Chapter 295: The Brigade at Full Strength

The cheers rose higher and higher, lasting for a few minutes before gradually subsiding.

Ma Liwu Si stood up, walked to Lei En, and said:

"You've won."

His expression was very complicated; after years of roaming the plateau without ever tasting defeat, even when he was young and faced overwhelmingly strong opponents or enemies he could always escape calmly, yet he did not expect to be beaten in a direct duel by a young human.

And he lost the Markgora in front of all his tribe members.

"My lord Chieftain, I concede," Lei En observed the other's poor mood and humbly said.

"You needn't console me with such words; a loss is a loss, your strength surpasses mine, that's a fact," Ma Liwu Si said, a bit displeased, his tone rising, yet it aggravated his injuries, feeling pain all over as if his body were falling apart.

He glanced at Lei En; not a single scar marred his skin, looking just as he did before the duel.

Just by outward appearance, who is stronger or weaker is obvious at a glance.

Lei En forced a helpless smile.

In truth, his victory was not easy—indeed, it was rather arduous; after this duel, his device's battery was drained to just over 30%, most of which was spent repairing his injuries.

Without absorbing souls for replenishment, his stamina was actually inferior to that of the near‑legendary Mid-stage Ma Liwu Si.

If Ma Liwu Si's frenzy had lasted longer, extending another ten‑plus minutes, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Of course, a win is a win; no further explanation is needed.

Lei En waved his hand; outside the duel circle, Xi Ka Liu Si hurried over and returned the mithril necklace. He took clothing from the ring, put it on, and simultaneously unrolled a Mid-stage Healing Technique scroll.

A burst of white light fell on Ma Liwu Si, swiftly healing his wounds.

"Huh… thank you."

Ma Liwu Si's pain eased considerably; as he picked up his greatsword, he said, "I'll notify them shortly; any tribe member willing to join the Extreme Warriors can sign up with the Lord today."

Lei En nodded gladly; the chieftain was a straightforward person.

"However," Ma Liwu Si paused, "according to our previous agreement, this time you may recruit only twenty‑nine tribe members. Whether the numbers can be expanded later depends on Astat's development and the Lord's sincerity."

"I will show the chieftain and the brothers my sincerity," Lei En replied earnestly.

"I hope so."

Ma Liwu Si fell silent, turned, and entered Astat.

Lei En also opened a portal and returned to the airship to rest.

Soon, the Lord's call for Extreme Warriors spread throughout the city; after a night of promotion and the just‑concluded Markgora, many Makurak felt inspired and rushed to the airship to enlist.

In just half an hour, over a hundred Makurak gathered outside the airship.

From inexperienced youths to robust elders, and even a few female barbarians whose strength was not inferior to the tribe's men.

However, they lacked the original-body symbiosis talent, destined to be unable to become Extreme Warriors.

Lei En used his Soul Eye to scan them; most of the over‑hundred Makurak were mediocre in strength, equivalent to a low‑level Transcendent.

Makurak are naturally brave and martial, but that does not mean each of them can reach Mid-stage Warrior strength.

The Makurak who dared to leave the plateau and venture into the Empire were the elite of the tribe.

Lei En had secretly tallied; roughly a quarter of adult Makurak were Mid-stage Warriors, the whole tribe numbering no more than three hundred!

The Makurak of average strength could only be considered Low‑stage Warriors.

They could also become Extreme Warriors, but would need to invest more soul‑energy to reach the level of the first batch of Extreme Warriors.

Soul‑energy is hard to come by, and slots are limited.

Lei En would certainly prioritize applicants with outstanding strength.

Moreover, not every Mid-stage Warrior is needed; Makurak are generally simple‑hearted, most have no scheming, seeking only strength and glory, yet in a large forest there are always a few rogue, deceitful types.

Lei En asked a few casual questions and could discern loyalty or treachery at a glance.

After a round of selection, removing those with impure hearts, he finally chose twenty‑nine Makurak, all Mid-stage Warriors, including the chieftain's guard named Du Lan.

Lei En didn't know how Du Lan had spoken to Ma Liwu Si.

However, Ma Liwu Si evidently agreed; otherwise he wouldn't have voluntarily severed the symbiotic bond, causing Du Lan's strength to drop from High-stage to Mid-stage.

Besides Du Lan, there was another person who had once been Ma Liwu Si's guard.

During the questioning, Lei En saw both souls' colors were normal, unlike the informants Ma Liwu Si might have deliberately placed, so he accepted them.

In the airship's cargo hold, the recruited Makurak took turns swearing a blood oath of loyalty to Lei En.

"Loyalty is my life… I… under Ji Li Man's witness, offer my loyalty to Ryan Augustus… forever loyal, never betray!"

One blood oath after another was completed.

