When Theresis heard that the person speaking was Kal'tsit, he immediately raised his guard and looked around his surroundings, questioning the other party in an unfriendly tone. Although his reaction to hearing this voice was much like hearing that a "plague god" was about to arrive—his tone contained nothing but disgust—he did not actually have much personal antipathy toward this Dame. The reason for such a strong reaction was simply that she was currently an enemy, and the most difficult one to deal with among them.
If the Doctor, whom his sister had somehow kidnapped from who-knows-where, was the person who gave him the biggest headache in this civil war, then Kal'tsit could definitely be ranked second. This person not only possessed wisdom comparable to that Doctor but also possessed the martial force that the Doctor lacked to sabotage their operations! Her existence forced Theresis to heighten his vigilance in everything he did, for fear she would pop up from somewhere to ruin his plans.
And now, having such a troublesome character appear in Ursus made Theresis wonder if this operation was a trap set for him by the other party. Furthermore, how did she know their destination? Among the members of the Royal Courts, who would leak intelligence to the Babel side?
"If you have time for wild fantasies, you would be better off thinking about useful things—for example, ending this meaningless war sooner," Kal'tsit's cold voice came through the communicator, as if she were commenting on how ridiculous his actions were. "You should be glad your subordinates managed to keep their lives. My speaking to you this time is merely for an exchange".
Kal'tsit turned her head to glance at the two men who were now prisoners; whether these two lived or died would depend on the outcome of the ensuing conversation. Hadn't anyone noticed that Patriot still hadn't signed his name? If these negotiations broke down, these people could go ahead and meet their ancestors first. Even if doing so didn't align with Theresa's thoughts, it wouldn't matter; she wasn't so foolish as to send these two back for nothing.
"...Hoo..." Theresis took a deep breath and then fell into silence, as if contemplating the matter. After a while, he spat out a single word: "Speak!"
He had already guessed what Kal'tsit wanted to say, but it was something he was unwilling to accept from the bottom of his heart. He didn't want to agree to this deal, but the person leading this operation was the Confessarius patriarch who was currently most loyal to him, along with the Sanguinarch whom he had personally invited to act together. Under such circumstances, it was absolutely impossible for him to refuse the other party's demand. He just didn't know exactly what this woman was plotting.
"Hostage exchange. Take those Babel members you've captured and exchange them with me for these fellows".
Seeing Theresis relent, Kal'tsit also breathed a sigh of relief. Since the other party was asking, it meant the success rate of this matter would be very high! If he were unwilling to talk, he would have simply dropped a line like "do as you wish" and hung up. In that case, the price she would have to pay to get her operators back would be much more troublesome. Moreover, she was demanding the release of all Babel operators captured over the years, which was not a small number for him.
"I need to confirm if they are still alive! Otherwise, the deal between us cannot proceed!"
As soon as Theresis finished speaking, Kal'tsit handed the communicator to the Confessarius, signaling him to speak.
"Your Highness, it is I," he said, his voice clearly lacking confidence. He had caused such a huge mess and now needed others to fish him out. Recalling his self-assured manner before setting out, he felt he was nearly becoming a laughingstock. Although that damned Blood Demon had added a lot of trouble to their operation, even without those issues, his defeat was a foregone conclusion.
"How many of you are still alive?" Theresis's tone was very cold, with traces of anger hidden in his words. However, he didn't snap at his subordinate; the most important thing now was to confirm the situation and whether this exchange was worth it.
"The Sanguinarch and I are heavily injured, but it is not life-threatening. But the warriors we brought... there are fewer than twenty left".
When mentioning the sacrificed soldiers, the Confessarius's tone dropped significantly; he felt deeply ashamed. On the other side of the communicator, Theresis gripped the device tightly, his expression gradually turning to fury. Those were elite Sarkaz soldiers he had meticulously cultivated—a squad of over a hundred elites including the Confessarius and the Blood Demons!
The communication fell into a dead silence, with only the faint sound of Theresis's heavy breathing. Kal'tsit, having dealt with him for many years, naturally knew how angry he was. But since they were currently enemies, his anger was good news to her.
"What exactly happened! You'd better explain it clearly to me!" Theresis questioned the Confessarius. He wasn't a man who couldn't afford to lose, and the loss of these elites hadn't crippled him. What truly made him anxious to understand the situation was the fear that they had been beaten so badly because Ursus had intervened. He worried that Ursus was using this opportunity to attack Kazdel, and that Kal'tsit was collaborating with them.
"Uh..." The Confessarius wanted to speak but found he couldn't utter a word; he was firmly bound by the Covenant. This was exactly why Kal'tsit had them sign it beforehand; she didn't want Theresis to know too much intelligence about this battle.
"I see. Just tell me if there was any sign of official Ursus intervention among the opposing forces this time".
Hearing the man hesitate, Theresis understood why. It seemed his sister had done quite well, even bringing out a Court Covenant. How long had they planned for this? Was it a trap from the start?
"No... at least on the surface, no".
The Confessarius had just been about to say "no" when he noticed a strange point: those Shieldguards had looked at the Emperor's Blades with eyes that seemed to be watching people about to face a great disaster. Combined with the fact that the enemy likely knew they were coming, he found it hard to believe there was no connection to Ursus at all.
"Is that so? I understand. Kal'tsit, I agree to this exchange! I will send all Babel members to the combat zone in a few days!"
Theresis hung up and looked irritably at a figure on the ground. "You have good luck, or perhaps this exchange happened specifically to save you or some secret? To think it would be such a coincidence".
At this moment, a Sarkaz woman with a graceful figure lay on the ground, her entire body restricted by some spell, forcing her to look up at Theresis, unable to rise.