Rex was familiar with the stressful situation in military life.
He knew how rough most had it.
Even back then, in his very first mission, after the USR project, he was already sent to an impossible mission. One that pitted him, a highly trained but normal human, against Supernatural creatures that have ten tis more strength.
Coupled with the burning hatred that was eating him from the inside, it was such a dark ti.
But even then, he had never attacked his superior.
Not once and not ever.
Rex swept his eyes across the savages that are gathered within his legion.
His aura choked the air with tension, one that made all of the soldiers stand stiffly in uncertainty.
"I’m a new Knight—and hadn’t even learned the customs well. But do you know what the punishnt for attacking a superior in my ti?" His voice was loud and commanding as he waited for a mont, and then smirked. "Death. The punishnt is death."
"..."
All soldiers swallowed.
So of the knights were also strict and wouldn’t hesitate to sentence them to death if necessary.
But their brazenness stemd from the fact that Rex was a new knight.
Not to ntion, he also beca a knight due to Princess Davina—not because of his own rit.
Many soldiers underestimated him because of that.
None of them really know what kind of person Rex was, and now they have realized that he was no pushover.
He’s extrely ruthless and strict, but the soldiers realized it too late.
Rex walked forward with deliberate slowness, creating a clanking sound with each step as his boots clashed against the stone, echoing across the tense legion. He only stopped when he was an inch away from the front line of the legion, towering over two soldiers who were trying to remain calm and fix their gazes forward.
He was looking past them to the legion with a stern face.
On his left was another soldier who was helping the dumb soldier stand in formation.
In that mont, ti seed to pass at a snail’s pace.
Both soldiers who were standing right in front of him were shaking slightly.
Eventually, Rex’s eyes settled on the dumb soldier.
"Break his legs."
His command ca out of nowhere.
And due to that, none of the soldiers who were within range to hear his voice moved.
Rex turned and looked at the soldier in front of him.
"I said break his legs."
Stunned, the soldier opened his mouth to say sothing, but closed it again.
He was about to move when a thunderous clanging sound echoed, followed by his inability to breathe.
"Kahkk!"
Rex punched the soldier right on his chest so hard that the tal bent inward—breaking a few bones in the process, and sent the soldier imdiately to the ground, writhing—and wailing in pain. His punch was thrown in the blink of an eye.
Not the soldier or the other soldiers around him could react in ti.
"From this point on—until the end of the mission, I am your God," Rex’s voice echoed again; his body was shaking, not from nervousness but from the rage within him. He took a brief pause, allowing his words to settle before continuing, "Until the White Mask is ta— or until the end of your miserable lives, I AM YOUR GOD!!"
His voice was thunderous, causing the soldiers to flinch.
It was so loud that even the soldiers of the other legions nearby snapped their heads towards them.
"I’m not here to ask you." Rex shook his head, smiling, but not the kind of smile that is pleasant to see. "I’m not here to debate with you. I speak—you move. If I tell you to kill yourself, you will nod and do it imdiately. No hesitation."
Rex grabbed the wailing soldier by his armor and threw him to the front of the legion.
He tumbled across the ground, coming to a halt only when Ethan reached out his foot and stopped him.
"Anyone who hesitated even a little..." Rex pointed at the wailing guard but didn’t continue.
Even without saying it, these soldiers knew the consequences.
Rex paced slowly along the legion’s front line, his boots crunching against the ground in slow, unhurried steps. With each pass, his presence pressed down like a storm cloud ready to break. His voice, sharp and unwavering, cut through the heavy silence like a blade.
"If you have doubts, swallow them. If you’re afraid, bury it. The only voice that matters here is mine."
He halted dead center, turning to face the soldiers one final ti.
Compared to earlier, the shift in the legion was noticeable.
No more shifting feet. No more darting glances. Every soldier stood like stone—spines straight as drawn arrows, eyes locked forward, and jaws clenched tight. The defiance and unease that once simred in their ranks had been smothered under the weight of Rex’s dominance.
"Look at ."
Rex’s voice echoed again; this ti, the soldiers didn’t hesitate to follow his orders.
He nodded inwardly, pleased that they now understood their position.
"I’m not your friend... I’m your God," He repeated chillingly. "Show so reverence and respect."
Almost instantly, the entire legion saluted in unison.
It was such a surprising sight that Ethan had his jaw on the floor from how fast the legion changed.
From lawless to orderly in a matter of minutes.
’He’s used to this... Is he really a new knight?’ Ethan thought wryly.
System, don’t apply the reward right now. Hold it until I say so.
Rex went back to his original position, standing beside Ethan once again.
Now that the legion respected him as he demanded—conditioned to obey without hesitation, no matter how absurd the order might be—it was ti to move on to the next step. Earning their obedience was one thing; making them fight harder, bleed harder, and want to succeed was another entirely.
Under the legion’s gaze, Rex materialized sothing from thin air.
He raised his hand as the item he summoned from the Inventory materialized completely.
It was a piece of rolled parchnt.
One that confused and shocked the soldiers.
