Ragnar and his companions moved steadily toward the base of the mysterious group.

    The operation was divided into four teams, each led by notable figures of the Empire and its allies.

    Karion led one of the groups that were mostly his soldiers. He was also being accompanied by Drayton, the patriarch of the Raventhorn family.

    Minister Anselm led another group, which were the empire''s soldiers. He was also being accompanied by the Flame General, Feron.

    The third group was being led by the First Prince Anthony. He was being accompanied by Delano, the Earth General, who led the other empire soldiers.

    And the last one was Ragnar. Unlike the other groups, Ragnar marched at the front with only Liora by his side.

    The two of them moved ahead of the others because they were the ones who led the way and knew where the enemy base was.

    Behind them, the three groups who were following them began to be filled with skepticism and frustation.

    One of the soldiers silently muttered. "Just where the hell is this base?"

    Another soldier also started to grumble. "Yeah. We''ve been following this guy forever. Does he even know where he''s going?"

    Ragnar suddenly stopped and turned around to face the grumbling soldiers. He stared at him. "It was not far, so shut your mouths and keep moving. Or would you rather go back and let someone else handle this?"

    They immediately stopped as they exchanged uneasy glances. Ragnar continued to stare at them and reminded.

    "Let me remind you... I''m the one who found the location of this base. I''m the one doing the work here."

    "All you''ve done is follow my lead. So unless you have something useful to say, keep it to yourselves."

    Behind him, Liora smirked faintly. She crossed her arms as she watched the soldiers'' reaction. "They don''t know how lucky they are."

    Ragnar turned back to the front. He smirked as he glanced at Liora. "Ignorance is bliss, isn''t it?"

    Ragnar began to continue to run. "Come on, Liora. Let''s show them what real work looks like."

    The soldiers could only grumble under their breath. They had no choice but to follow as Ragnar and Liora.

    The other team leaders exchanged glances. They were already irritated with how Ragnar handled things around.

    He then turned to Liora. "It''s time."

    Liora nodded and fused with her beast, Leon, the Silver Flame Lion.

    Liora began to become a Silver Flame Lion Beastman. Her hands and feet began to become claws.

    Ragnar smirked as he also fused with his beast. His hand and feet became scaled, with sharp lizard-like claws, and his head took on the form of a reptilian beast, complete with sharp fangs.

    Ragnar turned back to the group and smirked. "If you''re too scared to enter... just flee. There are plenty of us here—losing a few cowards won''t matter."

    Anthony frowned as he exchanged a glance with Delano.

    Without another word, Ragnar turned to the crater. He smirked one last time at the gathered leaders and their forces before leaping into the volcano, with Liora following close behind.

    The remaining leaders and their troops stood in silence for a moment. Karion was enraged and muttered. "Arrogant bastard."

    Anthony walked closer to the edge of the crater. He turned back to his group. "Let''s go. We can''t let him take all the glory."

    Anselm sighed. He also prepared to follow. "Let''s move. We''ll see if his confidence is justified."

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    Karion, on the other hand, remained behind. It was different, like his personality. He glanced at Drayton.

    "Can you believe the arrogance of that man? He acts as if he owns this operation."

    Drayton folded his arms as he looked toward the crater. "His confidence is grating, but we can''t ignore the results. He found the location, didn''t he?"

    He then added disdainfully. "Still, his approach leaves much to be desired."

    Karion snorted. "Arrogance doesn''t win wars. Strategy does. And rushing in like that? It''s reckless."

    Drayton turned his head slightly. "Perhaps. But if we hesitate too long, we risk falling behind. And whether we like it or not, Ragnar has forced our hand."

    Karion sighed. "Fine. Let''s go. But don''t think for a second that I''ll let him outshine us."

    Drayton nodded as he followed Karion toward the edge of the crater. The two patriarchs exchanged a brief glance before jumping in.

    One by one, the remaining groups began to approach the crater. They steeled their resolves as they prepared to follow Ragnar and Liora into the heart of the volcano.