System vs Rebirth

Most of the demons had been annihilated. Those who had higher intelligence tried to escape back to the woods, trying to attack them again. Meanwhile, the rest could only meet their end in this place.

Although it looked like the fourth Superior Demon should have come, there was no more Superior Demon that actually came. It looked like they didn\'t have any more demons of this level. But with how the giant crocodile acted, it seemed that the fourth Superior Demon retreated to avoid a confrontation with this group.

After a long struggle that lasted for seven hours, they finally managed to gain victory.

The scout had been dispatched to sign a retreat while the rest returned to the fort. Those who were fine would either help with the cleaning up or bring the injured to the healers.

Meanwhile, Septa, Shale, Clara, and the Stone Lord gathered in one tent to hear the report. And due to his contribution to the battle and his commanding ability, Noel was invited to sit with them like that of an equal.

This was the recognition Noel deserved.

Since everyone was already here, Septa finally gave the report from his subordinates. "I have dispatched my subordinates to check the surroundings and tell the Plant Lord to return to the fort.

"For the time being, I\'m going to give you the current situation. There are roughly 1,700 to 2,000 demons attacking us this time with at least thirty Peak Level Demons and three Superior Demons."

"We have managed to rout around 80 to 90 percent of them. So, this is undoubtedly our victory."

"However, our loss is quite great as well. We are still trying to get the exact data, but for now, I\'ve received the report that 17 elite knights from the Demon Extermination, 8 elite knights from the Demon Beholder Squad, and 3 elite knights from the Demon Relief Squad have fallen in battle."

"This is a great loss, considering the people we bring here consist of our best squads. But the expedition and battle are not over yet."

"In the battle, the crocodile sent a roar to alarm the demon. With the current situation and movement, the roar should be used to call the fourth Superior Demon. But due to us ending the battle quickly, we managed to avoid the fourth Superior Demon. We don\'t know whether the demon returned to the mysterious facility or somewhere in the forest. So, we can\'t let our guard down and send scouts to make sure the fort won\'t be attacked when we continue our exploration."

"Also, the exploration team might have to be divided further to ensure safety. And locating the demons should be our priority. Thanks to Knight Iadre, we managed to find out that the facility is related to both pharmacy and health care buildings. We don\'t know the name left behind by the previous civilization, but this facility has to be protected carefully."

"You might already know this, but the drugs from the previous civilization are like wondrous magic. They have created a powerful drug that doesn\'t contain Spiritual Energy. Now that the drugs have been radiated by the Spiritual Energy, the effect might be different."

"So, we will later form a collaboration between the Arbiters, the Tower Associations and the Demon Banner Army to conduct research about these drugs after the exploration finishes."

"Last but not least, I\'d like to express my thanks to the Stone Lord for taking down the crocodile demon, Captain Shale for handling two Superior Demons, and Captain Clara for taking care of many injured people and keeping the casualty minimum. Of course, the rest of the knights are to be commended." Septa ended his speech with a polite bow as if thanking them and the knights.

Shale raised his hand, stopping him. He pointed at Noel and said, "You forget about Knight Iadre. He has splendidly done his job as the vice commander of the battle and led us to victory. Without him helping the command, we would suffer a greater loss that might force us to retreat from here."

He ended it with applause. The rest also agreed with that statement and applauded Noel.

"In that case, we will discuss the rest tomorrow morning after we\'ve got enough rest and the Plant Lord returns." Septa rose from his seat, ready to leave.

The others didn\'t have any objection, so they planned to leave right away. They were in no condition to discuss a serious topic after all.

However, before they could leave, a knight rushed inside, bringing bad news.

"We have an emergency." The knight panted a few times while falling to one knee.

"What happened?" Shale asked with a serious expression.

"We have dispatched the First and Second Squad to track down the Plant Lord, but we can\'t find him."

"What?!" Shale widened his eyes in shock. He immediately turned to Septa since the scouts came from the Demon Beholder Squad.

Septa asked while frowning, "What do you mean? Is he missing?"

"We don\'t know anything yet. It feels like all the traces of the Plant Lord ends in one spot before he vanishes completely. We don\'t find any trace that a battle took place in that area as well…"

"What?" The Stone Lord gasped and turned to the three captains. Their lives were guaranteed by the Demon Banner Army, so this kind of thing would inflict serious damage to the Demon Banner Army.

Still, the knight said he was missing as if all traces had just disappeared. He wanted to say that the Plant Lord died, but there was no evidence that a battle had happened.

So, the Stone Lord looked at Septa and said, "Captain Septa. I\'m not questioning the ability of the Demon Beholder Squad, but this incident…"

Septa gulped down. His expression became grim as he answered the Stone Lord. "In that case, I\'ll investigate this matter personally. If the Stone Lord doesn\'t trust us, then you may come with us to check the area."

The Stone Lord thought for a moment. On the one hand, it might look like the Demon Banner Army wants to kill the two elders by separating them. On the other hand, the Tower Association would surely take this seriously if such a thing happened.

So, the Stone Lord agreed with Septa. "Alright. I\'ll follow you."