On Lei En's Soul World Tree, leaf after leaf sprouted.

Every ten leaves hung on the same branch, eventually reaching six branches, and the Extreme Warrior avatar list on the device's interface kept expanding.

After completing the blood oath, their bodies were reinforced; within minutes their power surged to High-stage, equivalent to a seventh‑level Transcendent!

The newly‑minted Extreme Warriors were intoxicated by this mighty power, their emotions fluctuating dramatically.

Excitement, awe, and joy.

"Brothers, welcome to the Extreme Brigade!"

Xi Ka Liu Si and the other Extreme Warriors said cheerfully, then took the prepared armor, greatsword, and Lambo Spear from a large crate, fitted them onto the recruits, and gave a basic lesson in their techniques.

When the last Makurak became an Extreme Warrior, Lei En's World Tree was lush and sprawling, like a true great tree.

He was surrounded by the Extreme Warriors in the center, eyes half‑closed, silent.

The entire cargo hold fell quiet.

"Boss, what are you thinking?"

"What's up?"

"Ji Li Man is above! This power is too strong!"

"Ha ha, I finally became an Extreme Warrior, uh… why are the boss and everyone silent? Did something happen?"

In Lei En's mind dozens of voices rang, each symbiont's inner voice converging together, each voice having its own thoughts, noisy and chaotic, like countless mosquitoes buzzing at his ears, penetrating everywhere, constantly interfering with his thoughts; after only a few seconds he felt uneasy, fearing that listening longer would cause a mental split.

The feeling is similar to a Blood Soul Curse outbreak, even a few degrees more intense.

"I almost couldn't hold on..."

Lei En pressed his forehead, inhaled deeply, focused his mind, and the leaves on the World Tree that represent the Truth Willpower burst into light.

In an instant, those annoying inner voices were suppressed, until they could no longer be heard.

But as soon as his mind drifts even slightly, the interference returns.

Fortunately, the Truth Willpower is like a constant spell; by spending a little more soul energy, he can keep it at a higher defensive state, leaving no opening for the symbionts' inner voices.

"All right!"

Lei En clapped his hands, drawing the attention of all Extreme Warriors.

His gaze swept over sixty Extreme Warriors, packed tightly in the cargo hold; each wore heavy armor, bearing greatswords and machine guns. Though few in number, their aura was no less than that of a full Transcendent Legion!

These powerful and loyal subordinates will be the foundation of his rise in the Empire.

"First, welcome the newly joined brothers."

Lei En said with a happy face, making eye contact one by one with the twenty‑nine new members of the warband.

Each Extreme Warrior that Lei En's gaze fell upon stood with head held high, chest out, responding excitedly.

"In the short term, there shouldn't be any more new brothers joining," Lei En continued, "Our next plan is training; everyone must quickly become familiar with their powers and weapons. Once the base on the plateau is built, I will divide the brothers into five squads."

"Each squad will have twelve members, with a captain and a mentor assigned."

The Extreme Warriors looked at each other; they had never heard of the mentor position before.

Xikalius raised his hand and asked, "Boss, what does a mentor do?"

Lei En explained, "Captains and mentors are of equal rank; the captain commands combat actions and daily training, while the mentor's duties are to manage the members' organizational life, psychology, and faith, and of course the most important is loyalty."

When faith and loyalty were mentioned, everyone suddenly realized, "So it's a priest."

Lei En smiled with a teasing expression, offering no further explanation.

He plans to select five Extreme Warriors with mental potential, train (brainwash) them, and prepare them for the mentor's duties.

Lei En has many more ideas for the Extreme Warrior corps—organizational structuring, weapon upgrades, tactical drills, and so on—all of which must be explored and practiced piece by piece.

However, the most urgent task is to find a suitable base location.

Lei En assigned a mission, having the Extreme Warriors move the dozen‑plus large crates from the cargo hold—materials for constructing a teleportation array—temporarily stored in Astat's warehouse, then rotate guards.

The airship's mission is complete.

For the upcoming base construction, it should not be disclosed to outsiders; Lei En sent Yisu, Xikalius, and Tairien, together with a few Extreme Warriors, to escort the airship back to the Empire.

According to his contract with the Mechanical Guild, once the airship returns to Zhubiler Mountain, no further payment is required.

That afternoon, the airship left Astat.

Lei En also leapt onto the Fire Dragon and took off.

Only four Extreme Warriors accompanied him, riding on the other Fire Dragon's back—Crunuan's mount. All four have extensive hunting experience, know the plateau's environment well, and are familiar with several dragon nest locations.

"Where is our first destination?" Lei En asked mid‑air.

Crunuan pointed toward the northwest of Astat and shouted, "Boss, let's head there first; I recall a few hidden valleys that might meet your requirements."

(End of Chapter)