Unlike ordinary armies, these elite squads composed entirely of Transcendents were dispatched on missions from the very start.
The Federation had invested enormous manpower and resources to maintain the Task Force, and naturally, it wasn't there to be idle — but this method of teaching on the job still caused dissatisfaction among some members.
Of course, under the Sky-tier suppression of Shike, nothing actually happened.
"Hey! Ley! Name's Mist. This is my first time on the battlefield — what about you? Nervous?"
The pale youth who had been the first to step up for testing sidled over, his face plastered with an ingratiating smile.
"I'm fine,"
"Him? That's Locke. I heard he used to be a really formidable mercenary. Who's he putting on that smug look for?"
Mist played the part of a sycophant beautifully — picking sides and helping the leader keep the second-in-command in check was practically instinct to him.
"Oh," Leylin said mildly, and didn't press further.
As newcomers, all of them had been issued a new set of clothes — highly flexible, capable of resisting extreme heat and ordinary bladed weapons, quite the decent mortal treasures.
"Look! These new uniforms — how cool is that!"
Mist gazed at the matching black uniforms they wore, and couldn't help adjusting his collar with a touch of infatuation.
Watching him make such a fool of himself left Leylin somewhat speechless. "We're on a mission! Try to maintain some decorum!"
At these words, Mist — who was still hurtling along at high speed — froze momentarily. He glanced guiltily toward Instructor Shike's position. Only after confirming that the man wasn't paying attention did he relax and let out a breath of relief.
"Ley... what kind of mission do you think we're being sent on?"
After his excitement faded, Mist calmed down, and a faint sense of nervousness immediately set in, making him uneasy. He couldn't help glancing at Leylin beside him.
In his eyes, this companion was not only exceedingly mysterious, but possessed a composure that ordinary people simply didn't have. Even just being near him gave Mist a sense of security.
"Whatever it is, it definitely won't be easy!"
Leylin muttered the words, though in truth, he suspected this mission was actually a trial for the newly recruited members!
There was nothing more revealing than actual combat. Through brutal battles, the failures and the weak were eliminated. It was the cruel law of nature to allow the stronger to survive and gain more resources.
Leylin estimated that this operation might have been tailor-made for them. If that was the case, the difficulty would likely be considerable — it was entirely possible that over half the members would be killed or injured, or that the entire squad could be wiped out.
After all, for the Atlanta Federation, they had more than enough strength and resources. They could attract a sufficient number of desperadoes, so they naturally didn't fear losses.
"Just… could it be that we'll run into the Three Serpents Cult on our very first mission?" A flicker of doubt crossed Leylin's mind.
His intelligence was still far from complete — he had no idea what the Three Serpents Cult was really like, and rashly engaging them was absolutely not a good idea.
"Our mission this time is to annihilate an extremely evil and bloody cult — a branch of the Mobius Ring! Slay every last person there!"
Fortunately, at that moment, Shike spoke up coldly from ahead, dispelling Leylin's misgivings.
By now they had left the military camp and the city far behind, arriving in a desolate wilderness. Vast quantities of crimson magma cast an orange-red glow, dyeing even the horizon the color of blood.
Thanks to the augmentation of the Fire Feather Technique, all the special operatives maintained vigorous stamina. Even after a long-distance forced march, they could keep themselves in good condition.
"The Mobius Ring?" Mist immediately exclaimed from beside him. "You mean that disgusting cult that loves blood sacrifices and dismemberment?"
"That disgusting cult that loves blood sacrifices and dismemberment?" Leylin furrowed his brow. He seemed to vaguely recall the burly Fire Feather Clan man he had gotten along with mentioning something about this.
This cult appeared to be extremely secretive, and its higher-ups wielded formidable power. Rumor had it that their influence had even spread into the Pyre Empire, making it utterly impossible to eradicate them completely.
Of course, given their extreme methods, they weren't exactly popular either.
"Is it really that Mobius Ring?" "Heavens! I heard they're completely insane — once, just to avenge a bishop, they massacred an entire city…"
Clamorous voices erupted one after another, and the special operatives immediately began buzzing among themselves.
"Silence!!!" When Shike saw this, a flash of ruddy light swept across his face, and a massive wave of sound blanketed the surroundings. If Leylin hadn't sensed a sound-isolation barrier that Shike had instantly deployed around the perimeter, he might have truly suspected the man was a mole deliberately tipping off the Mobius Ring.
"We are soldiers! Obedience to orders is our highest duty! It's just the Mobius Ring — what is there to be afraid of? Don't forget that you are now special operatives! The moment you disobey a military order, I will execute you on the spot. Even if you manage to escape, you will face the full pursuit of the entire Atlanta Federation!"
