Restraining the Soul

"It's normal to have a hundred or so extra souls, isn't it? Someone who gained insights from your runes must have kicked the bucket!" Lei Mo replied dismissively.

"That's not it, Master! These hundred-odd souls are human, they don't have any rune aura, and the count matches exactly with the people you took out!" Franklin explained.

"Then—what are you trying to say?" Lei Mo still hadn't fully grasped the meaning.

"It's just as you thought. The souls of the guys killed by my main body were all detained in the Soul Space!" Franklin said eerily.

"Then—why didn't we notice this before?" Lei Mo asked, puzzled.

Back in the Seti Mountains, those few kills were either carried out using the original Totem Pillar or by throwing stones; he had indeed never used Franklin to kill anyone.

"Are these forcibly detained souls the same as the rune souls?" Lei Mo asked.

"They seem a bit different, but they can still be controlled. It won't be long before they are assimilated by the Soul Space. Besides, the souls of those Tauren from before also came about this way," Franklin said with certainty.

"Then couldn't I just take out Marshal Monba?" Lei Mo's imagination ran wild.

"No, no, that wouldn't be right. Monba has always been quite respectful toward me!"

Monba Erich Keaton had no idea he had just walked through the gates of hell.

After composing himself, Lei Mo turned back to find the main army. Only about twenty minutes had passed, most of which had been spent on the road.

He found the captain of the marshal's guard and asked, "Karl, how is Marshal Monba? Is he safe?"

"The Marshal is fine. We have already sent people to track down the movements of the Lombardy Mage Corps—" Karl replied respectfully.

"That's good! That's good!" Lei Mo found a temporarily erected tent and sat down cross-legged.

While Lei Mo was strolling about, inside the temporary marshal's tent, Marshal Monba Erich Keaton said with a grave expression, "Is it confirmed? Was it really people from the Mage Corps?"

"Yes, one hundred and nineteen of them, including one ninth-rank Grand Magus and eight eighth-rank Magi. They are all well-known figures!"

"Marshal, these people appear to have been struck by blunt force, and each one was killed with a single blow!"

The personnel who had just returned, experts in combat trace analysis, reported to Marshal Monba.

"To be able to achieve this, the strength must be at the Saint level! But what is the opponent's goal? If they are an ally, why not show themselves?"

This was Marshal Monba's greatest doubt. Was it possible they feared that a Saint-level intervention would trigger a war between Saints?

For the time being, this was the only conclusion Marshal Monba could reach.

Although the mysterious Saint was helping his side, as the commander-in-chief, he had to fully account for uncertain factors to maintain an accurate grasp of the war's trajectory.

This was something every military strategist had to consider!

Regardless of how troubled Marshal Monba felt, Lei Mo practiced quietly. His battle qi was increasing bit by bit; although it was extremely slow, it was still an improvement. Thus, he waited in the tent for Marshal Monba's marching orders.

The Water Curtain Heaven had been cast at the central command flag, clearly intended to take out Marshal Monba. The marshal and his guard had dodged it, but the massive volume of water within the Water Curtain Heaven had still swept away thousands of soldiers.

There was no way to march again tonight. Lei Mo released his rune souls, had the Divine Wind Bear Bill guard the entrance, and practiced like that for the entire night.

He stood up in the morning and felt his condition; he was still an eighth-rank peak warrior with no real progress, but Lei Mo was not disappointed.

Walking through the military camp, he watched as hundreds of thousands of soldiers broke camp with speed and efficiency.

They had made an emergency camp after the attack yesterday, and after only half a night, they were breaking camp again. That hundreds of thousands of soldiers could move in such an unhurried manner only highlighted Marshal Monba's ability to govern an army.

Lei Mo stared blankly at the central command tent, his mind still preoccupied with the matter of Marshal Monba. He couldn't kill him, so he would let him gain insights from the runes; it would be even better if he broke through to the ninth rank.

To be this formidable at under seventy years old—Lei Mo dared not imagine what he would grow into if he lived another four hundred years. The more he thought about it, the more melancholic he became.

I should find out what attribute Marshal Monba's battle qi is. That way, at least I'll have a target when I go to retrieve the Totem Pillar.

To obtain Monba Erich Keaton, Lei Mo was already thinking about going back to retrieve Franklin's split pillar; he was truly coveting the marshal's military talent!

"Franklin's Soul Space has so many souls, it needs a marshal! Yes, that makes perfect sense!"

His brain worked at high speed, his imagination running wild, yet he still had no clear idea.

As the march continued, no one asked about the Mage Corps, and Marshal Monba didn't mention it either. They just kept pushing toward the front lines.

By noon on the third day, the main force had only partially arrived. After all, with seven hundred thousand men, the marching column was stretched incredibly long. The vanguard had already begun setting up camp, while the rearguard was still tens of kilometers away!

Lei Mo rode the Divine Wind Bear, moving along at a leisurely pace!

Having a spatial ring was convenient. Lei Mo casually took out a wine pouch and took a deep gulp of "draft beer." Burp— It would be even better if it were iced!

Bill carried Lei Mo as they stepped leisurely into the tent reserved for the strong. This world was just that unfair!

Having linked up with the garrison here, Marshal Monba began to take over command of the entire alliance, and the army size exceeded two million.

In terms of numbers, they still fell short of the Lombardy Alliance army, but as the defending side, the Seti Alliance army now held some advantages.

After the transfer of command, Marshal Monba issued a series of orders, and the entire camp immediately sprang into action!

They weren't relying on fortress defenses because, although Brest was a military stronghold, the Keaton Kingdom had pushed the front line several hundred kilometers toward the Lombardy Alliance over the last few centuries.

In that case, the Lombardy Alliance launching a provocation seemed understandable—they were reclaiming their lost territory!

But war is never that simple. Along a border thousands of kilometers long, the two sides had long been intertwined, with each having a presence in the other's territory!

At the Brest fortress, the Keaton Kingdom did indeed occupy land belonging to the Lombardy Alliance, but in other directions, the situation might be reversed!

The history of the two great alliances was a history of war; they were already steeped in blood debts, with no possibility of peace.

The defensive system at the front line was very incomplete. There were some trenches and war castles, but they weren't fully connected. They had been under constant repair over the years, only to be periodically destroyed by surprise attacks.

The Lombardy Alliance was likely worried that once the defensive system here was completed, Brest would be relegated to the rear.

The entire valley would then belong to the Keaton Kingdom, and as long as they held the valley entrance, the Lombardy Alliance would have to pay a far more grievous price if they ever wanted to strike back in.

Therefore, choosing this moment to provoke a war and completely destroy these defensive installations, thereby ruining the Seti Alliance's plan to occupy the valley, was a desperate choice for the Lombardy side.

After Marshal Mengba's reinforcements arrived, the Seti Alliance took the initiative to strike, routing several of the Lombardy Alliance's offensives and demolishing many of their strongholds.

Lei Mo had yet to receive any orders to sortie. In everyone's eyes, Lei Mo was merely an eighth-rank expert who had been lucky enough to tame a Divine Wind Bear that had not yet broken through—at least, that was Lei Mo's own narrative. Keeping a low profile and developing in secret was the true path to success.