Chapter 1954: Enraged Outburst
Chapter 1954: Enraged Outburst
High Lord Rashal was different compared to the last time Rex saw him.
Gone was his relaxed air and casual clothing; he was now fitted inside a crisp blue suit and tie that was most certainly suitable for a political figure of his standing. His ashy-blonde hair remained the same, tidy and professional, but the glistening sheen made it look more presentable than it normally was.
He must’ve come back from an important matter.
And from the bead of sweat trickling on his nape, it was obvious that his emotions weren’t stable.
Heated for certain.
Slowly, High Lord Rashal placed both palms on the table to support his entire body. He still didn’t turn to look at Rex and Alexander, as if looking at them right now would make him explode. Just a tap from his finger against the table, and the secretary moved with precision.
He pressed something on the glass wall, activating some kind of holographic mechanism.
In the next second, the outside of the office blurred and settled on a shadowy blue, endless expanse.
<Notice: the user has entered the Deep Abyss Dimension.>
Seeing the notification made Rex brace himself.
For High Lord Rashal to teleport the office to another dimension meant he was about to burst.
Alexander seemed to sense it too. Beads of sweat gathered along his brow, then slipped free—tracing slow, betraying lines down the side of his face. He wanted to wipe them away—to preserve some shred of composure, but he didn’t dare move. Not in this situation.
Neither did Rex.
"Tell me what happened," High Lord Rashal’s cold voice finally rang.
"Yes, High Lord!" Alexander straightened his spine and answered quickly. "I believe the reports could explain what happened more than I can ever arti—"
Before he could finish his sentence, High Lord Rashal grabbed a glass from his table, spun, and threw it hard. It brushed past between Rex and Alexander—and shattered against the glass wall. The sound of the glass shattering rang across the office like a clear warning.
"I said tell me what happened," High Lord Rashal repeated, eyes drilling into Alexander’s skull. "I have already read the reports. I know what happened. But I want to hear you say it out loud so that everyone in this room can hear how ridiculous it was."
Alexander and Rex grimaced.
Even though their initial intelligence came from High Lord Rashal, it was their assignment to deal with the details. It was their assignment to know and probe what the enemy’s real plan was. High Lord Rashal had bestowed them that responsibility, so this was entirely their fault.
And the Cavity’s loss was the result of their negligence.
Nobody but them can be blamed for this.
Reluctantly, the two recounted everything that happened within the Grey Realm to the minute detail.
It took a considerable amount of time as the two were entirely in different places at the time.
And the more they talked, the darker High Lord Rashal’s face became.
Once the two had finished—High Lord Rashal regarded them with a profound, unblinking stare. He sat on the edge of the table, both hands gripping the rim firmly; one finger tapping a slow, measured rhythm against the wood. The sound was soft, almost delicate.
And yet each tap tightened the air in the room, choking the silence with unspoken judgment.
He then pushed off and stood right in front of Alexander, inches away.
Despite Alexander being taller and physically bigger, High Lord Rashal didn’t seem to be smaller.
"It was you," High Lord Rashal said while driving a finger into Alexander’s chest, "who requested me to give this important task to your squadron. It was you who convinced me—that your squadron would never fail me, knowing exactly what this problem meant to me. No chance of failure—you said. Those were your words.
"How come this happened?" He asked and tilted his head slightly.
Silence stretched after the question.
Hearing no answer from Alexander’s mouth, High Lord Rashal raised a hand and slapped him hard.
Pah—!
Alexander’s face didn’t turn, and High Lord Rashal didn’t put his power into that slap, but the burning humiliation against his face was more painful. He was visibly shaken from the slap; it must’ve been his first time slapped like this by High Lord Rashal.
"Do you know what this failure would do to me?!" High Lord Rashal shouted.
His anger bled out freely without restraint.
"My evaluation is almost here—and this failure... your failure... it will cost me the Cavity." His voice cracked with barely contained fury. Then his hand shot out, snatching Alexander’s jaw in an iron grip, forcing their eyes to meet. "But that’s not the worst of it. The other High Lords—those circling vultures, most of them want me gone! If they catch even a whisper that Ursa bested me, that I lost, they will carve me out entirely!
His fingers dug deeper, trembling, "Do you understand?!"
Being one of the youngest High Lords brought him scrutiny from many others.
But due to his war and political exploits, most of the High Lords tolerated him as he was competent.
And he was also young, so a battle against him with a long future ahead would only put them at a severe disadvantage later on. Because of that, they tolerated him. However—that tolerance was frail. If one of them smelled his blood, then they would waste no time striking.
A good portion of the High Lords are neutral, focused solely on the longevity of the Overseer.
Despite that, High Lord Rashal’s enemies most certainly have relationships with them.
It won’t be surprising if High Lord Ursa gathered enough votes to completely sever High Lord Rashal.
Even now, there was a big chance that High Lord Ursa was already making his next move of convincing the other neutral High Lords to force High Lord Rashal to step down. And if he succeeded, everything would fall apart.
High Lord Rashal’s painstaking effort to reach his position would be in vain.
