Chapter 2472: Convincing

Inside the Soul Society and far beyond it, every breath seemed to be held as countless eyes remained fixed on the battle unfolding before them.

The Phantom Shadow vessels continued filming and broadcasting live without interruption, with dozens of separate broadcasts from different angles and different battles being transmitted everywhere at once, allowing those watching to constantly shift their attention from one battlefield to another.

Grand battles between Dominators, massive clashes between World Cataclysms, individual battles between Nexus States, brutal exchanges between heavy fleets... the scenes shifted rapidly from one confrontation to another, while the number of casualties continued to rise with every passing moment.

And everyone loved what they were seeing, while at the same time feeling afraid of everything those scenes represented...

They loved the sight of oppressors striking down other oppressors, watching the old oppressor they already knew clash against the new one who was preparing the plague for something they still didn’t understand. All they truly wished for was for the number of casualties on both sides to continue increasing, for each side to tear into the other, and for them to weaken one another as much as possible before this battle finally ended.

And at the same time, they were afraid of what the eventual victor would do once there was no longer an enemy standing before them...

Whoever emerged victorious today would undoubtedly gain even greater status and influence afterward, especially if the Syndicate’s side won. Taxes would multiply, and the filth they spread everywhere would know no limits, all under the convenient pretext that they had saved everyone from Robin Burton’s tyranny in a colossal battle fought under their leadership, something they could continue using to justify whatever came afterward.

The situation would inevitably be bad regardless of what happened... but at the same time, the battles unfolding before their eyes were undeniably beautiful and captivating!!

Whether it was the overwhelming individual strength displayed by the Horde or the ingenious and tightly coordinated formations on Robin Burton’s side, whether it was the terrifying spread of the Horde Army across the enormous battlefield or the arrays and curses being unleashed in batches from Robin Burton’s armies... every camera angle offered something visually breathtaking, something that made it almost impossible for anyone watching to tear their eyes away.

All of them except one particular broadcast.

That one was silent, heavy, and desolate compared to everything else being shown... but everyone watching knew perfectly well that it was the most dangerous of them all.

At this moment, the Butcher stood there without moving forward. Behind him stood the Relativity Behemoth with his children and his entire army, all of whom had yet to move from their positions. To his right, 194 Dominators from the Council of Thrones were still present, while to his left stood another 50 Dominators from the Tyrant Galaxy.

Altogether, the force gathered there approached 300 Dominators, accompanied by an entire fleet that still remained with them...

And despite that terrifying gathering of power, no one stood before all of them except Renara.

"...." Marlik was just about to pounce on Renara and finally begin their confrontation when he felt the countless gazes surrounding him, causing him to stop before moving. He waved dismissively at Renara as though putting her aside for a moment. "Wait right there." Then he turned around toward those still standing behind him.

"What the hell? Are you waiting for an invitation?!" Marlik spread his arms wide as he looked at them and shouted, clearly unable to understand why so many Law Dominators were still standing there while the battle had already erupted everywhere around them.

"As long as Father agreed to cool things down, we won’t fight," one of Antares’s sons spoke, showing no intention of moving merely because Marlik had shouted at them.

They could easily have come with the Council of Thrones expedition from the beginning and started fighting alongside them instead of entering through the buffer zone with the fleet, but they had deliberately preferred to come with the fleet for one simple reason... and that reason was to save themselves the trouble.

The Council of Thrones expedition was supposed to spend those three years exhausting the enemy’s massive army until half of them were killed, and if Antares’s sons had gone with them from the beginning, some of their own people would inevitably have fallen as well. To them, however, a single drop of blood belonging to the sons of Antares was worth more than everyone present who stood outside their bloodline combined.

So, since Father himself had decided to cool things down for the time being, why would they voluntarily enter the battle, expose themselves to danger, and allow even the dust of the battlefield to touch their bodies?

"Tsk~ It’s as if the heavens knew I hated dandies and decided to send me even more of them." Marlik’s face twisted further as he looked at them. "You heard them. This isn’t a truce, it’s merely a cooling down. Battles are still taking place everywhere, just at a slower pace than before. They haven’t withdrawn from their positions, and there’s no reason whatsoever for you to withdraw either."

Then he pointed toward the enormous battle that continued expanding farther and farther across the surrounding space. "There’s a battle right there. Go and fight, even if you’re going to do it halfheartedly and don’t intend to take things seriously. Your mere presence on the battlefield will put some pressure on the enemy; they’ll have to keep you in mind and account for your movements while fighting... They won’t simply count you as a bunch of cowardly cats who only stand around watching and playing while everyone else fights." Then he waved his hand dismissively toward them. "If you don’t intend to help even that much, then withdraw altogether. I’d rather have the victory credited to me alone!"

Then he pointed toward the Council’s Dominators as well, making it clear that none of them were excluded from what he had just said. "That goes for you too!" He spread his arms wide, openly displaying his chiseled abdominal muscles as he declared, "This is my field. Anyone who won’t participate in it can get the hell out of it!"

