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Thanks to his countless experiences and fortuitous encounters, Emery's Spirit Reading was arguably the best among his friends, and with the help of his two little creatures, he was able to scan and figure out the situation of the entire base.

Unfortunately, the target of his ability was limited to organic lifeforms. Hence the reason he couldn't sense the incoming mechanical soldiers nor the devices installed throughout the base that secretly captured his movements and visualized them in another place.

****

Somewhere deep in the underground rebel base, within a particular special room, there were dozens of screens that showed footage of the four figures that had snuck and roamed inside the base.

One figure was seen sitting in a relaxed manner, his eyes staring at the screen in great amusement. Meanwhile, four other people were standing nearby with their backs straight waiting for his orders.

"To think they came so much sooner than expected… I didn't realize my foolish brother would lead them here so easily." The man muttered.

This person, a middle-aged man who bore a resemblance to the former marshal currently accompanying Emery and the others, was none other than the infamous rebel leader Stildar Quartermain.

One of the four other people present in the room, a man wearing a unique device on his eyes, approached the rebel leader and reported the information he gained on the intruders.

"The two acolytes are in high stage Rank 9, while the bulky one is merely a low stage of the same rank."

The man then proceeded to describe his analysis of the three acolytes who had infiltrated their base. During this time, the unique device hanging over his eyes continuously gave off a bright flickering light.

"The one who holds the shield is their leader; he and the brute were combat specialists. However, the one who we need to pay special attention to is the brown hair one."

The rebel leader raised one of his eyebrows at his confidant's words, as his gaze quickly shifted to the said person. On the other hand, one of the three present nearby voiced their opinion hearing their colleague's analysis.

"That one? …He doesn't look strong at all."

As if he had expected such a reaction, the man quickly affirmed. "Yes, he is their main magician. A powerful dual element acolyte with plant and light affinity. He is a long-range caster with decent offensive and defensive spells; however, his plant summons are extremely dangerous."

The rebel leader didn't seem enthusiastic about the report as he said, "That's all you got after sacrificing twenty of our brothers?" It was clear that the man was not satisfied by the amount of information gathered at the expense of his men that were dead and captured earlier today.

"Yes, I apologize, boss. I didn't expect them to be that strong."

"They were sent by the Magus Alliance! Of course, they are strong!"

After slightly venting his irritation out, Stildar turned his attention to the screen once more. The information he currently had was not enough for him to take decisive action, thus he decided to test their power once again by preparing a trap inside the factory room.

…

"Capture all the intruders!"

In order to make sure he had the highest chance of success for the final move, the rebel leader decided to send all 100 mechanical soldiers in his disposal to the factory room that had been prepared to trap Emery and the others.

These mechanical soldiers were built to possess similar strength to that of saint-level warriors. Not only that, they were also programmed to fight very well in both close combat and the use of [Solar Rifle]. However, what made them embody the perfect soldier was the fact they felt no fear nor pain.

Through the screen showing the unfolding situation, Stildar and his men watched how the army of mechanical soldiers started to surround and attack the four intruders without any hesitation in their actions.

"There is no need for concern, boss. Those soldiers are made of extremely durable metal that is comparable to Tier 3 weapons." said one of the men, snickering at Emery and the others on the screen. "Those fools will definitely regret their decision to come here today!"

Just as soon as the man said those words, the said brute on the screen charged in and used his bare arms to split one of the mechanical soldiers. The so-called durable metal was twisted as easily as a carrot on a chopping board.

"...."

While the one who had just spoken was forced to eat his words, the person on the screen continued to create havoc and destroy the mechanical soldiers one by one. The latter could only fold under the former's ferocious assault.

An eerie silence enveloped the room as the five were at a loss for words at such a sight.

Moments later, the man wearing the unique device on his eye laughed wryly as he said, "My mistake, boss... He seems to be the actual powerhouse of the group. Hahaha.." He awkwardly laughed.

There was no response from the rebel leader for a while. Eventually, he stood up and spoke to his subordinate. "I am not going to take the risk. Pack up the Replicator, we are going to another base."

"You're wise, boss."

Stildar then looked at the three other figures saying, "You three will stay here. Help me delay them."

The order was met with a nod of three. "Yes, of course, boss. Leave it to us three brothers."

****

Within the said factory room, the one bearing the moniker Immortal Gladiator roared in a frenzy as he just used his newly mastered [Immortal Gate - stage 7]. The technique had given him a whooping 128 battle power, allowing him to freely wreak havoc.

Thrax turned into a battle-crazed figure as he streaked towards one side of the room filled with dozens of mechanical soldiers. He began attacking them relentlessly, breaking them apart like wooden toys.

"This is my side! Stay away!" The Thracian shouted, forcing the other three to fight on the other side where there were less mechanical soldiers.

But then, just as they had just started fighting with this army of mechanical soldiers, Emery sensed that the sole magus figure in this underground base was starting to move away from them.

"I think the leader is running away," Emery said to Julian.

Hearing such news, the Roman quickly made a decision. "Thrax! You can have them all!"

A burst of boisterous laughter greeted those words. "Hahahaha! Yes! Thank you!"

Immediately after, Julian headed towards one of the metal doors. The moment he placed his hand on it, the metal turned liquid and opened a path for them. He was about to chase after the target of this mission when a voice stopped him with a question.

"You're actually going to leave him to fight alone!?" said the former marshal, disbelief evident in his voice.

The Roman glanced at the old man before saying, "Can't you see that he is having fun? Don't worry about him; let's go!"

To be continued