"We'll not hide. We'll be straightforward. The Red Matter Association know that we are here so it's useless to hide anymore." Vandal said in a stern voice. He already steeled his heart to fight through the Red Matter.
"Yes, Sir!!" The warriors nodded at his words.
"We just need to be careful of their traps." Vandal added.
The group went down as they match towards the country in their sight. They didn't even try to hide their energy so the creatures around them noticed the group.
As they grew closer, Souta felt a stinging sensation all over his body.
'What?! Suppression...!!'
His guard was raised to the limit and his senses spread out. All the creatures that have been detected with his [Crimson Perception] were transmitted to his brain.
'It's outside my perception... That's why it's light but there's no doubt what I felt just now is suppression.'
Souta looked around. He turned to Leilus and asked, "Did you feel something just now?"
"I don't." Leilus shook his head. He looked at him with a face full of question marks. "What did you feel? There should be something here."
All the warriors were on guard. They were prepared even if Red Matter ambushed them yet no one sensed what Souta was talking about.
Since Souta was a monster, and the monsters were famed for their extreme instinct, he decided to inquire more. Maybe, it will help them if they knew more about it.
"I felt a slight suppression just now..." Souta said in a low voice.
"Suppression? A god or a monster lord?" Leilus rubbed his chin. "I don't think that there will be a higher being in this place."
"I don't think it's from a god or a monster lord." Souta shook his head. He already met gods and monster lords before so he was familiar with their presence. The suppression just now was weaker.
"A higher being...? A higher being in my perspective as a monster..." Souta narrowed his eyes. "Fifth stage monster?! Yep, this should be the case. Aside from gods and monster lords, the only creatures that could suppress me are fifth-stage monsters."
"T-That should be the case..." Leilus looked around and added. "Since you are the only one who felt it, then it must be a fifth-stage monster."
A fifth-stage monster was a monster that could use a downgraded suppression of monster lord. All lower monsters before it would be suppressed. Their ability would be limited so they wouldn't be able to go against a fifth stage monster.
Also, a fifth stage monster could cause a monster tide. If they willed it, they could let the lower monsters lose their minds and go berserk. Once this happens, the lower monsters wouldn't be able to resist their instinct. Their minds would be consumed by their urges and instinct.
They would become a war machine that couldn't think straight. They would attack anyone that they deemed a threat.
This was the reason why Souta was avoiding a fifth stage monster. If he was a human or demi, then he wouldn't feel this suppression. It was only exclusive to monsters.
"If there is really a fifth stage monster here then we need to report it to Chief Captain," Leilus said in a grave tone.
The power of a fifth stage monster couldn't be underestimated. Although there were hundreds of Shackled Realm experts here, they couldn't risk fighting it when they had to deal with Red Matter Association.
"Fifth stage monster...?" Leilus rubbed his chin. "Maybe, this is connected to the fifth stage monster in the Fone Kingdom. The presence of that monster alone already paralyzed my entire body."
Souta grew silent.
He heard that a fifth stage monster appeared in Fone Kingdom while he was unconscious. No one actually saw the appearance of that monster. They only felt its powerful aura yet it stopped the battle between the two forces.
"I'll report it to Grain Leader," Leilus said before he left.
"Okay." Souta nodded.
'Damn, things are getting more disadvantageous for me.' He cursed inwardly.
Soon, Souta was summoned by Chief Captain Vandal.
He stood beside Grain Leader Carmel while facing the Chief Captain.
"Is what Carmel reported true?" Vandal asked.
"If it's about the suppression that I felt then it is true. I wouldn't mistake it for something else. This is a suppression that only a monster like me could feel against a higher species." Souta answered.
"I wouldn't doubt your words." Vandal turned around. "Should I change how we approach the city? I don't want to disturb a fifth stage monster and make an enemy out of it. It would only bring us trouble."
"Sir, I don't think that this monster will attack us. If we don't disturb it then it will probably leave us alone. I couldn't feel any hostility from it and it seems that it was only observing us from afar." Souta answered.
"I know. A fifth stage monster is intelligent. It's capable of thinking complicated thoughts. It will not necessarily attack us as long as we show that we don't have any hostility against it." Vandal said. "For now, let's slow down. Although low, there's a chance that this monster is affiliated with Red Matter Association."
The matter about the fifth stage monster spread throughout the entire group. Everyone should be mindful of their movements. No one should be careless in this important mission.
Fighting a stronger organization was already hard so they didn't want to add another enemy.
They continued their advancement but they slowed down a lot, considering the traps of the Red Matter Association.
Soon, the group arrived in the vicinity of the city. They stopped in front of a fifty-meter tall giant metallic gate.
Vandal stepped forward as he looked at the top of the gate. There were humans and demis looking at them warily on the top.
"We're people from Athen's Champion! Can you understand my words?!" He said loudly.
He used the most common language in Imperium, in case these people couldn't understand his native words.
Shirley, Vandal's secretary, stood beside him. She stared at the people above and slowly swept her mana around.
"The power level of these people is quite low. No one is at Shackled Realm." Shirley whispered. "What should we do, sir?"
"Hmm... We'll try to talk to them. Ask our scouts to infiltrate the city while we try to talk to these people. We'll use a two-way tactic here. We don't have to force our way in yet." Vandal said to her.
"I understand, sir." Shirley nodded before she went back.
The scouts of the Third Set had disappeared without any sounds. They already went beyond the walls to gather information.
"Who is the person in charge here? Is there anyone that can speak to me?" Vandal said.
The Grains were silent. No one dared to disturb the plan of their Chief Captain. But some of them were already preparing for battle since no one was answering them from the other side.
A few moments later, an old man with a domineering aura arrived. His energy level was clearly weaker than Vandal and some of the warriors but his posture and aura were something else.
This old man was definitely a veteran fighter. That's just how he projects himself in front of hundreds of warriors of Athena. He didn't even get overwhelmed being stared at by hundreds of Shackled Realm.
"The name is Narkus and I'm the person in charge of guarding this place." The old man said in a coarse voice. "People from above, may I know why you came to our place? I don't think I can let all of you inside our city looking at your group."
"I understand your concerns... And you are right. All of us are warriors preparing for war but we're not going to fight your people. We are here to know if you've heard of the name Red Matter Association."
"Red Matter Association...?"
"Yes, the Red Matter Association is a group that terrorized dozens of cities and kingdoms on the surface. We just wanted to pull them out to prevent any cities or kingdoms from falling."
"I haven't heard that name before. As you can see, our Republic of Aekr is in an isolated place where we don't have any idea about the events on the surface. So I'm sorry if I can't answer any of your questions."
Vandal narrowed his eyes. It was strange. The Red Matter Association was clearly hiding in this underground place but it seems that these people didn't know about them.
'I don't have more time.' He said inwardly.
Glancing at the gate, he said, "Can we talk properly? From your tone, I can guess that you know one or two things from the surface."
"Aren't we talking right now?" Narkus asked.
"Yes, but I want a proper talk. You know, it's hard for me to look at you from below." Vandal said seriously.
Narkus stared at Vandal for a while.
"Fine..."
Narkus turned around and added, "Let that gentleman in."
Vandal glanced at Shirley and gave her a signal. He didn't need people to accompany him. In the entire Third Set, he was the strongest one so no one could protect him.
Shirley nodded. She will arrange everything while he was gone.
