New Member of the Squad

The bodies of their companions were collected one by one and laid out neatly across the desolate ice field.

The massive body of the Earth Violent Bear had not yet fully cooled, while the remaining ice shards and blue-black blood of the Beholder, Blair, congealed nearby. There was the headless torso of the Dragonkin, Julia, as well as three Moonflower Deer, and the soft-glowing antlers left behind by Wesker.

Two squads, totaling thirteen members—after a deathmatch, more than half had fallen. The partners who had once marched side by side were now nothing more than cold corpses, and the survivors stood by in silent mourning.

Fukaloss had never shown such raw vulnerability. Her pristine white hair hung messily over her forehead, obscuring most of her face. She crouched beside her companions' remains, her hands pressed tightly over her eyes. Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably; there was no sound of weeping, yet it was more heartbreaking than any wail.

The once proud and flamboyant Evil Eye King was now filled with nothing but profound grief.

Barn's gaze fell upon the Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon nearby, which had not yet fully recovered, and a flicker of relief surged in his heart. Thank goodness this brother, who had been by his side and fought alongside him ever since he transmigrated into this world, had not died. If even Declan were gone, he truly did not know how he would bear the cruelty and coldness of Gobada alone.

He turned his head to look at the Moonflower Deer clan. The four spiritual deer, radiating a soft white light, were all prostrate on the ground, their heads pressed against the bodies of their kin, whimpering low—a sorrowful farewell that belonged only to them.

Barn stepped forward slowly, reached out, and gently stroked Gideon's cold bear head.

It was this very Earth Violent Bear that had once beaten Barn to the brink of death, an event that had ultimately led to his soul transmigrating here.

It was also this bear that had later fought alongside him, the two of them sharing a mutual respect—a true case of "fighting to love."

Yet now, this honest and reliable great bear had died right before his eyes, never again to charge at the front of the line in battle.

A thousand words clogged his throat, but in the end, they dissolved into silence.

After a long while, Barn finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a trace of self-consolation and a glimmer of hope for his companions: "At least Julia, Blair, Gideon, and Wesker's true self were all killed by physical attacks. Their souls have all successfully entered the Underworld."

He did not know if the souls of Gideon and Wesker's true self would be able to gain the recognition of the laws of heaven and earth again after being cleansed by the reincarnation of the Underworld Heart, or if they could break through to become gods once more in their most proficient attributes.

But at least, there was still a sliver of hope.

Wesker's sister, Adele, was physically and mentally exhausted—her divine avatar had been destroyed, three of her younger siblings had died tragically, and her brother's soul had returned to the Underworld. The immense grief nearly crushed her. But upon hearing Barn's words, she slowly raised her head, and a faint light gradually ignited in her red, swollen eyes.

"That's right," she murmured to herself, as if convincing herself or searching for support, "my younger siblings and my brother were all killed by physical attacks. They should be able to reach the Underworld successfully and become undead. With the strength of their souls, they surely won't dissipate easily; there must still be a chance!"

As she finished speaking, Adele slowly wiped away the tear stains on her face, the despair in her eyes replaced by a touch of resolve: "Yes, they still have a glimmer of life, and we must hold on too! We cannot let them sacrifice themselves in vain. We must live well and wait for the chance for them to return."

Just then, a cyan figure, swift as a cold wind, sped over from the horizon. It was a lean man with a cold expression—Oliver, the captain of the guard for the Ice Prison Royal City.

Barn recognized him. Back when he had first been recruited by Fukaloss to join the Ice Blade 123 Squad, he had met this guard captain once.

"Miss Fukaloss," Oliver landed on the ground, his tone still respectful. His gaze swept inadvertently over the corpses and the grief-stricken crowd, his brows furrowing slightly as a hint of gravity flashed in his eyes. "The Lord has ordered me to bring you back to the Royal City."

