Ka’s corpse hit the ground.
Al sighed. A distance away, the last two rogue Dream Lords lost their head. Literally. That was the last straw. Without a competitor, the remaining loyal Dream Lords regained control of the billions of lost beings and returned them to their dormant state.
Without their cover, the dozens of Aggressors left were fully exposed. In two seconds, they were reduced to corpses. In the end, the ARCADIA Protectors failed to take a single one of them alive.
Al turned his gaze to the ground in silence. Ka was doomed the moment he joined with the Aggressors. If he survived the battle, the Protectors would rip his soul out and torment him for an eternity. The Aggressors could commit suicide at will and completely destroy their souls so nothing would be captured, but he doubted Ka could. The Protectors would make him beg for the sweet embrace of death. Having him killed by the Voyager with the infamous Power of Death was the best result. Under the Power of Death, the soul was completely obliterated.
The rebellion ended somewhat unsurprisingly. 1,000 Aggressors and 7 rogue Dream Lords perished. On the other side, all twelve ARCADIA Protectors survived. The only casualties were two loyal Dream Lords.
That was bad. That was really bad.
Since a long time ago, the Protectors have been the ultimate fighting power of the Infinite Realms. The only thing stopping them from taking the entire Infinite Realms was their numbers. Even so, even if there was only a single Protector somewhere, it was assured that the will of the Protector Corps could be carried out.
But this time, in front of 12 ARCADIA Protectors, two loyalists were still killed. This was a slap to the face of the entire Protector Corps. More importantly, this was hardly something that could be covered up. With the level of influence the Aggressors have shown, they would be broadcasting this information to every world in the Infinite Realms.
It would be a boost to the rebellion cause.
The ARCADIA Protectors quietly retracted the dimensional seal. They no longer needed to worry for enemy reinforcement, and for the good reason. Ten white vessels jumped into the Dream Realm. All of them filled with Protectors.
What happened here was more than what a single squad of ARCADIA Protectors could handle. A full sweep of the realm and the battlefield was in action to learn more about these Aggressors, and they needed a lot more manpower.
Jean and Allen stood there in confusion. Finally, one of the ARCADIA Protectors walked up to them. She wasn’t the leader. Two Voyagers weren’t worth the attention of the lead Protector.
In fact, if Welch didn't make the request, that female ARCADIA Protector wouldn’t be doing this either.
“Voyagers.” She explained quietly. “Your Trial Missions are over. You will be returned to the City of the Voyagers at once. Before you go, I must warn you. What happened here is classified. Sharing this information with anyone outside the Protector Corps will be punishable by death, is that clear?”
“Yes sir.”
The Protector turned to Jean before pointing at Ka’s body.
“You killed this traitor?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good job.” The Protector tossed Jean a watch. “I have been a Reapress for a while. I respect your determination to take on the mantle of the Power of Death. Consider this a personal gift.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The Protector nodded and turned around to attend to other matters. The next moment, two light beams came down and transported Jean and Allen out of the Protector filled realm.
Jean opened her eyes back in her personal dimension in the City of the Voyagers. She looked into a mirror before taking a deep breath. She felt like she was just part of something way above her league, and she needed to recover as much as possible from the battle to know how to capitalize on it.
Allen told her they were just in the Dream Realm. The initial events unfolded like a normal Trial Mission, with all the nightmares and the bliss dreams, but something must’ve gone wrong in the process. When she and Allen came back out, there was a war going on.
But who could’ve done such a thing? As far as she knew, the Protectors were invincible in the Infinite Realms.
Per her realization that Welch might have something planned for her, Jean did think about the possibility that the entire thing was just for show, but she doubted she was worth all the mess. The entire Dream Realm was in chaos. Billions were in combat. She didn't know who the ARCADIA Protectors were, but she could tell they were elite units. Using all of them to put up an act for her that didn't seem to have served any purpose was highly unlikely.
So what the hell just happened back there.
Jean thought quietly before finally realizing something. She didn't have the necessary information, and neither did Allen. She couldn’t discuss with the other Voyagers either.
“Before you go, I must warn you. What happened here is classified. Sharing this information with anyone outside the Protector Corps will be punishable by death, is that clear?”
The Protector’s words flew through Jean’s head again before she realized something. No discussing with those outside the Protector Corps? Then how about a member of the Protector Corps itself?
“Corporal Welch? I am back from my Trial Mission. I have something urgent to discuss with you.”
A response came back, but it wasn’t what Jean expected.
“Negative. I am on a mission right now.”
For a Protector who has been trying to get close to Jean at every turn, that meant a lot.
Jean frowned. Every time she asked to see Welch, Welch has always been open. What could have happened that have fully occupied someone as powerful as him? It seemed like what happened in the Dream Realms was more serious than she anticipated. Suddenly, she felt her watch buzzing, followed by a message.
“All Voyager units, prepare for warp in. This is mandatory. I repeat, this is mandatory. Cease all your activities and be ready for teleportation. All units within missions will be extracted.”
Jean frowned. She checked that she had all her gadgets on her before thinking she was ready. Sensing her will, a light beam consumed her. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a seat on the side of a giant stadium.
The stadium was huge. It had thousands of layers of seats all around its rim, some going to as high as the stars. All the seats were filled by black-armored Voyagers. Jean gave it a quick glance and estimated at least 1,000,000 units.
One million Voyagers.
It was a feast of the eyes. Some of the one million Voyagers were recruits, but most of them have been through many missions. Every one of them could become a god if they were placed in a low level dimension, but here, they were just a small part of an army.
At the same time, one million Voyagers meant at least billions of recruits who didn't make it this far.
A Protector appeared in the middle of the stadium. He levitated into the sky so everyone could see him. His voice disregarded the obstacle of distance.
