The Innkeeper

The next few days formed a steady routine for Lex. He would absorb the blade of grass regularly, and he was on the verge of eating it all. Once that was done, Lex planned on giving the soil in the small pot containing the blade of grass to the turtle. Without exaggeration, the soil in that small pot was so potent it could affect the fertility of the entire Inn!

The effects were already showing, as he was recovering his skin at a noticeable rate. Sometimes, when he stood in the shadows, his inner organs were no longer visible.

His progress with swords was especially drastic. Qawain informed him that he had something inside his body that was trying to influence his sword intent, so he should not be in a rush to form it. He needed to achieve two things before he could attempt it.

The first was to master swordsmanship. He had to achieve a level that he felt was perfect, given his own body's capabilities. Then secondly, once he had mastered general swordsmanship, he had to use it in combat frequently enough till he was able to determine his preferences, and subsequently develop his own style. It was only after he had developed his own style of combat using a sword that he should attempt to manifest sword intent, as that will give him a clear picture of the kind of intent he wants.

That will prevent any hidden manipulation of the intent he forms by the entity inside of him.

Lex was extremely grateful for Qawains guidance. After all, the purpose of developing sword intent was to absorb the sword aura inside of him, not for it to manipulate him! It was a dangerous path, but Lex began enjoying it, nonetheless.

Between these two extremely time consuming acts, Lex also found time to manage the Inn from time to time. When he needed to rest, he would either do so by cultivating atop the dragon, or by taking naps in the Recovery room. Things were going well.

Finally, exactly three weeks before the Inn was sealed, Vera's event began. Lex was surprised by the turnout. Although he had anticipated that a lot of guests would come, the attendance reached nearly twenty million! This was considering the short wait time between Vera deciding the event and it actually happening, not to mention that the event had not even been advertised yet officially!

Lex was tempted to join, but he didn't want to spend five days trapped inside. After all, he had his training routine. On this day, he would finally finish eating the blade of grass, so he wanted to rest as well. Besides, he could always peek inside as the Innkeeper if he was curious. He did not need to actually attend the event to know what was happening inside.

*****

The Midnight Battalion had long become used to Z's war drums while fighting, so their absence was unusually jarring. But it could not be helped. The space in this region was too unusual. Z could not control it at all.

As if that was not enough, any time someone used an attack that was too powerful, the space on the planet would ripple. Those ripples were a lot more dangerous than they seemed, and quite a few had died from the effects of those ripples. Having space ripple through you was like having your body suddenly stretched across the length of an entire football field. Death was the most obvious outcome.

The Midnight Battalion had been somewhat protected by the effects of those ripples, but only due to how impressive their suits were. That did not, however, stop them from being injured gravely.

In fact, these were the worst injuries any of them suffered during the entire campaign.

The ripples, however, were the least of the issues. If space was too severely affected, sometimes space would rip, revealing a dangerous void.

Strange creatures would often come out of that void, creatures which lacked a mind or substance. They attacked without sense or direction and often ended up clashing against their own kind. When they faced others, however, the result was catastrophic.

In fact, if Luthor had not gained the ability to control an unusual purple fire on one of the previous planets, the Midnight Battalion may have suffered their first casualty when they encountered a creature none of their attacks would work on. Only the purple fire seemed to work in the end.

While the Midnight Battalion was still struggling, many of the other forces on the planet finally lost their nerve! 

They called for a retreat and claimed that the planet was cursed! They told their superiors that the alliance should just give up on the planet or sacrifice it.

Of course, the alliance wouldn't call for a full retreat just because a few soldiers complained, but eventually it reached a point where they had no choice. There were too many casualties on the planet, and the remaining forces were on the verge of open desertion!

A full, strategic retreat was ordered, including for the Midnight Battalion. Though he would not admit it, Z breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the news. He had been getting a bad feeling from the moment they arrived on the planet. Moreover, without the ability to manipulate space, his strength was extremely limited.

He, who had gotten used to being the strongest amongst the entire battalion, was feeling suffocated since he was suddenly unable to perform. That's when he had a realization. Main characters in anime did not have just one trump card, they had many. He could not rely just on space manipulation. He needed to come up with other abilities as well.

Just as he was musing about his new moves, a blinding light flashed in his eyes. He squinted, but looked directly towards the light to ascertain what it was. His past few months on the battlefield made it his instinct to assess all threats.

That's when he noticed it. Like fireworks, all the ships in orbit around the planet were exploding. They were stranded.