There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)
Chapter 531 - 524. Not A Hero

Chapter 531: Chapter 524. Not A Hero

Radia stared at the fire that was still blazing even after the whole day, creating a fence at the border between the desert’s fourth and fifth lanes. The white flame still danced over the remnant of the clone, eating it little by little. The revenge of the elemental spirits would not wane until the gargantuan creature vanished entirely.

At least, no one would be able to cross the border to their territory too.

"The explosive is effective, so replant them once you’re able to," he said. "Built the watchtower again, this time we’ll focus on defense. Lift the bridge for now to avoid crossing."

"Yes, Chairman."

"What about the compensation?"

"We’ve finalized the last transfer just now. The families want to have their own funeral, but one has no relatives, so the funeral will be held by the guild," the secretary reported.

"And the one in a coma?" Radia asked, glancing at the hollow ground where the Stone Eater had come out before. The person who got swallowed wasn’t dead, but they had yet to wake up, even after Han Shin healed him.

"En route to Mortix hospital in area-14."

Radia nodded and, after giving some more orders to Mortix agents, he returned to the main base. It was quiet and rather deserted; naturally, because Radia had sent most of the personnel home.

Just looking at their face, he already knew which one needed a break and which one did not really get affected. If he asked them about it, however, they would not be truthful about it, so he just made it an order. Most of the low-rank ones were especially in distress because they were the ones who often brushed with death on the battlefield. Not coincidentally, they were also the ones who were most afraid to be honest about their own conditions, fearing it would get them in trouble.

Well, once it became an order, they also did not hesitate to get back and heal their mind beneath the blue sky and real sunlight.

That being said, there were also people who clearly needed a break but still stubbornly stayed behind.

"Go back with me tomorrow," Radia told Bassena and Zein. For these two, he couldn’t just ’order’ them. "At least for Dane’s funeral."

"Funeral..." Bassena turned his gaze in the direction of the Deathzone’s entrance. "Right, I need to attend all of them."

"That would be impossible," Radia sighed and sat himself on the comfortable chair that his secretary pulled out from thin air. "Two of them will be held within the next fifteen hours, so you won’t be able to attend."

"Ah..."

Bassena let out a quiet sigh and lowered his gaze dejectedly. Radia propped his head with his hand against the armchair and observed the Saint class; Bassena didn’t seem depressed or discouraged, but he did look down, almost broken-hearted. If anything, he was probably disappointed in himself.

Radia would be laughing if it wasn’t so tragic. Everyone knew Bassena was a ruthless man with a bloody hand. He had killed more people than he could remember, particularly the members of his old clan. And yet, the man also treasured those who were loyal to him. As a strike division commander, all the espers were his direct subordinates; his responsibility.

It might be quite hypocritical, but it also made him human.

"I’ll make sure Dane’s funeral won’t overlap with Erika’s," Radia said after a while.

"Thank you..."

The summoner stood up and patted Bassena’s back. "Let’s go see Zein."

It was just what Bassena needed; to see the love of his life after some depressing thought. Zein had been staying inside the Sanctuary since the battle for non-stop recuperation. No, he didn’t get burnout despite how many people he guided--thanks to the little Saintess’s bracelet--but right after he got his energy back, he had to destroy the fragments.

Thankfully, this time, he found out the other shards could help him share the burden, so he didn’t have to be out of it every time he destroyed one. Still, it needed a considerable amount of energy and among everyone else who had been there from the start, he was the only one still working.

But what could they do? Bassena would take the job in a heartbeat if he could, but no one else had a part of Celestial Being’s essence in their body.

When they arrived at the Sanctuary, Zein was sitting cross-legged on the lakeside. He had told the others to vacate the sanctuary in case of any stray effect, so it was just him and the shards for the past three days.

Radia and Bassena thought they had to wait for a while, but Zein immediately turned and signaled them to come closer.

"You’re okay?" Bassena plopped down and stared at the blue eyes, checking for clarity.

"I just finished the last one, so I can finally rest for real now," Zein said while leaning back, propped by his arms. "Unless you have another task for me."

"I do," Radia crossed his arms, wondering about the concept of ’true rest’ for Zein. He didn’t want to take a chance, however. "Go check your kids. We have a therapy session in two days."

"...in Althrea?"

"Yes."

