Death... and me

Chapter 4331: Announcement

Rean’s airplane wobbled far more violently during the return trip.

The moment the battle ended, Rean immediately noticed the problem. The flight runes were already reaching their operational limits, their glow flickering unstably throughout the skeleton frame of the airplane. That alone proved how unfinished the prototype truly was.

After all, this wasn’t merely an airplane that lacked proper testing.

It was an airplane that had barely been completed enough to fly at all.

Because of that, Rean deliberately chose a much longer route back toward the defensive lines, steering away from the densest portions of the Godly Creature Horde. Under normal circumstances, he would have preferred to move even farther away for safety.

Unfortunately, the condition of the airplane simply would not allow it.

Every additional second in the air pushed the arrays closer to collapse.

Fortunately, by the time the airplane truly began losing altitude uncontrollably, they had already returned close enough to the cultivators’ territory.

The moment Arcis and Tobao realized the airplane could no longer maintain stable flight, they immediately reacted.

"Put it away!" Tobao shouted.

Rean instantly stored the prototype back into his Spatial Ring.

At the same time, Arcis and Tobao each grabbed the members of the twins’ group before shooting forward through the skies at full speed.

Although the two Law Gods had consumed tremendous amounts of energy fighting the Raven, they still managed to recover a small portion during the return trip. That little recovery was already enough to cross such a relatively short distance.

Soon afterward, the group finally crossed the defensive lines safely and landed several kilometers behind the battlefield.

Naturally, neither Tobao nor Arcis attempted to continue flying all the way back toward the command center.

Even for Law Gods, sustained flight consumed an absurd amount of energy.

From there, Tobao simply retrieved another airplane from his Spatial Ring. This one was an actual completed airplane instead of a barely functioning skeleton prototype, so the return trip became much smoother.

Tobao personally piloted the airplane back toward the battlefield command center, where Huriu was stationed.

By this point, Huriu had already received confirmation that the Three-Eyed Raven was dead.

Because of that, he was personally waiting on the landing pad when the airplane arrived.

The moment the airplane landed and Tobao, Arcis, and the twins’ group stepped out, the surrounding cultivators immediately became excited.

"Well done, seniors!" Huriu exclaimed with obvious joy on his face. "As requested, I still haven’t spread the news yet."

Tobao and Arcis both nodded in satisfaction.

"Good."

Tobao then glanced toward Arcis.

"So? Are you doing it, or should I?"

Arcis merely shrugged.

"I don’t care about that sort of thing," he answered casually. "You do it. Your cultivation is higher than mine anyway. The impact will be greater if your voice is the one everyone hears."

Although both were Law Gods, Arcis was only at the Initial Stage, while Tobao had already reached the Middle Stage.

Naturally, Tobao did not mind taking over.

Immediately, he connected his consciousness to his RC.

As one of the two Law Gods protecting the Besgol Region, he possessed special authority within the communication network. During critical moments, he could directly broadcast messages to every RC connected throughout the entire region.

And without question...

This was one of those moments.

-To all cultivators risking your lives on the frontlines, this is Tobao, one of the two Law Gods of the Besgol Region.-

The battlefield remained chaotic and deafening, yet the moment Tobao’s voice echoed directly inside everyone’s minds, countless cultivators instinctively focused their attention on the message.

-I bring great news.-

-The Three-Eyed Raven, the Godly Horror expected to cause devastating casualties throughout all battlefronts during the coming days... has been killed.-

A brief pause followed.

Then Tobao repeated the words once more.

-I repeat. The Three-Eyed Raven has been killed.-

The effect was immediate.

Morale across the battlefields exploded upward instantly.

The Raven was not limited to a single battlefield. It frequently shifted from one front to another in search of the greatest concentration of cultivators perceiving its existence. Every army fighting in the Besgol Region feared its sudden appearance.

And now...

It was dead.

-Arcis and I successfully eliminated it thanks to the efforts of all of you. Every battle fought until now contributed toward this victory.-

Tobao continued immediately afterward.

