The inside of the fort had become a battlefield.

The alliance of the contestants of the Grand Prix came out from the spatial trap swinging.

The soldiers of the Empire were on alert and ready to intercept the scattered invaders. They had prepared killing grounds and surrounded the expected exit coordinates. However, the strike team was composed of the Latias most elite youths; they were able to shift their exit point slightly and avoid those deathtraps. As pairs, they began fighting the enemies right off the bat to great success.

The Harkelan soldiers were numerous but they were mostly Level 2s. The captains were higher in cultivation, in the Level 3 ranges. However, those were only one in fifty.

The contestants of the Grand Prix were all under twenty-five years old but they were all at the higher end of Level 3s, those that passed to Round 3 anyway. An average Level 3, or two, or three, was not their match.

What happened next was almost a replica of their air battle earlier, in favor of the aggressor. The enclosed and indoor spaces made the numerical superiority of the Harkelans less impactful. It was as if the viruses had entered the body. Even the most hardened defenses were vulnerable from the inside.

In pairs, the strike team members were having a field day killing dozens and dozens of the Harkelan soldiers. After win after win, as if drunk on the feeling of superiority against their enemies, many among the strike team were in a battle high state.

Those with the cooler heads thought there must be more than this.

“They are trying to slow us down by throwing their own soldiers' lives.”

“I am aware, Master,” Boram said.

The two were walking forward. Their pace was not particularly fast but it was constant, not decreasing even when a hundred human walls tried to kill them.

They were killed in turn.

Viers just walked and those that got close would be electrified to death. Boram actively hammered his opponents like an unstoppable force.

Their enemies were not robots or aliens that the heroes of Marvel movies could kill safely without repercussions, but real humans. They felt fear, they had families, they shed tears in desperation, and they died in despair. They didn't want to die but they had to fight because they were in the army and deserters would be executed on the spot. That was how the Harkelans did it.

And then life placed them in front of Viers. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Viers closed his heart to the unpleasant feelings but Boram was affected. This might be war and failure was not an option but seeing the grim reality with his own eyes nailed the realization mercilessly. Viers tried to shift his focus elsewhere and made a note to give some counseling later for his disciple’s mental health.

“How is your Victa holding up?”

“...Truthfully, it is a bit concerning.”

“Nothing surprising, I suppose. With the Grand Prix and all,” Viers recalled Round 1, Round 2, and the path until this point.

Boram’s condition should be among the better ones since he was a physical fighter type that had smaller Victa expenditure compared to the Victa-intensive spellcasters.

Ciel should be fine with the Silver Legion’s enviable Victa regen Arte but the others... Like the dragon swarm before, the Empire might be using a one-trick phony strategy to grind our Victa to nill. The annoying thing is, there’s nothing you can do about it!

If enough blood price is paid, one can defeat significantly stronger beings. Viers realized this a long time ago. Even though he was strong, if he was forced to fight a massive force, even he had a limit. His answer to this problem was to have a massive army of his own, just like a great villain should.

This was why there was a Tyra Xerg Queen that he brought out from the Book World in Viridis right now.

But that was for the future. Now he had to make do without an endless army that would rival the Tyranids and the Zergs.

“The future battlefield will be concerning but my Victa reserve won't be a problem during this battle, including the fight with ‘that’.”

Boram spoke softly while constantly monitoring their surroundings for hostiles. He was using the earth’s vibration to sense things. Viers taught Boram that after Toph Beifong taught Viers, unofficially.

“Ok. Show me how much you’ve grown during these years.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Yes, Master.”

As per the strategy, wherever they ended up after the exit they would go to the nearest power sources. The energy from the power sources was easy to detect, even for those not good at sensing things. Viers and Boram were steadily approaching their target.

Still, throwing away lives, huh? How wasteful... and incredibly dangerous.

Without letting his disciple know, the souls of the dead flowed into Viers like water sunk into the earth. These were invaluable cultivation resources for Viers: the lives of his fellow man!

Letting it go to waste was the real sin!

It wasn't as if he was lacking in souls, but like money, it was always good to have more. Why else do billionaires keep making more money for themselves?

At another place, Prince Cassian treated his two Rank 4 Deva monsters to a feast. Monsters ate mana-rich food to grow stronger. This was their Path of Power. It could be natural-born treasures, other monsters, and of course, Pathseekers.

