The Rise of the Black Plain

Lance turned red with anger but could not speak when Gavin made fun of him. "What is this idiot talking about? Doesn't he realize how precise that move was?"

And indeed, most of the Gray Clouds Sect group people thought Minos' move was accurate.

If he had kept that black hole, he would have had many transportation problems, or he would have had to use it. The second option would be problematic since they could not destroy the Saints Killing Sect, something that such a Black Hole Bomb had the capability for.

So using such an artifact against replaceable beings was the best, even though Minos' action was indeed sudden.

But even that, most of the people there could not complain. After all, given his information and the scenario he was in, Minos had to act as quickly as possible without much time to give his allies more advance warning.

Sometimes, in the middle of a battle, the course of the war changed, and strategies had to be changed in the heat of the moment. At times, this could even harm allies, even when it was the best possible decision.

The elders there were aware of this and did not come out in defense of Lance.

Minos then said to the enemies on the other side of the half-destroyed island. "This war must end. But only your side can decide how that will happen. Will it be with the leaders of your forces pleading for mercy on the battlefield? With the blood of your family on your hands? By bending the knee to us? Or perhaps in an agreement of equals?"

"Decide. But in the meantime, we will fight."

The people on the other side of the area where Minos' group stood heard such a thing amid the sounds of agony from people in their forces.

Such words deeply irritated each of them since, for a long time, the Saints Killing Sect people were the ones who gave ultimatums like this.

But they could not deny that Minos had the right to threaten them...

"Tsk!"

"How degrading!" One of them turned around before flying away from there, heading back to the sect headquarters.

With all this occurring, they had no choice but to back off and take the matter to the sect master.

None of them wanted to say it out loud, but the war they thought they would win in a short time had wholly changed the situation, and now they were being threatened.

The enemy could now jeopardize their existence, and they truly had to consider surrender!

"Let's go..."

The rest departed the area, ignoring the cries and pleas for help from those injured in the area.

The people in this sect were the type who would not give an easy time, even to their family members. If a son was not wise, he could find himself at war with his own father over a woman. A father could abandon his son if he were born with a disability.

So in that place full of wounded people now useless to this organization, it would not be these old elders, accustomed to these methods, who would come to their rescue.

An ally was only valuable if they could generate positive value for the organization. Therefore, they would be discarded and replaced as soon as they lost this capacity.

That was the way this organization led, which ensured the extent of the suffering of many wounded in that now desolate place.

Minos' group had no mercy on their opponent either and quickly left the area, heading back towards enemy headquarters.

'A few more days...' Gavin smiled as he returned to his group's formation.

...

Days later...

Quickly the news regarding the end of the Lizard Men tribe reached the headquarters of the Saints Killing Sect.

There, Mortimer was shocked to discover the power of Minos' mass destruction weapons, which his organization only had information about through rumors.

With this news in hand, this man could not help but reconsider everything he knew about Minos and the position of the Gray Clouds Sect.

"What shall we do now?" This man's wife questioned him, feeling they were at a crossroads of fate.

Perhaps Minos would not take his threats literally, and the risk of their destruction was less than it seemed. So there was a risk of them surrendering and bearing the war's costs.

When an organization raised the white flag in a war, it had to bear several responsibilities, such as paying compensation and accepting some restrictions.

Therefore, it was not simple to surrender, and there was a risk for them if Minos was faking how decisive he could be.

On the other hand, continuing without considering surrender could be a way to approach one's own end.

The emperor forbade one local organization to destroy another, considering, of course, those high-level powers. But Harold was not around, and some people could cross the line.

Since there was no way for them to know how crazy Minos was, they could not disregard the possibility of this emperor bringing the situation between them to an alarming state.

Hence that woman's concern.

Mortimer clenched his fists and said. "We are going to war. I want to see what Oswald and his grandson will do with me on the battlefield."

"That..." That woman saw the determination in her husband's eyes, who hardly accepted impositions without exploring all the possibilities.

"If Minos Stuart wants to show himself greatly, then he will have to prove it by fighting the great ones!" He commented in a tone laden with coolness. "I'll give him a chance at that!"

"What about Gavin?" She asked.

Mortimer's eyes showed a much better gleam upon hearing that name, and he smiled mischievously. "Our focus will be on capturing that damned fugitive. Even if we can't beat the crap out of those people from the Gray Clouds Sect, we will be victorious if we collect those eyes."

"We will retreat temporarily, but eventually, we will destroy them and dominate this state!"

...

Thus, a few more days passed, with Minos and his group again using their arsenal to terrorize the domain of the Saints Killing Sect.

On these occasions, Minos had detonated two more of his Black Hole Bombs, destroying outposts of that organization and even eliminating other tribes supporting Mortimer's forces.

His goal was to scare off all the members and allies of that sect, and he had been successful in his endeavor.

At this moment, the entire Flaming Empire was frightened by the development of the war between those powers, surprised by the evolution of the conflict but fearful of what might happen in the future.

Even the imperial family was beginning to worry and had dispatched some envoys to go to Minos to discuss their previous and future actions.

And just such people, high-ranking elders sent by the supreme elder Edwardstone, were arriving at the place where Minos' group was passing at the moment.

"Sect Master Minos Stuart, we are here under an imperial edict to collect your statement and take it to the court of law."

...