After Long Wu returned from the west side and talked to Zhask about the three concepts, he finally arrived at the designated place for the Transcendent Group.
What he saw was a bit of happiness as well as a small gloom.
He first approached the source of gloom, realizing that several body bags were lying on the ground. Long Wu sighed because the matter of war always results in casualties.
Some of the soldiers were trembling hard; they could not even help themselves from doing that. Even after trying his best, Long Wu could not prevent death among the people behind him.
“I don’t know what to do.” One of the soldiers murmured.
Long Wu then saw what looked to be the leader of the squad and approached him.
“What’s the casualties so far?” Long Wu asked him. The squad leader looked at him before opening his mouth.
“Seven people from different squads are hit with the acid liquid from the Glings right on their faces. It melted their brains. One of them belongs to my squad; he is still a newbie.”
Long Wu knew that some part of the battle was breached since the transcendents could not entirely contain the wave of attacks and it was the Spitter that reached the position of the defense.
But Long Wu rationalized that the Spitter was the weakest among the Glings he and the group had to face. It would be worse if the defenders had to face the flying Glings or worse, the transcendent from the enemy.
Seeing the casualties made Long Wu think about his decision to help those near him. He did not know who to blame since he had tried to make a good decision. His heart, however, was blaming himself for being weak, making excuses for this.
“Please treat the families of the deceased well.” Long Wu said to the squad leader before he left. The squad leader caught a glimpse of Long Wu’s regret and began to respect the transcendent who had fought alongside them.
It was still within the calculation of the Cerulean Defense Force that casualties could occur, but seeing them directly was still difficult.
‘I never liked this feeling of helplessness. Does that mean I am still weak? Or is it because I am not capable enough?’ Long Wu furrowed his brow as he thought about this question again and again.
But the answer eluded him, as if it were not even close to begin with.
Then Long Wu returned to the Transcendent Group, where his fellow transcendent was recovering or increasing their strength.
Then he saw Hecates along with the Lieutenant together. Naturally, he could hear the conversation between the two.
“What are you talking about?” Long Wu asked for details. It seemed to him that the conversation was about the item he had given to the Lieutenant. But he could not hear the detail so he wanted to hear more.
“Well, the escort team was attacked.” Hecates explained. Long Wu narrowed his eyes, and disbelief could be seen on his face.
If the rear was attacked, it meant that there were infiltrators. They could reach that position without being detected meant that the three races lacked the means to detect them.
“What’s the General response to this?” Long Wu asked the most important question.
Hecates answered, “He is planning to for a special group for tracking them.”
“Then let me join them. The frontline is stabilized now and there won’t be a big move for some time.” Long Wu decided to help in getting rid of these risk factors.
“Why are you suddenly wanting to join?” Hecates was surprised to hear that and could not help but ask back.
“Because I have a feeling that my disciple is involved. I have a sharp mind and knew that my disciple must know about the infiltrators in advance. He would likely be a part of the escort team. Do you get where I am going with this?” Long Wu replied with a serious tone. It left no one in doubt about what he said.
“It is revenge. That is what you are good at.” Hecates nodded in understanding.
“If you want to join the special group, then you are more than welcome.” The Lieutenant said after hearing the discussion between the two.
-
Tatsumi felt a familiar place as he opened his eyes. The fields of crops surrounded him and there were people who also surrounded his position.
“Guess I am back here even if it is temporary.” He commented for the first time.
“Right. Giving back important information to the Cerulean Defense Force was a good decision.” The familiar figure in front of Tatsumi said.
“Uncle Kudungga really knows me. We give detailed reports about the escort team’s encounter with the enemies. And as expected, the Cerulean Defense Force starts to form a special unit to hunt the infiltrators.” Tatsumi replied.
“But this happened in less than a day. Will this be good or bad?” Besides Kudungga, Goto was also present and said what was on his mind.
“At least we still have the advantage here.” Tatsumi said before he looked at the people around him.
“Wait, why are the people around me someone with experience in Star Battle?”
“Because they could see the appearance of the new type of Gling through you. They enjoyed the moment you bluffed through the Queen. We saw that the way they attacked the team changed so we speculated that the Queen personally got involved.” Kudungga explained.
“Right. What about the Queen retreating? If she pushed a little more, she would have had all of us.” Tatsumi said, a bit confused about the action that the Queen of the Swarm took.
“It was obvious that while the item is important, the bigger picture must be taken into account. Losing so many of her units on foreign soil without any reinforcement is a loss she would not take lightly. She probably has a plan for them and I’m sure it won’t be pleasant for us.” Goto replied.