At yet another place, Prince Vadym who possessed Death affinity let all the deaths around him empower him. The Prince killed the Harkelan soldiers with impunity and utterly without mercy. There was no hesitation on his part, as if he was familiar with the banquet of carnage.

Viers was sure there were others. Others that thrived in a true life-and-death battlefield that the Harkelan Empire kindly provided them.

On both sides.

While Viers was having such musings, it didn't take long until they reached their destination. Their spawn location was quite close.

The master-and-disciple pair destroyed the door to the power source room when it wouldn't open. As expected, there were obstacles between them and the glowing energy pillar. It wasn't a surprise that there would be stronger guards placed at crucial locations.

There were two groups of elite soldiers here, ten people each, all were Level 3. They had more intricate armor that separated them from the kind they had been reaping thus far. Their equipment and power were greater.

Even though the Harkelan pursued the quantity over quality of their Pathseeker army, not all of them were mooks. That would be stupid and the leadership of the Empire wasn't.

Other than the two groups that bared their weapons and hostility at them, Viers saw a man who was a cut above the rest. He was unmistakably the ‘mid-boss’.

“My name is Kraso, one of Ten Tundra Rostov’s direct subordinates,” the Level 3 peak said. “You’ve got rotten luck to have me as your opponent. Perish while knowing all your efforts will be in va-.”

The mid-boss’ dialogue was getting too long and Viers did not have the patience to listen so he hit the skip button.

Viers had lightning around his body as if he was wearing an electric coat. He lunged at the mid-boss and tackled him with his shoulder. Boram also sprung into action, already anticipating his Master would do something like this.

Viers’ tackle sent the mid-boss crashing into a wall, denting the black stone. The mid-boss didn't understand why Viers, who had a lower Level than him, was able to exert such power. Viers praised the man internally since he didn't die in one hit.

The mid-boss suspected his opponent was hiding his true Level, but he couldn't even let a word out because Boram gave him a flying kick to the stomach. This time, the wall broke.

The mid-boss’ troops were caught off guard and only began to take action at this point.

However, Viers electrocuted anyone who got too close. Futon’s lightning was so purely refined and powerful that just his ordinary attack dealt massive damage to these Harkelan elites. This showed their worth; the standard Harkelan soldiers straight-up died.

Boram also had no problem shrugging off the attacks coming his way. The automatic sand wall was the first layer of defense, accurately intercepting many Artes. The few that got through, dealt 0 or 1 damage to Boram’s skin. Enchanted swords and spears of the Empire's elites broke when they hit him. His mastery over the Giant bloodline and Earthborn Amalgam Profound Codex made Boram a physical powerhouse.

What happened next was the most humiliating occurrence for the Kraso Unit since its founding. Their leader was getting beaten left and right by two people, like a punching bag while the rest of the men were unable to do a thing!

The master and disciple duo just kept on attacking in sync. When the mid-boss tried to run, one blocked the way while the other attacked from behind. When the mid-boss tried to counter, one defended while the other attacked.

Their barrage of attacks were to such a degree that Kraso could only turtle up, hoping for external factors to save him.

It was futile.

“Hmph!”

Boram slammed the mid-boss to the ground and hammered his exposed back.

Arte - Earth Shatter!

“Gwoaaaahhh!”

Kraso suffered significant damage. His life-saving items were destroyed and still so much damage remained. Viers arrived while he was still puking blood. Viers put his foot on his back and grabbed the two sides of Kraso’s head.

And he pulled.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

Kraso experienced what Kratos did to Helios. His demise was without doubt.

Viers raised the severed head aloft with both bloody hands for all to see. The mid-boss’ men saw the expression of their commander. It was as if he was still screaming that heart-wrenching wail through his open mouth.

Viers threw the mid-boss’ head at the power source, destroying the glowing pillar and the projectile alike.

The will of the mid-boss’ men was similarly destroyed so utterly that these professional, battle-hardened soldiers ran like scared little girls.

This was no orderly retreat but a chaotic rout. They all went towards three of the possible exits. All men for themselves as soon as possible no matter the cost. They all ran for dear life.

Whether the deluge-like killing intent that almost became material from Viers played a part or not remained a mystery.

But one was covered by a curtain of yellow lightning and the other was blocked by a sudden rock formation. Between them and the final exit, stood Viers and Boram.

“No survivors,” Viers said to Boram next to him.

“Understood.”

The smart ones used their remaining time to pray.