Death... and me

Sister Orb then explained. [The real use of this formation is to gather the living souls of everyone and use its converted energy to attack. Our army doesn't need to worry about having their souls extracted since they can defend against it with their Divine Energies. However, the Demon Beasts Gardo mentioned...]

Rean immediately understood. 'They have no defense and will die straight away, right?'

[Wrong,] Sister Orb then corrected Rean, [there is no defense to talk about since there are no more Demon Beasts here. The formation is already fully charged. I can't tell what happened to the demon beasts inside since it is not like I can see things. However, considering all the energy, I'm pretty sure not a single demon beast survived.]

Rean was taken aback. 'Then why haven't they used the energy yet?'

[Because the formation can only attack those within it. You wondered why the Elemental Space Realm devils that were supposed to have come haven't yet, right? That's because they are all necessary to operate this formation. Worse of all, there is nothing I can do to stop it.]

'What?!' Rean didn't understand. 'How come you can hack into it but can't stop the formation?'

[That's because the formation isn't operating on its own like the majority of formations. With all those Elemental Space Realm Devils controlling it, I can't force the formation to do something else. If I intervene, not only will I not be able to change the outcome, but those Devils will definitely notice something wrong and might change the runes in the formation core. If that happens, it will take a few more minutes for me to hack into it again.]

Rean nodded. 'Alright, thanks, Sister Orb. By the way, how long do we have?'

[They can activate it anytime they want. If I'm not wrong, they are only waiting for the entire army to enter the formation to activate it. Even though they will lose a lot of devils distracting your group, the ultimate result is that they will wipe out most of Gardo's army. You should warn everyone to retreat as soon as possible.]

'Rean!' Suddenly, Rean received Kentucky's Divine Sense Message. 'Since the Demon Beasts inside are dead, so be it. You need to tell Gardo to sound the retreat.' Just like Roan, Kentucky was also told everything by Sister Orb.

Rean then looked at the skies, seeing the calamity happening there with Gardo and Froskley's fight. 'Alright, I'm going out.'

Rean then ignored the Devils and immediately shot out of the formation. Essefy and the others were taken aback, not understanding why Rean did it. 'Rean, come back! Fleeing without receiving the order will result is a heavy punishment by the rules,' Essefy immediately warned Rean.

Rean glanced at him and nodded. 'I know. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing.'

*Zush!*

Rean appeared outside, and his Divine Sense was finally able to extend to the skies. Without wasting time, Rean contacted Gardo with his Divine Sense. 'Senior Gardo, this is a trap. You need to tell the army to retreat immediately!'

'What?!' Gardo looked at Rean below and then glanced at the gap in the devils' defense that increased by the second. If things continued like that, his army would completely uproot the devils in this place. 'Don't talk bullshit! Look around you. There is no way we can be defeated anymore! Besides, what about the demon beasts trapped in this formation? I can't leave them behind.'

Rean bitterly smiled, finding it difficult to explain what was happening. After all, if he went into deeper details, it would also mean there is something special about it.

Rean then looked at the army that was entering the formation nonstop. Devils kept falling and replaced by more devils. Around a third of the army had already forced its way inside, and the number would only increase. 'Senior Gardo, the Elemental Space Realm Devils did not appear. Why do you think they aren't here to help stop us? They are definitely planning something. I have some knowledge about formations, and I can guarantee that there is something really wrong with it all.'

Rean continued. 'I know you can see that we are making huge progress, killing countless devils. But If I'm right, we might lose many more experts than the Devils today.'

*Boom!*

Gardo blocked an attack from Froskley, and the two were forced away from each other through the blast. He pondered the issue, but he struggled to make a decision. The fact the Elemental Space Realm devils didn't appear was even better for his army, so should he really stop now? But then again, what if Rean was right? The fact the Elemental Space Realm devils didn't appear was also very strange. 'Are you sure? Are you really, really, really sure? If I order the army to turn back and we find out there was nothing to worry about, I'll have your skin!'

Rean sighed in relief. 'Yes, I'm absolutely sure this is a trap. If I'm wrong, I will accept any punishment.'

Finally, Gardo gritted his teeth as he exchanged another blow with Froskley. Right after, he took a heavy breath before using his Divine Energy and air to bellow. "Demon Beast Army, full retreat! No Demon Beast is allowed to enter the formation anymore! The commanders will help with the retreat, covering the back. Do it now!"

Everyone was taken aback. They had an overwhelming advantage, so how come Gardo sounded the retreat now. For a moment, everyone stopped in place, not knowing what to do.

Rean and Kentucky didn't waste time, though. "Have you not heard the senior Gardo? It must be some kind of trap! Everyone, retreat now!"

At the same time, Rean used his Divine Sense to talk with the other Elemental Space Realm experts. 'Get ready. We might need to disappear from this place any second now. Don't ask why, just do it!'

*Rumble!*

Suddenly, the world began to tremble as a huge amount of energy surged from the center of the formations tens of thousands of kilometers away. At the same time, the entire Formation Barrier shone with a black aura, turning the environment even worse than it was. "Shit! It's here! Essefy, Kentucky, out, now!"

Kentucky didn't waste time and used his Spatial Powers to charge out. Essefy and a few other Elemental Space Realm experts followed suit. Yet, a lot of them and a good part of the army didn't make it in time.