In the Library of Consciousness, Tatsumi and his predecessors discussed about the recent event Tatsumi had experienced before they informed him about the situation on the frontline.
“My team has no casualties, but on the frontline, the casualties started to appear.” Tatsumi murmured.
He was glad that he had managed to get his team through the threat without a single death. Although the injured ones were quite a lot but they survived.
He felt that the casualties were inevitable but part of him did not like it. No matter what, casualties should be avoided.
“Perhaps this is the best that we could do for now. I hope that those whose lives ended can find tranquility.” Tatsumi said with a bit of detachment.
“Let’s hope that was the case,” Kudungga said. He had taught the young man in front of him something crucial to the life of any human in the Cerulean Planet.
Tranquility of the Nafs. That was a state where everyone sought of, where they felt calmness and inner peace. Some got it right before death, while the others looked after it their entire life.
Kudungga got it right before his death when he had to let go of things he considered his burden.
“It is different for everyone but I hope that you too will find that state,” Goto added since he knew the topic.
“Let us not think about that and move to the new topic.” Tatsumi saw that everyone around him had a thoughtful expression and he knew that the topic was quite personal. So he decided to move on to the new topic.
“I found out that the Ether in the body directly connects to the natural energy, meaning that when it is depleted, I will get extremely tired. Something noteworthy, right?” Tatsumi started with his recent discovery.
This caused everyone around him to think about it.
“This is different than our hypothesis but it also makes sense.” Kudungga commented before he continued, “But considering that Ether is the opposite of the undead element, we need more samples to be able to come to a good result and conclusion.”
“True that. Let me correct some things you have thought. Ether is the transcendent energy that is heavily tied to the life force.” Goto said.
“Tied…meaning it affects each other, right?” Tatsumi added. Goto nodded in agreement.
“Other than that, do you want to practice the techniques that your teacher gives you?” Kudungga asked.
“They are the cumulative result of trial and error by my teacher. Of course, I have to take it, it is useful for reference.” Tatsumi said before he thought about the techniques.
The rest also followed since the technique was not only basic but also informative. Especially the concept of the Body, Mind and Technique. They often heard that from a certain person and did not expect to find his legacy right in front of them.
After some time passed, Tatsumi felt a pull. He realized what this meant but hoped that this moment would last.
“Oh, looks like I am going to wake up.” Tatsumi said while placing his hand on the back of his head.
“It is fine. We are still connected to you, experiencing things through you. Continue with your endeavor, boy.” Kudungga waved his hand as he saw the young man’s body become transparent before disappearing in a show of light.
-
Tatsumi felt that his eyelids covered his eyes, blocking most of the light that came but he knew that he had returned. He sighed and woke up not in the position that he last remembered.
He was currently on the side of the armored vehicles, even he could see the large tires beside him. He was currently in the shade of the vehicle as he saw the people scrambling here and there.
Putting his hand over his forehead, Tatsumi felt that he was well rested.
“Who was it that put me into my current position?” Tatsumi murmured before someone came to him from a distance.
“Have you rested well?” The first person who came to him was naturally Ame. The second person was the team leader as he still grabbed the suitcase. Both of them had a relieved look on their eyes and expressions.
“I am fine. What’s wrong?” Tatsumi wondered what it was that caused them so much worry.
Ame felt like she had to tell him so with reluctance, she told him something that he did not expect.
“The medics told me after you fell asleep that your heart stopped. That’s enough to worry someone, you know.”
Tatsumi was surprised and touched his chest to check but he felt a heartbeat. He thought about what caused it and he realized that it could be serious.
“She is right. If not for some first aid, you would not have woken up.” The team leader said while nodding his head. He looked at Tatsumi as if he were some precious object.
“But I’m fine, thanks to the medics. Please thank them on my behalf.” Tatsumi said while still rubbing his hand on his chest.
Ame looked at Tatsumi and only observed. She did not say anything but her presence cast a shadow on Tatsumi and he felt it.
“Note that depleting the Ether in the body is equal to half a step toward the grave.” Tatsumi murmured before clenching his hand into a fist.
“That is something to report to the headmaster.” The team leader said while Ame stared at Tatsumi like he had hidden something from her and got exposed.
“I can explain but let me have a room to breathe, please.” Tatsumi hastily said before something happened.
Then Tatsumi shared what he had learned with the team leader and Ame.
“Good. Keep learning and become someone who can be proud of yourself.” The team leader said. Tatsumi knew that the man was encouraging him to do things as it was.
