Inside Linden City, at the Dream Blue Hotel.

Zachak's state of mind had been like a rollercoaster throughout the afternoon, constantly rising and falling.

Around two o'clock.

The military police sent to a certain secret port lost contact, and later, the senior officers dispatched to investigate also failed to report back.

At three-thirty, news arrived.

Edmund had captured Gloria and the pursuit target, and would soon come to Linden City to join forces and return to the imperial capital together.

And now.

Two soldiers whose morale had collapsed escaped from the dozens of military police killed by Carolso and Cloud, using military police-trained hawks to urgently report that Edmund's condition was unknown, and the targets might pass through Lavender Town to reach the coast.

Night was about to fall now. If Edmund had brought people riding fast horses from the beginning, they should have arrived long ago.

There was only one possibility.

"Edmund... that kind of man, actually died."

The two-and-a-half-meter tall leonine couldn't believe it. He knew work had come, hefted his three-hundred-pound giant blade, and understood they were to intercept on the road to Lavender Town.

"Only I can handle this personally now."

Zachak's tone was calm. He had already set up an impenetrable net—the formal port of Linden City was tightly sealed, and other secret ports also had patrols.

Thinking of the military police squad that lost contact at noon, Zachak understood the situation.

"You go to the Admiral's residence now, have the Admiral send troops to the main road to Lavender Town, say it's by the Military Police Commander's handwritten order. Bound by law, he'll likely transfer some troops."

Zachak's expression was icy as he stood up and gave orders to Isumi.

Although many of the garrison soldiers here were just connections padding their resumes, there were also elites he had brought himself.

All methods ultimately led to the same result. Even in internal politics, it followed the principle of befriending distant states while attacking those nearby.

Within the same institution, every colleague of equal rank was an enemy, a competitor hindering one's climb to the highest position in that institution.

Those in other institutions needed to be pulled together, uniting to deal with competitors within friendly departments. Often, the people under one's command weren't entirely one's own;

those mutually embedded in friendly institutions were the most trustworthy.

Only this way could one operate flexibly within the imperial court, slowly consolidating upper-level power like an iron barrel.

Yet almost every capable person did this, resulting in deadly dangers at every step within the imperial court.

Zachak had to take care of people embedded by political allies, letting them pad their resumes. Of course, hard battles also had to be fought. He had about two hundred high-quality elite soldiers here.

"Extremely urgent, depart immediately."

Zachak immediately set out, bringing the leonine. Although this leonine only had field officer rank, it was merely due to lack of military merit;

his actual skill wasn't much worse than Edmund's.

After rapid preparations, Zachak led the military police formation through the streets. Along the way, Linden City residents cast hostile gazes, feeling quite bitter about foreigners running rampant on their native soil, yet they only dared to feel anger without speaking out.

Ten minutes later.

The coast was nearly at nightfall, the winter monsoon piercingly cold.

At a main road intersection eight miles outside Linden City, trees stood densely, wild grass swaying in the wind, creating a bleak and murderous atmosphere.

A mighty two-hundred-person team all held torches, illuminating several hundred meters around with nowhere to hide.

From here, one could take branch roads to Lavender Town and another town, or through a rammed earth path deep in another branch to a secret port where the noon missing squad was patrolling.

When Zachak brought his troops here.

The patrolling military police here had all been killed. More than ten corpses were in horrifying condition, as if someone was skilled in dissection—several bodies had ulna and radius bones split down the middle from their arms, an extremely bizarre cutting technique. Other parts resembled scattered rib pieces hanging on butcher's hooks, blood expertly drained, leaving only fresh meat, extremely bizarre and unheard of.

The rest had been disemboweled alive, with claw marks on the corpses as if killed by fierce beasts.

"Pretty creepy, damn."

A gloomy wind blew, torches flickering. The leonine couldn't help but complain—this damn Eastern Coast was really spooky.

"People here to meet Carolso and them, quite capable."

Zachak looked toward the branch road leading to the limestone cave over ten miles away at Sea Erosion Cliff, as if remembering something. Marcus actually... had some kind of divine power? That location happened to be exactly where the bloody hand pointed under the "Petition Umbrella" tree.

Zachak had made his decision. His group would intercept Carolso and them, while Marcus would naturally hold this position. For insurance, he still sent a hundred people to support the secret port, including several senior officers who could form proper formations.

From now on, they would split into two routes.

Reports said Gloria and the target were captured, but must have been rescued by supporters. Zachak led the remaining people to continue to Lavender Town to block them.

At this very moment.

Secret Port.

Micah shook Fen out of his distant thoughts. Two of the men Archer took up had returned to report that a group of heavily armored priests and a roughly five-meter-tall giant were coming this way.

"Damn it."

Wolman never expected they'd be facing church fanatics.

Fen also lost interest in using spirits to support the other two routes. Plans couldn't keep up with changes—it seemed something had happened on Li Site's side too. Those people had actually locked down the secret port, concluding that this ship was the support vessel.

"Uncle here loves killing church people the most."

Haywood imitated Wolman's words.

"No need to worry, with this thing in my hand."

Fen took out a hemp bag from his chest containing the Underworld Stele fragment wrapped in seal demon stone. Although he had never tried it and didn't dare attempt it lightly, as a last resort if he couldn't win, using the stele fragment as a medium to perform necromancy would make him unbeatable unless the Eternal Sect's high priest came personally.

Micah regarded him with deep respect. This mage was incredibly strong yet excessively cautious—so reliable.

Meanwhile.

On the other side.

Zachak had already marched some distance on the main road to Lavender Town.

This large road was built along the coast, gradually going inland. The air was somewhat stuffy and hot now, a heavy rain about to fall. Thick clouds covered the celestial bodies in the starry sky, visibility so low it felt like midnight already.

Just then, screams came from the front lines of the vertical formation.

Zachak immediately ordered a halt to advancement.

"What happened?"

Zachak rode to the very front and saw a horse on the ground disemboweled, its contents sprayed everywhere. The soldier riding it had his throat torn open, not quite dead yet, intermittently spurting blood, already in critical condition beyond saving.

"I didn't see clearly—a black shadow pounced over, then disappeared. Seemed like a giant wolf."

The questioned soldier was so frightened by what just happened that he spoke haltingly.

"What giant wolf... must be a werewolf from the western highlands."

The leonine also came to the front, guessing it was one of the killers who slaughtered the patrol military police.

The black shadow suddenly shot out from the woods again.

Ren strictly remembered the strategy: kill small fry directly, delay big fish if possible. If they couldn't buy enough time, regroup with Morrison and Ox's main forces.

This time Ren wasn't so lucky.

Zachak was at the troop's front, instantly drawing his sword and slashing. A blood-red sword energy roared forth like a dragon.

Ren extended his arm guard to block, his elbow joint nearly dislocated from the shock. The steel arm guard now bore a scratch.

"So you're the Arlan Sword King's disciple, right?"

Ren didn't dare stay long. Human foot speed was worlds apart from his own. No matter how strong Zachak was, if he ran into the woods, Zachak couldn't catch him.

He whistled, revealing a dozen pirates ambushed at the troop's rear—not to kill, but to harass and weaken strength.

These pirates killed a few rear soldiers before quickly disappearing into the woods.

Ren himself charged forward along the road on all fours. Time for a real badass to start slaughtering.

"After them."

Zachak understood the situation had now turned into a life-or-death battle of annihilation.