The firm, non-debatable tone prompted a chuckle. "Who’ll stay here, then?"

"I’ll place my family’s people here, so don’t worry about security--although I wouldn’t be able to object if you want to put your Iron Shield here," Radia swept his gaze around the dome. "I don’t think any attack will happen anytime soon--perhaps not for a long time."

"Mm," Zein nodded. "I don’t know how much It spent on the clone, but the Fallen Star would need more time after losing all those fragments."

Bassena clenched his jaw. On the surface, it seemed that they were triumphant; after all, they managed to get rid of the clone and all the creatures thrown at them in an ambush. But for him, it didn’t feel like a win.

It felt like a slap.

"I told you it’s a marathon," Radia looked up and closed his eyes, comparing the shard’s light with real sunlight.

"But shouldn’t I at least managed half the distance at this point?" Bassena gritted his teeth.

"Don’t get arrogant, Bas," Radia looked down, sharpening his tone just a little bit. "You are a human trying to fell a deity, even if it’s a fallen one."

Bassena clenched his fist and closed his eyes. He had been reviewing his battle for the past few days, but he still couldn’t find a way for him to face that mountain of eyes alone. And to think it was only a clone--

"Are you here to slay it alone?"

As if reading his thought, Radia asked dryly. When Bassena looked up, the red eyes were staring at him in disapproval.

"I’m not sending the guild and my people here just to be your background dancer," the summoner narrowed his eyes. "They are here to support you in your mission as a part of their contribution to a better future for this world."

Bassena blinked rapidly, before clenching his fist again--this time in fluster. Radia let out a sigh and added in a softer tone.

"I’m not sending you here to be a hero, Bas."

Bassena exhaled heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. A hand caressed his cheek gently then, even though the blue eyes contained the same scolding that Radia had uttered. "Sorry..."

Radia smiled subtly; indeed, it was a good decision to wait until Bassena had his tamer before bringing this topic out.

"Seems like I’m still lacking, after all..." Bassena muttered dejectedly. So much for boasting about fighting Setnath--he couldn’t even fight a fallen Celestial Being’s clone alone.

"Good, you’re still a human then," Zein scoffed, prompting Bassena to finally chuckle.

Radia hummed and took a seat--not on the grass, but on another chair that came out of nowhere. "Now that you can accept that you’re lacking, I’m going to do the Star Call."

Zein tilted his head. "Explain."

"Originally, it’s an emergency measure I put in motion since the start that I only told him," Radia pointed at Bassena with his chin. "We hope that we won’t need to resort to this, but I don’t think we can be complacent now."

"I still have another black sphere I could use to get stronger," Bassena muttered, but added quickly when he saw Zein’s narrowing eyes, glancing at Radia. "But you should still do that just in case."

"I’m going to do it regardless," Radia shrugged. "Even if you manage to be strong enough to face the real one, the enemy isn’t just the Fallen Star."

Zein nodded. Right--while Bassena was facing the clone, the rearguard, he had to admit, was struggling. If it wasn’t for the timely arrival of the groups stationed at the Castle and the Borderland Unit, there would be more casualties.

Perhaps...even the guides wouldn’t be spared.

From this, it was clear that they needed reinforcement. However, it was hard to get help from other guilds unless they changed the whole contract with the government, which stated that only Trinity could participate in the operation. Mortix and the Iron Shield were treated as an extension of the members’ personal force, so they did not count as a breach of contract.

The only people they could hire, thus, were mercenaries. But they already had a lot of mercenaries, and honestly, it wasn’t very efficient to put mercenaries in a joint attack that needed high-precision cooperation among the guild members.

"So, what’s this Star Call you’re talking about?" Zein asked curiously.

Radia pointed at Bassena instead. "Just like the name, we’re calling on the ’Stars’’--although commonly, they are called the Rankers," Radia said. "And if we’re lucky, we might be able to get another Saint class’s cooperation."

Zein widened his eyes. Rankers weren’t the type of people that could be on ’call’, even if it was by the heir of an Old House. Especially for Saint classes; there were only four in the Eastern Federation, and two were no longer active. Even if they could somehow reach those people, what kind of exorbitant amount of resources must be moved to hire them?

Looking at Zein’s expression, Radia chuckled wryly. Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. But...

"I think it’s time we tell them the truth," Radia said with a slow exhale. "About the Fallen Star."