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”They’re starting to get serious about this," Kensei commented as she used her Domain to strike and get rid of another Netherworld Overlord. There had been three this time and Karna couldn’t handle all of them at the same time. One of them had landed on the world they were defending, which had turned the battle a lot more difficult. Just the presence of one Overlord had made the enemy forces fight a lot harder. On the other hand, the remaining forces crumbled as soon as that Overlord died.

“Not quite serious, as there would be a Phaeron here if they got truly serious.” Envy corrected. “But yes, as serious as they’re likely to take this place.”

Almost to punctuate her words, the remains of a skeletal dragon crashed on the ground behind her. The skeletal dragon had been animated by baleful energy just moments before, but now that energy was gone. Not because the Overlord was dead, as this undead dragon had been one of the immortal monsters sent to protect the Overlords, but because the tail of a very much living and a much larger dragon was wrapped around its neck.

"This is getting annoying," Karna grumbled in a draconic voice. She'd kept the size of her draconic form smaller this time, as it would be bad for the surroundings if she landed with her full size. "The Netherworld is sending more and more annoying monsters along with their Overlords as protection."

"And it's about to continue being annoying," Hope reported. She was in charge of monitoring the space around the world. “I’m detecting another spatial disturbance. We have incoming.”

After the first attack, the Netherworld had given them time to prepare traps and defenses before attacking again. That mistake was not repeated. Now there was a maximum of a couple of hours of rest between attacks, even if not every attack was a full-strength one. Most of the small attacks were just something to keep them busy and something to clear out any traps between the main attacks. Sacrificial attacks by disposable forces.

“That was quick. If we get no peace between attacks, even we’ll get tired eventually.” Wisdom said in a slightly worried tone. Arjuna especially was already looking spent, as he was in charge of basically summoning and maintaining their forces. Helen and Lancelot were also running low on their holy powers as they had to pray and commune with their deities to regain the power they spent.

“I have to admit, when it comes to this sort of battle of attrition, the Netherworld certainly has us beat.” Valor agreed with the assessment. The Netherworld had basically endless forces to throw at them, even if the scourge still hadn’t quite realized the strength of this team. Their team might be able to out attrition the enemy in a battle or two and had more explosive power than the forces sent against them so far, but if the Netherworld really decided to crush them by sending a hundred immortals at them, then there was very little that could be done. Those immortals had to be pulled out of other places though, and the Netherworld had not considered that to be necessary so far. That might change though, when they realized none souls of the immortals sent here were returning.

“Ah.” Hope made a sound suddenly. “It’s not the Netherworld.”

“It’s not? We haven’t seen any trade ships since we arrived. The locals pretty much fled before we got here. Have our reinforcements finally arrived?” Wisdom asked with a slightly sarcastic tone, not really believing his words either.

“It would seem that you are correct, as surprising as that is. I’m detecting two full teams wearing the armor of the Host.” Hope surprised everyone with her report.

Karna shifted to her normal form, mostly to avoid anyone mistaking her for an enemy. “Huh. I’d say finally, but they did arrive pretty much at the perfect time.”

“You mean aside from being here from the beginning?” Envy corrected with a displeased tone. She wasn’t angry at Karna, but at the lateness of the arrivals. “I mean, it would’ve been better if we could’ve rotated forces since the start.”

“Aside from that, yes.” Karna agreed with an easy smile. “On an unrelated note, I got a message from Gem and Zuellni earlier. They found the likely location of the Phaeron leading this offensive.”

“Oh. A chance for a counterattack?” Valor perked up.

“Potentially. They reported that the defenses around the Phaeron are extremely heavy, and we’d need to do a bit of sneaking to get within striking distance, but it could be done. Once we get some rest.” Karna nodded.

“Oof. Our sneaking hasn’t produced very good results so far.” Envy made a face.

As they were joking around, the Host reinforcements arrived and landed nearby. The group of twenty immortals was led by a pair in golden armor, signifying a higher rank. All twenty of them radiated quite a lot of power as well. It was also clear these were two separate teams that had been sent. The first team looked relatively standard judging by their equipment and strength. Their auras gave a battle-hardened and experienced feeling, and their armor looked worn and well used despite regular maintenance. Even though the armor was designed to hide most differences, it could be sensed that the different members had a mix of specialties and races as they seemed a balanced mix of mages, front-liners, and supports.

