CHAPTER 706: THE ARROGANT DECISION

In the Fallen Star Cluster, a large fleet of interstellar vessels was leaving the atmosphere of the greatest star there, the Red Mist Star. The group consisted of thirty vessels of varied sizes, with the largest, the lead vessel capable of carrying a hundred thousand people, pushing into open space.

Such a sight was rare, appearing only in times of war with other stars, when great mobilizations occurred and millions of troops were dispatched. The scene was truly intimidating, for at this moment millions of devil troops stood ready to unleash destruction upon anything that blocked their path.

Within the foremost and largest vessel, the son of the Vampire King, Rulleus, sat in his most respected seat with command in his hands. Behind him stood three of his guards. Two of them were at the middle pseudo-immortal stage, while the other was at the peak of the pseudo-immortal stage. They stood like guardian statues.

The leader of the devils from the Red Mist Star, Xarz, also stood beside them, following the orders of this prince. To be honest, Xarz at this moment cursed Rulleus thousands of times in his heart, resenting the prince’s decision-making and arrogant attitude. He hated Rulleus for underestimating his adversaries, for to Xarz that was the sign of inevitable destruction.

Xarz was the type of leader who would think comprehensively before making a decision. Although he was a devil cultivator, he was not a fool who relied only on brawn without brain. He could make the best decisions, the kind that brought him benefits or led him to success.

That was why he hated arrogant young masters like Rulleus the most. Rulleus acted only on feelings without much thought, always confined within the norm and the box. As the son of the Vampire King, he simply did whatever he pleased, knowing he was the most likely to become his father’s successor.

Now, Rulleus had recklessly ordered Xarz and his main troops to follow his forces toward the Ancient Blue Gate World to "greet" the one said to have foiled their plan. Xarz could only bury his rage, for he knew that if he disobeyed this arrogant man, he would be killed.

Still, to think that Rulleus would so arrogantly order him to guide both the prince and his troops to the Ancient Blue Gate World. In truth, Xarz knew that he and his main forces from the Red Mist Star had also been dragged along, with the intent of forcing them to confront the powers of the Ancient Blue Gate World.

However, Xarz knew that this order was no different from declaring war. With their current movements, they would likely be spotted by devils from other stars, who would in turn want to follow the armada. He knew that his past decision to cancel the attack on the Ancient Blue Gate World had not been popular, causing much dissatisfaction among his men and other powers from different stars.

He was the leader of the invasion, after all, and for him to suddenly cancel the plan simply because he felt deterred by someone’s strength was not acceptable. Although Aldrian’s story had already spread wide and far, many still desired war for the simplest of reasons, they wanted to wreak havoc and taste the battlefield again, something they had been deprived of for far too long.

If they saw an armada of thirty interstellar vessels departing from the greatest star not long after Rulleus’s arrival, they would inevitably follow, believing that the prince intended to wage war against the Ancient Blue Gate World or even the Central Star Cluster.

True to his guess, the devils from the nearby star who had been observing Rulleus’s armada as the highest-ranking force now decided to follow it. Many other vessels from different stars began moving in the same direction as Rulleus, hoping to join his journey.

Xarz thought that this was likely what Rulleus intended. He took advantage of others’ eagerness for chaos, all he needed to do was trigger it, and others would follow.

With their growing movement, even the observers from the Central Star Cluster watching the scene would instantly assume a war was underway. The war was imminent if he did not stop Rulleus. But how could he halt the prince’s reckless decision? There was nothing he could do, and it made him inwardly anxious.

He felt as though they were walking straight down the path of doom, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

"Xarz, are you unsatisfied with my decision?" Rulleus suddenly asked, pulling Xarz out of his thoughts. He responded instantly.

"Of course not, Your Highness. You are the highest command here, and I would follow any of your orders."

Rulleus merely smiled at Xarz’s obvious lie. He knew it perfectly well but chose to ignore it entirely. He still could not believe that, with the strong troops he had brought from the central region of Heaven, combined with the massive forces of devils from all the nearby stars, the Ancient Blue Gate World would stand a chance.

