could finally restore his mindset back to normal. He himself was a Spirit Gathering realm, near the 9th stage! While the commander was just a Link Consolidation realm cultivator 2 whole realms below himself!

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“Look, commander,” Oscar said with his eyebrows sinking. He noticed Mosto looking towards him, not with friendly notions, but he still continued as he strained his firstly spoken words, and in a severe tone. “I don’t know what kind of factious hunt you are after or what else are your thoughts, but if you think you can oppre-”

“Mosto, kill those 2.” Ciemnosc interrupted Oscar’s words, the latter becoming startled as he could only turn his head back and watch both his bodyguards have their heads explode to the fists from Mosto. Fast, powerful, and simply undeniable; Mosto covered the back of his hands, knuckles, and lower sections of his fingers with brain matter and some eye tissue.

Yet, there was only the sound of a couple of ‘pahs’ from the moment that such punches hit their heads to the moment that Oscar saw their bodies wiggle and wiggle as if being electrocuted to death, slowly falling to their death without even raising their hands above their abdomens.

“!!” Oscar was, of course, paled when seeing these 2 strong Spirit Gathering realm 10th stage bodyguards be completely annihilated right behind himself. He couldn’t help thinking as he so slowly returned his head to gaze face to face at Ciemnosc: ‘It can’t be…that he is already half a step into the Conflagrate realm? He must be forcing himself to stay within the Spirit Gathering realm for the sake of solidifying, even more, his cultivation base! Shit!’.

Pat, pat.

Giving a couple of pats on Oscar’s right shoulder with his left hand, Ciemnosc’s thin smile opened up a bit to reveal his damn white row of teeth, saying with a peaceful tone. “Hey, so about those who committed the accident, when are you going to send them here to me? Mm, mm?”

“...” Oscar visibly sweated from the top of his head to his chin and jaws. His nape was sure to also be wet and smelly too. But as Oscar looked at the childish mannerism from Ciemnosc, his eyes went upturned to look at Mosto, who was now to his right and looking down at him, while his hands cleaned themselves off on his clothes.

Making a gesture with his left hand, 4 people came out of the crowd and shakily made their way towards Oscar’s back, planning to keep him with his feet solid on the ground and face off the ‘fake’ commander and his bodyguard. And since they were all terrified since before Mosto even made his move, let alone now after he was cleaning his goriness on their ‘leader’s’ back.

But as they arrived at Oscar’s back, the latter motioned for them to come closer, and with his words spilling out of his mouth, terror resurfaced on their faces. “Here they are. They were the ones to accidentally put down those scouts you mentioned… You can do whatever you want with them, will that be all? …gulp…”

Oscar’s words might have been spoken with tranquility, at ease. But his sweat became more profuse when he realized the reactions from those 4 around him. They paled and looked at him, horrified by his decision of their fate.

But Ciemnosc just smiled not nodding nor answering Oscar’s question nor affirming any shit to him. Simply, he looked at the 4 left abandoned by him and said cynically, “Wow eh, 2 men and 2 women. So impartial; okay then. Get up in my armored car, I just happen to have a couple new things I wanted to try - I won’t take long here.”

His last words were spoken with a dragged-on, hoarse tone but the 4 abandoned ones were already numb as they slumped towards the commanding vehicle. Not even the thought of fighting back or trying an escape inside their heads. They were reassured thrice of how just simply useless that would be; one reason was big boy Mosto himself.

One other reason, however, was that they had already betrayed Ciemnosc and his overall trust but in his fellow sect disciples to first arrive with him on this mission. While the remaining reason was that, considering that the master they traded their loyalty to was now selling them off at the second chance he was given, they had basically nowhere to retreat from - and living without being part of the Self-Mutilating Honores Sect was the same as dying to them.

“...Hmph, you don’t even dare face me, fight me alone, would you?!” Just as Ciemnosc was planning to turn around and get them dogs out of his sight, Oscar said to his face with a straight face, chest sticking and his eyes enormously trembling while trying not to look into the sudden ‘targeting mode on’ Mosto who was now deadly looking at him.

“...” Ciemnosc was silent for a couple of seconds, very silent. But he then took steps forwards to stand right in front of Oscar, ignoring the large right hand trying to stop him on his left shoulder and with its owner’s face becoming worried. Mosto could only trust Ciemnosc all he could as the latter patted the hand of the former a few times as if to say ‘naey bro, it’s all good’.

