Now that she had found Teacher Locke and offered him the treasure, everything should have been settled.
And yet, Locke had returned the item to her.
Not only that—he had said that once she no longer needed it, he would exchange it for something even more suitable.
So, when Locke suddenly asked what plans she had next, Mira found herself at a loss.
"In that case, Mira…"
"If you don't have anywhere specific you want to go for now, you can temporarily register under Oakes and serve as a battalion commander in my Sovereign Army."
"Once you break through, if you wish to stay, I'll promote you to vice-commander."
"And if you'd rather go out and explore the wider world, I won't stop you. How does that sound?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Only now did Mira finally react.
At last, she realized what had felt off earlier.
Oakes was under Teacher Locke.
At the same time, Oakes was the commander of a Sovereign Army.
And Oakes had addressed the person seated beside Locke as "Chief Sovereign"…
When that Chief Sovereign had told them to rise, Oakes hadn't moved—only standing after Locke gave the order.
Piece by piece, as all these clues came together—along with what Locke had just said—
even someone as slow to catch on as Mira could no longer ignore the truth.
She stared at Locke in shock.
Locke simply smiled and nodded at her, then turned to Oakes.
"Oakes, I'll leave Mira to you. Take her back for now."
"As for whether she wishes to join the Sovereign Army, that will be her own decision."
"I'll remain here and discuss Celes's matter with the Chief Sovereign."
"Yes, Lord Locke."
Still somewhat dazed, Mira followed Oakes out of the Water Estate. It wasn't until they had fully left Mount Nether that she finally came back to her senses.
"Lord Oakes."
"Lady Mira, do you have a question?"
Oakes slowed his flight, matching her pace.
Though he was still stronger than Mira at present, he was already treating her as an equal.
With the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl assisting her, Mira had a strong chance of reaching the Asura-level.
Moreover, Locke had already said he would exchange the pearl for something more suitable once she broke through.
In Oakes's view, that "something more suitable" would very likely be a Sovereign artifact.
If so, Mira would undoubtedly become a powerful figure even among Asuras.
And given her evident respect for Locke, if she chose to join the Sovereign Army as vice-commander, it would greatly strengthen the entire force.
"Is… Teacher Locke a Sovereign?"
After hesitating for a long time, Mira finally asked.
"Of course."
"In fact, not only am I the commander of Lord Locke's Sovereign Army, I am also his Sovereign emissary."
Oakes saw no reason to hide Locke's identity.
"So, it really is true…"
With confirmation, Mira felt as though she had fallen into a dream.
After tens of thousands of years in the Netherworld, she was no longer the ignorant girl who had just left a material plane.
Especially here in the Nether Mountain region, where two Sovereign Armies had long been recruiting soldiers—
even from scattered bits of conversation, she had come to understand just how exalted Sovereigns were.
And now, in a single turn of fate, she had become the disciple of a Sovereign.
And this entire army… was her teacher's.
After a long while, Mira finally calmed down.
Though the revelation was shocking, she was still a Seven-Star Fiend.
More than excitement, what she felt now was pressure.
As a Sovereign's disciple, if her strength proved insufficient, she would become a laughingstock—and others would mock her teacher's judgment.
Mira had no intention of becoming a stain on Locke's name.
What mattered most now was to grow stronger—before news of her identity spread.
But before that…
"Lord Oakes, I would like to join Teacher's Sovereign Army. What do I need to do?"
"Haha, Lady Mira, welcome to Lord Locke's Sovereign Army."
Oakes laughed, unsurprised by her decision.
"With your strength, you can directly serve as a battalion commander."
"Just come with me shortly to meet the soldiers under your command."
"Our army names its units based on the order of their formation."
"Since you've just joined, you'll take command of the Sixth Battalion."
"Of course, as you know, Lord Locke's standards are quite high."
"So, our current units are not yet at full strength."
"Future recruits will first be used to fill the Fifth Battalion, then distributed between your Sixth Battalion and a newly forming Seventh Battalion…"
"A newly forming battalion?"
Mira asked curiously, "Commander Oakes, why not fully fill one battalion at a time?"
"We would prefer that as well," Oakes replied.
"But when someone of your caliber joins, we can't very well assign a Seven-Star Fiend commander with no troops to command."
"So, our approach has always been to distribute incoming soldiers based on the number of existing battalion commanders, forming additional units as needed."
"Just recently, Celes took one battalion commander position. Now you've taken another."
"Once your battalion reaches about half strength, the number of new recruits assigned to you will decrease, as we begin forming the Eighth Battalion."
"I see."
…
How fast was a Sovereign?
Locke had never truly traveled at full speed before.
This time was effectively his first real demonstration.
Whoosh—
A streak of white light tore across the skies of the Netherworld.
Such a spectacle quickly drew the attention of the Sovereigns stationed there.
That speed—without question, it was a Sovereign traveling.
And judging by the direction, this Sovereign was heading toward another plane.
In the past, Sovereigns traveled by tearing through space and moving through the spatial turbulence.
But after the last Sovereign War, under the Chief Sovereign of Death's declaration, all Chief Sovereigns agreed:
Directly breaking into another plane via spatial rifts would be considered an act of invasion.
Any Chief Sovereign would have the right to kill an invading Sovereign.
As a result, Sovereigns now traveled between planes via interplanar teleportation arrays.
Divine senses spread out as various Sovereigns tried to identify who was departing.
But the moment their senses brushed against Locke—
they withdrew instantly.
Damn it. It's Sovereign Locke.
Among all Sovereigns, aside from the Four Chief Sovereigns, none particularly wished to encounter him.
At the last Sovereign assembly, Locke's displayed abilities had made them feel utterly inferior.
Locke was like a flawless prodigy—perfect in every field.
They, on the other hand, were students who couldn't even understand the material despite copying directly from the book.
Only the other three Chief Sovereigns—each a genius in their own domain—could maintain some dignity before him.
Every encounter with Locke reminded them of the fear of being overshadowed.
Locke, of course, paid no attention to their scrutiny.
Even if they had thoughts, none would dare voice them to his face.
Three hours later, Locke arrived at the Undead Sacred Mountain.
Without a word, he released a trace of his Sovereign will.
Instantly, every being within range felt the descent of a supreme existence and dropped to their knees.
"Welcome, Sovereign!"
"Welcome, Sovereign!"
After the Sovereign Army guards at the teleportation array shouted their greetings, the surrounding beings hurriedly followed suit.
Indeed—only a Sovereign's arrival could carry such overwhelming presence.
"Mm."
Locke gave a simple acknowledgment, then said nothing more.
Taking the still-stunned Celes with him, he stepped onto the teleportation array, selected a higher plane—
and in a flash of light, they vanished from the Netherworld.
After Locke departed, the lingering pressure of his will gradually faded, and the soldiers rose to their feet.
"Tsk, what luck—we actually witnessed a Sovereign traveling…"
"Yeah, and I even spoke to a Sovereign…"
"If I tell people this, they'll envy me for the rest of their lives."
"Hey, isn't that a bit exaggerated? When did the Sovereign speak to you?"
"I shouted 'Welcome, Sovereign,' and didn't the Sovereign reply with 'Mm'?"
"That counts, doesn't it?"
"…It counts."
"Still, I wonder which Sovereign that was."
An older soldier shook his head.
A Sovereign who actually responded to greetings—he had never heard of such a thing.
From what he knew, most Sovereigns treated even their own armies as mere tools.
Forget responding—if displeased, they could wipe out their entire army without a second thought.
(End of Chapter)
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