(Execution Livestream Continuation, Leo’s POV)
For a few fleeting moments, Leo managed to rest atop Dumpy’s back while downing health recovery potions, as he quietly assessed the condition of his body and concluded that there was no way in hell that he could endure a trip from The Pit back to Ixtal in his current state.
’There’s no way I can hold open a Fourth Dimensional Portal for fifteen minutes in this condition.’
’If I go that route, I won’t just kill myself. I’ll kill everyone following me too.’
The realization settled heavily as Leo grit his teeth and forced himself to dig for strength in corners that did not even exist within him.
’I could try leading them to a different planet.’
’One much closer to The Pit. Somewhere I can rest for a few hours before taking everyone home.’
It was far from an optimal strategy, but Leo understood his own limits well enough to know that aiming for certain death was not bravery. It was stupidity.
’I can probably endure Moltherak’s aura for three to four minutes.’
’That puts seven habitable planets within range...’
His thoughts sharpened as he narrowed the options.
’Buxar should be the best choice.’
Retrieving the old celestial map Moltherak had once given him, Leo studied it carefully, tracing the entry angle and exit vector between The Pit and Buxar, as he calculated each margin with grim precision.
’Buxar shouldn’t have more than a couple of Monarchs guarding it right now.’
’Even if the army’s exhausted, Dumpy and the others should be able to hold the line until I recover.’
’After that, we can promptly return to Ixtal.’
His jaw tightened.
’But leaving The Pit immediately is critical.’
’For if we don’t, the entire army could be annihilated with the snap of a God’s finger.’
He concluded, as decision made, he drew in a deep breath and disembarked from Dumpy’s back, before starting his practice of slashing at precisely sixty-one point six six degrees, his muscles spasming violently in protest as he ignored the pain and forced his body to obey even as it screamed for him to stop.
*SLASH*
*THRUMM*
He opened a dimensional portal barely the size of a human, the portal’s edges warping reality as colors started to bleed and airflow started to distort.
*CRUSH*
*THRUMMMM*
Crushing the last of Moltherak’s orbs next, he used the burst of aura to widen the Dimensional Portal Entrance, the gate now wide enough to let a couple ships pass side by side, as he turned and gestured for the Cult Army to follow him in quick.
"All units follow me in, and be prepared for war when we emerge on the other side."
Leo instructed, as he stepped into the Dimensional Portal, the Cult Army following closely behind him, as within a minute and a half the entire Cult Army evacuated The Pit, the Dimensional Portal closing in behind them, as the Execution Livestream covered their retreat, before finally cutting to a recovering Terrence, who looked like he had seen a ghost as he stared at Raymond’s headless corpse with a white face.
—--------------
(Meanwhile, across the universe)
Panic spread across the universe as Righteous Faction netizens watched the Cult Army retreat with eyes wide in horror.
"No.... This can’t be.
They actually won?"
A woman said while travelling in a packed transit lounge, as the fellow passengers around her, all looked at the screen with pure fear written across their faces.
"If they can do this.... If they can just barge into Righteous Lands and save criminals from our justice system, then do we even have a universal order left anymore?
Or is this the start of a new chaotic era?
An era where only might makes right?"
A philosopher asked while standing in a public street, as his highly developed mind already calculated the consequences of this Cult victory today.
"Did you see how Leo Skyshard killed Commander Raymond?
It was almost like the Commander could not even see him coming!
This war has shown us something unforgettable.
It’s almost like the Cult soldiers are much stronger than ours at the same tier, and that trend is extremely worrying."
A military Commander said inside a barracks mess hall, as he realized that the Cult Army would prove to be a nightmare to face in the future, especially since the survivors of the war on ’ThePit’ would go on to train the next batch of soldiers that would be even more formidable than the last.
"This is it, the Cult’s demise stops now.
With the criminal Aegon Veyr successfully saved, you can bet your ass they’re going to be even more rowdy the next time we see them."
A political commentator posted on the galaxy net, as throughout the universe a sort of gloomy atmosphere took hold of all Righteous Citizens.
However, while most citizens felt too overloaded by the Righteous defeat to express any strong opinions, a select few could not contain their outrage whatsoever.
"With how our military commanders treated the VIP guests, I’m glad they all died," a man spat openly in a crowded forum channel, his comment exploding across feeds before moderators could react.
"We call the Cult evil, but I saw no morality in our troops today either."
He argued, as the backlash was almost immediate.
"What are you saying?" someone shot back angrily.
"Our soldiers did not kill them, the Evil Cult did!"
Another defended, as the man simply scoffed in disbelief.
"Really? Is that what you genuinely think?"
The man replied coldly.
"Did you not see them being denied the right of passage while the army stood strong?
No extraction. No protection. No contingency."
The man pointed out, as at this point voices in his support started to flood in.
"I watched it three times. The Cult charged, chaos broke out, and our forces protected their formations first. The civilians were... abandoned."
A woman chimed in, her voice shaking with anger.
"That’s war," another tried to argue weakly.
"No," she snapped. "That’s selective protection."
On another world, a dockworker slammed his fist against a holoscreen. "So the Cult risks everything to save their Dragon, but our side can’t even spare resources to evacuate its own dignitaries?"
"That’s because they don’t see us as people," someone muttered beside him. "Just assets."
A scholar added bitterly, "We call the Cult monstrous, yet they retrieved every last soldier. We call ourselves righteous, yet we sacrificed our own when it was inconvenient."
The argument spread like wildfire.
"Then who decides whose life matters?"
"Is loyalty worth more than obedience?"
"If the system won’t protect its own elites, what chance do the rest of us have?"
Across the universe, faith in the universal order wavered.
Not because the Cult had won a battle.
But because the Righteous Faction had revealed cracks in its own foundation, as for the first time, citizens began to wonder whether the order they trusted was built on justice... or merely convenience.