"The time has come." Michael announced, heading toward the train station.

"I wonder if your plan is going to work?" Richard exclaimed with a grin, acting like a mischievous child.

He was curious to see the people that were following his Boss around.

Before long, they arrived at the location from where they would depart the city.

"Efficient." Richard mused, seeing numerous alien bodies littering the street.

The Azure's troops had left no threat alive.

"Michael!"

The first one to notice his arrival was Ava. With a smile spreading over her face, she was about to welcome him. Only to freeze a second later, witnessing a person that she didn't recognize.

Even more alarming, this person was of the Peak Master realm! Meaning he surpassed Victoria and Claire, who were both in the Late stage!

The numerous scars that were running across his body didn't help ease her worry in the slightest.

"It's alright. He has proven useful until now." Michael reassured Ava, sensing her alarm.

"Even if you say that..." She mumbled, knowing there was no point in asking where they'd met. The Master had clearly been locked in a cell, making him a criminal that Michael had set free.

She couldn't help but wonder if it was the right move to free him, since the Master could prove to be a wild card.

Michael didn't bother to explain himself. With time running out, he went to search for the Grandmasters.

Naturally, Richard instantly sensed the worry of the petite woman. Yet before he taunted like he usually would, he noticed a certain glint in Ava's eyes as she glanced at Michael.

"Hahaha! You must be the Boss' woman!" He laughed joyfully. There was no way he could mistake this kind of glance that women would send men. She was head over heels over Michael!

"..."

Ava stared blankly at the Master, bewildered that she had been read so easily.

Yet when she heard the way Richard had described her relationship with Michael, she began to see the Master in a new kind of light.

Gone was the dangerous criminal that could prove liability. Now he was a distinguished gentleman with exquisite manners.

"Nice to meet you!" Ava smiled warmly before following after Michael with light steps.

Richard scoffed, walking after them.

"You are back? How did it go?" Evelyn dropped what she was doing and pressed him for answers.

Michael quickly reported that the plan had been a success, confirming that everything had gone smoothly. The order to escort the civilians was then given.

BOOM!

At that moment the 24 hours had passed. As per agreement, the freed criminals were to cause havoc and disorder around the city for half an hour. After their duty was upheld, they were to head towards the train. If they managed to reach it before it departed, their criminal past would be erased.

The thousand or so civilians didn't linger. The instant explosion of all kinds began to resonate across the whole city. They obeyed Peter's orders. Evacuating through the safe path that Vespera's troops had created.

"The plan really was a success…" Witnessing the havoc around the settlement, Victoria, as well as the other members of Michael's crew, went to greet him.

"Seeing that there is a Peak Master following you, it seems that you did even better than I expected." Claire giggled.

Richard, who was watching from the side, letting his Boss have his reunion with his crew, arched an eyebrow, observing Victoria and Claire.

'First the petite woman… Now these two also look at Boss the same way?' The Master wondered internally.

Then he erupted into uncontrollable laughter, realizing the reason.

"Besides being more intimidating than he should be for his realm, he also has such beautiful women looking at him like that? I knew that following him was the right choice!"

As it turned out, besides killing, Richard's Boss had a knack for courting ladies.

"We are far from done!" Enzo declared, hitting his two gauntlets together. "Our mission was to learn about any weakness the Overlord might possess!"

Due to his words the tension thickened. With rescuing the civilians in their minds, they had almost forgotten their original purpose for coming here.

"So we would have to return after rescuing the civilians…" Amelia mumbled in dejection. It wouldn't be easy supplying Cyberfang with enough electricity to pass through the blizzards again.

"Weakness?" Intrigued by the discussion, Richard butted in.

Michael proceeded to fill in the Master as to what their original objective had been.

"Oh, that… Yea, the fucker does indeed have one." Richard stated, bewildering everyone.

"Excuse me?" Victoria muttered. What were the chances the prisoner that Michael let go had the information they needed?

The man shrugged. "While I was rotting in prison, the Overlord came several times to play with us. Picking an unfortunate criminal, it would use some kind of ability to shatter their soul, crippling them."

With a sigh he added. "I don't really get how soul attacks work, but its specialty is evident. The key to beating it would be preventing it from accessing your spirit."

Michael's mind instantly went into overdrive. 'This sounds awfully familiar to the General that went to attack Triton. The alien proved more powerful than the average of its tier with its soul attack. Perhaps it was the underling of this Overlord?'

It was beginning to make sense how the aliens could so easily intensify their efforts on conquering the planet.

They had been lying in wait to act if their plans went out of control.

Evelyn studied the Master. She wasn't picking up any hint of deception in his words. He was telling the truth.

Despite his past, the word of a Peak Master held a lot of merit. The Lord of Azure would certainly be pleased.

"It's good knowing that we won't have to come back." Bryce let out a sigh of relief. Even for the old veteran, the sight of so many dead disturbed him greatly.

Fortunately, the civilians didn't encounter any problems. Under Peter's orders they traveled the cleared path with Vespera's soldiers escorting them.

"W—We made it!"

"Praise the soldiers!"

The civilians rejoiced as they boarded the transportation vehicle.

Simultaneously, the havoc around the city ceased. With the half hour over, the criminals sped off towards the train, hoping to make it in time.

"Give the word to Leo. In ten minutes we depart." Michael commanded, calculating how much longer they can stay here before aliens discover them.

Ten minutes was far from enough time to traverse the massive city. But with so much on the line, the prisoners would either have to adapt and make it or be left to fend for themselves. At the very least physical exertion was their specialty.

"Hum?" Just when Michael was about to move to a vantage point to observe for threats, he realized that Peter and the Adepts that had helped the thousand of civilians survive hadn't yet climbed aboard.

"We got things covered. Go rest." Michael reassured, guessing that they wanted to help.

They had been through their own hell, and yet they had saved the lives of so many civilians. If there was anyone that deserved to rest, it was them.

Yet Peter somberly shook his head.

"No… We aren't coming."

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