Is this really a Game?!

A tall figure cloaked in shadow stepped forward, its eyes glowing a deep crimson. "Itir was reckless," it said, its voice echoing in the dimly lit room. "He underestimated the inhabitants of the world and those that protect it."

"This is a reminder of the dangers we face when we act impulsively."

Another figure, this one surrounded by an aura of seething flames, nodded. "Agreed. Itir's failure will make it more difficult for any of us to act on Earth for a time, the one that defeated him is not to be taken lightly, I am certain all of you have seen what the battle looked like."

The others all nodded their heads in agreement, the strength Cyrus had shown making them all feel a bit apprehensive.

A third figure, wrapped in a shroud of swirling mist, spoke next. "We must proceed with caution, our resources are vast, but we cannot afford to waste them on failed attempts."

"Earth is a valuable prize, but we must find a way to bypass its defenses more effectively, and let's not forget the fact that it is being claimed not only by the Alliance but also by the Immortal himself, if we act rashly or become too aggressive, we might end up meeting some Nephilims from the Immortal Army."

The temperature in the room dropped by several degrees upon the mention of the Immortal Army. Even though all the people present were strong and confident in their own right, they would never dare mess with any people who belonged to that army.

Even the regular soldiers there were enough to defeat them, not to mention any officers or those who were higher ranked.

The room fell silent as the figures pondered their next move. Finally, the tallest of the figures, its form shifting and flickering as if made of pure darkness, spoke. "We will regroup and re-evaluate our strategies." Experience more on m-v|l e'-NovelBin.net

"Earth will not be forgotten, but we must be smarter, patience is our ally as we have already managed to infiltrate it."

"We will watch, learn, and strike when the time is right, we need to be smart here and only take small bites, otherwise we will be found out, or even worse, our true selves might be found and even destroyed."

"You have not spoken at all, Lambas." The second person who spoke, the one surrounded by flames, said as he glanced at one of the people present in the room.

"Why would I speak?"

"Itir was close to you, the two of you were the closest to one another on Earth, doesn't it bother you that he was defeated, is the person you have actually decided to ally with truly so strong and talented that you have no worry?"

"Or did that person perhaps have something to do with Itir's demise?" The flames suddenly intensified a bit as the man stared at the figure that simply chuckled.

"As if I would need to do anything to get that idiot who decided to act so confidently and arrogantly to die."

"Itir dared spread his corruption through several areas, bringing a lot of attention to the faction he had created, which led to his doom."

"I, as well as the person I bestowed my powers to, are not that dumb, nor would we ever act in such a flashy manner."

The fiery figure stared at Lambas for a moment longer, the intensity of his flames unwavering. The tension in the room was palpable, the silent challenge hanging in the air.

"Very well," the flaming entity finally conceded, the flames around him subsiding slightly. "Let us hope your ally's discretion does not lead to another failure."

Lambas smirked, his shadowy form flickering with amusement. "Rest assured, we are much more subtle than Itir ever was."

"We shall take a piece of the pie that is Earth, but we will weave our influence slowly, subtly, until the time is ripe for us to take what we have gained and leave."

The other figures nodded, satisfied with the plan. One by one, they began to vanish, their forms dissolving into the shadows, flames, and mist from which they came. Soon, only Lambas remained, his eyes glinting with a mix of cunning and confidence.

"I hope you do not disappoint me young one, or your soul will find no peace for a long time."

With those words spoken, Lambas disappeared as a figure became visible in the room, his eyes betraying the shock he felt upon listening to the conversation, as well as Lambas's final words to him.

The only reason he was here was because Lambas had used his powers to bring his soul over and hid him, allowing him to hear what they all spoke about, and to see just how mighty those present in this room were.

He gulped slightly in fear as his soul suddenly dissipated, returning to Earth where he continued acting as he had acted previously. No one could know his secret, not even those that were closest to him, otherwise, he might be killed right away.

Back in the desert, the group finally emerged from the underground tunnels. The once-oppressive air of the underground was gone, replaced by the warm air from the desert. The sun's rays felt like a warm embrace, signaling a hard-fought victory. Cyrus, the guiding presence throughout their journey, nodded in approval.

"You have done well," Cyrus said, his voice resonant with pride. "The corruption has been cleansed, and the underground of this place will heal with time."

"Of course, the desert itself will also heal, there are many changes that were made without anyone even noticing it, but you don't need to worry about such things."

Reign, Wolf, Shadow, Greenie, and the others looked around, taking in the view as if they had actually missed it a bit. They had spent the last 2 days in the underground area of the desert because of how close they were to cleanse it completely and thus decided that leaving and wasting time was not needed.

Beast patted Blackie's head as the large wolf had become much smaller, something he was able to do thanks to his new powers, Mia let out a sigh of relief, and Tank stretched his arms, enjoying the freedom from the dark energy that had weighed them down.

"Cyrus, what's next for us?" Reign asked, his voice steady but tinged with curiosity. "Is there anything else we need to be aware of?"

"Are there any missions we might take, or may-"

"Hahahahaha, I know you are eager to battle and gain rewards, as well as levels, but no, there are no such things."

Cyrus shook his head with a smile as he knew exactly what Reign was thinking. "For now, your task here is complete, return to your city, regroup, and rest."

"Be vigilant, for the world still holds many dangers, I will be watching, however, and if you ever need my assistance with similar matters, I will be there."

With that, Cyrus turned and walked away, his form dissolving into the air until he vanished completely. The group stood in silence for a moment, absorbing the weight of their accomplishment.

They gained quite a bit after the entity was gone, but it was only after destroying the tree and completely cleansing the area of corruption that the true rewards showed themselves.

Even the three mercenary leaders had gained quite a bit from this, they had gotten stronger, and the rewards that were given to them thanks to the fact they accompanied Reign and the others while still being allied were nothing to scoff at.

Actually, when compared to Reign and the rest of the team, their equipment was visibly worse. As leaders of a mercenary group, they had to spend a lot of time with their men and complete missions to earn money and gain some items.

They didn't have enough people, nor strength, to constantly go and battle powerful enemies and gain high-ranking items. They actually had no Rank SSS items at all, and it was only today that they all gained one, which was a huge shock to them as they had never even held such powerful and valuable items before.

Ivan even wanted to give his own item, which was a weapon, to Reign and the others as a gesture of goodwill and gratitude. Without them, their mercenary group would have been annihilated, they knew that very well, not to mention that the rewards they gained were also thanks to Reign and the others.

Reign had declined his offer and made sure that they knew that they were friends, after all, they had fought side-by-side for days now, and were allies.

"Ivan, if your group ever decides to settle down and join a faction, you can always come and visit us, the portal here will be left and you will have access to it, feel free to visit us at any time." Reign shook Ivan's hand as the latter smiled and nodded at him.

"Perhaps we will Reign, thank you, truly, you saved our asses back there, we won't forget the debt we owe you, even if you say there is none, we will not forget what you have done for us."