"I... I followed the plan Sir Rex suggested. I can’t do much from underground—as my entire focus was on the enemy leader, Manvac," Alexander said after a hesitant pause, which caught Rex off guard. "Had I been out there, then maybe we could’ve anticipated the attack on the Cavity."
Rex snapped his gaze towards Alexander; anger and disappointment mixed on his face.
He couldn’t believe that Alexander, honourable as he was, shifted the blame like this.
It was basically the same as telling High Lord Rashal that this was entirely his plan, so the biggest blame should be on his shoulders. Alexander was so afraid of upsetting High Lord Rashal that much that he’d rather throw Rex under the bus.
"Do you have anything to say to that, Sir Rex?" High Lord Rashal asked and slowly turned to Rex.
"No," Rex shook his head. "I’m not the kind of man who responds with words."
High Lord Rashal paused for a second, and then eventually settled his gaze back onto Alexander. "Go and assemble your squadron again," He instructed fiercely. "You attack Ursa’s farm realm. You fucking attack and force them to hand over their Baby-blue Periwinkles!"
Attacking High Lord Ursa’s farm realm would be hard to do and risky.
Hard because Alexander and his squadron needed to hide his identity, and risky since being identified would mean complete disaster for High Lord Rashal. But at this point—with his back against the wall, he needed drastic measures.
If Alexander could steal the Baby-blue Periwinkles, then they might be able to cover their losses.
But considering how damaged the Cavity was, it would be hard to amass enough.
"Yes, High Lord!" Alexander nodded firmly.
"Scram!"
"Yes, High Lord!"
Alexander wasted no time and exited the room as the office had returned to its natural dimension.
He rushed out without saying a word as his mind was fixated on planning for the attack.
Rex was about to also leave, but High Lord Rashal stopped him.
"You stay," He said and then glanced over to his secretary. "You leave and make sure nobody disturbs me."
Once he said that, High Lord Rashal turned, went around the table, and lowered himself into his chair—the motion slow and heavy. Behind Rex, the secretary slipped out without a word and closed the door—the soft thud sealed the room.
Rex and High Lord Rashal were alone now, and the silence that settled between them was deafening.
Despite the tension in the air, Rex’s face remained neutral.
He simply walked to the center of the room, clasped both hands behind him, and waited.
Frankly, he was thinking that it was his turn to be blamed.
But that wasn’t what High Lord Rashal had in mind.
"Your plan to trap Manvac inside his own power," High Lord Rashal started as he folded both arms on the table. His gaze settled on Rex, but it was no longer burning with anger but something more probing. "Did it come from Vadyn?"
"Yes," Rex answered truthfully as there was no need to lie. "She wanted me to mind the Red Skull Elite Force’s casualties."
"And you kept the casualties to a minimum indeed," High Lord Rashal nodded, reclining into his chair. "Only a handful lost. I’ve read the reports." His eyes lingered on Rex, sharp and searching. "I’m curious, how did you realize the Cavity would be attacked? I heard it was you who were the first to realize it."
"Vadyn told me that a Demigod fled the Grey Realm and was heading straight to the Cavity."
"That can mean many things. It can mean that the Demigod was fleeing."
"I have a skeptical advisor beside me."
"Your fiancé?"
Rex nodded.
He was quick to realize that something was wrong because of Davina—who was convinced that things were going too smoothly. It was her who made him think back about what was going on, which made him realize the real target wasn’t the Grey Realm from talking with Vadyn.
As expected, she had a sharp mind that befitted someone who had been trained since birth.
"And I also remembered what you said; that there was an invader in the West Cavity," He added.
Another reason for his realization was the exchange he had with High Lord Rashal.
Back then, High Lord Rashal was torturing a lieutenant who sent Vadyn to inspect the West Cavity because there was a problematic intruder. Rex didn’t think much about it back then—but when Davina told him what she was thinking about, that moment stuck with him.
"I believe the enemy was diverting our attention with more problems—and the invader is one of those problems," Rex explained. "The damage was done mainly at the Southern and Central Cavity. It’s clear that the invader problem is a distraction."
"They also have been pressuring Larta City’s economy," High Lord Rashal nodded. "As I expected..."
Rex tilted his head and frowned.
"You knew?" He asked, and then recalled a good number of skulled-mask soldiers in the Cavity that he saw while he was sweeping the area for any clue left behind by the enemy. Now he realized High Lord Rashal had already had a hunch, but didn’t fully commit.
And that’s how the enemy managed to slip the soldiers’ senses and devastate the Cavity.
"I suspected they were aiming for the Cavity, but I wasn’t sure. I silently sent another squad of the Red Skull Elite Force—and yet it’s futile," High Lord Rashal exhaled roughly. "I thought it was unlikely for that old bastard to attack the Cavity, so I didn’t send a proper force to anticipate it."
Silence stretched between them as the two contemplated.
And then, High Lord Rashal raised his gaze. "Did you find anything after sweeping the Cavity? Any clue how they entered the Cavity without being detected? Or maybe who the perpetrator was?"
"Yes," Rex nodded firmly, which caught High Lord Rashal off guard. "I didn’t find any clue left behind, but I’m pretty sure the perpetrator is someone like me..."