"..." The Council’s Dominators and the Tyrant’s Dominators remained silent for a moment as they exchanged glances with one another, each side looking toward the other.

They had been given explicit orders to cool things down and reduce the intensity of the conflict, but they hadn’t been ordered to dismantle the Horde or abandon the battlefield altogether. If they continued clashing with this mad bull and arguing against him any further, they really would be forced to leave, allowing him to remain here and take all the glory for himself, even though the greater part of the enormous forces gathered here had originally come thanks to the Council of Thrones and the Tyrant’s influence!

"Tsk." In the end, the eldest son of the Tyrant clicked his tongue and advanced toward the nearest battlefield with his arms folded across his chest, clearly showing no enthusiasm for what he was about to do, while his siblings moved behind him and followed in his footsteps.

The Council of Thrones’ Dominators cast Marlik a disgusted and angry look, their expressions making their feelings toward him perfectly clear, then they too began heading toward another battlefield, dragging their feet as they went rather than rushing forward like those who actually wanted to participate.

Afterward, once those two groups had finally begun moving, Marlik’s gaze shifted and landed directly on Asteron, the Relativity Behemoth who had remained in his original position.

And when it came to him... Marlik didn’t immediately shout or throw another insult as he had done with the others. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and simply stared at Asteron, waiting to see what exactly he was doing.

Asteron wasn’t stalling like the others, nor was there anything in his posture or expression that suggested fear or reluctance to enter the battle. His eyes were examining the enormous battlefield with extreme precision, moving across the different confrontations and forces, while it was possible to sense him actively using his power to perform calculations... so Marlik waited for him to finish, impatiently and with obvious irritation, but he nevertheless forced himself to wait.

Feeling those hawk-like eyes fixed firmly upon him, Asteron continued what he was doing without allowing Marlik’s impatience to interrupt him, but as his calculations progressed, he deliberately ignored many variables and didn’t enter through the numerous open branches before him... After only a few seconds of this, he finally closed his eyes, then turned back toward Marlik and gave him the result directly. "Our side is losing."

".....?" Marlik immediately spread his hands in disbelief, unable to understand how such a conclusion could already have been reached. "What the hell are you talking about? The battle just started."

"The direction this battle is heading is already clear." Asteron spoke calmly with his eyes still closed, as though the answer had become obvious enough after what he had just examined. "The system Robin Burton’s army operates under is extremely complex. This isn’t simply a battle of numbers against numbers, where the side with more fighters can overwhelm the other; it’s a handful of scattered teams fighting against an integrated system."

He continued without opening his eyes, "This is the first time I’ve seen several Great Powers, forces belonging to different Behemoths, coordinate with one another internally and externally with such precision and without any shame in doing so... I honestly don’t know whether seeing them cooperate to this extent lowers them in my eyes, or whether their willingness and ability to do it makes me respect them more."

Marlik was already furious from everything that had happened, but when he suddenly heard a quiet "Hehe~" coming from Renara behind him, the anger burning through his body flared even further. "We’re in an ideal situation! Our numbers are greater, and we have more Dominators on our side. Even if we completely remove those cowardly cats from the calculation, we still have the advantage, and the battle has only just begun, yet you’re already hesitating?!" His voice rose even further as he shouted directly at Asteron, "Do you want to turn around and go back with your tail between your legs too?!"

"....." Asteron remained silent for several moments after hearing that accusation, before finally answering in the same controlled manner. "I don’t go back on a pact. I’ll fight, and I’ll carry half of this battle by myself. I’ll bear half of its losses and its pressure, I’ll balance the situation first and then turn it in our favor... but in return, I want your promise that you won’t withdraw even if an order comes telling you to do so, and that you’ll continue fighting alongside me until I see victory with my own eyes. I don’t do things by halves!"

"Advance already!!" Marlik waved impatiently at the Relativity Behemoth, clearly having no desire to spend another moment discussing promises or conditions with him.

"...." Asteron undoubtedly felt that Marlik was belittling him by responding to his words in such a dismissive manner, but after a brief pause, he nevertheless nodded. "I’ll consider that your pledge." The next instant, his aura erupted wildly around him as he charged forward and shouted toward the distant battlefield, "Gravor! Arkail! I’m your opponent for today!!"

Behind him, the Relativity Behemoth’s entire crimson army finally began moving as well, advancing in an orderly and coordinated formation behind their master rather than scattering randomly across the battlefield.

In the distance, the formations belonging to the Gravity and Temporal Behemoths could also be seen changing in response to Asteron’s movement, shifting their arrangement as his force approached. Clearly, even the possibility of this confrontation had been accounted for beforehand.

"Tsk~ It’s like I’m a kindergarten principal trying to get everyone where they’re supposed to go..." Marlik spat to the side in irritation, then finally turned back toward Renara, who had remained waiting for him exactly where he had left her. "Were we talking about something important?"

"No, you were going to kill me." Renara replied with a small smile, as though merely reminding him where their conversation had stopped.

"Yeah, yeah." Marlik drew a sword with a sharp Zzzn, then immediately charged forward toward her without wasting another moment. "Let’s finish this quickly."

Slaaaash