"How… How the fuck did this happen?!" Leo screamed in anger.

Even amid the raging blizzard, he was able to see the sheer destruction the Overlord was causing. Soldiers, regardless of their realm, were being flung to the side like ragdolls.

Even the mighty Grandmasters, who had been too slow to react, were being killed like ants.

"The Lord lost against their Overlord." Michael said, his tone sounding unusually calm.

"Like it or not, the whole battle rested on his shoulders. Now that he has lost against the alien's leader, we are powerless."

One of the most important qualities of a soldier was to know when there was no chance of victory. There was nothing shameful in retreating in order to fight the next day.

Everybody wanted to retort, to argue that Michael's assessment had been somewhat wrong. Yet they all knew, if the Lord, a man that had possessed such overwhelming might, had lost against the Overlord, what chance did they have?

With gritted teeth, Ava's gaze shifted to Celestia, the biggest and most prosperous city on Neptune.

"W—What will happen to the civilians?" She asked despite already knowing the answer.

"If they are lucky, they will be killed… If they are not, the aliens would torture them, trying to anger the other branches of the military and lower morale."

Michael had seen such scenes play out many times. It was one of the many reasons why he hated the aliens with such passion.

"No way… E—Even the children?"

"..."

Michael chose to remain silent.

"FUCK!" Enzo couldn't keep it anymore and exploded.

"Why did they send us?! Aren't there more Lords on the planet? If they had grouped up, they would have easily taken care of the Overlord!"

No matter how he thought about it, it didn't make sense. With a General tier portal and with the Overlord guarding it, the Lords should have come here themselves to get rid of the threat.

"If they had come then, who would protect their cities?" Victoria mumbled.

"They could have left their army there and come alone! They are so powerful; it's not like it would make much of a difference to them, right?!" Enzo retorted.

"Well…" Victoria bit her tongue. She wasn't a Lord and couldn't peek into their heads.

With a sigh, Michael shook his head. "We all know that Celestia is the most revered city on the planet. Then what do you think will happen if it falls?"

"...The remaining cities would rise in prestige?" Ava's eyes narrowed to the size of needles. Could the Lords have hoped for this outcome?

Somberly Michael nodded. "Most Lords will not concern themselves with the lives of others. Take, for example, the gangs of Azure City. The city's ruler could have dealt with them but didn't."

With her being a member of the highest-standing faction, Victoria bit her lower lip.

"That kind of thinking… could get you into trouble."

Michael chuckled dryly. "Yes, sadly this is how things operate. If a higher-up learns of my trail of thought, it will be more worrisome than millions of civilians dying."

At the end of the day, one thing remained true. Might made right, and since Michael and his crew weren't powerful enough to make a change, the best they could do was react to their environment and bide their time.

The tiger continued to run in sober silence among the raging blizzard. It didn't take long for the destroyed train's trails to enter its field of vision.

Following the command, it began to follow them going towards Azure.

BOOM!

Explosions began to resonate from Celestia; with the army defeated, the aliens reached the city and were assaulted by the city turrets.

Yet their rounds were proved useless against the Overlord. Before the projectiles could even reach its figure, they froze mid-air.

With a flick of its finger, it turned them around and sent them from where they had come from.

"L—Lord?"

The stationed soldiers were bewildered. Since the alien had remained in the form of their Lord, they were puzzled by the sight.

Not even bothering to elaborate, the monster entered the city and began its rampage.

From their faraway place, the only thing Michael and his crew were able to witness was the dark smoke that rose high in the air.

Fortunately, due to their distance, they weren't able to hear the pleas of help from the unfortunate civilians.

Clenching her fists tightly, Ava closed her eyes that had begun to seep with tears and began to cultivate.

Mourning will not help their situation. Only power was going to.

Understanding her intent, everybody followed suit.

'Usually most will need time to enter the cultivated mindset, yet they did so in a heartbeat. At the very least it seems that this trauma will fuel them ahead.' Michael analyzed coldly.

[Master, I detect mecha near us.]

The tiger warned.

Naturally, this was Claire. She was carrying her grandfather. Seeing that they were deep in thought, Michael decided to not bother them.

'Cultivation is largely dependent on the mindset and the surrounding spiritual energy. With half of the equation dealt with, one thing remains…'

Knowing that his crew was now in the optimal condition, Michael instructed the tiger to head where their train had been derailed earlier.

Taking the corpses of the Generals, he quickly boarded them on the tiger.

Fueled by their frustration of powerlessness and the energy that came off from the General tier corpses, his crew began achieving breakthroughs and enlightenments at staggering rates.

Ensuring that nothing would bother them, Michael remained awake the entire time. Opportunities like these were few and far between.

When they reached the walls of Azure, one by one his crew began to open their eyes, now filled with newfound power.

In world-breaking speeds, every Adept of the Indomitable Alliance had reached the Expert realm!

"What is this…" Victoria was puzzled by the sight. Even she had managed to achieve a breakthrough, reaching the Late Master realm. It didn't take her long to realize the reason, noticing the piled-up corpses of the Generals on the tiger.

"Go rest." Before they could express their gratitude, Michael cut them off.

"I am going to personally report to the Lord."

Not waiting for their answer, he headed off, his gaze lingering on the system notification.

[Quest Run away: Completed!]

[Distributing Reward]

[200 Skill Points gained]

He wasn't happy about the outcome.

Not one bit.

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