Supreme Magus

Chapter 4402: Sacrificial Pawns (Part 2)

"Xenagrosh doesn’t need to ask me to do anything. You only have to give me a reason, boy. It doesn’t need to be a good one."

"What was it, then?" Orulm nodded to the Suneater, aware that his position in the Organization had always been precarious.

"A test that you passed." The Shadow Dragon said. "We didn’t inform Baba Yaga of your identity or abilities. We only told her we would send two hybrids to Batara."

"Since when getting your ass kicked is a passing grade?" Abthot reeled at the revelation. "Also, what do you mean, inform? Was this some kind of joint operation?"

"You’re smarter than you look and way smarter than you act, Abthot." The heel of the Grimbark Staff thumping on the ground accompanied the Master’s steps. "Maybe there is still hope for you.

"Keep up like this, and there will also be a place for you in my Organization once our project is complete."

"Do you mind explaining to us what everyone else already knows, Master?" Orulm asked, his tone devoid of both mockery and respect.

"I expected you to have figured it out by now, but sure." Vastor nodded. "We need to pull back part of our forces stationed in Garlen for the time being.

"Thanks to the cooperation between Jiera’s natives, the three great countries’ colonizing efforts, the elves, and the people of Zelex, at the current rate it won’t take more than two years to bring the continent under control.

"Once that happens, our mining operations will be discovered, and even if we are allowed to continue them, the Awakened Councils of both continents will ask us questions I don’t want to answer.

"For this reason, I have agreed to let the Undead Courts reconquer the less profitable branches of the black market. It gives me plausible deniability to redeploy my forces without raising suspicions and the Undead Courts the funds they need to fight Meln."

A wave of his hand activated the arrays of the room and conjured the holograms of several data charts.

"As you can see, allocating more workforce to our mines in Jiera will earn us in days resources that the underworld of cities like Batara takes months to gather. In a couple of years, the main crystal and metal veins will peter out, but by then we should have accumulated everything we need.

"Finding new veins and digging deep enough to reach them won’t be our problem. The Awakened Councils might have suspicions, but if we do our job properly, they’ll have no evidence leading them back to us."

"Why do we care about the Undead Courts, and what about our fellow Abominations? What about Gukah and Karto?" Bathos asked.

"We don’t." The Master replied, his voice turning as cold and sharp as a blade. "I’m using the Undead Courts to justify our reduced activities on Garlen and give the Dead King one more enemy he has to look out for.

"The Eclipsed Lands, the Undead Courts, and the Organization are allied to find and kill Meln Narchat once and for all. I’m giving them something I don’t need and plunging another thorn in Narchat’s side. Two birds with one stone.

"As for Gukah and Karto, this was a test for them too." Vastor grunted. "They were tasked with protecting the Organization’s assets and failed. Instead of stupidly trying to fight Dawn on their own, they should have retreated and called for backup.

"Had they warned you of the nature of your enemy, maybe you would have won, and they would still be alive. Instead, Gukah and Karto threw their lives away out of sheer arrogance and almost cost you yours.

"They should have known that I don’t care about money or treasures. They are just a means to an end. You, my chosen, are the only assets worth protecting. As long as you are by my side, there is nothing I can’t do.

"Gukah and Karto failed us. They deserved to die. Moreover, the loss of those two imbeciles will give credibility to our ruse. Everyone will overestimate the Undead Courts’ power and underestimate ours, diverting attention from us."

"You keep saying ’us,’ yet you had no qualms about using Abthot and me like sacrificial pawns in your game." Orulm said with the same tone he would use to discuss the weather.

"Indeed, but I did it for a good reason." The Master replied. "Orulm, you are too dependent on your Break ability. You rely on it so much that you have no other noteworthy skill aside from the spells you learned from me after joining the Organization, have you?"

The Breaker raised his hands in apology and nodded for Vastor to continue.

"Your arrogance is also a big problem. I watched the fight from start to finish. Zepho Acala was weaker than you, yet he beat you because he did a much better job at hiding his skills.

"Everyone knows your name, Orulm, which also means everyone knows what you can do and how to defend from your Break energy. Unless you develop new techniques and spells, this will just be the first of many defeats.

"Your Eldritch ability is amazing, but it’s not omnipotent, and it does nothing if it doesn’t hit its target. As you are, the moment you run out of Break energy you are weaker than Bytra, and she’s not even a fighter."

Orulm gritted his teeth and swallowed a harsh retort. He could refute none of the Master’s words, only find empty excuses.

"Abthot, I know that it’s a painful page of your past that you’d rather forget, but you need to work on recovering your elven powers. With just Chaos and your Ogre side, you are no better than a Dryad Eldritch. You are one of my hybrids. Act like one."

She stiffened for a bit, but said nothing.

"If you are done whining, let’s all get back to work. We have a lot to do before this day ends."

***

Eclipsed Lands, city of Lightkeep at the same time.

It took Dawn a single Steps to return to Vladion’s Mansion, where Baba Yaga was waiting for her.

"I have only one question." Acala said after they dismounted from Sunrise and split into two separate beings again. "Why didn’t you tell me I was facing Orulm the Breaker? I never met him before, but you did.

"I slumbered while you fought together against the World Tree, so you had seen his hybrid appearance already. He could have killed me. He could have killed us." There was pain in his voice, but no accusation.

"I did it because I trust you, Zepho." Dawn took his hands into hers while looking him in the eyes. "I never doubted you would find a way to protect us. Never. Also, I wanted to give you a victory that was your own.

"You didn’t rely on my memories, experiences, or tactics to beat the legendary Breaker, Zepho. You did it only thanks to the efforts you put into your training and the sacrifices you made to become a Vampire.

"Even if in the future we are forced to fight on two different battlefronts, now you know there is no enemy you can’t take on. Orulm is one of the few beings on Mogar who might kill even Mother, Zepho, and you kicked his ass with half our equipment."