Only I Am A Reader
chapter-333-30041322

'That was more sensational than I expected.'

The Heavenly Demon's speech was mostly dreadful, but the way he introduced it made a big difference. Even in a selective place like the Heavenly Strength Society, everyone was bound to be different from one another. However, the root that they shared made them stand tight together like grass.

Most importantly, the Heavenly Demon's Scarlet Sky Domain was simply too strong. One could even call it a light brainwashing method, but Leo's experience of it told him something else.

"Long live the Heavenly Strength Society!"

"We stand by the Society Leader!"

If one could call it a minor cheat, Leo's 'Mind' was almost four times as much as a normal adult would have. He couldn't ignore pressure domains that were powered using Internal Energy, but mental domains weren't particularly effective on him, that was what he learned during the Werewolf Raid.

He couldn't be brainwashed that easily, but the sense of unity that he felt was real. To begin with, it was like the whole Scarlet Sky Technique was created with that in mind. For the leader to possess the ability to strengthen his subordinates and instill courage in them. Although that in itself still felt somewhat extreme, Leo found it to be fitting.

The broken always needed cornerstones to stand on, the motivation, and the support. If the Heavenly Demon and the Society could provide these and receive unity in return, wasn't it a fair trade? After all, nothing was truly free…

"Good. I don't know if you had made the correct choice by staying, but let's not regret anything from this point on."

Unlike what one would expect, not a single person decided to withdraw as they all shouted in support. This was no longer the Heavenly Demon Cult where the leader was worshiped, but they couldn't help respecting the man who pierced the core of their hearts with his words.

"A world without our Society isn't worth living in."

It was possible that they were just waiting for the right moment to run away, or simply stayed because they were afraid of the consequences. However, Leo knew that no one would desert in the end as he had already read this part. If someone really felt that the Heavenly Strength Society would perish to the monsters' final assault, then the threat they were given wouldn't have held any value.

Instead, losing to invaders meant the end of humanity anyway. So, what would be the use of running away? Wouldn't it be optimal to pool their entire strength to defend their peace?

In the worst-case scenario, they would at least obtain a quick death. More suffering was definitely out of the question!

"We had long stayed away from the other forces and kept our neutrality, but I will be making a compromise to follow the Ancestors' will. For the sake of Murim's well-being, we will send people to inform them of the coming storm. Though it will still be up to them if they join us on our stand or not."

In the novel, it was barely explained how the Heavenly Demon knew of the invasion's final phase before it began, but he made sure to alert everyone that was relevant starting with the Murim Alliance. In fact, there was even a side plot where Geochin would encounter Yeon who would share the info based on these orders.

Just like many other screwed-up romances in novels, there were always some forced elements in the enemies turned lovers of 'Murim Supremacy'. Naturally, Leo made sure to unearth these unreasonable flags that were thrown everywhere throughout the last few years. Not that he had to worry about it now.

"The Supervisors will be distributing the alerting missions to the suitable members, while the rest will be working on clearing the area that the Demon Lord is expected to land on. Just make sure to do it in moderation and save your strength for the final battle. The time limit will be one month!"

The hidden connection between the Heavenly Demon and the Demon Lord was strong enough to ascertain the general location of his descent as well as the time left before his appearance. Although it wouldn't be very accurate, a general outline was all they needed to act in preparation.

"Of course, the Scarlet Sky Warriors and those of higher ranks will stay behind and accumulate their strength during this month. The true powerhouses of the Heavenly Strength Society will be only making an appearance at the appropriate time."

Quality couldn't always beat quantity just as it had been confirmed at Dae Kyung Town. Stronger Martial Artists would naturally be faster than their weaker counterparts when dealing with numbers, but the increase in eradication speed wasn't worth the effort they would spend. Instead, it made all the sense that the superior foot soldiers of the Society would be sent out to deal with the monster's cannon fodder!

'Trouble-free!'

In comparison to the Yeon who would have only achieved Transcendence just at the time of the callback. The four of them didn't so conveniently miss the chance to be promoted and get involved in some ruckus before the final confrontation this time around! They had the chance to prepare for the pre-final act while sparing themselves the nonsense!

Particularly, Leo could already see the eyes of three of the four pillars being focused on them. The value of their little team was undeniable even in the unreasonable parts of the novel, but his manipulations had ensured that the focus on them was even stronger in order to avoid future obstacles.

"Well then, this will be the end of today's meeting. Be sure to give it your all, or there will be no tomorrow."

"Yeahhhhh!"

Another roar of acceptance rose as the Heavenly Demon finished his words and flew back to the Sky Spire. It was just said in the passing, but his words were as literal as they could be. The clock was already ticking…