“Remember not to overwork yourself.” Ame added and Tatsumi begrudgingly nodded. He did not even realize that he was that close to becoming a permanent resident in the Afterlife.
“Finally!” A shout could be heard, followed soon after by a loud noise. It looked like the repairs on the armored vehicles were done, and the three looked around them to confirm this thought.
After confirming that the repairs were completed, the escort team continued their way to the vortex entrance of the Undead Secret Realm. The rest of the journey took two hours and it was uneventful, but everyone was glad it turned out that way.
After completing several procedures, they entered the Undead Secret Realm, got out and stored the protective suits back in the designated room.
“With this, it should be mission accomplished.” Tatsumi said while looking at the familiar interior of the palace.
The escort team arrived at the destination. They were weary but glad to be able to accomplish something important. The violet sun was setting and it cast a darker glow on the sky as well as the shadows of the tall buildings.
The escort team went to the Transcendent Academy and was greeted by Romanov. The dwarf was still wearing his working uniform and smelled like metal in the forge. Clearly, he had just crafted some armaments before greeting the escort team.
“Look at you all. It was as if you were going to the desert and rolling around. What happened?” Romanov asked with worry on his face, especially seeing the damaged armor worn by the team as well as the damaged cold weapons.
“We were attacked, simple as that.” The team leader was familiar with Romanov so he cut straight to the point.
“It must be a formidable opponent if you are this serious.” Romanov replied before he continued, “Looks like there are some that bypass the frontline.”
The team leader wore an expression of ‘you know it’ and nodded. Romanov sighed before he let the escort team enter the area of the academy.
In the Guest Hall, the headmaster was already waiting for them. After receiving the news of the enemy ambush right on the Cerulean Planet’s side, she could not ignore it and waited for the team to arrive.
After sensing the presence of the escort team, she finally calmed down. She also felt glad that there were no casualties among the team, making this a successful mission.
After the escort team arrived, the team leader moved forward, representing the entire team and greeted the headmaster. Romanov went back to his place to craft more armaments.
“Greeting, headmaster.” The team leader said with respect.
“So how did it go?” Kushina asked.
The team leader glanced at her face and realized that she was actually aware of the events because the information was shared for the powerhouse in the planet since they were incorporated into the Cerulean Defense Force.
“We were attacked as expected.” The team leader said which made the rest of the team confused.
But the team leader continued, “But the enemies were only mustering enough strength to contend against me and causing trouble for the team. I need to thank a certain someone for this help and also for helping the team.”
The team realized that the person they looked at was actually the same as the team leader.
“Congratulations, everyone. You have accomplished a great merit by helping in delivering the item from the frontline. You will be properly rewarded for completing this mission alone.” Kushina said with a dignified tone.
She continued, “I know there are questions in your heart about some things. Do you really want to hear that?”
As soon as her words reverberated, the team felt like their thoughts were exposed. Truthfully, they wanted to hear the reason but they were too afraid that it might implicate some secrets that they could not keep.
“Please let them know the reason. After all, they helped me.” Suddenly, Tatsumi said from among the team.
“Is that what you want? Fine, then. Let me explain the reason.” Kushina then explained the reason for their deployment.
The team that heard the reason then knew of the importance of the matter. The looks they gave to Tatsumi became one of pride and reverence.
“Since you are now satisfied with the explanation, please return to your place and rest well. You earned it. As for Tatsumi and Ame, come to my office. Dismissed.” Kushina said before gesturing for the team to leave.
The team leader looked at Tatsumi before he turned around and headed to his resting place which was likely to be the dorm in the academy, along with the others.
Tatsumi and Ame followed Kushina to the Headmaster's Office. Tatsumi had already become familiar with the interior of the academy, so he looked at the lamp that illuminated the corridors and the rooms. He felt that the air when it was night was vastly different from daytime.
Ame, on the other hand, was thinking about something else.
‘Actually, he did not seem to care about himself, didn’t he?’ she began her thought. She had seen how Tatsumi dismissed his own situation, caring only slightly but overall still moving with the same conviction he had.
‘He felt relief not because he was alive but because he could contribute more to human civilization and, by extension, to his family. What is he thinking!?’ Ame felt a small frustration well up but did not know how to convey it so she held herself.
As the three walked, it gave them time to think about things. Each was in their own world, thinking about something different.
Then Kushina stopped and Tatsumi snapped out of his thought, following suit and stopping his steps. Ame also realized it and did not take her step.
Kushina then used something like a card and placed it in the handle of the door before some gears moved and allowed her to open the door to the office.
Only after that were the three able to enter the Headmaster's Office.