Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 345 345: Picking a squad

Lucas stopped walking and faced them fully now. "I have been ordered to select a squad to operate directly under my command. Those I choose will not be shielded by formations or distance. You will move fast, strike hard, and retreat when ordered, even if your instincts tell you otherwise."

A Grandmaster cultivator at the edge of the group frowned slightly. "You speak as if you expect chaos."

"I do not expect it," Lucas replied calmly. "I guarantee it."

Silence followed his words, heavy and contemplative rather than offended.

The silver-haired woman broke it. "Then tell us what you expect from us beyond obedience."

Lucas met her gaze directly. "I expect you to survive. I expect you to think independently without disobeying orders. I expect you to trust me when I say advance, and trust me even more when I say retreat."

One of the younger Grandmasters hesitated before speaking. "And what do we gain by following you instead of remaining with the main force."

Lucas answered without hesitation. "You gain purpose. You gain access to battles that will decide the direction of this war rather than merely participate in it. And if you survive, you gain growth that no routine deployment can offer."

The Ascendant cultivator at the third level folded his arms slowly. "Bold words. Do you truly believe you can command cultivators at my level."

Lucas did not bristle or challenge him aggressively. Instead, he spoke quietly. "I believe that rank does not decide leadership. Clarity does. And if at any point you believe my decisions are foolish, you are free to leave before the first engagement."

That response earned several nods.

Captain Varran, who had been observing from a distance, finally stepped closer. "Lord Xavier is not here to impress you. He is here to choose those who can move where armies cannot."

Lucas glanced briefly at the captain, then turned back to the cultivators. "I will choose twelve."

Murmurs rippled through the group, not of protest but of sharpened interest.

"I will choose based on how you carry your Qi, how you respond to pressure, and how you answer one simple question," Lucas continued.

The silver-haired woman raised a brow. "And that question is."

Lucas paused for a moment, then spoke clearly. "When the battle turns hopeless and retreat is ordered, will you run, or will you cover the withdrawal even if it costs you everything."

The answer did not come immediately. Instead, one by one, cultivators stepped forward, some placing fists to their chests, others bowing their heads in solemn acknowledgment.

"I will," the Ascendant said first."So will I," the silver-haired woman followed."I have already done so before," another added quietly.

Lucas watched them carefully, not just listening to their words but feeling the steadiness behind them. After a long moment, he nodded slowly.

"Good," he said. "Then stay where you are. The rest may return to formation."

No one argued. Those who were dismissed bowed respectfully and stepped away without resentment.

Lucas turned slightly, exhaling through his nose as his mind began to organize possibilities, strategies, and roles. Twelve cultivators, all monsters by ordinary standards, all now standing before him.

This was no longer preparation, this was the beginning of war.

Lucas did not raise his voice when he spoke again, yet every word carried clearly across the space between them, sinking deeper than any shouted command ever could.

"You need to understand something before I choose a single name," he said calmly, his gaze steady as it moved from one face to another. "Where I am sent is not where victory is already assured. I will be deployed where formations are breaking, and where the battlefield itself is on the verge of collapse."

The cultivators remained silent, but the air around them tightened.

Lucas continued, his tone even, almost conversational. "We will be placed where the fighting is the hottest, where Qi storms tear through the ground, and where retreat is often impossible. Death will not be a possibility there. It will be an expectation."

One of the Grandmasters swallowed before speaking. "You are including yourself in that certainty."

Lucas nodded without hesitation. "I am not exempt. If death is almost guaranteed for you, then it is almost guaranteed for me as well."

The Ascendant at the third level studied him closely. "You are aware that saying this would make many commanders hesitate to take responsibility for us."

"I am not looking for hesitation," Lucas replied. "I am looking for clarity. If any of you wish to step away now, I will not think less of you. Wanting to live is not cowardice."

The silver-haired woman crossed her arms slowly. "And if we stay."

"Then you accept that survival will depend less on luck and more on trust," Lucas answered. "Trust in my judgment, and trust in each other."

Another cultivator spoke up, his voice low but firm. "What you describe sounds like a suicide squad."

Lucas met his eyes directly. "Yes. A suicide squad expects to die. I expect us to fight and die for our kingdom."

That earned a faint smile from Captain Varran, who was listening closely nearby.

The Ascendant cultivator exhaled slowly. "You are honest at least. Many would have hidden this truth until it was too late."

Lucas inclined his head slightly. "Lies cost lives faster than enemies ever do."

A younger Grandmaster clenched his fists. "If death is so close, then what is the point."

Lucas did not answer immediately. When he did, his voice was quieter. "Because if we do not hold those positions, entire cities will fall. Wars are not won only by armies advancing, but by small groups refusing to break when everything else already has."

The silence that followed was different now, no longer tense but resolute.

The silver-haired woman stepped forward a fraction. "If we are to stand where death is thickest, then I want one thing from you."

Lucas turned to her. "Name it."

"Do not waste us," she said simply. "If we are to risk everything, then let it be for something that truly matters."

Lucas nodded once, deeply. "You have my word."

The Ascendant cultivator placed a fist over his chest. "Then choose. If death is waiting, I would rather meet it moving forward than standing idle."

Others echoed the gesture, some silently, some aloud.

Lucas took a slow breath, feeling the weight of what he was about to do settle firmly on his shoulders. "Very well," he said. "From this moment onward, understand this clearly. Once chosen, there is no reassignment, no safe postings, and no promises of return."

He paused, then added softly, "Only the promise that if you fall, it will not be forgotten."

None of them stepped back.

Lucas straightened, his expression sharpening. "Then listen carefully. I will begin calling names."