-We also announce that a new type of Array has been successfully created and tested during this operation against the Raven.-

-The Array uses Godly Crystals to generate Godly Pressure capable of disguising its users. This grants us a completely new weapon against the Godly Creatures, especially when dealing with stronger enemies such as Godly Predators and Godly Horrors.-

Naturally, the reactions only intensified further.

A new Array capable of disguising cultivators as Godly Creatures?

The strategic value behind such a thing was simply immeasurable.

-More details will be released later. For now, know this: unless an entirely different Three-Eyed Raven appears, we should never see that creature again during this battle.-

-There has never been a recorded Godly Creature Horde containing two Ravens simultaneously. The possibility is practically nonexistent.-

-Thank you all for your efforts. Continue pushing the Godly Creatures back. Casualties during this assault should now become the lowest ever recorded for a war of this scale, especially one where the Raven made an appearance.-

Even from inside the command center, Tobao could hear the thunderous cheering erupting from countless locations across the battlefield.

The morale boost was simply enormous.

Only after ending the transmission did Tobao turn back toward Rean.

"As requested," he said, "I did not reveal that you were the creator of the new Array."

Rean nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, senior. After discovering that hidden puppets of the Godly Creatures may already exist within the Besgol Region, it would be better if our identities remain concealed."

Everyone present naturally understood what Rean meant.

After all, the incident involving the controlled cultivator in Jufafner Country had already spread everywhere. The battle in the middle of the city had been far too large to keep secret.

Tobao obviously agreed. "Exactly. I already arranged for your name to be removed from all public records connected to the Array project."

Then his expression became slightly more serious.

"Now tell me honestly. Can you repair the airplane and stabilize the arrays?"

Rean immediately shook his head.

"Not anytime soon," he admitted. "We pushed the prototype far beyond its intended limits. Honestly, I’m already surprised it survived for this long."

He let out a helpless sigh. "Even if I begin repairs immediately, it will probably take several days before it becomes operational again. And to be honest, I truly wouldn’t recommend trying another ambush using that skeleton airplane."

Rean then glanced toward the horizon where the battle still continued. "It’s just that... the opportunity to kill the Raven was too valuable to ignore, even if the plan itself was ridiculously risky."

Tobao did not mind that answer at all.

With the Raven gone, the rest of the assault could now be handled using more traditional methods.

"Very well," Tobao responded. "I will arrange funding so you can properly finish the project. Once the assault ends, I’ll also gather the best Array Masters available to assist you."

Unexpectedly, Rean refused immediately.

"No."

That answer made Tobao blink.

Rean calmly explained himself. "Just use the blueprints already uploaded to the Arrays Guild Network and work from there. As for me, I’d rather continue independently."

He then smiled bitterly. "Considering my cultivation level, the moment senior Array Masters become involved, they’ll probably try to take over the project completely."

Rean shrugged afterward. "If that happens, they may as well create their own versions using my blueprints instead. I prefer having freedom to work however I want."

Tobao remained silent for a moment before eventually nodding.

"Fair enough."

He could not exactly deny Rean’s concerns.

"Very well. I’ll still arrange financial support for you. Use it however you wish." He then added confidently, "With your blueprints publicly available, the region should already possess enough information to begin developing its own projects as well."

Soon afterward, Tobao prepared to leave together with Arcis. "Arcis and I are returning now. We need to recover our strength in case another Godly Horror appears. Well, they will appear sooner or later, that’s for sure. But anything other than the Raven can be dealt with."

Then he looked toward the twins’ group.

"What about all of you? Personally, I’d prefer you withdraw from the battlefield entirely. Your contribution after the war ends may become even more valuable than your direct combat strength."

This time, however, Roan answered instead.

"No can do."

His tone remained calm but firm.

"Improvement and danger always walk side by side. We will return to the frontlines."

Tobao stared at him briefly before nodding.

He did not insist further as he knew Roan was right.

Besides, the most important information had already been secured and distributed.

"Very well," Tobao replied in the end. "Then I wish your group good luck."