Chapter 163: Life and Freedom

"Commander, I discovered a squad of Phantasmal Serpentmen, no fewer than twenty of them. After I was exposed, they began chasing me!" The short scout, bloodstained in multiple places and with a face mask covering his face, urgently reported to Rhett as he hurried over.

"You've done well." Rhett looked seriously at the heavily injured scout and patted his shoulder. "Leave the rest to me. Stay here and rest."

This injured scout was a third-level Wind Knight. Although he couldn't gauge Rhett's strength, he still offered a warning, "Thank you, but please be careful! These three Phantasmal Serpentmen fight with extreme ferocity!"

"Heh, don't worry." Rhett smiled faintly, but his gaze toward the three Phantasmal Serpentmen had already turned icy cold.

Rockfall Spell!

Without a word, Rhett silently gathered his magic and unleashed it upon the area where the three Phantasmal Serpentmen were located.

Boom!

A massive boulder, over ten meters in diameter, descended from the sky, shrouded in a yellowish-brown light, resembling a sun crashing down in the night.

The three Phantasmal Serpentmen realized the danger too late, and one of them exclaimed, "Damn it! They have a fourth-level Magister!"

"You two run and deliver the message! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" The Serpentman who spoke bared his fangs, his expression grim.

Even though he knew that the chances of stopping this force were slim, he had no choice but to make the attempt.

The boulder descended with overwhelming force, and the violent gusts of wind it generated made the three of them unsteady.

Without hesitation, two of the Phantasmal Serpentmen turned and fled in opposite directions, while the one who volunteered to stay behind charged straight at Rhett.

"Damn human! Come at me if you dare!" the Serpentman cursed, trying to draw Rhett's attention.

"None of you will escape. You'll all die here!" Rhett's expression remained cold as he cast three consecutive Earth Spikes.

The boulder had barely landed when three spikes of yellowish-brown light burst from the ground in the northeast, southeast, and directly west.

Schlick! Schlick! Schlick!

The sound of flesh being pierced echoed, and the three Phantasmal Serpentmen froze, their bodies trembling in disbelief as they looked down at their chests—completely impaled by the spikes, their hearts exposed and blood gushing from their wounds.

Their triangular, emerald eyes glared furiously at Rhett, but as their blood drained and their hearts were damaged, they quickly fell unconscious.

Rhett remained expressionless as he glanced at Ryley, signaling him with a nod.

Ryley understood and, with a gleam in his eyes, began casting Water Spears to finish off the Serpentmen.

Swish! Swish!

Blue streaks of light pierced the air, striking the Phantasmal Serpentmen's eyes with precision, causing them to burst.

[Family member defeated an enemy two ranks higher, Destiny Points +2]

As three notifications appeared, Rhett felt satisfied and turned to the scout. "You mentioned earlier that the squad of twenty Phantasmal Serpentmen is hiding in which area?"

"In a burrow within Sector 57," the scout replied gravely.

Rhett closed his eyes, slowly recalling the terrain of Sector 57, and nodded.

He then raised his right hand, fingers extended, and called out, "Everyone, assemble quickly!"

Thud, thud, thud

The sound of hurried footsteps filled the air, gradually quieting as the soldiers quickly formed three columns in front of Rhett.

"Sector 57, move out!" Rhett commanded with a stern voice.

He turned and led the charge northwest, the pounding footsteps of the soldiers following closely behind him like a drumbeat.

After casting a healing spell on the wounded scout, the Light Mage in Rhett's team helped him recover enough to join the squad as they headed to the Serpentmen's hideout.

Four hours later.

Under the cover of night, the team ran through a valley filled with scattered rocks, leaping nimbly from one boulder to another until they reached the summit of a white hill.

Snow had begun to fall.

The snowfall had started in the early morning, a light but steady flurry drifting down from the sky.

Ryley, at the back of the team, glanced up at the sky and sensed Nina hidden among the clouds, eager to descend. He smiled and mentally reassured her.

Standing atop the hill, Rhett felt a sudden gust of wind lift his hair and billow his cloak.

It was the cold wind before dawn.

The scout pointed west and said, "A day ago, twenty Phantasmal Serpentmen were hiding in the mud and surrounding burrows over there."

Rhett followed the scout's finger and saw, about a kilometer away, a dark, sunken patch of water.

He waved his hand and led the team toward it.

By now, the snow-covered hills glowed white in the dawn light, and the sun began to rise in the east, casting a fiery glow over the snowy landscape. The gray earth below gradually revealed its colors as the shadows faded.

When Rhett reached the swamp, he noticed the strange footprints around it—definitely left by the Phantasmal Serpentmen.

However, the prints were covered by a layer of snow, some as deep as the width of a palm.

Rhett squinted slightly and said, "It seems the Phantasmal Serpentmen left during the night."

The scout, assessing the ground, came to the same conclusion. A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes as he sighed, "Phantasmal Serpentmen are cunning. When they realized their comrades weren't returning, they must have moved on early."

"Yes, cunning indeed..." Rhett muttered, his eyes flashing with a mysterious light as he gazed at the distant peaks, about three hundred meters away. The snow-covered mountains stood tall, their blue and purple hues sparkling like gems, their peaks glowing crimson in the morning sun.

After half an hour of fruitless searching, the team regrouped.

"Report, Commander! No enemies found to the east."

"Report, Commander! No enemies found to the southeast."

"Report, Commander! No enemies found to the north."

As the soldiers reported their findings, they gathered around Rhett.

Rhett nodded silently.

"Commander, it seems... we can head back. Sorry for wasting your time," the scout said, shrugging.

