When the first explosion rang out in the distance, so among the militia and civilians still held out hope that Commander Levins would be able to distract the beast long enough for them to escape, and then escape himself.
Up until recently, none of them had ever t a Spirit Initiate, or seen one fight; all they knew about such masters ca from the songs bards sang and the stories adventurers told.
Over the past few days, many of them had borne witness to the incredible strength of Commander Levins and his fellow Spirit Realm Cultivators, and while they might not have been as formidable as they were portrayed in the tales the tavern drunkards told, none would argue that they were still imnsely powerful.
As far as these simple folk were concerned, such masters stood high above common Mortals like themselves, so how could such beings be so easily killed?
Unfortunately, this kind of thinking was simply the product of their isolated lives and lack of understanding.
For the true soldiers present, the outco was obvious and inevitable, a conclusion written before the battle even began.
Although none of them said it outright, these warriors knew what distracting a Seventh Order Beast, even for a short ti, would an for Commander Levins.
Attacking from a relatively safe distance and hoping to draw the beast off was simply not possible.
A simply analogy would be if a human was being annoyed by a fly. If the fly remained a few tres away, the human might not even realize it was there, and if it flew close, they would at most swat it away before continuing with whatever they were doing.
So might chase the fly around for a bit if it was really bothering them, but if they were in the middle of sothing important, most would simply ignore it.
Only if there was so real threat of danger would a person divert their full attention to deal with such a minor pest.
The sa idea applied to this situation.
To a Mid-Rank Seventh Order Beast, even a High-Rank Spirit Initiate like Commander Levins was little more than an insect, so he would need to do sothing extre if he wanted to get its attention.
In other words, Commander Levins had to get in close and go all out. Only by hurting and angering the beast enough would he be able to get it to focus on him and him alone.
It sounded simple in theory, but it was anything but simple.
For starters, just getting that close would be troubleso.
Commander Levins would likely have to approach to within a few hundred tres if he wanted to have a chance to injure the Seven Order turtle; but, while he might be able to withstand the creature’s aura pressure at that range, the Third Order Tartan he was riding certainly couldn’t.
Lucas and Christina, two exceptional youths who had both opened their Soul Seas and thus had far greater ability to defend themselves again aura pressures than other humans below the Sea Establishnt Realm, had basically lost all ability to move when the Seventh Order Beast targeted them, despite it being several kilotres away at the ti.
It was difficult to say whether a mature Tartan had a greater or lesser ability to resist such Soul and aura pressure, but the difference either way likely wasn’t great.
Without the Tartan, though, Commander Levins would lose a great deal of speed and maneuverability, leaving him even more vulnerable to the turtle’s wrath.
The only solution to this problem was for the old Spirit Initiate to use his own Soul Sense to shield his mount from the turtle’s pressure while he fought.
Doing this would rapidly drain Commander Levins’ Soul Qi reserves and expose his Soul to great danger, but considering he didn’t have to fight the beast for long, it was still a manageable risk.
The real danger, however, was simply being so close to a Seventh Order Beast to begin with.
As any fly would tell you if it could talk, getting too close to a big, powerful beast, dramatically increased the chances it would squash you.
This Seventh Order turtle ca from half-a-world away, so Commander Levins likely didn’t even know what species it was. As for what abilities and combat capabilities it possessed, that was a complete mystery.
Engaging a significantly stronger enemy that you knew nothing about in close quarters was basically guaranteed to end badly for the weaker side, and all the soldiers in the military camp knew it.
The Captains in the Sea Establishnt Realm briefly considered taking so of the remaining Tartans and trying to provide support for the veteran Commander, but they quickly dismissed that idea.
Putting it bluntly, they were too weak to make a difference.
Even a kilotre out, they probably couldn’t protect themselves from the enemy’s aura pressure, much less their mounts, but even if they could get right up into the creature’s face, it was doubtful even their strongest attacks could cause any harm to it.
Them going would only serve to distract Commander Levins, so despite their unwillingness, they turned their eyes away and kept working on the evacuation.
.....
Standing at the edge of the Sunchaser’s deck, Christina had fallen into a kind of daze, not knowing what she was supposed to do in this mont.
She, like many others, had wracked her brain to see if there was sothing, anything she could do to help, but it didn’t take long for her to realize that she was utterly powerless in this situation.
Had she been in good physical condition, she might have been able to ride a Tartan, opening up a slot on the Sunchaser for soone else, or even just help so people onto the Skyship, but right now, Christina was having trouble just staying on her feet and remaining awake.
Her body and Soul were both screaming at her to lie down and pass out, but Christina refused to do that. She might not be able to help right now, but she was going to see things here through to the end, no matter how much pain she was in.
There had been many tis in the past where Christina looked down on the sons and daughters of the big noble families who acted arrogant and haughty in front of her, trying to make themselves look more distinguished or more important in order to make an impression.
She had always felt that those aristocratic brats were ignorant and immature, not understanding the weight of responsibility they carried as nobles, but in this mont, she realized that contrary to her beliefs, she wasn’t all that different from them.
Up until now, Christina had always felt that when the ti ca for her to stand up and defend the weak and protect the kingdom as a mber of the royal family, she would be ready.
That ti had arrived now, but Christina found herself woefully lacking.
In fact, had it not been for Lucas, she would already be dead.
What’s more, a man she could at least count as an acquaintance was fighting a hopeless battle to buy her and all those around her just a few more minutes of ti, while all she could do is stand here and watch.
Staring off into the distance, Christina felt imnsely ashad of herself.
All her pride and confidence ant nothing here; they were as worthless as the stones on the ground.
No one was calling her weak, or useless, but that was precisely how she felt right now.
No, I can’t stay like this! I am a princess who will one day rule over others and command armies in battle! I have to pull myself together! Christina chastised herself, tensing up so much that she began to shake.
Despite trying to psyche herself up, though, Christina’s thoughts continued their negative spiral, plumting her into state of self-loathing and despair.
Just as these gloomy thoughts threatened to overwhelm her, Tina felt two hands grabbing her own.
Jolted out of her stupor, Christina looked up to see two young faces staring at her, both of them filled with concern.
"Sister Tina, are you alright? You don’t look so good," Eris asked worriedly.
It had already been a couple of minutes since Commander Levins had taken-off, giving Eris and Lucas plenty of ti to get up the ramp and board the Sunchaser.
Rather than answering this question, though, Christina just lowered her head again.
Seeing this reaction, Lucas seed to comprehend what this princess was thinking and squeezed her hand harder, "It’s not your fault, Tina."
Jerking her head up, Christina glared at Lucas and nearly snapped, but before she could, the boy shouted, "It’s no one’s fault!"
The harsh words Tina wanted to shout caught in her throat as she tried to absorb what Lucas was telling her, but it wasn’t easy.
Soone she knew was about to die, and she wanted to bla soone, to find soone to direct her anger and frustration towards, even if that soone was herself; but now, she was being told that wasn’t possible.
Grinding her teeth, Christina eventually cald down and asked in a pleading tone, "How can you be so calm? How can you just accept this... this tragedy? It’s not fair!"
Wrinkling his brow, Lucas lowered his head and muttered, "Life isn’t fair. It never has been, and never will be."
Steadying himself, the young boy lifted his eyes again to et Christina’s gaze and declared resolutely, "As for why I’m so calm? That’s simple. I have to be."
Clenching his fists tight, Lucas’ eyes shone with unwavering determination as he spoke, "I have to make sure we all escape from here; everyone in the camp, and everyone still on their way back. That’s the only way I can ensure that Commander Levins’ sacrifice is not in vain."
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