As the captain of the guard for the Ice Prison Royal City, he naturally recognized the Wesker siblings. More importantly, he had been a long-time friend of Julia's father, Timothy. Seeing Julia's cold corpse now, Oliver sighed inwardly: "Julia actually died in battle. How can I possibly break such terrible news to Timothy?"

Fukaloss slowly raised her head. Beneath her messy white hair, her golden eyes were bloodshot. She stared at Oliver blankly for a long time before she could barely recognize him, asking in a hoarse voice: "Uncle Oliver, how did you know I was here?"

"It was the Lord," Oliver lowered his eyes, his tone still respectful, yet he deliberately avoided her questioning gaze. "She has been monitoring your movements all along."

The size of the Gobada plane was only equivalent to a material plane; for a Highgod's soul, covering the entire sphere of influence of the Ice Prison Royal City with divine sense was not a difficult task.

Fukaloss was dazed at first, as if she hadn't reacted to who the "Lord" he spoke of was, but the next second, a towering rage swept over her. She stood up abruptly and roared: "Then why didn't she come to save me?! We were fighting here for so long... her speed, it was clearly more than enough!"

Her roar was filled with grievance, anger, and despair. The person who claimed to be watching over her had never once appeared while she and her companions were at death's door, watching as she lost one companion after another.

Oliver kept his head lowered, avoiding her gaze, and stiffly changed the subject: "Miss, I have already ordered people to retrieve all the Ghost-faced Spiders. The mission is complete. You need not linger here any longer; come back to the Royal City with me."

"I'm not going back!" Fukaloss was resolute, crouching down again to grasp Gideon's cold claw. "I want to stay with my squad members. I am not going with you!"

In the end, Fukaloss did not compromise and did not return to the Ice Prison Royal City with Oliver. She took Barn, Declan, and the remaining members of the Ice Blade 99 Squad back to the Heavenly River Legion's encampment.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she didn't say a word, heading straight to her room and locking herself inside. The door remained shut, cutting off everything outside and isolating all the sorrow and clamor.

Barn and Declan stood outside the closed door, exchanged a glance, and sighed helplessly. They both understood Fukaloss's pain; losing most of one's companions in a single battle was a bone-deep agony that she could only digest slowly on her own.

Declan's expression remained sorrowful, the grief in his eyes impossible to hide. Their squad had spent over a hundred years together, living and fighting side by side. To lose so many of them so suddenly was a feeling beyond words.

He remained silent for a long time before asking in a low voice: "Barn, what should we do now?"

Barn looked at the closed door, then thought of his fallen companions. His tone was heavy but firm: "Live. Only by living is there hope."

After saying this, he patted Declan on the shoulder and led him away toward another courtyard—the base of the Ice Blade 99 Squad.

At this moment, the courtyard was deathly silent. The four Moonflower Deer of Wesker's family sat huddled together, heads bowed, saying nothing. A heavy, dark cloud hung over this group of spiritual deer who had lost their support.

With Wesker dead and his divine avatar dissipated, Adele, as his only sister, naturally became the new leader of this small family. Yet, the weight on her shoulders now was the future of the entire family, compounded by the pain of losing her kin. Her expression was full of exhaustion and heaviness.

"Miss Fukaloss and Barn did not return my brother's godhead or my own," Adele spoke first, her voice low and tinged with worry and unease. "If they truly intend to keep our godheads, then we will have to make other plans for the future."

The other three Moonflower Deer looked even more miserable upon hearing this. Having lived in Gobada for years, they had long since witnessed the malice of human hearts and knew well that a Sanctuary-level being without divine protection was nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered in this cruel land.

Even if it were their squad's base, without a god-level powerhouse to hold it, it would be reclaimed by the legion before long. By then, they wouldn't even have a place to stay.

Adele looked at the desperate expressions of her younger siblings and finally gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stand up. She knew she could not collapse. She was now the only pillar of the family; she had to hold up the sky and protect the remaining siblings.