The other team was more powerful at first glance. They didn't have quite the same battle-hardened aura to them as the other team, signifying that they had not spent long on the front lines, or at least their time had not left the same kind of mark. On the other hand, every member of the squad gave an air of extreme competence and confidence. They were more powerful than average silver armored members of the Host, every single one being strong enough to earn the golden armor. Karna and the others got the distinct impression that the members of this team simply hadn’t been in the Host long enough to be promoted yet, much like their own team. There wasn’t anything obviously suspicious about them either, yet there were a few things that were immediately noticeable. They were all male, and none of them were wearing their helmets, which were tied to their waist.

“Is it just me or are the members of that team unusually handsome?” Envy asked with a bit of amusement. “I mean, I know we’re in the Divine Planes and there are a lot of Godlings running around, but…”

“Not just you. For some odd reason, I get the feeling like someone purposefully sent the most eligible bachelors our way as reinforcements…” Hope also agreed. She enjoyed the view though. The gathered men were quite good-looking.

“Who’s the leader of this squad?” The leader of the more grizzled and balanced team asked with a voice that tolerated no nonsense. He sounded like a career military officer that was used to doing things quickly and efficiently.

"That would be me." Valor stepped forward. Even if most of their team recognized that Karna often gave the last word on important topics, Valor and Wisdom were the tactical leaders.

"No senior officer?" The same man in golden armor stated more than asked and moved right on without waiting for a confirmation. "Not relevant. Apologies for the delay. The main fortress world of this plane got heavily attacked, most likely as a distraction, which tied us down since the General of the fort didn't feel comfortable releasing Squad Iron Fists until the brunt of the assault was dealt with. As for Squad…” He looked towards the other newly arrived squad. They might have arrived together, but it was obvious they’d met up on the way.

“Squad Valor.” The other Golden Armored immortal announced in a graceful, almost musical tone. His focus was drawn by both Envy and Hope giving a small snicker. “Something amusing?” He asked obviously not used to such a reaction.

“Excuse my friends. It’s just that your squad seems to be named after the leader of ours.” Karna answered, not bothering to hide the smile that was obvious in her voice.

“Well then, we are well matched! Squads after the same goal!” The leader of Squad Valor declared with a raised fist, obviously pleased, although there was something a little off in his tone as if the words weren't entirely spontaneous.

The leader of the Iron Fists cleared his throat a bit to get things back on track, and the other man was quick on the uptake. “Right. The original plan was for the Iron Fists to be your reinforcements, but as they got delayed, our team was sent instead. When we were called for though, we were all off-duty, so it took a couple of days to gather everyone, and we had a lot further to travel. In the end, we arrived at the same time as the original reinforcements. Our apologies for that. The good news is that at least there are three squads here now.”

“Right. With that out of the way, I’m Lieutenant Manus, and we were sent here to make sure this place is defensible. A report on the current situation and the defenses if you would.” The grizzled veteran said with a commanding tone.

Valor gave a very detailed report while the others rested. Arjuna especially had laid down to take a catnap as soon as it had been confirmed the new arrivals were not hostile. As the report came to an end, Lieutenant Manus didn’t look too fazed either way. “Right. So, you’ve been under almost constant attack, and have managed to kill a dozen Netherworld’s Overlords, while also taking down an assortment of their other immortals. On the other hand, the defenses of this world are shit, and you haven’t had the time to improve on that too much. All in all, a pretty good result, albeit not one that gives the best starting point against future aggression. Don’t worry, I’m not judging you on that really. Just the reality of the situation. Our squad is specialized in fortifying places quickly. You could say we are the perfect complement to your team in this situation then.” The man gave the impression that he had a lot of faith in the Host and liked to have that faith validated.

“It also seems that you are rather spent from the constant fighting.” The other golden armored man, who turned out to be Lieutenant Akasha, commented. “We’ll take up the fighting role while you rest for now. We can set up a proper rotation once you’ve freshened up.”

Neither squad wasted any time and moved to take positions very quickly, which turned out to be a good decision as the Netherworld's forces showed up only an hour later, though the initial attack was quickly annihilated by the crossfire of two full squads. The Iron Fists turned out to be highly effective at what they did, creating effective defenses and fortifications in a matter of hours, and every passing hour saw those defenses strengthened and added to. Unlike what Karna and her friends did, their squad didn’t go for elaborate defenses from the start. Instead, they started with simple and quick to build defenses that slowly became more elaborate. Those initially simple defenses quickly became more effective and complicated, as the squad erected both physical and magical barriers, fortifications, and strongpoints.

Squad Valor, the name still causing Karna and her teammates to chuckle, was also very effective at defeating the enemy, as they aimed at the enemy leaders with surgical precision, showing their skill and strength. Even their weakest member was near the middle of the eleventh rank, and they were all very good at using their powers. Wisdom had to admit that it would be difficult for even them to defeat that squad without going all out. It wasn’t just that they were powerful, but each and every one of the squad's members was very skilled and effective at using their powers. None of them was an average immortal and had more than enough skill to lead a team of their own.

