The Invincible Full-Moon System

Chapter 1942: Hiding in Wait

Hours earlier.

"Sigh..." Alexander sighed loudly as he looked over his army.

As per their plan, the main army would be split into two and hidden near the northern and southern Divine Source to wait for the enemy forces to come. It was the final agreed plan after an intensive discussion with Rex, so that’s what they were doing.

Hiding an army of thousands is a hard thing to do.

Even with the thick mist that was naturally made around the Divine Source due to the high concentration of divine strands, are not going to hide them well enough. And with the mounts they were bringing, the act of being silent and low-key is simply not possible on the surface.

It would take a Major Oustification or Major Law tied to stealth to avoid the enemy forces’ detection.

Both were not Alexander’s forte.

However, there’s one method that worked for the Red Skull Elite Force.

Other than being known to be fearsome in terms of raw offensive capabilities, they were also known to have a lot of monsters and creatures that were used as mounts. Many of these beings are highly fossorial, which meant they were adept at burrowing underground.

Alexander decided that the army would hide underground.

No need to fear being sensed by the people on the surface.

Unlike the Baby-blue Periwinkles in the Cavity that bloomed on the surface, the ones here grew right under the Divine Source and spread throughout the continent. It was one of the reasons why the land in this realm was fertile.

Because the Baby-blue Periwinkles were right underground.

If it was on the surface, the sky would be far different; changed by the seething power.

Since these flowers were underground, it was the land that underwent the mutation, not the sky.

Due to the intensity coming from the divine strands, the earth crumbled around them, carving out a deep and complex labyrinth of tunnels. Depending on the terrain, the passages ranged—from knee-height all the way to being able to host an entire army.

Alexander and the army didn’t know how the situation was under the northern Divine Source.

But even if the tunnels were shallow, the creatures the army brought could widen them.

Carved a bigger tunnel without disturbing a single Baby-blue Periwinkle.

And that’s exactly what the army did when they realized the tunnels underneath were shallow.

Moreover, the energy coming from the Baby-blue Periwinkle also acted like a natural barrier that could block the enemy forces on the surface from sensing the Red Skull Elite Force underground. Alexander deemed this the best method they could use right now.

Alexander patted his partner and dropped down to the ground with a heavy thud.

Everything was handed; now, all the army needed to do was to wait.

"What’s with the long face, Sir Alexander?" One of the most capable captains, Ricko, asked when he saw Alexander was completely drained. "Is the air not fresh enough for your big lungs? We could make a hole in the ceiling."

"You and your tongue are as annoying as always," Alexander sneered.

He took a steel flask and drank the contents inside.

It wasn’t alcohol, but a type of liquid that made him more alert than countless espressos at once.

Alexander felt a tingle trailing down his spine as he pocketed the steel flask again.

"Just that I’m not sure about this," He added.

"Not sure?" Ricko took out a cigarette and lit it up with his index finger, summoning a small ember. "I thought you already talked with the new guy, Sir Rex. Before departing—you told us that we would be waiting for the enemy forces to come."

"It was mostly Rex’s idea. I wanted us to handle the Divine Source and go from there."

"But that’ll take days to complete. Securing the core of the Divine Source isn’t a smooth process. I bet we won’t be finished when the enemy forces arrive."

"That’s also what he said. He said we knew about the enemy’s plan, so we ought to wipe them out first, which would eliminate the need to secure the Divine Source."

"Even though it’s the most logical plan, it’s not your style," Ricko said with a small smile, knowing the exact reason why Alexander seemed restless. He was used to charging straight into battle—not waiting for the best moment to strike like this. "And yet you still accepted his plan; that’s why I respected you."

Alexander’s plan isn’t that bad at all.

It might sound reckless for many, but there are advantages in using his plan.

One being that they could mitigate the loss if the enemy forces somehow won against them in this realm.

Securing the core of the Divine Source would take days, and not to mention, the Baby-blue Periwinkles underground must be harvested in order to free its ties to the realm. Of course, as the elite force serving High Lord Rashal, they have methods to do that quickly even without a Gardener.

But taking the core is still a very hazardous task as it required a delicate process.

One wrong move and it would be bad for them.

As with all things, there was a way to mitigate that, and that’s to extract enough pure energy from the core to clone it at a later date. The process would take less time to complete. And if the army followed through with Alexander’s plan—they could preserve the Divine Source sufficiently to ensure High Lord Rashal wouldn’t lose face.

In case the Red Skull Elite Force lost, their harvest would maintain High Lord Rashal’s reputation.

Right now, they didn’t know when the enemy forces would make their moves.

But without enough time, they could do that.

A safety net—that was what Alexander’s plan had that Rex’s lacked. Rex had embraced an all-or-nothing gamble. Alexander’s approach was more cautious, more measured. The trade-off was clear: his results would never be as spectacular as Rex’s.

And yet, Alexander knew High Lord Rashal craved something extraordinary.

From the light behind High Lord Rashal’s eyes, it was clear that he wanted total victory.

It was another reason why he decided to go with Rex’s plan.

"Heh," Alexander scoffed. "If it were up to me, I wouldn’t use that plan. But I’m thinking about you guys. Besides—it’s not like I’m being obvious with my restlessness. You only realized because you knew me better and were paying attention."