"Tomorrow, I will go to Barn again to ask for the godheads," Adele's tone held a trace of desperation and a sliver of wishful thinking. "If he truly refuses to return them, then we can only go to other squads and see if those god-level lords will show mercy and take us in."

"But sister," one of her younger brothers raised his head, his voice weak and desperate, "other squads might take in one or two Sanctuary members, but there are four of us. Which squad would have four vacancies? Besides, our talent as Moonflower Deer isn't outstanding; it's unlikely any squad would be willing to take us all in at once."

Adele fell silent. Her brother's words were like a sharp blade, piercing through her last remaining hope. She slowly closed her eyes and said in a hoarse voice: "Then we must prepare for the possibility of being separated."

Hearing this, the other three Moonflower Deer lowered their heads, their shoulders trembling slightly.

Ever since their powerful father had died in battle, their family had clung together for warmth, supporting one another to barely survive in this cruel Gobada. If they were to be scattered and left alone, they truly did not know what kind of suffering they would have to endure, or if they could even survive the next battle.

The Moonflower Deer race possesses talent that is only considered upper-middle among Sanctuary magical beasts; their sole advantage lies in the antlers atop their heads, which can amplify the power of light-element magic. If they were on the Yulan Continent, such antlers would undoubtedly be prime material for crafting magic wands, fought over by countless mages.

Yet in Gobada, even those at the Deity level do not bother with them—after all, the one thing this place lacks the least is the corpses of Sanctuary-level beings.

Just then, the voice of Barn suddenly resonated within the minds of the four Moonflower Deer, clear and steady, carrying an unquestionable power: "Adele, open the door."

The four Moonflower Deer were all at the Sanctuary level, yet they were completely unable to detect Barn's divine sense. The sudden voice left them stunned for a moment, followed by a surge of surprise and anticipation in their eyes.

They hurriedly rose to their feet, walked quickly to the entrance, and opened the door.

Outside the door, Barn and Declan stood side by side, their expressions calm and devoid of any malice.

"Lord Barn." Adele lowered her head quickly, her tone respectful.

She understood that she was currently only at the Sanctuary level, while Barn was a genuine Deity. In Gobada, the gap between a Deity and a Sanctuary is as vast as heaven and earth; such an honorific was both the rule and a sign of reverence. If she dared to overstep her bounds even slightly, it would only bring trouble to the rest of her family.

Barn did not refuse. He was well-versed in the rules of Gobada—where the strong prey on the weak and the hierarchy is rigid. If he were to feign humility now and reject the title, it would only invite unnecessary trouble.

He got straight to the point, skipping the pleasantries, his tone calm yet sincere: "Adele, I have come this time to recruit your family to join our Ice Blade 123 squad."

"Join your squad?" Adele lifted her head abruptly, her eyes filled with shock, as if she could not believe her ears. She remained stunned for a long time before hurriedly asking, "Lord Barn, has Miss Fukaloss agreed to this?"

"She will agree," Barn nodded, his tone certain. "We have fought side by side; we share a bond forged in life and death. Neither she nor I could possibly leave you all to fend for yourselves." He paused, then added, "As for your godhead, it is still in Fukaloss's hands. Once she is more emotionally stable, I will help you retrieve it. I will never let you suffer such a loss for nothing."

Wesker's godhead was indeed in Barn's possession, but if Adele wished to refine a godhead, it was better for her to use her own.

Wesker and Adele were, after all, comrades who had fought alongside him and braved life-and-death trials together; Barn would not forget this bond forged in blood. Furthermore, he could not bear to watch this family, now that they had lost their support, become displaced and left to be slaughtered by others.

Upon hearing this, Adele felt excitement, gratitude, and the relief of one who had survived a catastrophe. She quickly lowered her head, her tone incomparably respectful: "Thank you, Lord Barn! From this day forward, our family is willing to follow your commands; we will go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"