"I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing his ugly mug." Ava sighed in displeasure once her eyes landed on the man.
Michael had a similar reaction, even if their encounter with Carlos had been short. The man had not only failed to arrive at an adequate time to help them seal a portal but also had the arrogance to act like he was the morally right one.
"Let's try not to stir trouble needlessly. It will just cause more trouble for Victoria." Michael reminded Ava in an attempt to calm her down.
"Hmph! I know I can control myself better." She pouted.
While the captains were exchanging gazes, the generals of the two bases had reached one another.
Base #56 was being led by a man with a large scar on the left side of his face. Since it had caused him to turn blind, his eye had been replaced with a cybernetic one.
"I am happy that you have arrived safely, Lady Victoria." The man nodded in appreciation.
"Likewise, Sir Roy." She did the same.
The two quickly discussed how they were going to deal with the threat of base #56 before going back to the captains under their rule.
"Taking advantage of the terrain, they have managed to slow down the main forces of the aliens from reaching their base for now. But it's not all good news. Among their ranks, they have reportedly seen more than 100 Elites, with thousands of Higher tier aliens." Victoria quickly summarized what she had learned.
'This is twice the amount that came to our base,' Michael figured. He didn't blame them for wanting help.
"What are we going to do now?" Ava asked, having the power equal to a second in command meant that she felt more confident speaking with Victoria.
"We set out immediately." She replied.
"We merge our troops and eliminate the threat. Hopefully with few casualties. After that, both of our personnel will continue their march to the command alien ship. Apparently, things are beginning to get out of control."
The captains nodded before stepping forward; the common troops would be merging soon. The least they could do was become familiar with the captains of the other base.
Roy didn't miss the chance to observe how his reinforcements were acting.
'Since we have double their manpower, they look a bit timid, being extra careful just in case.' The man analyzed, seeing the caution in their movements and speech.
'However, these two don't give off even the slightest amount of worry. They must be their strongest fighters.' Roy thought, looking at Michael and Ava.
Indeed, just like he had seen, the two were acting like they were on an excursion and not going toward war.
'These people don't deserve my time of day.' Ava thought inwardly.
'Even if they aren't the strongest in their realm, it will be beneficial to get to know them.' Michael reasoned, introducing himself to each one with a warm smile.
He sighed with relief, seeing that all of them were respectful and not unreasonable.
While this was happening, Carlos glanced at a message he had received from a certain somebody.
'My sources tell me that you will make contact with Cadet Michael soon. If you don't deliver me his head, consider yourself out of the Immortal Legion!' Carlos read the message Oliver had sent him with a frown.
'If I had known I would be required to do such tasks for the Immortal Legion, I would have never joined!' A vein bulged on his forehead in frustration. 'Not to mention that this Michael isn't a cadet anymore but a captain! And I saw him just about a week ago too! To have broken through so many realms, he is either a genius beyond reason, or he has been fed all kinds of experimental drugs to achieve such results!'
Carlos was between a rock and a hard place. He doubted he would be able to get rid of Michael. The aura he was releasing spelled that out clearly enough. But if he failed to fulfill Oliver's orders, he wasn't just out of the Immortal Legion. Knowing Oliver, he would be targeted as well as his family.
'The second strongest faction? Bullshit! I would have been so much better off if I had never joined them in the first place!'
It didn't take long for Michael and Ava to reach Carlos, who was still deep in debate.
The three looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, wondering if they should act like they met for the first time.
"Before anything, I would like to apologize for our previous encounter. I was completely in the wrong for the way I acted." Carlos blurted out before bowing.
'Whether I try to kill Michael or not, first I have to get his trust.' Carlos reasoned.
Naturally, his actions did not go unnoticed by the other captains. All of them wondered how they knew each other, but no one brought up the issue.
"It's fine. Since no one died, we can forget about it." Michael said, yet his mind wasn't convinced.
'A person doesn't change that easily. I hope my hunch is wrong, but this man is scheming something.'
With the greeting over, the soldiers of both bases moved, slowly merging into one formation.
The combined forces of both bases equaled a little over 100,000 soldiers, an army that might have been considered large a long time ago, yet in today's age, where humanity was in constant war, these forces were barely enough to be classified as a small army.
Unlike last time, Michael and Ava weren't in the rear. Since the possible threat wasn't just aliens but also a human betrayal, Victoria wanted to keep her most trustworthy personnel close to her.
'The chances that they betray us are low considering the circumstances, but it's better to be safe than sorry.' Victoria reasoned.
She, along with five captains of her choosing, was in the front in the same carriage with Roy and the captains he had chosen. Since the army had two generals, it was important for them to be in close proximity in order to speak easily should the need arise.
Michael observed the five captains Roy had chosen. He was momentarily surprised to see that Carlos was among them. Since he wasn't among the strongest ones, it was a bizarre choice.
Michael had been betrayed numerous times in his past life. As such, he kept his eyes on Carlos just in case his intuitions proved to be right.
'I really hope that my intuition is wrong. Because, if someone tries to harm me or those close to me, especially while we are dealing with aliens… They will know a fate worse than death.' He thought, countless flashbacks of his mistakes appearing in his mind, souring his mood.
"Sir, we are getting a reading on the radar! The enemy forces are just ahead of us!" A person stationed on the scanner called out.
Roy nodded before turning toward Victoria. "Let's make these aliens see what happens when they go against humanity."
At the same time a window panel appeared before Michael.
[Quest: Slaughtering Machine]
[Difficulty: Insane]
[Task: With so many hidden forces, the aliens threaten the safety of humanity. Slaughter at least 20,000 of their forces!]
[Reward: Legendary cybernetic, 500 Skill Points]
[Current slain forces: 0/20,000]