Tonne was the first to speak up and voice his opinion on General Solomon's judgment. General Solomon usually pushed things to the limit, but he had gone too far over the edge this time!
"General Solomon, you can't seriously be thinking of leaving the tiebreaker to a Captain! This will affect the life of every person in the Demilitarization Belt—no, perhaps even our very kingdoms! I must protest! As acting General, you should be the tiebreaker!" Tonne objected.
"Rules are rules, Manager Tonne. Since the voting order has been agreed upon before our forces joined, it cannot be changed. And as stated in the rules, if a new party is to join, their vote will be cast last. It also clearly states that every person at the table is to receive exactly one vote. Naturally, this applies to Captain Izroth, who is acting as the General Support Unit's official representative. Picking and choosing which rules to follow can lead down a slippery slope of no return, Manager Tonne. Of course, if everyone here is willing to overlook the rules, I don't necessarily mind." Solomon said with a smile; however, hidden beneath that smile was a terrifying reality that no one wanted to peek beyond.
With those words, everyone understood Solomon's intentions and why he brought along someone from his side to represent the GSU.
'Did he plan all of this the moment we met? Or, is it related to that matter? How amusing.'
Two votes to attack, two to retreat, and two abstained. It was likely that Solomon predicted this result and invited Izroth to offset it. If Izroth were not here, then the power to determine their next course of action would fall onto Solomon. For some reason, Solomon wanted to avoid making the final decision himself, and Izroth had a good idea as to why this was.
In the event of a tie, the last person would not be permitted to abstain from their vote. In this case, the final one to cast their vote was Izroth.
One might believe that Solomon was using Izroth as a scapegoat, but that was only on the surface. In actuality, Solomon's thought process operated on a more profound plane of understanding.
"Captain Izroth, your vote, if you will," Solomon requested.
'Very well. I'll humor you this once, General.'
Everyone's gaze was fixated on Izroth as he answered, "Then, my vote is…"
…
Several hours later…
Nighttime arrived at the Demilitarization Belt as the blazing sun receded and a plethora of stars packed the night sky. The temperature dropped considerably at night within the Demilitarization Belt and left one feeling an icy chill pierced through to their bones.
At the moment, Izroth stood on a small hilltop near the edge of the Demilitarization Belt, looking out at the calm land that stretched further than the eye could see.
'Hm?'
Izroth heard the faint sound of footsteps ascending the small hill, and after a few moments, they reached the top.
"Is there something you need from me, Commander Aurie?" Izroth asked without averting his gaze from the starry sky.
"Your sense of perception is sharp as always, Captain Izroth. You should know that the last group has finished retreating from the camp." Aurie said as she walked forward and stopped right beside Izroth.
"I see. All is well then." Izroth replied nonchalantly.
Silence lingered about for several breaths as a chilling breeze brushed past the hilltop.
"When did you figure it out?" Aurie asked, breaking the silence.
"That depends. Are you referring to General Solomon wanting to withdraw? Or, the true reason why you traveled here to the Demilitarization Belt? Either way, I figured out both the instant the General avoided casting his vote." Izroth said calmly with a carefree expression.
He then continued, "But, are you sure about this? As a half-spirit, I'm confident that you are more conscious of the consequences than I am. Regardless of whether or not you are successful, your end will remain a constant. You will, without a doubt, perish."
Aurie was startled by Izroth's words as she soon released a heavy sigh.
"Your knowledge is not small. You know more than I assumed. However, whether I perish or not is irrelevant. That demon perfectly fits the criteria. If we succeed here, then a lot of unnecessary bloodshed can be avoided." Aurie stated.
"Who all knows?" Izroth inquired.
"Besides you, just the General. However, I would not count out Soothing Smoke knowing about it as well." Aurie answered.
"This plan—no, I suppose the word idea is more suitable. Did the General-"
"No. I was the one who made the proposal." Aurie cut in.
"If it is your choice, then I-"
Woosh!
All of a sudden, the space in front of Izroth and Aurie began to fluctuate and distort.
At the same time, Izroth's Soul Sense sounded off in his mind. The danger emitted from this spatial fluctuation was not something he could afford to take lightly!
Without a second thought, Izroth utilized his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement skill; however, something bizarre occurred when he tried to activate it.
〈System Alert: The skill «Enhanced Instantaneous Movement» is temporarily disabled due to the area's spatial restrictions!〉
Oooooom…! Kshhhh!
The next moment, a contained humming noise followed by the ear-piercing sound of something tearing apart rung into Izroth's ears as the space before him became warped.
After his Enhanced Instantaneous Movement failed, Izroth quickly activated his Flickering Steps. But, in an instant, he felt as though his body was drifting weightlessly in multiple directions. Despite invoking his Flickering Steps, Izroth was drawn in by the spatial distortion with an overwhelming pulling force!
"Ha!" Aurie unleashed an explosive shout as a pink aura formed around her and spiked. This aura was able to push away the distorted space from both her and Izroth's position.
Bang..!
The distorted space swirled into a vortex several meters away from its previous location before imploding and ultimately devouring itself. However, everything within ten meters from where it imploded—the trees, grass, even the dirt itself, had vanished. From an outside perspective, it was as if someone suddenly came and took a large scoop out of the earth.
Izroth returned to normal as he used his Energy Vision Sense to sweep the surroundings. However, he did not sense any hostile presence within 1,000 meters!
'This ability to hide from my Energy Vision Sense… Is it their doing?'
When it came to those who could escape his Energy Vision Sense, it was a short list for Izroth. But, he knew of a specific group of individuals with this exact capability.
Nevertheless, Izroth was far from amused as his carefree expression was nowhere to be found. Not only did they attack him, but they even went so far as launching a ruthless sneak attack!
Aurie reached to her back and swung her arms outward, now wielding her pair of tonfa.
"Show yourself," Aurie stated coldly. If she had been a couple of seconds late, that attack would have left them with more than just a few scratches and bruises.
At first, there was no response. But, a handful of seconds later, a swirling vortex emerged in the space located several meters away from Izroth and Aurie.
"That's the first time anyone has forcibly expelled my Spatial Collapse—how unexpected. However, it would have been better if you had just accepted a painless death, Commander Aurie. Now, since you've forced my hand, things may become somewhat unsightly." A voice echoed from within the spatial vortex.
"This voice—it can't be…!" Aurie exclaimed. She recognized the voice of their assailant!
Simultaneously, a person stepped out of the swirling spatial vortex as it closed behind them.
'It's him? This magic… I see. It makes sense. But what does he gain?'
"You should have stayed in the Unsanctioned Zone, Commander." The new arrival said as Aurie expressed a rare sight of burning fury in her eyes.
"What's the meaning of this, Dolos Jestal?" Aurie questioned in a tone that could freeze the eternal burning flames of the underworld.
The one responsible for the life-threatening spatial distortion that just occurred was the representative of Proximus, Dolos Jestal!
However, Aurie did not understand the reason behind his assault. There was no personal grudge between the two of them, yet that attack was definitely meant to reap her life.
"What is the point in explaining something to a person who is about to die?" Dolos said as he motioned his hand forward with an open palm as the space within forty meters of where he stood began to vibrate violently.
"You have to warn General Solomon! The Jestal family is-!" Aurie said to Izroth; however, before she could finish speaking, the space in front of her rippled.
When she noticed this, Aurie kicked off her back foot and created some distance between herself and the rippled space.
"It is of no use. I am sure you have at least some knowledge pertaining to my Jestal family's spatial magic. I have already sealed the surrounding space—there is no way in or out, Commander. Tonight, this hilltop is where your existence shall cease." Dolos stated indifferently.
