All the warlords were seeing the new councilor, [ Thousand Faces ], for the first time. They wanted to pay their respects but found his appearance strange. Recalling [ Ginseng Rooster ]'s well-founded deduction, they felt that things were not so simple. So they all stood still, neither speaking nor moving.
Who is Acting Representative Colin?
Seeing that everyone remained silent, [ Thousand Faces ] was the first to ask.
"That's me."
Colin immediately stepped forward, switching into "responsibility mode."
"Great, very energetic!"
[ Thousand Faces ] praised:
"I questioned the soldiers who escaped in detail. Their previous descriptions were mostly embellished, and their accusations that you had ulterior motives were just slander."
"In fact, the ability to make on-the-spot decisions is something most people don't possess, and you are clearly a talented person."
"Come on, let's talk just for a bit."
[ Thousand Faces ] gestured for everyone to give him and Colin some space.
Everyone retreated, creating a no-man's-land with a radius of about ten meters.
"[ Thousand Faces ] Lord, I am deeply grateful for your kind words..."
Colin managed to utter a couple of sentences that sounded like he was about to break out in a sweat.
"Is there anything you'd like to discuss with me alone...?"
The instant Colin looked into [ Thousand Faces ]'s eyes, an invisible line of blood connected the two of their brows.
[ Thousand Faces ]'s consciousness pounced on its prey like a hungry tiger, directly entering Colin's consciousness.
The moment it entered Colin's mind, [ Thousand Faces ] sensed something was wrong.
It's too big here, but also too crowded.
The reason it's considered "great" is that the moment [ Thousand Faces ] entered, he realized that this wasn't the soul strength expected of Middle Tier being.
This guy doesn't have any manifested characteristics at all, so he's actually a High Tier?
The reason it's crowded is because...
There was not only Colin here, but also two other High Tier skeletal consciousnesses.
Although these two consciousnesses are currently in a dormant state, they could awaken at any moment.
Rather, it's more accurate to say they deliberately chose to go into hibernation so as not to affect Colin's conscious awareness.
Meanwhile, [ Thousand Faces ]'s massive consciousness was continuously squeezing into Colin's mind along the bloodline.
But if he makes another big move, those two will wake up!
Once they awaken, they will obviously become Colin's teammates, and he will need to fight three opponents at once. In addition, suppressing Rosalind's awakening also requires a certain amount of energy...
no!
Having just undergone a transformation in life form, I was already in a weakened adaptation period, and on top of that, I had consumed a large amount of Psionic Energy at the teleportation array location...
After some deliberation, [ Thousand Faces ] surprisingly began to have some thoughts of backing out.
He immediately withdrew the Blood Arrow, and his consciousness returned to his body.
At the same time, the spiritual fire in Colin's eyes suddenly intensified, and the pain of being forcibly invaded surged up:
"Ugh!"
Colin staggered and knelt on one knee, one hand supporting his head, a look of pain on his face.
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then [ Ginseng Rooster ] jumped up and shouted:
"He attacked Lord Colin!"
Without waiting for the others, he rushed forward and caught Colin before he fell to the ground.
"Sir, are you alright?!"
He shouted loudly, and Colin, who had a bit of a headache, shouted back loudly as well:
I'm fine!
Hearing footsteps behind him, Colin immediately shouted:
"Don't come any closer! Stay away! He can control people's minds!"
The warlords, who had already charged halfway, immediately retreated in unison, their faces, though devoid of flesh, brimming with grief and indignation.
"It seems he sent us away to control you..."
[ Ginseng Rooster ] said this while trying to persuade Colin, but a name suddenly flashed through his mind—
Control through eye contact, the unmistakable symbolism of "eyes" throughout the body, and that code name...
Thousand Faces... Thousand Faces? Thousand Faces!
Damn it, isn't that Hall?!
This guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes was already divided into several parts. Hall from the Theocracy escaped into the Eternal Domain, and now it seems he's surrendered to the Skeleton Alliance?
How many stars are angry now?
Can you count them on one hand?
Seeing everyone retreat, [ Thousand Faces ], realizing his sneak attack had failed, also slowly retreated.
He glanced at the Wing Army officer and whispered:
"Run!"
The next moment, he had already soared into the sky and flew towards the Sand Capital located on the horizon.
The Wing Army officers never expected that [ Thousand Faces ], a high-ranking councilor, would personally launch a sneak attack!
A sneak attack, fine, but it failed!
Failure is failure, and then they ran away!
If you're going to run away, then run away without taking me with you!
Is this even a human being?
Thinking of this, the Wing Army officer flicked his black wings and flew directly into the sky.
However, the next moment, he felt a throbbing sensation and looked down to see a skeletal figure clinging tightly to his ankle beneath him. It was none other than the familiar warlord from before.
The Wing Army officer, feeling his body sink, also felt a sinking feeling in his heart.
[ Divine Wings ] has been dead for a whole day, and no new [ Divine Wings ] has appeared. The strength of these Divine Wing Army Corps, that is, the Wing Army members, has begun to slowly weaken.
A lone person can fly as smoothly as a fish, but if there are two people, they can only fly steadily...
The familiar feeling of falling washed over me.
If there are three people, pushing yourself isn't an option...
The familiar feeling of falling washed over me.
If it were four people, even gritting their teeth wouldn't be an option...
The familiar feeling of falling washed over me.
There's nothing else I can do.
Without even looking down, the Wing Army officer knew that there must be a whole string of skeletal figures below.
He sighed, then collapsed, his strength failing him. Despite repeatedly saying "I surrender" and raising his hands, he was still swarmed and grabbed by the crowd.
Moments later, news of Colin's attack by a senator and the capture of the Wing Army responsible for relaying the order had spread throughout the hundreds of thousands of skeleton soldiers.
At this moment, the Sand Capital at the edge of the horizon is like the skyline, visible but unattainable.
What will their future hold? Everyone is once again gripped by anxiety.
The excitement of returning from thousands of miles away had barely lasted a quarter of an hour before it vanished again, replaced by an even heavier anxiety, so heavy it was suffocating (though it was unnecessary in the first place).
Fifteen minutes later, good news arrived— Colin was alright.
As the only High Tier among hundreds of thousands of skeletons, Colin was the backbone of this team.
If he dies, even if everyone becomes a rebel, they will probably be wiped out quickly.
But he didn't die.
It seems there's hope again.
Everyone was waiting, except for Colin, who hesitated.
In the center of a group of over 100,000 soldiers, fourteen warlords, Colin, and a few close associates were holding a small meeting.
"... So, as you're saying, that new senator... is really a vampire?"
The old warlord Philemon asked incredulously.
"That's right. Before becoming mercenaries, my companions and I also encountered Grand Duke Hall, who used the same method."
[ Ginseng Rooster ] said confidently:
"You can ask any of the Soul Returner mercenaries; anyone with even a slight recollection of the monster encyclopedia will give the same answer. There's absolutely no possibility of collusion."
That means...
Commander-in-Chief Chalco stepped forward, his tone incredulous, yet reflecting the thoughts of everyone present:
" Sand Capital, has it really been controlled by crystallized vampires?!"