A wave of shocked cries erupted throughout the hall as panic spread among the soldiers.
Arlo’s brows knitted together as he quietly watched those around him. When his gaze shifted toward Fat Con standing beside him, the man’s face had gone pale, as though the announcement had taken all the strength out of him.
"You heard correctly," Captain Ennessa said, her voice cutting cleanly through the commotion.
"Our mission is to infiltrate a Vorath settlement hidden within Sector X and wipe it from existence. If anyone has a question, ask it now."
For a brief moment, silence settled over the hall before whispers slowly began spreading once more.
Unlike everyone else, Arlo was less interested in the mission and more focused on learning about this unfamiliar world around him.
Nothing here resembled Umbrasol.
The strange metallic equipment, the armor, the machines, and even these so-called Vorath...
He had never encountered such creatures before, nor had he ever read of them in any historical record.
Having been raised as a prince of the Eclipsion Kingdom, Arlo knew more than most, yet even he found it difficult to accept the possibility forming in his mind: this was a different world.
"SILENCE!"
Captain Ennessa’s voice rang out through the chamber, silencing everyone at once.
"A question at a time."
A soldier near the front raised his hand.
"Go ahead."
"Captain... no disrespect intended, but if our target truly consists of nearly three hundred Vorath..."
The soldier hesitated.
"...isn’t this practically a suicide mission?"
Several soldiers nodded in agreement.
"And why would you think that?" Ennessa asked.
"Because we all know the older a Vorath gets, the stronger it becomes. A settlement this large is almost guaranteed to have some that are thirty or even forty years old."
His expression grew more serious.
"A ten-year-old Vorath is already nearly twice as strong as an adult human male thanks to their ability to circulate breath through their bodies. By the time they reach seventeen to twenty-five, they are already as strong as a Grade-One Core Enhancement Awakener."
"From twenty-five to thirty, they reach Grade Two strength. Anything beyond thirty..."
He paused.
"They become Grade Three."
The room grew quiet.
"None of us here have even reached Grade Two."
His gaze turned toward Ennessa.
"Only you have."
"If we encounter a Vorath over thirty years old, we won’t stand a chance."
"The risk is simply too high."
Arlo listened intently.
’Core Enhancement...So their cultivation does not revolve around opening Runic Gates.’
’And the Vorath naturally become stronger simply through aging? What sort of race is that...?’
Once again, he found himself confronted by knowledge that simply did not exist within Umbrasol.
Captain Ennessa stepped away from the dais and slowly approached the front of the hall.
"There is no need to remind me how dangerous the Vorath are. I have spent the last four years fighting them." She paused briefly.
"And yes, this mission is dangerous. If everything goes wrong, every one of us could die, but High Command is not in the habit of sending soldiers on suicide missions."
She tapped the holographic display hovering beside her.
"According to our latest intelligence, the Orama Military Group is currently engaged in a large-scale battle approximately fifty kilometers from the settlement."
"The Vorath believe that force to be our main offensive and have no idea we have already discovered the location of their hidden settlement."
Her lips curved into a confident smile.
"Most of their strongest warriors have already been deployed for the larger battle, leaving only the women and children behind."
"As you all know, female Vorath are significantly weaker than their male counterparts and possess far less combat capability."
"In other words, we are not fighting the snake. We are clearing out its nest while it is gone."
The tension inside the hall visibly eased.
Satisfied, she continued.
"Besides, I happen to be one of the finest Grade-Two Core Awakeners Earth has ever produced."
A few chuckles spread through the ranks.
"The higher-ups would not have assigned me this operation if they doubted my ability."
She smiled confidently.
"So all you need to do is follow my orders, and I will make sure every one of you returns alive."
Arlo scarcely heard the last part.
’Earth... So this world is called Earth.’
No wonder everything felt so unfamiliar.
This was not another kingdom or another continent. It was a completely different world, one seemingly more advanced than Umbrasol.
"Every one of you has one job: follow my orders. Understood?"
"YES, CAPTAIN!"
The soldiers’ response shook the hall.
"Good. Now..." Ennessa glanced at the display only she could see. "We are directly above the target. Current altitude: five hundred meters."
Her smile widened, and a strange feeling crept over Arlo.
"Prepare for free fall."
’Free fall? Wait, what does she mean by free fal...’
All of a sudden, the metallic floor beneath Arlo’s feet vanished.
His eyes widened as he found himself falling through the open sky, the wind roaring past his ears while gravity pulled him toward the earth with terrifying speed.
"Oh, no. I’m going to die!?"