Death... and me

Kanglia's Spatial Gate didn't bring them straight to where the Fortress was located. Because of the other army located nearby, there were definitely formations in place to detect the opening of Spatial Gates. That said, she brought everyone to a place still tens of thousands of kilometers of distance from the Fortress. 

Of course, none of them bothered too much about it. With their Elemental Space Realm cultivation, such a distance could be covered in a short time. Let alone a Space-Time Realm like Kanglia, who was leading the group.

"I've been waiting for you," suddenly, a voice echoed in the surrounds. 

Rean and the others immediately prepared for battle, not expecting someone to know they would appear in that place. However, Kanglia quickly raised her hand to stop everyone. "Don't worry, he is an ally."

Right after, space shifted somewhere far away, just outside of everyone's Natural Spatial Perception range. A black man with red eyes then approached, holding a cold expression. Rean could clearly see the red fog of Killing Intent surrounding him, although it wasn't directed at any of them. 'Evil Cultivator...' he thought. 

Just like any normal cultivator, there were obviously evil ones, too. Those who used the lives of others, killed, robbed, and all that kind of stuff to grow stronger. Well, in Roan's opinion, these kinds of cultivators are a lot better to deal with. At least they didn't try to hide their nature, only caring about killing or being killed. It is way better than the usual facade that the 'good' cultivators usually put on their faces.

With his Divine Sense Bending Skill, Rean immediately identified the newcomer's cultivation, too. 'Peak Space-Time Realm. Sure enough, the higher-ups are putting a lot of thought into this rescuing plan. They even sent a guy just a hair away from becoming a Divinity Realm expert.'

Kanglia took a deep breath and then introduced the guy. "This is Klinbei, a wandering cultivator. He doesn't really have an attachment to any of the big sects or anything like that. Naturally, he also came here for the same reason: the Merit Points reward in this mission."

"Hmph!" Klinbei snorted. "Do not put me in the same league as greenhorns like you all. I'm here because I was offered way more than just that. Now, just make sure to work for my sake while I hold down any interference. If any of you gets in the way, I'll kill you myself after the mission."

Kanglia sighed, not surprised by those words. She simply used her Divine Sense to talk to the rest. 'Ignore him. He might look unreliable as an ally, but I can guarantee he is worth the price the higher-ups are paying. Just don't make him angry. He wasn't lying in his previous comments. If you truly cause something that affects the mission, he will kill you. He is stronger than me, so there is nothing I can do. Besides, the higher-ups would turn a blind eye since an expert of his level is way more useful than any of you.'

Everyone nodded, taking the warnings to heart.

Kanglia then turned her attention back to Klinbei. "They will not get in your way. However, I'm still the leader of this group. We will follow the plans set up in advance. Are you fine with it?"

Klinbei nodded with much care. "So be it." Right after, a dead body appeared in mid-air. It was a Devil who didn't seem to have had a good time. "I got this guy near the Fortress and used a soul search. Even though he was part of the scouts of the army nearby, he didn't know there were devils living in that Fortress. At first, it truly does seem no one was told about the things happening in Lodigan Fortress."

Kanglia bitterly smiled. "Aren't you afraid that getting rid of this guy will raise all the alarms in the fortress and the experts protecting it?"

"There is no need to worry," said Klingei. "With the size of the armies, it would be difficult to keep track of everything. One or other devil fleeing or dying is also common within their races. Just this one will not cause any trouble, and that's considering they have noticed his absence by now or not." Klingei seemed to have gone around with similar missions before, so Kanglia didn't complain.

Klangia then told the plan, which was quite simple. "Alright, let's go to the Fortress. Since we don't know where the target is, there isn't much of a point to follow a plan. The moment we get close enough, the devils protecting it will notice our presence with their Natural Spatial Perception. We will try to get as close as possible without being noticed, but the moment we do, we will all attack and invade the Fortress."

Rean couldn't help but ask. "How did you find out about this Fortress and the target inside? If it was a spy, couldn't you simply try to get in contact with him to see where the target is being held? That would make our plan attack a lot more likely to succeed."

Kanglia shook her head. "Unfortunately, we can't do that. All I know is that we don't have anyone in the Fortress we can rely on. Don't forget, the other side is all Devils. It is not as easy as you think to put a spy inside since it would need another Devil to betray their side. That is hard to get."

Kentucky then glanced at Rean, already guessing what he wanted to do. 'Are we going for it?'

Rean looked back at him and thought about the 2000 Merit Points in play. Or better, 4000, counting Kentucky. 'Definitely. Let them do the hard part. We will guarantee the target's survival first.'

Rean then looked at Kanglia before saying. "Senior Kanglia, Kenny and I will approach the Fortress from another side. You don't mind that, right?"

Kanglia knew about Rean and Kentucky's abilities, so she just nodded. "No problem. I will also have the others approach from different positions to prevent the target from being taken away. Just keep an eye on your communication badges. The orders will come through it."

"Very well," Rean smiled and left with Kentucky... and Essefy.