While the disturbance in the Giant Domain wasn't forgotten, it faded from the forefront of people's minds after a few weeks of silence.
The defensive line was definitely pierced, but with no signs of Nox in the universe at all, how could they continue prioritizing the matter above all else?
After all, fighting an invisible enemy wasn't something one could just do.
The sheer amount of manpower and security needed to completely turn the Giant Domain upside down was too heavy of a cost. In the current situation, investigative squads were the most Heaven's Army could provide.
Luciel's mind was fogged with problems. As the head of the logistics division, he was the main one choosing how the universe responded to threats.
Personally, he wanted to put everything into the Giant Domain regardless of the cost. He knew for a fact something terrible would happen if it was left alone, but he didn't have absolute executive power.
Those around him were more pragmatic and focused on the problems as they came, such as the mobilization of Nox forces on the boundary of Soul World.
Previously, the Nox only sent cannon fodder that was uncovered as such far too late. This time, on the other hand, the troops they sent were fully equipped for war.
Commander Huo took lead of the military and fought against them with the large army that gradually formed in this area.
Through these battles, he was able to learn the identities of these Nox. They were not small characters.
Kira, a female Nox whose Demonic Providence seemed to involve blades in some convoluted storm-like way. She sat opposite Commander Huo, however, her strength was not Divine.
She was a Supreme who also participated in the battle personally with power far surpassing those at her level.
Under her guidance, the Nox formed an army structured similarly to its universal counterpart.
Blood-Drenched Wilderness and its periphery territories became a stage for an organized war between nations. It was extremely different from the norm, and the ability to strategize became extremely important.
As focus returned to Soul World, mysterious phenomena began to surface in the Giant Domain.
Due to Damien's arrays that turned the universe into an interconnected web, it was detected early.
But this detection didn't help Grand Heavens Boundary at all.
Altogether as one, over 10,000 worlds disappeared from the domain as if they never existed.
This disappearance was, at first, compared to the same situation that took place with the Corrupted World Cores several months ago, but this notion was denied soon enough.
The Corrupted World Cores disappeared for unknown reasons, but that event was not the Nox's doing.
After all, everyone strong enough had sensed the terrifying calamity that would have struck the universe if those cores weren't teleported away in time.
This event had to be the Nox's fault.
Luciel was convinced beyond measure. They left the domain alone after breaching its entrance so long ago because they were preparing something; something like this.
Yet, months of investigation led to nothing but disappointment.
Just how were they doing it?
No traces, no mana, not even a hint of differentiation in the Giant Domain in the times before and after the invasion.
With such inconclusive reports, it was impossible to justify focusing on the event for more than research purposes.
The teams sent to investigate were largely made up of scholars without combat power, as it was ruled something the army's involvement wasn't necessary for.
Luciel was very unhappy with this decision, of course, but he had nobody to call for help.
Those who would be willing were too important to the current effort to do anything, and the other option…
The Judgement Order had been unreachable for almost a year at this point.
Their lives were uncertain, and though he personally believed they were alive, he had no way to contact them for help or to help.
He felt like a puppet.
He did hold immense authority, and his authority could bypass the decisions of the council in most cases, but severe changes in the allocation of troops could not be done with just him alone.
Those people, not all of them were power-hungry or greedy. Some of them just prioritized the whole without caring about the parts.
To them, even if the Giant Domain was destroyed, it didn't matter as long as the rest of the universe was secure.
There were naturally those who were evil and those who were righteous, but the majority held the aforementioned opinion.
They wanted to cut their losses and amplify their gains.
But…was that a sustainable strategy?
Luciel definitely didn't think so, nor did those in his righteous faction.
However, this was a universal war.
The opinion that won was always the majority.
And when it came to justice…
…those who believed in it would never be the majority in this cruel world.
***
Almost a day passed already.
Rose was almost unable to keep her cool.
This rendezvous time and location had been decided at the very beginning of their operation, before they'd been discovered, but she didn't believe the rest wouldn't come here.
She was certain they would at some point enter through the false cave wall.
But she was losing certainty with time.
Elena and Ruyue were steadily approaching. This much she could tell through the artifact Damien gave them.
However, the rest were still completely dark, their actions hidden from her and her group.
With the passing of a few hours, Elena and Ruyue appeared one after the other in the hidden cave.
Their teams were also missing members, down to 7 and 8 respectively, and they were covered in injuries from head to toe.
"Take them to the recovery area immediately!" Rose commanded.
Her people moved without hesitation and helped their comrades into the recovery bay, where a formation with healing capabilities had been installed.
Even severed limbs could be reattached with this formation, but excessive blood loss could still kill someone just as easily as if it didn't exist.
Therefore, it was imperative to get the injured into the recovery bay as fast as possible so they wouldn't die before they were brought back to health.
Rose personally helped Elena and Ruyue, but both declined to enter the recovery bay.
Instead, she took them to a private room near the back of the hidden safe house, a room decorated like a bedroom.
The three sat on the bed together, and Rose helped the two consume healing medicines to recuperate as she listened to their stories.
Just like her, they'd been forced into an unending battle for several weeks as they fled. They made it far without much of a hitch, but they lost people in the final stretch.
Of course, they wanted to let go of the situation for a second and rest, but that wasn't possible right now.
Once was a coincidence, and even twice could be written off, but when all three of them experienced the same course of events…
"They are corralling us. If this continues, they'll find our location by the time the rest can arrive."
Individually, they could hide their traces, but if just a sliver of information was found from each of their escapes, it could be put together into a picture that pointed straight at them.
It was a conundrum.
What was more important?
Their comrades or their safety?
Logically speaking, the answer was safety, but if these geniuses were logical thinkers, they never would have reached their current heights.
"We live and die together. This is the oath we made."
The Judgement Order was that kind of place.
A place that detested disloyalty and was formed due to the disgusting actions of those selfish creatures who dared to call themselves denizens of this universe…
How could the members of such a place even consider betraying their allies?
