"Sucere, come and hold this." She turned to the girl and spoke, on her hand are the side arrays of [Thunder Light Killing Array].
Sucere quickly ran to my side and saw the things in my hands. "Hmm? Array Disc? These things are not cheap."
I nodded, "Yeah, its attribute was perfect against that Evil Deity, it could be used as a trump card."
Sucere seems surprised at my words before showing a cunning smile on her baby face, "What do you need me to do?"
"Find some capable and trustworthy ones from them to hold the other side arrays, you hold one, Simon counts as one. We need to find five more."
Sucere paused at her words before speaking with a sheepish smile, "But you're the only one I know here, I don't think other people are trustworthy."
Zemirah was speechless after hearing her words because she did not expect them.
Besides, the little girl was right in some way. Few here know each other as everyone is a mere fellow traveler, except that they were all forced to fight together because of the Evil Cultivators, and now the Evil Deity summoned from the sacrificial formation is striding their way.
A headache made her brow twitch before she sighed, "Well, let's ask Simon. He's the driver[1], he may know some."
Zemirah actually has her eyes on some people, like that group who knows army formation, but it's better to have someone familiar to lead first. She trusts her judgement, but she doesn't trust human nature in times of crisis.
Fortunately, Simon is really capable. He may not personally know his passengers, but he has a simple understanding of them and has the ability to socialize with anyone naturally. They quickly connected with the people Zemirah had in mind, especially that group who were obviously capable.
The leader was studying the array handed to him, and she could see the small curve at the corner of the person's lip. "You're willing to hand over side arrays reaching Epic-quality? Impressive." The man remarked after seeing her figure.
Zemirah took a deep breath. This man is knowledgeable.
Fortunately, she did not take out a Celestial-quality array, or else it would be quickly exposed, and it would spell trouble. But it seems that an Epic-quality was still eye-catching for a side array. They probably guessed that the whole array reached Supreme-quality.
A quality mostly monopolized by major factions, except for some luckly individuals.
I smiled politely, "When one's life is at stake, things at the bottom of the box must be used." After all, trump cards are for saving lives.
The man smiled a little and said no more. His eyes were hidden beneath that bamboo hat, Zemirah could not see more.
I continued, "This array is called [Thunder Light Array], a late-stage Grade 2 array. It was suitable against dark and demonic creatures like that Evil Deity. We will have a chance of survival if this array manages to kill it, or at least seriously injure it, since it has not reached its peak state yet."
The man did not speak, but one of his subordinates spoke, "That's correct. The Thunder Light Array is high-quality, making it more powerful than normal arrays. However, controlling the array made us more passive. Someone needs to control the Evil Deity so we can strike it."
This time, no one spoke.
People knew that those who confronted the Evil Deity head-on means closer to death. No different than cannon fodder.
Zemirah was gritting her teeth, almost forgetting this loophole. She was thinking if there was any more useful thing in her space for the situation when someone spoke up to her surprise.
"We can work on that but…"
Zemirah blinked, waiting for the following words.
"We hope to get a bigger spoil from that Evil Deity, and that whatever happened in this battle will not spread beyond the participants."
That was fair.
Zemirah was not eager for the remains or whatever loot came out of that Evil Deity. She found it repulsive and only hopes it dies to avoid more accidents.
She nodded and spoke, "I don't need anything from that Evil Deity, my share will be handed to your group. Just make sure your plan works."
The man paused at her words before nodding, slightly reassuring her.
Zemirah did not ask what the man and his group would do since they did not show any intentions of revealing it. Cultivators are very secretive and value their privacy very highly. Asking without a thought is offending others.
Dun…. Dun…
It was the sound of heavy objects falling, mostly trees of dozens of meters tall being pushed out of the way by that Evil Deity, its movement seemed eager as its monstrous eyes stared at them. The louder the sound, the nearer the evil creature to them.
Everyone's attention turned in that direction, the grotesque figure becoming clearer as seconds passed by.
