The destruction of the tenth base (3)

Before Gogis could add anything, the screen showing Kurdent blinked out.

"....!"

Gogis' eyes opened wide as his mind couldn't comprehend Kurdent's action. Gogis might think of him as an annoying, manipulative psychopath, but he never considered him a coward. If he was, there was no way his base would become one of the strongest in the region.

'So why the hell did he disappear the instant I spoke about Astarte?!'

The more Gogis pondered this, the more certain he became that Kurdent, that abominable little shit, was just a coward!

"Don't hold it against him," Karda said, seeing Gogis' expression. "You don't know how much weight the name 'Astarte' has, otherwise you would have understood his reaction. Anyway, I'm also not going to participate in whatever is going to happen in your base, and I suggest that the rest of you will follow my example if you don't want to die."

As for you," Karda looked at Gogis, "I suggest you do your best to get the help of your supervisor, otherwise..." Karda didn't finish his sentence, but it was clear to Gogis what he meant.

With that, the screen of the elderly man with the bald head also blinked out.

'Old bastard!' Gogis exclaimed in his head, his fury building with each passing second.

His anger was understandable as not only did Karda refuse to help him, but the old man also invited the other heads of base not to do so!

'You couldn't just fuck off like the other bastard did?!' Gogis thought in hatred, 'you will pay for this!'

Gogis took a deep breath, attempting to quell the storm of anger within him. He understood all too well that his immediate concern wasn't plotting his revenge against Karda; Survival had to be his first priority.

However, before he could even utter a word, Alveidi also voiced her refusal to help him.

"I'm going back to sleep," she declared. "But Tobias, I expect a call after you've sold that half-virax. Perhaps we could go out together," she suggested with a wink.

Unfortunately, Tobias couldn't see her gesture. The only one who could see it was Gogis, and it only fueled his anger.

'Bitch!'

Before he could do anything, all the other screens began to blink out. Seeing this, Gogis's first reaction was anger, but then it turned into despair as he understood that he and his men would be the ones to face Astarte alone.

Gogis knew he shouldn't have counted on the other heads of the base to help him; after all, all of them were bandits. Still, he hoped they would find it in their wretched hearts to at least assist him in his situation, but apparently, that was asking too much of them.

Fortunately for him, one screen still remained active, displaying the head of the ninth base: Tobias.

"If you stayed just to boast about your half-virax, then you can go fuck yourself. I'm not in the mood to hear your crap," Gogis said with an annoyed expression.

Tobias chuckled, "Contrary to what you think, I stayed because I wanted to help you."

"Rea-"

"Of course, it's not free," Tobias clarified.

"Of course," Gogis snorted, "What do you want in return?"

"Half of your treasury," Tobias replied.

"If that's your price, then you can fuck off. There's no way Dinos will allow such a fortune to leave the treasury," Gogis said firmly.

"Hmm, then you'll owe me one. Whatever I ask of you, you'll gladly do," Tobias said.

"Deal!" Gogis replied without hesitation.

"We have a problem, though," Tobias interjected, interrupting Gogis, who was sighing in relief. "Our bases aren't that close. It will take us at least weeks to reach your base. I doubt you'll still be alive by then."

As if to prove Tobias's statement true, the sound of breaking glass reverberated through the entire base. When Gogis glanced at the screen displaying Astarte and her assault on the barrier, a chill ran down his spine at the sight of a sizable crack forming on its surface.

'Shit, she's going to break through soon!' Gogis panicked.

"Can't you ask Rangyl to help you get here?" Gogis questioned.

"I could, but you know he'll want something in return, right?" Tobias replied.

"I already told you I can't give you money-"

"Oh, Rangyl isn't interested in money," Tobias waved his hand.

"Then what does he want?" Gogis inquired.

"Subjects for his experiments," Tobias answered.

"I see," Gogis nodded, "that could be arranged."

"Good, I'll prepare my men then," Tobias said before his screen blinked out.

"I hope that decision won't come back to bite me in the ass later," Gogis sighed.

"Do you think the help of the members of Base Nine will be enough to defeat her?" a man approached Gogis and asked.

Gogis' eye twitched in irritation, "Go prepare yourself for the fight and don't bother me!"

