Rion walked through the campsite with relaxed steps while eyeing others who held solemn expressions.

He knew the reason behind the heavy mood lingering over the camp and Haria's call.

'All of them are scared, yet none of them wants to run away...'

In his past life, Rion had read a lot and it didn't just include fantasy but anything that caught his interest. Be it philosophy, medicine, anatomy, myths, psychology, even the structure of wars and empires and from that he also understood that one's victory wasn't just based on their heavy hitters but also the morale of the allies.

However, he didn't know how accurate that understanding would be for a world where a single being could blast a forest to smithereens and cut the sky into two halves.

'Danger also breeds opportunity,' he commented, his eyes fell on the squad members who had scars that looked far too severe to be true, yet they stood ready to fight a battle equal or even harder than the one that had given them their marks of valour.

Even within this gloom, a few had grins of flaming determination, and their eyes were gleaming with unhidden battle lust.

He soon reached the group leader's camp and stepped inside.

All ten squad leaders who sat or stood at various parts of the hut glanced at him. Haria, who sat behind a table that had various crude parchments and a crude map spread out, muttered with a faint smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "You are finally here."

He nodded and glanced at the other squad leaders.

'As expected, none of them is scared.'

Their confidence didn't just stem from Haria's presence; they had also gone through this multiple times and had enough prowess to back up their nonchalance.

His eyes met Balthar's, and Balthar grinned slightly before sneakingly pointing towards Haria and mouthing.

Focus on her.

Rion smiled slightly at his supposed squad leader, who had allowed him all of the freedom instead of binding him to his true position of sub-squad leader.

His eyes shifted at Haria, who was glaring at him with a flat expression.

Balthar looked at her with a tensed expression and forced a cough, "Khum!"

The oppressive mood within the hut diminished slightly. However, Haria didn't speak right away... instead, her bestial dark yellow aura flooded the round hut.

"Ugh–?!" Groans resounded throughout the hut as a few squad leaders were thrown off their feet.

Those unable to block her aura fell on their knees while the others fought it with pained expression, and in all of this, Rion stood unshaken. The same faint smile tugged his lips like a gemstone.

But, inwardly, he groaned, 'Ugh! What the hell is this aura? It's like a rabid beast is trying to tear me apart.' Yet he made sure to show none of this on his face.

He couldn't show weakness, he had a demand to make, after all.

She leaned forward in her chair and focused all her aura onto Rion.

"Ugh?" A barely audible groan escaped him as her aura crashed onto him like a giant's hand. He fell on a knee, and his muscles began to tear and twist — only to heal right after.

'Blasted hell...!' He cursed in his head, and a faint creak reached his ears.

He lifted his head and stared at Haria with trembling eyes. She stood up from her chair and walked towards Rion, each step further increased the weight of her aura.

He gritted his teeth and felt the pain diminish, not because she had stopped pressuring down on him, but because his immortal body had already begun to adapt to her carnal aura.

She finally stopped before him and questioned in both disappointment and displeasure, "Do you know what my call means?"

His heart froze at her tone, and his expression darkened. He didn't know what had caused her to act like this but he didn't want her to look at him in disappointment.

Unable to bear her eyes, he lowered his head and muttered, "I do..."

"You are a warrior, yet you lower your head... You are Dhaevrak, yet you laze while the purple slithers up our throat... Have you forgotten your duty?" She questioned in a voice sharp enough to reap the lives.

His lips parted to answer, but he had nothing to say. Even if he wanted to deny her words, he couldn't.

"You have greatly disappointed me," she commented and turned around. Her heavy wolf fur cape fluttered as she moved, and her aura dissipated.

Even so, Rion didn't stand up and continued to stare at her with reluctant eyes.

"Then give me a chance to prove myself!" He muttered with clenched fists and eyes quenched in the flames of determination.

She stopped and asked without even sparing him a look, "What do you believe is enough for you to prove yourself?"

He rose and stated, "I'll fight beside you."

Kuro, who was Haria's strongest squad leader as well as her battle partner, snapped, "You dare?!"

However, before things could spiral further. Haria looked at Kuro and said, "Kuro. Calm down."

He glanced at her and spat while pointing his finger at Rion, "You can't allow him to fight by your side! You can't take this away from me!"

'What is he crying about? Rion wondered and suggested, "Can't you just take the right while I take the left?"

Kuro glared at him and shot, "That's not the point, you bas—"

Before he could finish muttering his death wish, Haria cut him off.

"Okay, I'll allow you to fight beside me."

Kuro looked at her with a dark expression, and she whispered, "You cannot defeat him."

No one other than Her, Kuro and Rion were able to hear her, and just as those words reached Kuro's ears, his eyes trembled, and he glanced at Rion with battle lust tangible in his eyes.

"Thank you for giving me a chance," Rion said while performing the greeting for god's descendant.

Haria nodded slightly and sat back in her chair.

Just as she sat back, her soft voice brushed his head.

<So, how was my act, little Rio?>

<You are the best!>

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