Chapter 410 - 410: The Beginning Of The Campaign
Eventually, the two came out of the quarters.
Ruby had a radiant smile plastered over her face, walking next to Michael, her tail wrapped around his waist, unwilling to let go.
Although she kept quiet, she was imagining their future, where she might one day come to marry him. Among everyone else, she had been the one and only bold enough to proclaim so… mostly to gain access to his mother's cooking, but that was an irrelevant detail.
As for Michael, he felt conflicted.
From what he understood about the soul weapon of Lord Eleanora, she had worsened the instability in his soul, making him irrational. Thanks to Ruby's assistance, he had gradually managed to recover. It was all the better that it had helped them bridge any gap that had once separated them.
However, at the same time, it could be argued that while his faction was holding off an ant invasion, he had… be it temporarily, given in to his impulses instead of rushing to their aid. Being their leader, he felt a certain degree of shame.
Slightly anxious, he summoned his two soul weapons in case the crew needed assistance.
Instantly, two opposing voices echoed in his head.
'That was so beautiful!' Heaven's Judgment exclaimed, the double barrel of the shotgun blushing.
'Ruby was so cute! She felt flustered yet comfortable enough to open up her true self to you, Master!'
'Oh, she did open up all right! So the kitty turned out to be quite territorial!' Devil laughed, not bothering to comment on his recent loss against Eleanora.
'With her, that makes them four! Listen to me, Partner… It's time to step up your game! Get them all at the same time! That is what your titanium bed at the base is for, after all!'
'You just have to taint everything, don't you, you corrupt creature!' Heaven's Judgment bellowed.
'Stop painting everything in overly flowery language, you hopeless romantic!' Devil retorted.
Reconsidering, Michael stored them back into his soul.
Making haste, he and Ruby headed toward the camp's wall.
Smoke rose from the other side. It appeared a great battle had taken place not long ago.
At first glance, Michael let out a sigh of relief.
The fortifications were intact. There were no bodies of felines piled up, leading him to assume that the worst outcome had been prevented.
"Come here." Without hesitation, Michael placed a hand below Ruby's waist. Taking her in a princess carry, he soared high to get a better vantage point.
A faint smile tugged at Ruby's face. With a bashful expression, she licked the side of his cheek and then kissed it in the same spot.
Beyond the walls, the ground was stained with clear blood, spilled from the corpses of slain ants. The crew, along with the feline scouts, was amidst finishing off the last spiritual beasts that were still struggling for their lives.
Silently, Michael descended at the center of the battlefield, drawing the attention of the felines.
The image of a human soaring fearlessly in the sky like a god, while carrying their queen with a rosy face, filled them with pride.
Despite the battle not being over, they erupted into cheers… Their strongest had returned! Nothing was left to stand before them now!
Their collective chant was noticed by the crew, who all rushed to Michael's side to make sure he was alright.
"Boss, how did you recover so fast?!" Richard asked, clearly baffled. "The last time I saw you, I feared you would have died without proper care!"
Victoria nodded. "Your life wasn't in danger, or so I assumed, but you had us worried nonetheless."
Ava's grip on her hammer tightened. "Had I known what would have happened when we left you at the base, I wouldn't have followed your order!"
Surrounded by worried expressions, Michael could only smile. "Sorry for the trouble I caused. As you can see, I'm fine now."
Despite now being on the ground, Ruby didn't let him go. On the contrary, her tail and limbs wrapped around him tighter. Still being carried like a princess, she grinned proudly.
"I helped him recover!" Her eyes sparkled like gems. "And let me tell you… He was absolutely delicious!"
While the crew exchanged glances, slowly assimilating what Ruby meant, Michael gazed at the ruins that had once been Cyberfang.
"No…" Suddenly he felt lightheaded. Did losing his control when facing Eleanora mark the end of the mechanical beast that had stood beside him since Neptune?
Before he could despair, however, Claire's mecha walked closer.
[Master, I hope my current form is according to your satisfaction.]
Even if it was emotionless, Michael instantly recognized Cyberfang's voice.
"You're alive…" Michael murmured, feeling the tension lift from his shoulders.
"Little brother!" Ruby finally let go of Michael and pounced on the giant mecha.
"Hey, be careful!" Claire's voice echoed inside the mecha's cockpit. "If you move too much, I might squish you accidentally!"
The crew proceeded to fill Michael in on what he had missed. Fortunately, only the weaker kinds of ants had attacked, and they had been eliminated without much difficulty.
With a nod, Michael gazed at the felines gathered atop the walls. Their expressions were hardened, eyes burning with unwavering determination.
Today they had proven themselves. From then on, they would never look the other way when danger struck!
"Since you were the only one who faced Eleanora in real combat, I have to ask." Victoria said, her gaze sharpening to one like a fearless dragon's. "What are we going to do?"
Michael momentarily observed the distant Monarch. The alien remained seemingly unaware of anything around it, focused on consuming the crystals scattered across the ceiling.
"The location of the camp has been discovered. First, we will scout the entire hollow valley, rescue all felines, and bring ruin to every laboratory. Then, once the felines are safe at the camp, we attack and put an end to this."
Enzo's face paled slightly.
"With just us? Wouldn't it be wiser to call for help from the other factions?"
Amelia and Leo agreed… The danger was tremendous.
"Reinforcements from the other planets would take too long. By then, the ants will have multiplied beyond control, and the felines on the surface will be weakened even further by the plague."
Michael explained, his gaze shifting toward the tunnel through which they had entered the hollow valley.
"And… Who said it's going to be just us?"
Even from afar, he felt the familiar aura of Bryce approaching. The old man's call for aid had been answered.
Transcendent Lord Robert was moving toward the camp at full force.