"Are you kidding?" Ricko laughed and then pointed to the other side of the massive tunnel. Dozens of soldiers were harvesting the Baby-blue Periwinkles even though they weren’t told to do so. "Those guys realized you were restless, so they tried to at least gather the Baby-blue Periwinkles, hoping that seeing them working would ease you a bit."

"Tell them it’s unnecessary."

"It’s necessary, though. If Sir Rex’s plan fails—the army at least saved some divine strands. You could use that as a reason worth bearing for the High Lord to lessen your punishment."

"You guys really are... something."

Alexander shook his head.

Even though his face betrayed nothing, he was deeply touched inside as his soldiers were really thinking about him the same way he thought about them. Mutual respect has been established between them, and it shows.

"What’s the deal with Sir Rex—anyway?" Ricko leaned on the obsidian dragon’s body and crossed his arms. "How did he suddenly gain the favour of the High Lord and be placed in charge right beside your leadership? That never happened before."

"I’m not so sure, but High Lord Rashal viewed him highly."

"What about you? What do you think about him?"

"Hmm..." Alexander looked down, recalling his encounter with Rex. He didn’t know exactly why the High Lord viewed Rex highly, but he could somewhat see the reason. "I don’t get this kind of feeling— from just anyone, but I can tell that he’s dangerous."

"Dangerous? I don’t see him being stronger than you." Ricko snickered.

Compared to the pressure coming from Alexander, Rex was lacking.

It was obvious that his divinity was lacking even as an Awakened Demigod, perhaps even more so when measured against himself. So—he found it strange that Alexander would label Rex as dangerous when Rex barely surpassed his own strength.

"Of course, I’m stronger. That’s without a doubt," Alexander laughed; he’s a High Millinar, and bearing such a title meant he’s far stronger than the average. A powerhouse in his own right. "But there’s more to being dangerous than being stronger."

"Then what do you mean by dangerous?"

"It’s exactly what it means. He’s seething—with a dangerous air that even put me on guard. It feels like if he wanted to, despite the strength between us, he could kill me. And I can see it in his eyes; he believed he could do it."

"Huh... I’ll trust your gut in this."

Ricko shrugged his shoulders.

As much as he doesn’t believe it, there are only a few times that Alexander would say something like this.

If he felt that way about Rex, then he must really feel it.

Alexander is not someone who’d play around about something like this.

Just then, Alexander lifted his head sharply; the motion was sudden and avian, as if a soundless bell had tolled somewhere deep in his skull. His eyes narrowed, tracking a disturbance that did not come from anything inside the tunnel.

Given the Baby-blue Periwinkles’ influence saturating the earth above them, no energy should be able to seep through.

At least no energy belonging to this realm.

Despite the Baby-blue Periwinkle’s influence helping them hide their auras, it also did the opposite. It was a double-edged gift. It blanketed the underground in a smothering silence, rendering the army under it invisible to any surface senses, but it also blinded them.

If the enemy stood directly overhead at this very moment, Alexander would not feel them.

He had accepted that risk, as there are other means to know what was going on above.

But something infiltrated the tunnel.

A single sparkling droplet of water seeped through the packed ceiling; it hung suspended for a fleeting moment. A bead of liquid no larger than a fingernail, and yet it burned against Alexander’s senses—like a flare in absolute darkness.

Immortal energy thrummed within it, and it was laced with the unmistakable signature of power.

The power of a Major Law; the Law of Life Water.

Manvac’s power.

Alexander quickly realized the droplet was not merely water, but it was a scout that was akin to a very sensitive beacon that could sense anything in the area. Even now, its energy was spreading at a steady rate, which would only be trouble for them.

"Skinnies! Your turn!" He raised his hand and roared.

Almost instantly, a few dozen soldiers moved as one organism; like muscles contracting in response to a single nerve. There was no hesitation. No whispered confusion. As the elite force under the High Lord, their reaction speed was impeccable.

The Red Skull Elite Force had been trained for moments precisely like this. frёeωebɳovel.com

And they thrived.

Those among them with the highest attunement to immortal energy, Skinnies, stepped forward almost instantly. Their hands rose, palms facing the ceiling, fingers already glowing—with the pale, cold light of concentrated power.

For each droplet that had begun to pearl through the dense soil, a corresponding soldier locked onto it.

Each one wove a tube of immortal energy around each droplet, translucent sheaths that shimmered like heat with hawk-like precision. The droplets hung within these cocoons, quivering with unrealized goals, severed from the source that had birthed them.

Their energies could expand, creating an illusion that they were still inside packed soil.

Manvac’s scouting droplets were contained under the illusion of earth, and even as they dropped even further, the immortal energy made sure that the drop was slow, mimicking the exact way a droplet would weave through packed soil.

Every single soldier was silent, waiting for the command from Alexander.

And then, a crackle resonated from Alexander’s earpiece.

A voice, calm and edged with the certainty of a hunter who was certain that the prey had been trapped.

’The enemy forces are right above you,’ Rex’s voice crackled. ’Get ready. I’ll call the shots."

Hearing this, Alexander smirked.