Hebrew glanced at Leilin.
"I can hold off three Morning Stars. Leave the remaining one to Lord Leilin—that shouldn't be a problem, right? After all, you're the powerful Morning Star who once killed the hunter Ganliel! I'm also looking forward to you turning the tide—even ending the battle quickly and going to reinforce the others!"
"No problem!" Leilin rubbed his nose.
This Hebrew was clearly among the top echelon of Morning Stars, capable of single-handedly shouldering the assault of three. No wonder the other Morning Star Warlocks treated him with such reverence.
"Sigh..." After assigning tasks, Hebrew sighed again, a note of regret in his voice.
"Originally, at a time like this, if your teacher were still here, we'd have a tremendous advantage! It's a shame rescue is no longer possible now, and this matter can only be handled by you alone. At best, we can provide logistical support!"
"Having even this much is already quite good!" Leilin quickly replied.
Rescuing a Morning Star combatant—an issue touching on the very foundation of an organization—was something that could never be allowed to involve outside interference. Otherwise, it would be an obvious power grab.
If Hebrew and the others deliberately sabotaged things, causing Gilbert and the two other Morning Star Warlocks to die in the other world, the Ouroboros Ring wouldn't even have time to weep.
Though the likelihood was slim, it couldn't be ruled out.
That was why Hebrew and the others needed to maintain plausible deniability.
"Very well! We depart immediately. We make for the Crystal Mountain Range—this time, we must seize every last relic of the Crimson Arc Moon!"
Hebrew waved his hand grandly, and the eyes of the other Morning Star Warlocks all flickered with longing.
……
This was a wizard stronghold.
Detection towers and barriers were set up everywhere, grotesque steel puppets and bioengineered beasts filling the grounds. Cold cannon barrels and razor-sharp fangs mirrored each other across the compound.
From time to time, patrol wizards' spiritual power swept through the area—most were third-rank or above, with the occasional crystallized fluctuation mixed in. In the rarest of instances, a terrifying Morning Star-level will would descend, causing even the most savage bioengineered beasts to clamp their tails between their legs and whimper.
"We don't know the exact location where the relic will appear, but there are thirteen highly probable sites. Five are under our control, and the rest belong to the enemy. This is one of their strongholds, garrisoned by the Hunter Archer Baolik and the Ocean Giant Saiber…"
High above this heavily fortified stronghold, the figures of Leilin and Philip materialized.
"The convergence of the sun, moon, and stars, and the appearance of the Ocular Arc—are both very close now!"
Leilin's eyes flashed with keen light. With the Chip's assistance, his calculations of celestial movements and orbital patterns surpassed those of many famous astrologers on the continent.
In the lower-right corner of the Chip's projection interface, the critical time was clearly displayed: 1 hour and 24 minutes!
How ridiculous that Hebrew and the others believed the relic would appear within one or two days, and were still scrambling to seize strongholds.
Determining the precise location of the relic's appearance was a scholarly pursuit requiring enormous computational power. Even the Thunder of Jupiter and Hebrew's group had managed to identify only these thirteen sites.
But Leilin was certain that the stronghold he'd been assigned had over an eighty percent chance of being the one!
This was, of course, due to the Chip's terrifying computational ability, but it also had something to do with the fact that, after he'd joined, Hebrew had shared all relevant intelligence without concealment. Probably even he hadn't imagined that someone like Leilin existed—someone who could calculate both the exact time and the exact location.
As for the Chip's secret, Leilin naturally said nothing about it. He simply arranged behind the scenes to take on the mission to this particular stronghold, then watched as Hebrew slowly distributed the remaining attack assignments.
"It's about to begin!" Philip said, glancing at the pocket watch in his hand.
Leilin turned to look at this Wind Wolf Warlock. According to his calculations, the relic entrance was about to appear here, and Philip would likely be one of the first to enter alongside him.
"With him here, Hebrew and the others will be drawn in quickly too. That spares me the worry of fighting alone…"
Leilin was quite pragmatic about it. Putting aside the prior agreement forbidding attacks on allies, a relic of this magnitude couldn't be devoured by one person alone.
All he needed was the advantage of getting a head start, and to have Hebrew's group absorb some of the pressure from the Thunder of Jupiter. That would be satisfaction enough.
What Philip had referred to as "the beginning" was the agreed-upon time for their general assault.
As long as the Thunder of Jupiter's Moonlight Warlocks hadn't been pinned down, no one was willing to make the first move.
Rumble!!
At that very moment, from somewhere nearby, a burst of wild, chaotic fluctuations erupted.
Vaguely, Leilin could make out the phantom of a golden lion with three heads manifesting, dragging another wizard etched with thunder patterns into a tangled fight.
"So this is the power of the fifth rank?"
Leilin stared at the phantom of the golden lion, a hint of awe crossing his face.
This was a fifth-rank Moonlight Warlock—a fellow inheritor of the bloodline path—and the guidance he provided was absolutely unmatched.