"That thing is here," Sucere whispered. Her lips curled in a bloodthirsty way, as if danger was not approaching but a prey, a much bigger prey.
Zemirah didn't have the time to think further as her body moved, spiritual energy started flowing in the main array disc in her hand, its size barely surpassing her palm, yet there hid a power that could turn their situation around. The glowing golden pattern on the unknown and familiar runes she recognized from her experience in making talismans seemed to have become a signal as everyone around her moved to their assigned position.
Seven people holding the side array disk surrounded her. Meanwhile, the rest of the people were divided into two, the people who could still fight walked outside the array barrier, and the people who needed protection stayed inside the array. Even if someone wanted to stay behind and pretend to have a serious injury, others are not foolish enough to not see. In the end, people who stayed behind, aside from her group holding the arrays, are seriously injured as if near death.
Zemirah could barely hear their breathing.
A pair of young sisters, an old man, and a middle-aged man whose intestines can be seen. As for others, they were to meet the enemy in front.
That mysterious man led his group after saying some reminders to his subordinate who stayed behind to control the side array, and not forgetting to tell her, "They will tell you when is the suitable time to strike, please cooperate with my men."
His eyes, their color were metal gray, stared at my own pink ones for a while before they were hidden behind the bamboo hat. The pressure from someone of high position was palpable, something she only felt from Roch when they were still strangers.
Zemirah quickly nodded, knowing her own inexperience, though she would not fully give her trust to them who are strangers-barely-called-comrade.
"I understand, please rest assured." She said, then watched them move to the incoming danger. As they walk away, she seems to see a phantom of a beast slowly forming from their formation. It was even more ferocious than the faint one earlier when they fought against the evil cultivators.
Curious, she narrowed her eyes and barely saw the figure of a tiger forming. A tiger phantom.
Zemirah did not think too much as her knowledge on army formation was limited to the fact that most of them are people from the neighboring empire, the signature of the Aeros Empire, just like the Bright Light Dynasty having the Four Divine Arts as their known cultivation.
If they are people from the Aeros Empire, Zemirah guessed that they may have come here for the new secret realm being contested at the border of Bright Light Dynasty and Elemental Spirit Palace.
What puzzled her though, was why are they going further inside the dynasty instead of going to the border where the entrance of the secret realm was supposed to be?
Putting aside her swirling thoughts, Zemirah then stared at the completely formed barrier made from lightning of the [Thunder Light Killing Array]. It was colored white with gold, a beautiful sight to behold, putting aside its deadly nature that seeks to destroy an enemy.
Zemirah can feel its power, something beyond Energy Refining Realm, reaching Foundation Building Realm by virtue of the combined spiritual energy of her and the people beside her. She noticed that everyone was actually at the Peak-Stage of Energy Refining Realm, a level above her. Fortunately, there is Sucere, who was also at the Late-stage of Energy Refining Realm, making her not the only one with the lowest cultivation in the group.
"Miss, please pay close attention to the master's attack. I will remind you when is the best time to take advantage of the enemy. Please don't hesitate to activate the array then." One of that person's subordinates said to her.
I nodded in understanding, concentrating and waiting for the moment for their turn to finish the enemy.
They can't afford to waste their allies' efforts or gamble with their life.
Swish~~
Boom–
It started.
The sound of rapidly flying elemental attacks, weapons attacking the thick flesh and fur, and the sound of explosions after reaching the enemy, all bombarded her ears. Zemirah did not dare be distracted as she watched that man and his group make a coordinated attack.
The smooth flow of reddish-gold spiritual energy, plus the blessing of the tiger phantom, everything behind seems to have become their background as they confronted the Evil Deity, whose body became more broken and grotesque. The mysterious man was the most eye-catching, he moved like the alpha of the pack, the mastermind, and the leading general of war.
Zemirah can't deny that she was… fascinated.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
I actually have this in my draft for a week... I forgot i need to update though. Apologies! I'll try updating frequently after my final exams.
[1] Or Operator? I can't find appropriate words to describe Simon's job.