The Rise of the Black Plain

While Minos felt terrible, Gloria, Ruth, and Abby sat on the ground next to him as the survivors also began to rest in the area.

Along with this, low-level soldiers were beginning to arrive in the area, ready to provide medical and logistical support, many of them there to collect the belongings of the dead.

Simultaneously, the three women watched this silently, knowing that Minos was in a bad mood due to the previous situation.

"I wonder who did that?" Ruth asked Gloria.

This redheaded woman shook her head negatively, indicating she had no idea.

Whoever had done, they were there to prevent Abe's death but not to help the plans of this former prince of Vogel. They could understand this since it would otherwise make no sense for someone so capable to let this entire group perish.

Since the identity of such a powerful enemy was somewhat mysterious, these women could not help but wonder about their identity.

"Could it have been someone from the Saints Killing Sect?" Abby asked in ignorance.

She had not noticed the hand that went through space and took the body of Abe and the other Spiritual Saint. Thus, she thought a high-level Spiritual Saint had thrown the stone that saved the enemy leader.

Minos heard his Empress' question and answered her. "Impossible. The Saints Killing Sect doesn't have any Spiritual Sages."

"What? Spiritual Sages?" Abby and Ruth exclaimed while Gloria became much more serious.

Minos said. "Yes, the person who rescued Abe used a spatial manipulation skill to rescue such a person. That is something that only Spiritual Sages or stronger ones can use. So there is no doubt about the cultivation stage of this enemy."

The three frowned, feeling things were getting too complicated without them even understanding. "Why would someone like that target us? We've never been involved against powers with people of that level." Abby said.

Gloria then expressed. "We truly don't get involved. Not directly."

"What are you talking about?" Ruth questioned as she cleaned the blood on one of the wounds she had suffered in that fight.

That beautiful redhead spoke again. "The Spiritual Church. The enemy is probably an opponent of the Church, a powerful one. So, for that reason alone, we are being targeted, but without experts of that power itself attacking us."

"What? Are you saying that this organization is funding Abe and will continue to do so? That's why this specialist saved that person?" Abby realized the problem.

"That must be the case," Minos commented in a low voice, feeling that he had been caught in the problem of two giants. 'Damn. I simply can't accept that Abe keeps bringing trouble into my state!'

'To make matters worse, he has seen one of my strategies and will be more careful!' Minos made a horrid expression, feeling bad that, for the first time in a long time, he did not know how to solve one of his problems.

'Will I have to threaten that person?' He wondered if he could do that with the Black Hole Bomb, which would now be much stronger given the cultivators that were absorbed by the black hole today.

But doing that with a Spiritual Sage was more difficult than one might think. After all, people above level 80 could travel through space and thus escape more quickly than weaker ones.

Hence, it would be countless times harder for Minos to act against someone of that level than against a peak Spiritual Saint!

"Sigh..."

...

As Minos sighed in that area near the Dry City belt of cities, the battle in the capital of Vogel had ended after tens of minutes of confrontation.

In that city, a dozen high-level Spiritual Saints had started an attack on the local Spiritual Church post, trying to destroy that place.

However, not only had the Church post prepared for this event because of Minos' advice, but the local forces had joined together to form a sizeable army.

Such an army had gathered more than 100 low-level and mid-level Spiritual Saints and had participated in defense of the Church post in this area when the attack began.

Because of this, the battle that was supposed to bring this entire city to its knees had not been so terrifying, ending with few deaths.

The citizens had been directed to safe places just before the confrontation, and the defensive forces in this area had acted quickly when the enemies showed themselves.

Other than a few human losses and damaged infrastructure in parts of the center of the former Vogel capital, the local powers were still standing. At the same time, most of the enemies had perished.

But unfortunately for Minos' side, the groups that had been fighting in this city could not eliminate all the opponents, only 7 of the 12 high-level Spiritual Saints.

Anyway, for weaker people, this was a great victory that guaranteed the wealth of those seven mercenaries to be distributed among those involved.

Elen found all this out after leaving her hiding place when it was no longer dangerous.

"Unbelievable..." She muttered as she saw the situation in the streets of this city, remembering the sounds she had heard from inside her hiding place.

'I must notify Minos as soon as possible!' She thought about it after a while, thinking it crucial to let her leader know the local situation after today's confrontation.

As for the situation in the main part of the Black Plain, she would eventually receive some kind of report, so she did not need to ask for that information.

'I hope everyone is okay...'

"Sigh!"

...

At the Assembly of Vogel...

After the battle was over, the mid-level Spiritual Saints of that state, the leaders of the local families, were there in place of the usual representatives of their families.

"The enemy attack was potent, but we managed to win." One of the local patriarchs said, feeling proud that they had passed this challenge.

Their state was afraid to face the Flaming Empire mainly because that other state had high-level Spiritual Saints while they did not.

So, to be able to participate in a battle against people like that and win was quite an achievement for these people!

"That's right... But at what cost? Twenty of our experts perished this day." One of those with a negative mindset said that. "And we couldn't even eliminate their group. So I ask you, what do we do now?"

"Not so much, August." Another man said this as he got up from his armchair in that conversation area. "The Church has given up the belongings of the dead Spiritual Saints. Then we will be able to divide the inheritances of those individuals. But, on the other hand, even without it, we had no choices. The opponent would sacrifice the city's population to attack the Church and us!"

"Yes, that was an act of the damned Abe, so, of course, he wouldn't target only the church people..."

The people there continued to debate the matter, talking about what happened, how to divide the spoils of war, and the future.

"How will we deal with the Flaming Empire and still this current threat? I don't see a promising future ahead..."