“Warriors of the 43rd Voyager Legion, hear me!”
“Thirty minutes ago, there has been an attack on the Core Realms. Two Dream Lords who have sworn their allegiance to the Protector Corps have been assassinated.”
Jean frowned. She suspected something like this, but why would the Protectors announce something like that? It would be a strike to their authority.
“The attack was committed by a faction known as the Aggressors.”
Aggressors? Jean could see why the Protectors were so pissed. Even the name was intended to contradict the Protector Corps.
“The Protector Corps destroyed every single Aggressor that intruded upon the Core Realms, but that attack was just a beginning. Since the attack on the Core Realms, there has been over two million attacks on different worlds loyal to the Protector Corps by rogue interdimensional forces. The Aggressors have been confirmed to be behind these invasions. That number is growing as we speak.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Protector Corps have sworn to defend any world that yielded their rights to us. What is happening now is unacceptable. The Grand Protector has ordered the full extermination of all Aggressor entities, as well as any faction and individual that align themselves with their cause. As the secondary unit of the Protector Corps, the Voyager Corps holds equal responsibility in this conflict.”
“In the name of the Grand Protector, I command the 43rd Voyager Legion to march into the assaulted worlds and defend the inhabitants against the intruders. The exact locations and information about these worlds have been delivered into your watches. Transportation is available when ready.”
“What I am about to say is extremely important. This mission is an Objective Mission. I know some of you might love to find an opportunity and stab your comrades in the back. I don’t care what you did in the past, but this mission is unlike any of your previous missions. The success or failure of this mission is related to the overall benefit of the Infinite Realms. Therefore, anyone that sabotage the war effort for their personal interest will be exterminated without mercy. Is that clear?”
“Yes sir!”
“Very well. Keep in mind that the Protector Corps have faced many adversaries. Some of them weak, others powerful, but in the end, we have always reigned supreme. None of our foes could stand against the sword of the Grand Protector and the full might of the Protector Corps. This time will be no different.”
“Voyagers, you have a mission. Carry it out.”
As Voyager after Voyager disappeared in beams of light, Jean lowered her head as she quickly calculated the situation. Now she understood why the Protector straight up announced something she has been asked to stay silent about just moments ago.
Situations have changed fast. It must be that when she fought in the Dream Realm, these so called Aggressors realized that they have been made. Instead of pulling back into the shadows and hoping that the Protectors wouldn’t find them, they accelerated their plan.
Compared to two million worlds under siege, the assassination of the Dream Lords was nothing.
These Aggressors must have been preparing this for a while, otherwise there was no way they could unleash two million attacks on two million different worlds at a moment’s notice. This was the very definition of lightning war, and it was a smart strategy. From what Jean saw, the Protectors maintained their advantage in terms of power, but they had a critical weakness.
The Infinite Realms was big. It was so big that with all the power and technology of the Protector Corps, it would still take a while to move in between different dimensions. In the past, it wouldn’t matter if deploying the troops took a month if every dimension knew with all certainty that if they rebelled, they would eventually be slaughtered. So what if the slaughtering party arrived a month late? The intimidation factor was always there.
But now, invasions were appearing all over the Infinite Realms, and the issue of the Protector Corps was abused. The Aggressors couldn’t win against a Protector legion, or even a Protector squad, and they didn't need to. All they had to do was stir up fire and organize invasions on worlds loyal to the Protector Corps. By the time reinforcement arrive, the Aggressors and whatever support they had would have slaughtered that world already. Even if the Protectors exterminate the invading forces, it would be useless. The damage would already be done.
For most of the worlds that aligned themselves with the Aggressors, there was a risk. If a Protector came after them, they were doomed for sure. But almost every single one of them believed the chance of themselves getting chosen to be the unlucky victim was negligible. They were all feeling lucky.
Plus, time flows differently across the Infinite Realms. Perhaps by the time the Protectors arrive, a thousand generations have passed already.
Of course, the Aggressors would be sacrificing a lot of manpower, but it would be worth it. A while of this and the influence of the Protector Corps would be reduced countless times.
Right now, despite the cruel methods of the Protector Corps, a lot of worlds in the Infinite Realms still remained loyal to them because the very presence of the Protector Corps guaranteed safety. Worlds like that of Allen would fight to the death for the Protectors. But if the Protectors could no longer protect their subordinates, then their sphere of influence would dwindle.
This was something the Protector Corps couldn’t allow.
But there wasn’t enough Protectors to cover all the sieged worlds. Welch told Jean there were a billion Protectors in total, but they were like a bag of stones in the ocean when spread across the entirety of the Infinite Realms. That was why the Voyagers were brought in: to make up for the numbers.
This explains why Welch was tied up.
Jean didn't know this, but apparently she and the Voyagers she interacted with were just a single legion of the Voyager Corps: the 43rd Legion. This meant there were many other Voyager legions being mobilized as they speak.
Other Voyagers in her situation might be complaining. They have just returned from a Trial Mission that tested both their soul and their body. Now, before they could get a moment of rest, they were thrown into another mission? This was outrageous.
But when others saw unjust, Jean saw opportunities. She knew very well that the power she could acquire in times of peace would always be limited. If she was constantly going around in worlds or missions under the Protectors’ domination, then she would never escape the grasp of the Protector Corps.
But with these Aggressors...they were able to not only challenge the Protectors but also put them in a dire situation. Sure, the way they did it was using tricks, but sometimes tricks counted as strength. Interacting with them meant having a chance to go over the restrictions of the Protector Corps.
This was especially important after she realized Welch might be using her.
As Jean made up her mind, a light beam came down and took her away from the City of the Voyagers...and straight into her fourth mission.
