Doomsday Pillars

Looking at their current situation, it appeared their plan to sneak into Saudi Arabia territory in secret had failed miserably. Their attempt to covertly destroy one of the Heavenly Gate establishments was met with failure as the ranks of Yemen soldiers were infiltrated, causing them to be led into a trap.

Currently, a total of 35 people were inside several vehicles, as the group was driving fast through the wilderness and made their way towards the Doomsday Pillar that Daisy located. Thanks to Daisy, a spirit enhancer specialized in tracking and sensing abilities, the group managed to avoid the ambushes the enemy prepared along the way.

At first, the group could still drive fast and avoid the enemies. However, as they went deeper into the territory and drove quite a distance, Daisy, through the eyes of the spirit bird who scouted the surrounding area for them, found out that there seemed to be more and more groups of people who were roaming around, as if stalking them. This meant that either there were just too many enemy troops surrounding them or there were still spies among them.

After telling her findings to Theo to prevent the same incident happening again, he immediately went ahead and interrogated the 5 Yemeni soldiers who were still with them. However, after he asked them a series of questions, Theo found out they really knew nothing.

This left the matter with one more possibility: there was a spirit enhancer on the other side too. Someone who had an ability like Daisy, who could track their whereabouts.

"God Damn… from insurgents, to crazy cultists. And now, we also have a super terrorist we must deal with. What an eventful day!"

As if this was not enough, the situation got even worse when the vehicle in the front exploded due to a mine. Luckily, all the people inside the exploded vehicle were Sky realm fighters and also wore the tier 2 protective vests Alex made. Apart from some concussions and mild wounds, all of them were fine. 

"How far are we from the pillar?" Theo asked.

"There are still about 30 kilometers left. But..." Daisy answered, while her face showed a conflicted expression.

"But...? But what?"

"It appears our plan was predicted by the enemy. They have put thousands of fighters on the road between us and the pillar."

Upon hearing that, Theo, Rama, Daisy,and Ardeth immediately discussed another plan that could help with their current predicament. Analyzing the information Daisy had gathered and the surrounding area's general intel by General Nasser, who was still injured, they finally came up with a plan.

Since some of them were injured and they were currently being chased by the enemy, they decided to choose someone to break away from the group and head towards the pillar as fast as possible. The chosen would inform others of their current situation and seek reinforcements, while the others would become the diversion and barricade themselves in a village Daisy spotted not far from their current location.

General Nasser believed the president of Yemen would send reinforcement in less than 8 hours after the information had been conveyed.

Among these 30 capable fighters, Ardeth was selected to be the one who would send the message. He was a renowned strong fighter, he was also a Wind element fighter which could run faster than others. Ardeth was sure he was able to cover 30 kilometers in less than an hour.

However, the most important reason he was chosen was because Ardeth could speak Arabic and did not look foreign to the native. Therefore, he could easily blend in with the locals when he arrived at the Doomsday Pillar.

A small number of the Star Army fighters were worried about the selection due to the fact that Ardeth was an outsider, but Theo convinced them Ardeth could be trusted.

They then immediately carried out the plan. The group swiftly split up; Theo and the others made their way to the small village, while Ardeth used his fastest speed and rushed towards the Doomsday Pillar.

When Theo and the others arrived at the outskirts of the village, they were finally able to see the village clearly. The village, which was filled with dozens of small and medium houses, looked barren and undeveloped. At first, when the group saw the village, they were quite sure there wasn't anyone who would want to inhabit this kind of place. After all, it had been almost 2 years since the apocalypse happened.

However, much to their surprise, their assumption was proven wrong as Daisy could find at least two dozens of people still living in the village. After sensing all of those people and making sure there were none who escaped her sense, Daisy immediately reported to Theo.

She estimated their pursuers would be able to find them in at most an hour. Hence, they had to quickly decide whether to keep moving or enter the village to welcome the enemy. Looking at the dilapidated state of the village, Theo wanted to find another place. But unfortunately for him, General Nasser's wounds and the other two wounded fighters conditions were not fit to travel anymore.

Theo considered his choices for a while and then decided to stay here to welcome their guests. Theo thought there was no guarantee they would be able to find another place within their limited timeframe. He also believed it was likely that all the areas of Saudi Arabia were in the same condition.

Theo would rather have the limited protection provided from the buildings than no protection at all. And also, they would have time for preparation if they stayed here.

After deciding on the course of action, the group immediately entered the village. Theo ordered the others to group the village's residents, as he wanted to talk with them. After the fighters brought all of the residents, Theo found that all the locals who lived in the village were women and young children without any shadow of man in sight. The strange sight dumbfounded Theo and the others.

"P-Please don't hurt us sir, please," a woman weakly said. 

Approaching one of the women, Theo gently said, " I sincerely apologize for our sudden intrusion, mam. But there are hundreds of dangerous people coming here to hurt us. I think it would be safer for you all to leave the village for a while.

Theo then noticed this group of women and children were scared and starved. Seeing their miserable state, Theo immediately asked the others to share their rations with them.

When the villagers received the rations, Theo asked them what happened to them and how come there was not a single man here. Upon hearing his questions, the women immediately started telling about what happened.

Apparently a group of people in red robes came here and took all the men about a month ago. The red robed people promised them their men would be back, thus they were still waiting until now. Theo and the others who heard this secretly clenched their fists in anger, as they realized these women and children would probably never meet their men again.

After giving them enough ration, Theo still told them to leave this place, because it would turn into a warzone in no time. The villagers immediately decided to flee from the village when they heard that. After thanking and apologizing to them again, Theo swiftly instructed the others to start preparing for the enemy.

Theo and Rama began to prepare the perimeter, as there was no way the two of them would let their 'guest' come freely. They immediately installed the machine guns and explosive mines stored in their storage rings. On the other hand, Daisy, who had currently summoned 3 spirit animals, quickly ordered them to scout the area and check the situation. 

But the more time passed, the more worried she became.

A bad feeling appeared and gnawed at her. The event of the battle in the village where all the troops of her division died and were caught came back to haunt her. Theo, who noticed Daisy's expression, approached her and asked, "So, what's the situation?"

"There are about two to three thousands of them, Brother Theo. Half of them are in the Earth realm with only a hundred or so in the Sky realm. But, that's only the first wave we have to face. I predict there will be another wave coming in two to three hours after them." Daisy said.

She then looked at Theo's eyes and said, "Brother Theo, I am…"

"Are you scared?" Theo asked with a smile.

After staying silent for a moment, Daisy opened her mouth, "...Yes. Brother, I.."

"What are you scared of? Dying? Or... seeing others dying?"

Falling silent again, Daisy thought about Theo's words for a while. "I guess it's about seeing others die... I had always hoped I could prevent them from dying the next time I found myself in a situation like this." she said, while lowering her head.

Hearing Daisy's answer, Theo grabbed her shoulder and made her face him directly. "Daisy, you don't have the strength to control everything. Even Alex, who we see as omnipotent, can't do that. There are just some things we can't control and we need to accept that."

Patting her shoulders, he continued, "Once you accept that, you can start doing better with the things you can do and actually control. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, brother." Daisy replied, while nodding.

Shortly after that, a roaring screeching sound echoed through the village.

"Kill the infidels!!! Our god is absolute!"

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