****

On the barrier protecting the Tenth Base.

'A few more strikes will be enough to shatter it,' Astarte thought as she observed the network of cracks spreading across the barrier.

Despite its sturdiness, the barrier barely held up against Astarte's relentless assaults for half an hour, and even then, she wasn't exerting her full strength.

Crack

A sound of glass shattering echoed through as Astarte struck once again. The network of cracks expanded, and with a final blow, a hole was punched through the barrier, marking its breach.

In an instant, the mana barrier, the shimmering veil of protection, disappeared as if it was never there to begin with.

The previous purple pair of wings reappeared on Astarte's back, stabilizing her in the air.

Without hesitation, she began her descent.

'It's literally a small town,' Astarte thought with a marveled expression.

Astarte had assumed that being underground, the base wouldn't appear impressive, but to her surprise, it resembled a typical town, albeit one located beneath the earth's surface.

One building stood out the most in this town, an immense structure shaped like a fortress.

'Definitely not made by mere bandits,' Astarte concluded.

At the center of the small town, a wide plaza could be seen, and within it, Astarte noticed a large group of individuals gathered, their eyes fixed on her descending figure.

'Four level 5, ten level 4, and around fifty level 3,' Astarte evaluated the strength of those in the plaza. 'Their military power rivals that of some minor noble houses.'

'They're not attacking?' Astarte raised a brow in surprise as she proceeded to land in the plaza, opposite the group.

The moment her feet touched the ground, a man with spiky hair, one of the level 5 individuals, stepped forward and bowed.

"Lady Astarte," Gogis greeted with the utmost politeness he could muster.

"Oh, you know me?" Astarte raised a brow.

"Of course, who wouldn't know one of the best Aura masters on the entire continent," Gogis said, ensuring a hint of reverence seeped into his tone.

'Damn, she is beautiful,' Gogis thought, a hint of desire igniting in his eyes as he stole a glance at Astarte.

"May I know, Lady Astarte, what brings you here to the domain of mere citizens like us?" Gogis asked in a curious tone.

After what he had witnessed mere minutes ago, Gogis had come to the conclusion that it was in their best interest to attempt negotiation with Astarte. He didn't feel that the negociation will be successful though.

'It's still better than engaging in combat with this monster,' Gogis thought.

"Mere citizens, huh?" Astarte chuckled, her melodic voice making the heart of all the men in the vicinity skip a beat. "I highly doubt 'mere citizens' could afford a mana barrier."

"We-"

"You know what? I don't care," Astarte interrupted Gogis. "You've kidnapped a member of House Feynor. I'm here to return him to his family. Hand him over, and I'll leave."

The eyes of Gogis and all of his subordinates opened wide when they heard Astarte's words. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"G-Go and bring Feynor with you!" Gogis ordered one of his subordinates.

'Will she really leave after we give her Feynor?' Gogis wondered.

Truth be told, he wasn't certain if he could trust Astarte. She might go back on her words the instant the member of the Feynor house was safe. 'No, I won't let that happen.'

Seconds later, the subordinate Gogis ordered to bring back their hostage returned with Feynor in his arms.

"Here is the one you asked for," Gogis said, gesturing to Feynor and positioning him in front of himself. "Before anything, what guarantees me that you won't attack us the moment we hand him over to you?"

"Nothing," Astarte answered in an indifferent tone.

"That's what I thought," Gogis uttered, his polite expression leaving room to a cold one.

With a menacing gesture, Gogis brandished a dagger, pressing it against Feynor's throat. "Here's how it will unfold," he declared, his tone commanding. "You will sign a soul contract pledging not to harm us, even after we deliver this boy to you. I'm certain you wouldn't want any harm to befall him, considering you've come all this way to rescue him, right?"

Astarte gazed at Gogis, the same indifferent expression on her face, "go along, kill him."

"....!"

The eyes of both Gogis widened in shock at Astarte's words.

"It's true that I came here to rescue him," Astarte continued with a calm and unhurried tone, "but I never said that I needed to bring him back alive."

Astarte's expression suddenly turned somber. "Be warned, though. If I cannot bring him back alive, then I will seek vengeance."

"In this case, that means destroying this base."