Even if he had to face the entire Central Star Cluster, he remained confident in his troops. These were forces experienced in wars between stars, with influence spreading across many regions of the First Heaven.

He did not believe that a mortal could defeat a god, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. Although he did not understand why the Devil God seemed to have given up on plans to descend, he refused to believe that a mortal could defeat a god without seeing it with his own eyes.

That news was truly information he found too difficult to comprehend and swallow. To discover what had really happened, war was the only answer for him. He wanted to see this mysterious man and how he would face his own mighty troops.

Rulleus simply smiled as he leaned back in his seat.

"You should be more decisive, Xarz. Nothing good will come to you if you keep hesitating. I know you have your own opinions, but I have my confidence, and my confidence lies in my troops," he said, turning to one of his guards.

"Vertiz, eliminate those rats. We will strike the Ancient Blue Gate World with a surprise, so do not let them know too early."

"Yes, Your Highness," answered a vampire at the middle pseudo-immortal stage, before suddenly disappearing into the Red Mist.

Xarz, seeing this, could guess what the man intended and sighed inwardly.

’There is truly nothing I can do,’ he thought.

Five thousand kilometers away from the armada, a cluster of asteroids floated between the two moons of the Red Mist Star. The sizes of the asteroids varied, with the largest comparable to the entire Barisan Continent.

With countless asteroids gathered here, it was an ideal place to hide, just like a lone interstellar vessel concealed behind the largest asteroid. The vessel was neither too big nor too small, but large enough to accommodate thousands of people.

This interstellar vessel was actually a surveillance ship, representing the powers of the Orian Continent, tasked with observing the movements of the devils from the Fallen Star Cluster.

At this moment, the leader of the vessel was a member of the Avilandis Imperial Family. The other powers aboard were under his command. He was a white-haired old man with a scar on his cheek, a testament to his harsh past experiences. He had reached peak pseudo immortal establishment stage, a level sufficient for a mission of this nature.

His daily activity while waiting for any movement or change of shift from the main world was cultivation, as was the habit of many others. At this moment, he was still in the middle of his cultivation when suddenly the door to his cabin signaled that someone was standing outside.

He opened his eyes and stopped his cultivation before standing up to open the door. A middle-aged man bowed to him.

"My apologies, Commander, but the observers have returned, and they seem to be in a rush to report something. I think they have spotted significant movement from the Fallen Star Cluster," the man said.

The commander narrowed his eyes and nodded.

"Alright." Without waiting any longer, he followed the man to one of the larger cabins, where he saw three men who looked exhausted from their hurried journey to the vessel. All of them were already being treated by others with drinks or pills to restore their energy, as it seemed they had spent much in reaching this place.

They were the forefront observers stationed at the side of the asteroid, tasked with monitoring movements from the Fallen Star Cluster, particularly those from the Red Mist Star.

If they noticed anything unusual, they would report it to him before he relayed the information to the headquarters at the Ancient Blue Gate World.

He narrowed his eyes at the men, who seemed to have rushed here with all their strength. Had something significant happened in the Fallen Star Cluster?

"Speak. What did you see to make you come like this?" he asked.

One of them hurriedly replied.

"My lord, we observed two things," he said, gasping briefly to catch his breath before continuing.

"The first is from the Red Mist Star, a group of thirty interstellar vessels has departed, and it seems their destination is the Ancient Blue Gate World."

Hearing the report, the commander and those nearby widened their eyes in shock. Thirty interstellar vessels?! There was no doubt that this armada alone was enough to start a war, and it had happened not long after the unknown devils from outside the cluster had visited the Red Mist Star.

"What about the second?" the commander asked, his expression grim.

"The second is—" The man’s lips suddenly curved into a slight grin. "Your own doom."

The commander and the others were stunned, but their shock deepened when the three bodies of the observers suddenly began to glow with a red light before—

BOOM!