Chapter 1371: Dark forest

Michael fell into the void of the Sanctum, feeling himself falling towards the dark, mysterious forest that was to be the battlefield of their duel.

He watched as the figure of Yuna above the circle in the skies faded into nothingness, obscured by the smoke and the gas that was permeating the entire forest.

Michael couldn’t believe it. He touched his own lips, feeling that warmth of Yuna’s kiss still lingering in his mind. It fought against the cold bite of the breeze around him, the ghostly wind that were seeing all kinds of horrifying words.

If he wasn’t motivated to get this duel over with, then he certainly was now.

He looked towards his entire army. "No holds barred," he told them. "We finish this quick, we win this fast."

The rest of the soldiers all laughed and chuckled to themselves. After all, they saw that little kiss between him and Yuna. And of course, they couldn’t help but use it as a way to tease their Supreme Leader.

"Boss! Can’t wait to go home, huh? Ahh, youth!"

"Hehehe, I already knew those two would get together! In fact, I always wondered when it would happen."

"Don’t worry boss! We’ll get this duel over with so that you can continue your little... event with Yuna!"

Even though the forest around them painted a grim story of the battle that was to come, the vibes around the Rebornian soldiers couldn’t be higher. It was as if they were being influenced by the brightness that Michael was emitting right now.

Perhaps, brightness wasn’t the right word. He was just glowing red because of the blush on his face, completely flustered and embarrassed by the teasing of the soldiers around him.

The fact that there were musicians around him didn’t help. They began to pluck their strings and make a romantic tune, one that made it seem as if they were in a completely different scenario.

"Guys... use that for the battle," he told them. But they didn’t cease their teasing of him. It’s not a lot of times that they found Michael, the Supreme Leader of Reborn, the untouchable talent that led their company to the peak it was now, to show some uncharacteristic weaknesses.

They always felt Michael to be a human beyond their understanding. He could do no wrong, he could make no wrong.

However, his blush made him seem all the more human. He was relatable. After all, they too felt the rush of emotions when their loved ones kissed them for the first time.

And because of that, they felt more connected with Michael. They felt a sense of camaraderie with him. He’s just not the leader of Reborn. He was also a young kid in love!

This had caused their synergy between each other to reach a level that was unprecedented.

The soldiers themselves were already well acquainted with each other. They were linked together as if they had invisible strings tying their movements together.

But now, Michael was added into the mix. This would be crucial in the battle to come.

After all, this was perhaps the first time that they would fight alongside Michael. Inevitably, there could be some rusty edges coming up between their movements. But thankfully, this little incident had closed the gap a little bit.

Now, they could finally move as one piece. Exactly like an army should.

And so, they began their plans.

Loren, of course, led the charge as his general. The mad made the commands, telling their soldiers where to position themselves during the battle. He also commanded their scouts to start surveying the area to find their opponents.

But in truth, that was just a feint. The real scouts were the Mini Drones watching everything from above.

He had spotted the EoV army far off south, making their own preparations and camps.

But of course, he didn’t dare get too close to them. He didn’t want to underestimate Draco. The man was a Nascent Spirit cultivator in his own right. Perhaps, he had some kind of sense that would detect these Mini Drones.

And right now, Michael wanted to keep these little instruments of his as a secret. A hidden card in their sleeve to be used at a crucial moment.

So, he had them use scouts. That way, their opponents wouldn’t find it weird.

"Boss, what do we do about their leader?" asked Loren.

"I’ll deal with him," Michael replied. "Just make sure that their soldiers are taken care of."

"Finally!" Jaku said. "I finally won’t have to do everything by myself!"

Michael turned towards the Dragonborn. "You have your own important role. There’s going to be a soldier of theirs who is possibly hiding their own strengths. I wouldn’t put it past them to have another Nascent Spirit cultivator in hiding."

Of course, this was just a hunch. Meaning, if it wasn’t true, then Jaku didn’t have to do anything at all in this battle, which was exactly what he wanted.

Then, Michael turned to the musicians. Here in this eerie forest, they looked a little bit rattled and out of sorts.

After all, they’re not used to being deployed in battle. They’re bound to get nervous, even if they had sufficient training in order to prepare themselves.

And besides. This wouldn’t be the only time they were going to be deployed in a battle. Michael planned to include them in all army battles in the future, making full use of their capabilities.

"Cheer up," he said to them. "Don’t worry about anything. Your fellow soldiers will protect you from anything that comes your way. The only thing you need to do is to play your music. Don’t mind anything else."

They all nodded at his words, keeping it to their hearts.

It was at this point that Michael sensed movement through his Mini Drones.

The Ease of Vindication army was moving! And it looks like they were moving right towards their location.

A skirmish was about to occur!