(Meanwhile, Leo’s POV)
It was roughly four hundred meters out from the Fourth Ring that Leo noticed the shift in the aura of the Righteous Faction Defenders.
*Step*
*Step*
*Halt*
Subconsciously, his pace slowed and then stopped entirely, as the phenomenon unfolding ahead felt strange enough that he instinctively paused to study it more carefully, his attention narrowing as something about the scene before him refused to align with his expectations.
*Sudden halting noises*
*Confusion*
Behind him, the Cult Army came to an abrupt halt as well, soldiers slowing and stopping in uneven waves, confusion spreading across their faces as none of them understood the reason for the sudden delay.
However, since the Lord Shadow Dragon himself had stopped, no one dared question it, as discipline held firm and the army waited in silence for him to move again.
’The enemy aura... why has it shifted from pure crimson to something muddied with maroon and green?’
He wondered, as his gaze remained fixed on the Monarch defenders ahead.
’What are they so agitated about?’
He questioned internally, his eyes narrowing slightly, as upon closer inspection, he noticed clenched jaws and tightened expressions across the line, several Monarchs visibly grinding their teeth as they maintained formation.
’There’s definitely something wrong with them... but what?’
He asked himself, as his gaze dropped instinctively to the ground beneath their feet, where below the surface, the runic circle embedded into the Fourth Ring platform had begun to glow brighter, the symbols pulsing faintly as though they had only recently been fully activated.
"Oh?"
He mused quietly, as his attention sharpened, his focus shifting immediately beyond the Fourth Ring and towards the innermost core of the Chakravyuh, where the Gods and Demi-Gods maintaining the formation were visibly under immense strain, their auras compressed and unstable as they struggled to hold the structure together.
And in that moment, the full picture finally settled into place.
"My Lord, what’s going on? Why have we suddenly stopped?"
Commander Mickey James asked from behind him.
However, Leo did not turn around.
Instead, he raised a single hand, extending one finger slightly as a silent command for Mickey to remain quiet, his attention never leaving the battlefield ahead.
’So the burden of the Chakravyuh has finally been shifted outward,’
Leo realized, the pieces locking together in his mind.
’Which means anyone standing on the Fourth Ring platform is now being subjected to soul suppression,’
He continued assessing internally, his expression unchanged.
’Mickey, myself, and the other Monarchs can endure this level of pressure... but the Transcendents and those below them won’t,’
He calculated calmly.
’The moment they step inside that ring, they’ll either collapse... or die,’
He concluded, as his gaze hardened slightly and the implications of that realization settled in, making it clear that he could no longer rely on his army as a unified force.
Up until this point in the war, the enemy Gods had borne the full weight of the Chakravyuh, which had allowed the Cult Army to advance without facing any meaningful suppression.
However, that was no longer true.
With the enemy Gods now projecting some of their load outwards, any living soul, regardless of their tier, stepping on to the Fourth Ring was bound to experience soul suppression.
However, while those at the Monarch tier could probably handle that burden, the ones below could not.
’Hmm...’
He mused quietly.
’This complicates things,’
He thought, as his focus shifted inward and he began recalculating his next move with renewed caution.
On one hand, Leo understood that the best strategy here was to do nothing and let the pressure of holding the formation wear out the Monarchs.
However, on the other hand, he could also see Soron being overwhelmed by three opponents at once, as the Cult God looked like he was in desperate need of the Chakravyuh prison being broken apart.
’Can’t take the Cult Army in. Can’t wait for the enemies to wear out.
So I guess in the end, breaking the Fourth Ring is my burden alone.’
He concluded, as turning around finally, he threw a glance towards Mickey James and the other Commanders, his expression firm as he said—
"Don’t follow me in.
The army will struggle and die as soon as they step on to the Fourth Ring.
So I guess this was as far as your battle lasted.
I’m proud of each and every one of you for coming with me this far.
But sit back, regain your strength, and enjoy the show I’m about to put on from here onwards.
For if fate wills, we will save the Dragon today...."
He commanded, as immediately the Cult Commanders and soldiers frowned in response.
"No, my Lord! Victory or Defeat, we are with you till the end.
You can not deny us the right to charge till we save the Dragon.
And we simply cannot allow you to charge into a sea of enemies alone."
Anderson protested, as the Legion Commanders behind him nodded in agreement.
"We are not cowards, My Lord, if you are leading us, we are ready to charge into the jaws of death itself.
But please.... Let us come."
A common soldier said, as many behind him nodded their heads in agreement.
"Why can’t we come though? And if we can’t? Then why can you go alone?"
Mickey asked, as at this point Leo let out a deep sigh, clearly touched by the loyalty of his men, however, annoyed by their persistence nonetheless.
"You can’t come because the Righteous Gods are scum beyond belief,"
Leo said, his voice steady and unyielding.
"Right now, they’re leeching power directly from the souls of the Fourth Ring soldiers to sustain the formation confining Sect Master Soron, and the moment you step into that runic circle, you become a power source as well."
He continued, his gaze sweeping across the assembled ranks.
"The runic circle doesn’t care who steps onto it.
Friend or foe.
As long as you’re alive and possess a soul, it will drain you all the same."
He paused briefly, letting the weight of that truth settle.
"I can endure that burden.
Most of you cannot.
Which is why this is something I have to carry alone, while the rest of you stay here and watch."
The explanation struck the Cult soldiers hard, the realization rippling through their formation in stunned silence.
"Every second from here on matters, so forgive me for giving this order,"
Leo added, already turning away.
"Dumpy, stand in front of the army and make sure none of them follow me in.
That’s an order."
Leo said, as he turned and charged, knowing full well that Dumpy would follow his order to death.
No matter what it was.