"Hmm, I suppose we can." Rhett's words were slow and deliberate, as if he were waiting for something.

The scout's reasoning made sense: once the Phantasmal Serpentmen realized their comrades weren't returning, they wouldn't stay in one place.

Rhett knew this too.

That's why, before coming, he had conducted a simulation.

Now, he was in no hurry to leave because he already knew that the cunning Serpentmen had gone to seek reinforcements and would soon return to launch a surprise attack.

And he also knew that a Sky Knight was hidden nearby!

"Everyone, gather around," Rhett ordered.

The soldiers who had been searching the area quickly ran back, like ants returning to their nest in the snow.

Suddenly.

A blue figure darted from Rhett's team, speeding toward the snowy mountains like the wind.

Already aware that the hidden figure was Somjet, Rhett timed it perfectly and called out, "Commander Somjet, leave one alive! I need to interrogate them later!"

The blue light vanished in an instant, as quick as a gust of wind.

If Rhett hadn't spoken, the others might have thought they were seeing things.

"Rhett, did you just say... that was Commander Somjet?" Karrie asked, frowning as he looked around in confusion.

"Yes, Commander Ambiru mentioned that a powerful figure would be lurking near me," Rhett replied. "Considering the speed and wind energy just now, it could only be Commander Somjet. No one else on the Gorge Defense Line could do that!"

Karrie nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense..."

Rhett gazed out toward the snowy mountains and saw Somjet, glowing with wind energy, flash by and disappear into the white snow.

Seconds later, the distant sounds of battle reached them!

Even from hundreds of meters away, the soldiers could hear faint curses and screams!

It was something like:

"You humans are shameless, sending a Sky Knight into a skirmish!"

"Ahh!"

"Somjet, the Beast King will avenge us!"

Before long, the sounds died down.

Somjet returned, floating in the air with two Phantasmal Serpentmen in tow. He casually said, "Rhett, I've come under Commander Avalon's orders. I brought back the two strongest Serpentmen, and I took care of the rest."

A bit disappointed at the missed opportunity for more Destiny Points, Rhett glanced at the two unconscious Serpentmen and smiled. "Thank you, Commander Somjet! I never expected Commander Avalon to send you."

Somjet remained relaxed. "Avalon mentioned that the Beastmen's activity has calmed down lately, but he's worried they might do something desperate in the end."

He then looked at the Serpentman in his left hand and scoffed, "Sending a sixth-level royal Beastman to die... the Phantasmal Serpentmen must be really desperate!"

Thud, thud

Somjet tossed the two Serpentmen onto the ground and nonchalantly said, "I've already scouted the area—no other ambushes nearby."

"Thank you!" Rhett replied with a smile.

"The two captives are yours to deal with," Somjet said. He remembered hearing about Rhett's breakthrough from Avalon and felt a twinge of envy.

He admired Rhett's talent and the freedom he enjoyed.

After a moment of silence, Somjet grew serious and said, "You're quite impressive. Cherish your life and freedom. Maybe we'll meet again someday."

With that, he soared into the sky without looking back, disappearing into the distance.

Rhett watched the black dot fade from view, feeling a strange emotion. He sensed that Somjet was different from the other officers, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it...

Shaking his head, Rhett turned his attention back to the two Phantasmal Serpentmen, his gaze turning cold.

In the end, he conducted a routine interrogation of the captives before having Tuck finish them off.

As the snow continued to fall, Rhett led his team back to camp.

Not long after, he was summoned to the Central War Fortress.

Entering the dark chamber, Rhett spotted a figure and quietly asked, "Commander, what do you need?"

"We found the member of the Dami family you mentioned..." Ambiru looked up from the map, his expression complicated as he spoke to Rhett. "Just as your information suggested, it turns out there was a traitor in the rear, leaking information to the Beastmen."

Hearing this, Rhett thought to himself, "It took a week to get results? But I guess it's understandable. After all, this time, I wasn't ambushed by Minotaurs, and I only provided intel without solid evidence. So, of course, the interrogation wouldn't have been too harsh."

After a moment of silence, he sighed and asked, "Did this traitor leak any other information?"

"Yes," Ambiru replied after a pause, adding, "But I can't share the details with you. I hope you understand."

"I do," Rhett nodded, then said, "When I return to the rear, I'll keep an eye out for any leads, even if... it seems like a long shot."

"Don't do that!" Ambiru's tone suddenly turned stern. "At least not openly! After analyzing the situation with Avalon, we believe that this 'traitor' might actually be a transformed Saint-level Beastman, not a human at all!"

Rhett's eyes widened. "Are you saying a Saint-level Beastman has infiltrated the rear and established a rebellious faction?"

"It's just a possibility!" Ambiru frowned, clearly exhausted. "Saint-level beings, whether Beastmen or magical creatures, can take human form once they reach that level. So, given the limited information we have, we can't rule out that possibility."

"We've already reported this to the royal family. Now it's up to them to decide how to proceed..."

Rhett nodded. With things as they were, there wasn't much more he could do—he'd have to tread carefully and rely on simulations to gather clues.

After all, if a Saint-level figure was involved, crushing him would be as easy as swatting a fly.

After a brief discussion about the ongoing war, Rhett left the Central War Fortress.

A week later.

On November 1st.

Rhett sat in his room, staring out at the falling snow with a sigh.

"In the past month, the number of Destiny Points I've gained has dwindled. Even Taylors' contributions have dropped to about five points a day."

With the war stabilizing, Rhett had only encountered one squad of Beastmen during his patrols in the past week.

Ryley finished his meditation and asked, "Commander, it feels like the Beastmen's activity has slowed down a lot lately. Does that mean... the war is almost over?"