Chapitre 26: Shadows Over the Forest
"What did you say!? You've found that guy's territory?"
On a hillside, within a grand and imposing palace, Sebastian shot up from his seat, glaring at the man who had just spoken.
"Y-yes, this morning I sent the Eagles from my territory to scout, and they discovered a plant-based territory at the edge of the forest, close to the swamp. It's almost certainly the one we encountered before."
The man, visibly nervous under Sebastian's intense gaze, stammered out his report.
Hearing this, Sebastian's face lit up with triumph.
"Good! Very good! I've been waiting to settle the score from the other day, and now I've finally found his hiding place! Perfect!"
As he spoke, a venomous expression crept across Sebastian's face, accompanied by a palpable murderous intent.
If it weren't for that bastard, Sebastian wouldn't have been humiliated so thoroughly. He wouldn't have become the laughingstock of everyone, enduring such disgrace. Now, whenever people mentioned him, the first thing that came to mind wasn't his strength, but his crushing defeat—a humiliation he could scarcely bear.
But now, he had finally located that detestable man's territory. Finally, he could exact his revenge!
No wonder he was so exhilarated.
Seeing his reaction, the others in the room quickly chimed in with words of caution. "Boss Sebastian, I think we should be careful. What if he really is the one ranked ninth?"
"Yeah, if he's that guy, even all of us together might not be a match for him."
"Exactly, someone like that—"
"Enough!" Sebastian cut them off sharply.
He raised his head, his eyes gleaming with determination and disdain.
"Do you really think someone on the rankings would be so easy to run into? And even if he is the ninth-ranked, so what? No matter how strong he is, he's still just one person."
"Besides, have you considered this? Destroying his territory would give us the resources to upgrade to Tier 5, along with everything else in his domain. With that, climbing the rankings would be a breeze."
"I've said my piece. If anyone wants to back out, now's the time. I won't stop you."
His cold voice echoed through the palace, leaving the four men below exchanging uneasy glances.
It had to be said, Sebastian's words were incredibly tempting.
Reaching Tier 5, climbing the rankings, standing above millions—any one of these was enough to stir their hearts. Moreover, they all knew that in this world, without strength, survival was nearly impossible. To grow stronger, they had to tread over countless corpses; there was no other path.
And Sebastian was right—the world was vast. What were the odds of actually running into the ninth-ranked individual?
After a moment of hesitation, only one man stepped forward. "Boss Sebastian, everyone… I've decided to withdraw. I won't be part of this."
"Are you sure?" A cold glint flashed in Sebastian's eyes, though it was quickly concealed.
The man, clearly anxious, avoided Sebastian's gaze. After a long pause, he mustered his courage and said, "I'm sure."
"Fine. You can leave. I won't stop you." Sebastian's tone was indifferent.
"Really!?" The man's head snapped up, disbelief written all over his face.
Seeing that Sebastian seemed serious and not about to deceive him, the man felt as if he'd been granted a reprieve. Without another word, he turned and left, soon exiting the palace.
But just then, a flash of golden light streaked past. With a soft "thud," it sliced across his throat, and his movements froze.
"Guh—" The man stiffened, his eyes widening to their limits.
He stared at the angel before him, holding a bloodied sword, and tried to speak, but no sound came out.
Finally, he collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
The angel swiftly grabbed the corpse and silently carried it away, leaving no trace of blood behind.
Inside the palace, the others remained unaware of what had just transpired.
Only Sebastian's eyes flickered with a cold, almost imperceptible light.
He turned to the three remaining men, a smile returning to his face. "Since you've chosen to stay and help me, you're my brothers now. You won't be left wanting for rewards."
"Haha, Boss Sebastian, you're too kind. This is what we should do."
"Exactly, we'll follow your lead."
"Good. Let's move out. It's time to find that bastard."
Without further ado, Sebastian stood and left the palace, summoning his angels outside.
The others followed suit, rallying their own units. Together, they amassed a formidable force of over a hundred Tier 4 units, marching in the direction of Alex's territory.
At the same time, a voice echoed in Sebastian's mind.
[Successfully killed a Tier 4 Lord. Obtained 89 Mana, 20 units of Wood, 35 units of Stone, and 1 Tier 4 Territory Essence.]
Sebastian's eyes flickered with surprise as he continued forward.
Unfortunately, they had only recently upgraded their territories and had just survived a beast tide, leaving their resources depleted. Even pooling their resources wouldn't be enough to reach Tier 5.
This made the destruction of Alex's territory all the more imperative. Without it, gathering enough resources in a short time would be impossible.
Thinking this, a cold smile curled on Sebastian's lips.
"Just wait. I'll make sure you die without a grave, begging for mercy on your knees!"
Meanwhile, Alex remained unaware that his territory had been targeted.
At the moment, he was out exploring with his plant army, using the opportunity to help his units gain experience.
When they killed monsters, the units absorbed a portion of the demonic energy within them, using it to strengthen themselves—essentially, a boost to their stats.
The more monsters they killed, the more experience they gained, and the stronger their attributes became.
This was why units of the same level could vary in strength.
Even if they couldn't level up immediately, they could still grow stronger.
Take the Explosive Mushroom beside Alex, for example.
During the recent beast tide, it had killed numerous monsters, absorbing a significant amount of demonic energy. Its stats were now nearly maxed out for Tier 4.
[Name: Explosive Mushroom]
[Race: Plant]
[Level: Tier 4 (79/100)]
[Strength: 20]
[Constitution: 84]
[Agility: 82]
[Spirit: 99]
[Skills: Wooden Spikes, Explosive Spores, Mutation]
[Description: A harmless-looking mushroom, but a master of destruction, excelling in wide-area attacks.]
When it first evolved, the Explosive Mushroom's stats were only in the 60s and 70s. Now, they were in the 80s and 90s, with its Spirit attribute nearing 100. Its explosive power had also increased significantly.
So, for the entire morning, Alex had been exploring the forest near his territory with his plants, killing monsters and earning some Mana.
But just as he finished off a Tier 4 monster and was about to move on, a series of alerts suddenly rang out in his mind.
[Warning! Your territory is under attack!]
[Warning! Your territory is under attack!]
[Warning! Your territory is under attack!]
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone