BXBX NOVEL Chapter 205: Forming a Force
Moreover, the corpses of Hobbes and his ilk rapidly shriveled.
Their latent elemental powers were siphoned away, blood expelled, and subsequently gathered in Enzo's hands, refined into the essence of nine crimson pills.
Enzo tossed these pills to Xavior.
As Xavior caught them, still perplexed by their nature, Enzo remarked, "These substances can swiftly augment your strength. However, they will only be effective for those whose power is below that of Hobbes and his companions."
"And furthermore, they possess no side effects."
A wave of excitement rippled through the crowd.
The prospect of rapidly enhancing one's capabilities without repercussions was an invaluable treasure, one that could incite frenzy in the outside world.
Yet, here was Lord Enzo bestowing them upon Xavior.
What profound benevolence this was!
Yet, a sense of unease began to gnaw at Xavior. If this were the Enzo of old, such a gesture might have been plausible; however, the currently transformed Enzo was altogether different. This was highly improbable.
Unless there was something amiss with the pills.
Despite his inner doubts, Xavior withheld his thoughts. After all, Enzo had not harmed them; rather, he had guided them out of the Misty World.
At that moment, Enzo continued, "Xavior, Erdos, you two should tally the numbers and establish an organization. Let's see… this organization shall be named the Adventurer's Association."
"Once the assembly is complete, the two of you shall lead your men to seize control of the entire Crimson Lake."
Xavior and Erdos replied in unison, "Yes, Chief Enzo."
Erdos, a naturally combative and impetuous individual, was elated by Enzo's directive and pressed further, "Chief Enzo, what should we do if we encounter resistance..."
"Eliminate them all!" Enzo replied coldly.
This response only fueled Erdos's excitement.
In his heart, he rejoiced, "Indeed, Chief Enzo is a leader worth following!"
At the same time, this statement confirmed Xavior's suspicions; Enzo had undoubtedly been influenced by some force, rendering him increasingly ruthless.
Yet, he had no intention of offering counsel.
In fact, Xavior considered it not a misfortune.
After all, in the treacherous Dark Night Forest, mercy could be a liability—only through sufficient cruelty could one deter others and rival factions from encroachment.
Most importantly—Enzo showed no brutality towards his own.
Thus, in the ensuing fortnight, Crimson Lake descended further into chaos.
Xavior oversaw the association's various affairs while Erdos dealt with troubles directly. The other factions in Crimson Lake had little power to retaliate, opting instead to submit and join the Adventurer's Association.
This event reverberated throughout the Dark Night Forest.
...
As the forces of Crimson Lake were unified and the Adventurer's Association halted its expansion, peace once again settled over the Dark Night Forest.
At this juncture, within the Adventurer's Association council chamber in Crimson Lake, Xavior reported to Enzo, seated at the head of the long table, "Lord Enzo, we have ascertained that the exorbitant bounty was issued by the Flamingo Gathering Place.
Erdos has already taken action to address the matter, and we can expect results shortly."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Erdos appeared, dragging along an individual.
It was none other than Quincy, an acquaintance of Enzo from the Flamingo Merchants.
Upon seeing Enzo, Quincy immediately pleaded, "Enzo, have mercy on me! It wasn't me—I swear it! I was coerced... It was Curtis from the Snow Fox Territory; their influence is immensely powerful and they seek to hunt you down!"
Quincy divulged everything without hesitation.
After hearing this, Enzo appeared to lose his train of thought, murmuring, "Snow Fox Territory... Amy... I must find Amy..."
Moments later, he regained his composure.
With a flick of his hand, he unleashed a plume of crimson mist, drawing in Quincy's life energy and condensing it into a scarlet pill, which he then tossed to Xavior, incinerating the corpse to ashes without a second thought.
The onlookers were unfazed, even brimming with anticipation.
The efficacy of this scarlet pill far exceeded Enzo's claims, not only augmenting their strength but also deepening their comprehension of elemental power.
Thus, everyone surrendered utterly.
In fact, to acquire more formidable supernatural corpses, Erdos boldly suggested launching an offensive to seize territories held by other powerful factions.
Xavior felt compelled to intervene.
He was indifferent to the fate of the Dark Night Forest. Even its complete annihilation stirred no emotion in him. However, Erdos's plan was overly perilous for the newly established Adventurer's Association.
Certainly, Xavior proposed an alternative strategy—
A targeted elimination operation!
Erdos and his cohort possessed the strength to confront those supernatural beings individually.
This avoided large-scale conflicts.
In addition, it afforded other factions a brief respite, allowing them to continue nurturing the supernatural beings, only to be subsequently harvested by the Adventurer's Association.
This plan could certainly be described as particularly insidious.
Yet, none seemed to perceive the underlying malice; in fact, many expressed their fervent agreement. Should anyone from rival factions venture here, they would discover an unsettling truth: the members of the Adventurer's Association bore the same crimson glint in their eyes.
It was a gleam of bloodlust.
At that moment, Erdos suddenly inquired, "Lord Enzo, should we declare war on the Snow Fox Territory? The foxes within possess formidable bloodlines, and if we could extract their essence into blood-red pills, the effects would surely be amplified."
In the next instant, Enzo shifted his gaze toward Erdos.
A cold sweat broke out on Erdos's brow as he discerned a profound silence reflected in Enzo's eyes.
He was certain that uttering even a single additional word would seal his fate, leading him to share the same grim destiny as Hobbes.
Despite his greater strength compared to Hobbes, Erdos was keenly aware that he was no match for Enzo—this was not flattery, but a recognition of the escalating menace emanating from Enzo, whose presence had grown increasingly formidable day by day.
Moreover, Enzo's demeanor had turned ever more aloof.
Fortunately, Enzo chose to spare him.
Withdrawing his gaze, Enzo stated, "I have my own plans regarding the Snow Fox Territory."
Everyone else nodded in agreement, the discussion drawing to a close.
Meanwhile, as the members of the Adventurer's Association deliberated on other matters, the Ice Moon Royal Family and the Solar Dynasty had quietly allied and invited other factions to convene at the Ice Moon Royal Family's stronghold, the Ice Moon Palace.
Once it was confirmed that all invited parties had arrived, Eve spoke first.
She gazed at the young lady seated opposite her and said, "Your Highness Trelina, the war between the Ice Moon Royal Family and the Solar Dynasty ought to formally come to an end. Continuing this conflict would be detrimental to both parties."
In the subterranean chamber, representatives from various factions sat upon chairs crafted from crystal, arrayed along either side of a long table. The table was adorned with an array of unique fruits and delicacies from the Ice Moon Royal Family's domain.
However, the esteemed guests, being high-ranking officials, displayed little interest in such offerings, choosing instead to listen attentively.
Among them, the representative from the Solar Dynasty was none other than Trelina herself.
As the princess of the Solar Dynasty and a potential candidate for the next First Leader, her presence at this meeting underscored the significance the Solar Dynasty placed on these proceedings.
That was exactly what happened.
As the Ice Moon Royal Family put forth the proposal for a ceasefire, with Eve, the commander of the Shadow Corps, taking the lead, Trelina nodded in agreement and said, "A ceasefire is acceptable.
However, there is one matter that the Solar Dynasty must clarify: the truth behind Commander Theodore's demise."
At the mention of this, Eve's expression turned somewhat uneasy.
She recalled the humiliating events of that time.
Yet she swiftly regained her composure and replied, "Theodore was slain by a mysterious figure, shrouded in crimson wings, with eyes that burned red. When agitated, his face bore crimson markings, and his temperament was exceedingly volatile, filled with a desire to annihilate everything..."
Her words plunged the assembly into contemplation.
Just then, someone suddenly spoke up.
It was an elder, clad in a flowing white robe and sporting a long white beard, suddenly spoke up, "Commander Eve, Your Highness Trelina, may I inquire if you have ever heard of Rexfit?"
"Rexfit, who hasn't heard of him—"
Someone chuckled, but the mirth quickly faded.
For at that moment, an eerie silence enveloped the meeting; the image Eve painted bore an uncanny resemblance to the well-known visage of Rexfit, with only a few minor discrepancies.
Rexfit was the very nightmare of the Dark Night Forest.
In the tales passed down through generations, he was the demon that emerged from the depths of hell, and had it not been for the mysterious figure who intervened, Rexfit would have long since obliterated the Dark Night Forest.
Could it be that villain has resurfaced?
Panic rippled through the crowd.
Eve rose to her feet and proclaimed, "Rest assured, everyone, Rexfit has not returned. Even if he were to rise again, he would not be the true Rexfit. It is far more likely that what remains are merely fragments of his soul, now in the possession of others."
Her words served to calm the assembly.
Yet Trelina couldn't shake a particular memory. While journeying with Ix to the Barren Peninsula in search of the Heart of the High Tower, he had encountered Rexfit. However, that encounter was akin to what Eve described. It was not the genuine Rexfit, for he had been vanquished.
That vanquisher was known as Enzo.
Trelina's thoughts spiraled further, wondering: could the individual Eve spoke of be Enzo?