Then, Ciemnosc was standing chest to chest with only an inch separating their bodies, he closed his face to Oscar’s right ear once more. But this time, it was done so inexplicably more dangerous, in a sense that Oscar felt but could not understand. Ciemnosc’s voice, anyways, distracted him from all thoughts as it rang beside his trembling right ear.

“Who are you to talk to me, even? What makes you think you have anything, any reason or duty to have me face you alone just because you say so? Piss off before I have Mosto make a paste out of the shit that will come out of your butthole once your head is squashed, along with your legs and arms.”

…Step, step, step, step…

Once Ciemnosc was done saying his words, he turned around and so calmly walked back to his commanding vehicle. Nothing could stop him from looking so calm, so at ease and preoccupied as Oscar looked on without having a single thought being able to formulate inside his hairless-like head, let alone those behind him that witnessed him selling off their comrades…

Pfsuu~ stamp. Buzzz.

Ciemnosc closed the door and hatch on top of his armored vehicle at the same time, but entered back into it by the door instead. When he did, he heard his communications device being directly activated as someone tried to speak to him via the device on every leading figure’s collar. Hence, Ciemnosc walked towards it while ignoring his newest acquisitions.

‘Hmmm, I need to improve the communications system. If I could be detected, if I wanted to, whenever I entered the range of communications or was even remotely close to outside the range, that would make things less dramatic, sigh ah~.’

“Yes?” Ciemnosc thought and then put his left hand against his face while his elbow rested on the driver’s seat. Because, now, Ciemnosc likey likey driving his a tiny bit improved commanding vehicle…

“Ah, commander Ciemnosc?! Is that you?! We didn’t receive any information about your arrival, please forgive us! I am leading a force to welcome you back, we were supposed to meet with you already but there’s no sight of your commanding vehicle so far. Are you anywhere near the post? Are you alright, commander?”

Shidar’s voice went through the communications device, and the array formation for representation of the ‘codes’ is simplified for even a baby to understand with an interface similar to a phone but without any screen really being needed— though there was a screen in this occasion —and could look like drawn lines and somehow show even profile images or landscapes; it blinked a few times while picking up Shidar’s voice.

Ciemnosc hmphed through his nostrils to show his quiet and calm situation. To which Shidar immediately released a sigh of relief anxiously over the other side of communications. Ciemnosc didn’t let the seemingly caring leading figure that Shidar is in tense for he said right away, calmly. “I’m just a few kilometers away. Bring the parade over. You’ll make a few rounds back and forth to bring everyone in front of the outpost. Remember my words~, outside the outpost, not inside.”

“Yes, commander!” Shidar responded, her voice telling her troops to keep on going forth now that she more or less discovered their commander was safe and sound could be heard from the other side before she went back to the comms and added, “It is a pleasure to finally have you back, commander.”

“We’ve been waiting for so long for you to come back. We've got a lot of things to show you, we’d like your assessment of the state and diligence of our troops, but…” Shidar became audibly embarrassed, despite having obviously grown in her mindset from almost 2 months ago. She finished her words with some askance within them, “But we also have a lot more questions and things that we’d like to know about, commander Ciemnosc.”

“Oh?” Ciemnosc was interested, expressed his interest a bit, and let Shidar continue.

“I’ll personally brief the commander once he is back, but allow me to say right away, commander that… We’ve done our best to grow our outpost’s potential and have even formed, as you advised, some little ‘teams’ to make do with our troops’ possible training and methods for patrolling, dealing with punishment, and rewarding with the weapons of those Craftspeople you left behind.”

“Talking about Craftspeople, I hope commander Ciemnosc brought us more? Their resources are ample, especially lately - ahem. But the amount of Craftspeople is too little, and we can’t even ask them to do more than a few hundred a day because they get tired.” Shidar explained, not briefing, but almost to that point, but it was fine as long as there wasn’t any detail.

‘Few hundred? Tired?’ Hearing those words, Ciemnosc’s eyes…oh dear, they went cold and became seriously annoyed, getting scared real fast that those 4 behind him somewhat felt a chill and trembled a bit more while Mosto stepped away on his co-driver’s seat. He needed to be close to Ciemnosc ever since the ambushes increased, he had become a much better bodyguard as a result too, which was obviously good, but he also became trapped right now as he witnessed the scary part of Ciemnosc once more, and so ‘up close’ to him.

Or rather, one of the many scary parts of Ciemnosc…

…