Hope was the one to point out that in any other universe, every member of that team would have been powerful and skilled enough to inspire stories and legends. In fact, the members of that team were pretty much the best of what the Divine Planes had to offer without dragging out the old monsters and gods. That wasn’t counting reincarnators of course. That said, it wasn’t clear whether any members of the team were reincarnators, as it would’ve been rather rude to check. Karna could judge that none of their souls were so powerful that they could be old reincarnators, but several members of the team had powerful enough souls that their potential was truly noteworthy. Yet those same souls were still within the limits of very gifted non-reincarnators. And they all seemed to work very seriously and diligently.

“Ok, this can’t be a coincidence.” Envy commented as the four original members of their group were eating something towards the end of their rest time. “That isn’t a naturally formed team.”

“They seem to be paying a lot of attention towards us.” Valor added. “They’re hiding it well, and it wouldn’t be notable if they weren’t all doing it. They don’t seem to be directing any hostility towards us though. It’s more like they’re curious and evaluating us, which isn’t too odd. Or wouldn’t be if they were doing the same to the other new squad.”

“You don’t think my original joke of a guess could actually be correct?” Hope asked suddenly.

“The one about someone sending the most eligible bachelors our way?” Envy asked, now seriously considering the possibility. “They all do kind of strike me as the future leaders of powerful houses. You know the type. Serious and competitive, skilled due to having to compete for the position against other claimants. They have that air of competence that a proper heir should have. They all seem very confident as well, as if they’ve already secured their position.”

“That’s reading quite a lot to just surface impressions and traits. We’ve only been around them for a few hours. Anyone can put up a mask for a period like that. They could all be mass murderers for all we know, and just hiding it well." Karna tempered the speculation that was getting a bit wild. "We can't make proper judgements until we've spent more time with them."

“If you say so…” Envy retorted with a sing-song voice.

“You don’t seem convinced.” Karna stared down at her old friend and rival.

“I’m simply going to point out that if Hope’s speculation is correct, then we all know who they’re here for.” She pointed out.

Valor was surprisingly the one to counter that idea. "I don't think it's quite that cut and dry. I mean, yes, it would be a real coup for any House if they managed to charm the princess, but you're selling yourself short. Well, yourself, Hope, and Kensei. You might not have the royal connection, but a word of your competence during our time at training has likely already spread. Besides, you're friends and allies of the princess. Sometimes you don't have to aim for the main prize to get what you need. And all of that is predicated on the squad really being here for such vacuous reasons. As Wrath said, they could all have congregated together for other reasons. Birds of a feather and all that.”

The group continued to joke around for a while longer before they were interrupted by the leader of the Iron Fists squad approaching them. “The one called Kensei told me you had news.” He stated simply.

“Yes. We sent out a spirit to search for the Phaeron leading this offensive, and we got a report back that the spirit had found the target. Sometimes offense is the best defense.” Valor suggested.

The man grunted a bit thoughtfully while stroking his stubble. “While I’d prefer to say that defense is the best defense, controlled offense has its place. The problem is, if we sally out to attack the Phaeron, we’ll leave this world wide open.”

"We were actually thinking of sending a smaller strike. Especially now that there are three squads present, there's no need to risk this place by sending everyone.” Valor specified.

“Hmm. The problem is, can a smaller group actually deal with a Phaeron? The leaders of the Netherworld dynasties are far from weak, and they're always well defended. Not just by other immortals, but by magical defenses and various other tricks. They're just as aware as we are of their dependence on their leaders. And Phaerons are almost all at least approaching rank 13 if not already there." The lieutenant pointed out.

It was a good point as well. Not all Phaerons were rank 13, but many were. There was also a large difference between an Overlord at rank 12 and a Phaeron of the same rank, as only the most successful and powerful Overlords could become new Phaerons. There was also no guarantee that this Phaeron was one of the newer ones. There was a rather major jump in power between a rank 12 and a rank 13. They had managed to defeat some rank 12 Overlords, but those had been on the weaker end of the rank. He was tactfully letting them know that he wasn’t personally confident in facing down a Phaeron. And that was without considering all the other forces and defenses around the Phaeron.

"There are no guarantees, but there's a chance. If we can isolate the Phaeron or catch them by surprise, then I can do it." Karna stated. Even for her, it would be almost impossible to face a rank 13 being at full power in direct combat at this point. Even one on the weaker end. "I'm also feeling particularly wrathful towards the Netherworld…”