"COMMANDER Lewis, how do we proceed now that Trevor Kesser has left?" Paige asked Lewis. She noticed that the fox boy frowned, and that made her smile a little. "I know you don't like the word 'commander' because it reminds you of Princess Neoma's lover, but that's your title, Commander. Our Order has been official for quite some time now."
Juri, who heard their conversation, laughed. "Oh, Commander. Are you still jealous of Commander Ruto?"
Lewis just frowned further.
"Hey, don't put him down," Jeno scolded Juri. "Lewis is the strongest among us, but he's still a child. Princess Neoma is his first love and first heartbreak, so don't tease him." He then turned to Lewis and tapped his back awkwardly. "It's alright, Commander. I'm sure you'll find the right person for you soon."
Lewis knitted his eyebrows, obviously starting to get irritated.
Paige only watched the kids in amusement.
[They're cute.]
"Hey, you're the one who's putting our commander down," Juri teased Jeno. "You suck at consoling our poor commander."
"Shut up."
Pfft.
[They're going to get married soon, and yet they still fight like children.]
"What is that?"
It was Xion.
Everyone turned in the direction that Xion pointed.
"I-It's moving," Greko said nervously, gulping. "The Abyss is moving."
The Abyss was just a 'burned' land with dead soil, dead trees, dead everything.
But the scariest thing about the Abyss was the black ashes that were spread everywhere.
[Apparently, that is the Abyss.]
And the black ashes were starting to move, creating a mild twister.
"Everyone," Lewis said firmly. "Wear your masks."
"Yes, Commander."
Everyone did as their commander said.
Paige, who was leading the group when it was about purifying, observed the Abyss move.
[It doesn't look like it's about to turn into a full twister.]
Moreover, Trevor didn't say that it would.
What the Sorcerer said was…
"The Abyss will take the form of the strongest person that we've met according to our collective memory," Lewis said, looking straight at Paige. "Isn't that what Trevor said?"
It was rare for Lewis to talk this much, but it wasn't surprising.
[After all, Princess Neoma asked him to be more expressive if he wants to continue leading us.]
"Yes, Commander," Paige said, nodding. "Apparently, the reason the former Empress Mona and Queen Tara lost to the Abyss before is because the Abyss took the form of the Cosmic Tree. They lost because the Abyss had completely copied the Cosmic Tree's abilities."
Lewis let out a sigh. "Then the Abyss might turn into Princess Neoma."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
[After all, we all think Princess Neoma is the strongest person we've met.]
"Brace yourselves, everyone," Lewis warned their group. "The Abyss might take the form of Princess Neoma, but it's not Princess Neoma."
"I'm glad I'm not an attacker," Greko "whispered," but everyone heard him anyway. "I don't think I can attack Eomma even though I know it isn't really her."
Everyone flinched at the child's words.
After all, it was true.
[Lewis may act tough, but I'm sure he'll be the one who's going to hesitate the most when it's time to attack the fake Princess Neoma. As the oldest one here, I have to lead the group if our commander wavers.]
Paige was sure Princess Neoma would understand.
"Huh?"
The loud confused expression came out of everyone's mouth.
After all, the Abyss had finally taken its final form.
The ashes slowly vanished— revealing the new form of the Abyss…
… but it wasn't the person they expected.
"Commander Ruto?" Paige asked in disbelief. "Did we all unconsciously decide that Commander Ruto is the strongest person we've met and not Princess Neoma?"
"Oh, no," Juri said, placing a hand over his chest. "I feel like I've betrayed Princess Neoma."
Jeno and Xion both nodded in agreement, and both were also frowning as if they couldn't accept that they all betrayed Princess Neoma by collectively thinking that Commander Ruto was the strongest.
"I-It's okay!" Greko said, obviously trying to cheer them up. "I'm sure Commander Ruto is just a tiny bit stronger than Eomma! Just a little bit! And isn't it a good thing that we're not going to fight something that looks like Eomma?"
Paige was just about to agree with Greko, but then she realized that Lewis was no longer with them. "Where did he go… oh."
She trailed off when she found where Lewis was.
Their commander had already attacked the Abyss' human form.
Lewis, with a blank look on his face, kicked the fake "Commander Ruto" a kick on the face that sent the fake commander flying.
Oh.
"That kick was personal," Paige said, laughing. "Commander Lewis is so petty."
***
HAAAH.
Creating a portal left and right was actually taking a toll on Trevor's body.
He might be the best Sorcerer in the world. However, opening illegal portals in places that a mere human like him shouldn't be still wasn't easy.
[This body is about to break down.]
To be precise, his heart was about to literally burst.
After all, everyone who had Mana had their Core stored in their hearts.
[The more I use Mana, the weaker my Core becomes. And once the Mana stored in my Core gets depleted, the Core will burst. Of course, that includes his heart.]
But he had no choice but to power through.
And that was why Trevor was here now.
By 'here,' he meant Princess Neoma's training room where the terrarium was.
And…
"What are you doing here, Trevor Kesser?"
It was Emperor Nero.
[The real one.]
The young emperor was surrounded by his own knights.
As expected, Emperor Nero's knights were giving him suspicious looks.
"I'm here because of Princess Neoma's order," Trevor said, pointing at the terrarium where the fallen goddess was slowly dying inside. "I need to bury that thing."
[Before my heart gives out.]
"There's something different about you, Trevor Kesser," Emperor Nero said while crossing his arms over his chest. "Why do you have the look of death on your face?"
Ah.
[Was it that obvious?]
***
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