"Before I was interrupted earlier, I wanted to show this to you," Rex said, lifting the parchnt higher so that every soldier could see. "Five people who showed remarkable contributions in the mission will be rewarded with this. It’s a manual of an exercise technique to elevate your Soul Artifact to the next stage, to Manifestation."
Hearing this, the soldiers were taken aback.
All of them were shaken by the news, but they still remained orderly and calm.
Even though the greed within them was stirred, none reacted beyond a sharp inhale and widened eyes.
Rex waved the piece of parchnt with an evident smirk.
"If you infused your life energy into this parchnt," He pointed at his forehead with his free hand. "It would inject the information about the technique into your brain—so nobody could steal it. If soone tries to steal it before you can absorb it, you can co to . I’ll handle it."
Dangling a reward in front of the legion proved to be extrely effective.
Rex could see the fire in their eyes as they stared at the parchnt in his hand.
Loyalty can be earned through awe—or fear, which would be morphed to respect, and then discipline. But there’s so much discipline can achieve. But discipline alone has its limits. In the end... every man fights for himself. Nothing drives a person more than the promise of personal gain.
He exhaled sharply, recalling what his instructor said back in the Noob Box.
He now knew that those words were correct.
Now that I think about it, the military did the exact sa thing to —broke down piece by piece, reshaped to be disciplined, then dangled a promise—just within reach. So were sent to fight monsters, others to die as heroes rembered in song. Either way, we all marched toward a dream that was never truly ours.
Rex shook his head and focused back on the mont.
"Do your best to impress . I’ll be watching."
Once Rex had finished conditioning his legion, molding their minds for the mission ahead, ca the ti to depart the city. Rather than marching on foot or other ans of transportation, the legions are going to be teleported through a magic circle etched into the heart of the central plaza.
It was so sort of a spell that was chanted by three Priestesses of Purity.
Surely one of Kei Xun’s powers that she passed down to them.
Just like within the Mortal Realm, specifically his forces, there’s also a teleportation formation here.
One by one, the legions were teleported away.
Rex’s legion was scheduled as the final group to be teleported, as their destination lay near the nobles.
All of the nobles had already surveyed the agreed path they were going to take to reach the Burrowing Valley and also marked the teleportation point. Unlike the other units that were transported to different places to secure key locations and bubbles, there are two legions that were tasked with shadowing the nobles directly.
It was Rex’s and Haxel’s legion.
And for that, they would be the last to be teleported to make it more convenient for the priestesses.
Swish!
As the priestesses infused their life energy, the magic circle began to activate and glow.
Rex stood in front of his legion with his arms crossed, awaiting to be teleported.
He turned to the side and saw Haxel was looking at him, giving him the usual calm and friendly smile.
A fake persona that he wore in public to hide his brutal tendencies.
Rex didn’t react and turned away.
But instead, he was smiling deviously as he now got the permission to basically kill Haxel if he wanted to. Of course, he couldn’t do it openly—as that would make complications, but with Empress Morgana on his side, there shouldn’t be a problem.
I’ll savor the mont I strangled you with my bare hands.
In the next second, a stream of sunlight descended from the sky and showered them in golden brilliance.
Slowly, their bodies dissolved into sunlight and disappeared from the central plaza.
anwhile, sowhere near Pliantra Region.
At the edge of the continent, where land t the boundless ocean, Princess Davina stood still upon the wind-battered cliffs of the continent’s rim. The ocean stretched far—beneath her, a restless expanse of steel-blue waves crashing endlessly below.
But it was not the ocean that held her gaze; it was the colossal bridge suspended above it instead.
A marvel of ancient power and arrogance—the Sea Bridge.
Its length stabbed through the abyss and vanished into the far distance, too far for the eye to follow.
The wind tugged at her armor, sweeping strands of black and erald hair across her face.
She closed her eyes, letting the ocean breeze wash over her skin.
Beside her, Esravon stretched her massive wings, silent and watchful, making sure that there was nothing that could harm Princess Davina. Around her was a barrier that blocked the rush from the Black Rift, allowing no disturbance to seep through.
Princess Davina had finished her task.
She had cleared her portion of the path.
Now, she was waiting for the others, for the next signal to begin the mission.
In her silence, she was contemplating sothing.
One could see from how her forehead creased as if weighed down by the thoughts in her mind.
Just then, a soft hum split the air—a low shimr of energy.
Princess Davina sensed the descent of a figure behind her.
A whisper of grace, a flicker of presence. Blue hair, long and rippling like water in motion, frad the face of the one who had arrived. The figure landed gracefully, ters away. Her beauty was exclusive only to that of a noblewoman, one that wasn’t far below the princess.
Princess Davina opened her eyes, their erald hue catching the light, but she didn’t turn.
She didn’t need to.
Not even needing to look at the figure’s face, she already knew who it was.
"You seem troubled... Is it your fiancé that weighs on your mind?" the noblewoman mused, her voice laced with delicate scorn. "I must say, I never imagined the illustrious Graceful Starfall would lose her heart to a man so... ordinary."
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