Shike's words were icy and menacing, and combined with his Sky-rank Force fluctuations, they defused what could have been a mutiny before it even began.
"Do you want to betray the Federation?" Finally, Shike's sinister question immediately solidified the resolve of the special operatives, and they shouted in unison: "No! Never!"
"Good! Now those are the kind of warriors our Federation needs!" Shike looked highly satisfied. "They only have a few Earth-rank powerhouses holding the fort — what does that amount to? Once we succeed this time, the rewards alone will be enough to keep you living large for months! There are even noble rank points on top of that… Now, let me lay out the mission plan…"
"Hmm?!" Just as Shike was immersed in his torrent of instructions, he failed to notice that Lei Lin's expression had become extremely animated.
A sweep of his soul power revealed the concealed fluctuations and the full layout of the underground structure before Lei Lin's eyes, drawing a hint of an amused smile to his lips.
"It seems the Federation must have received advance intelligence — they know the exact troop strength inside this outpost. Originally, with Shike's plan, our odds would have been quite good. But how unfortunate…"
Through his soul power scan, Lei Lin discovered that the Mobius branch ahead not only harbored several Earth-rank priests but also a few elders in red vestments, their bodies radiating terrifying Sky-rank energy fluctuations.
"This is obviously a trap. Whether it was specifically set for Shike or not, either way he's in for a world of hurt…"
A trace of pity crept into Lei Lin's expression.
"Good! That's the overall plan — move out!" Shike naturally had no idea what Lei Lin was thinking at that moment. On the contrary, he was looking forward to watching Lei Lin, Locke, and the others perform so he could secretly score their performance.
*BOOM!* With an enormous explosion, the barren wasteland that had appeared utterly empty moments ago erupted in a terrifying blast, revealing layer upon layer of massive structures beneath.
The first thing to emerge was a twisted obsidian statue, its lines crude and simple, yet radiating a sinister, eerie aura that Lei Lin could distinctly feel.
Below the statue lay a profusion of patterns forming something resembling an altar, strewn with the limbs and organs of various creatures. The blood on them had not yet fully dried, dripping steadily to fill the entire sorcery formation.
A ritual had been clearly interrupted, and several low-ranking cultists let out furious roars.
"Leave no one alive! Annihilate them!" Shike bellowed.
In truth, he did not need to shout. The special operatives who had witnessed this scene were already lunging forward with bloodshot eyes, searing flames flickering across their bodies as the Fire Feather Technique activated to grant them formidable power.
*Pff!* A flame-wreathed hand abruptly withdrew from a priest's body, the clinging fire instantly reducing the grimacing man to charcoal. "You — all of you will die!"
Locke's voice was cold, and his advance was unstoppable, drawing approving nods from the observing Shike.
As for Mith, who had seemed timid and fearful before, he now appeared to have a streak of fighting spirit roused within him. Especially as the special operatives saw victory after victory on their side, morale soared ever higher, and they pressed deeper underground without pause.
"What the hell is this guy doing?"
Shike nodded with satisfaction, but when his gaze shifted to Lei Lin, his brow furrowed with displeasure.
In his mind, Lei Lin — who should have been charging at the very forefront — had remained squarely in the middle of the formation the entire time. Even when he occasionally struck, he seemed halfhearted and listless, his tally falling far behind Locke's.
"Hmm? No! His path of advance — he's clearly wary of something. Could he have discovered something?"
Shike instantly calmed himself, running through Lei Lin's movements and the intelligence he had gathered once more. When he saw the special task force members who had lost their formation in their advance driven by victory, his pupils contracted sharply.
"Fall back! NOW!!!"
Shike roared at the top of his lungs, but it was already too late.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Massive bursts of sparks erupted, the resulting waves of heat engulfing large numbers of the task force members. Despite the protection of the Fire Feather Art, temperatures exceeding their limits instantly turned the members into charred corpses.
"Heh heh! Shike! We meet again!"
Several streaks of light, each wrapping around a figure, blocked Shike's path. Beside them were numerous priests and warriors clad in religious vestments.
"Sky-tier! Two Sky-tier powerhouses!!!"
Misi, who had survived by sheer luck, looked up at the two towering figures in the sky and let out a cry of anguish, his face filled with despair.
"It's you! So this was a trap!"
By now, Shike had fully regained his composure.
"Yes! This is a trap designed specifically for you! The events of fifteen years ago — it's time to settle the score!"
Hatred burned in the eyes of the two cardinals in red.