In the Nether Sea, an army of fifty thousand soldiers was rapidly flying toward Lotusrock Island.
At the head of this force was none other than Ryan, who had consumed the Netherworld Fruit and successfully advanced to the level of a Commander.
The soldiers behind him were the most elite five battalions recruited from the Nether Mountain Range over the years.
After tens of millions of years, even with Locke's strict standards, his Sovereign army had recruited no fewer than a million soldiers.
A squad consisted of one hundred soldiers, a company of one thousand, and a battalion of ten thousand.
A deputy commander could command ten battalions—one hundred thousand troops.
However, due to Locke's high requirements, only those with the strength of a Seven-Star Fiend could serve as battalion commanders.
As for the position of deputy commander, one had to be at least at the Commander level to truly command respect.
Over these tens of millions of years, only the fourth battalion commander, Figroa, had made further breakthroughs in magical formations. When leading a ten-thousand-man formation, he could unleash power comparable to that of a Commander.
However, Figroa had yet to achieve complete control over his formation. Compared to a true Commander, while his offense and defense were respectable, his speed lagged far behind.
If one day Figroa managed to improve the speed of his magical formation, that would likely be the moment he would rise to the rank of deputy commander.
The soldiers in the Sovereign army—each of whom had served for at least ten million years—understood well the relationship between rank and strength within the army.
For Lord Locke to appoint Ryan as deputy commander, his strength had to be at least at the Commander level.
The reason none of them assumed Ryan had reached Commander-level through mastery of magical formations was simple: during this journey, it had become clear that Ryan knew virtually nothing about them.
Still, no one found this surprising.
Compared to elevating one's mastery of magical formations to the level of a Commander, most soldiers believed it was easier to cultivate the Laws to that level.
There was no helping it—cultivation relied on talent.
But the study of magical formations demanded even greater talent!
Even though comprehending the Profound Mysteries of Laws was difficult, there were still thousands of Commander-level experts across the Seven Divine Planes and Four Higher Planes.
Rough estimates placed that number at no fewer than five thousand.
Yet, as for formation masters capable of raising magical formations to the level of a Commander—there was not a single one.
Of course, that was also because, so far, knowledge of magical formations existed only within Locke's Sovereign army.
Even so, from the soldiers' training, it was clear that most people with talent for formations could only construct basic battle arrays—ones that merely unified their teammates' divine power and directed it toward a single target.
Those capable of drawing upon the Laws of heaven and earth through their formations, enhancing the strength of their troops, could at minimum become company captains, leading a thousand soldiers.
Some Six-Star Fiend–level captains, after mastering magical formations and coordinating their thousand-man units, could even threaten Seven-Star Fiends with their attacks.
"Report!"
As Ryan led the army toward Lotusrock Island, one of the Sovereign soldiers suddenly turned pale and flew out of formation, rushing toward him.
"Lord Ryan, urgent report!"
"Oh?"
At those words, Ryan raised his hand. Instantly, the fifty-thousand-man army came to a halt.
As deputy commander of Lord Locke's Sovereign army, Ryan had spent these years learning alongside the soldiers.
Messengers like this one existed in every battalion.
They were individuals who possessed multiple divine clones. Compared to their strongest clone, these were weaker—sometimes even just Saint-level original bodies.
After joining the army, these clones or original bodies would be stationed in safe locations. When messages needed to be transmitted, they would relay them through these clones to other units.
"Commander Ryan, urgent distress signal."
After bowing, the soldier quickly reported the information.
"Azure Peak Island in the Nether Sea is under attack by the Mad Lord pirate crew, one of the Seven Lords."
"Mad Lord Harald is a Seven-Star Fiend–level expert, while the island is defended by a single company led by Captain Feldman."
"This…"
The report was not concealed in any way. The five battalion commanders beside Ryan all heard it clearly, and their expressions immediately changed.
They knew well that company captains in the Sovereign army were only at the Six-Star Fiend level—or at best, could reach that level with the aid of magical formations.
Against a pirate crew led by a Seven-Star Fiend, that company stood little chance of survival.
"Azure Peak Island…"
Ryan's expression grew serious.
This was his first time serving Lord Locke directly again after tens of millions of years.
If, despite his reinforcements, the soldiers ahead still suffered losses, he would inevitably bear the stigma of "failing to provide timely support."
Even if it wasn't truly his fault, people's minds worked in strange ways.
Without reinforcements, no one would say anything.
But once reinforcements existed—even if they were only a few days away from saving the unit—opinions would change.
"If only Lord Ryan's reinforcements had arrived sooner…"
At first, that might be a hopeful thought.
But over time, it would turn into: "It's all Lord Ryan's fault—if he had set out a few days or years earlier, this wouldn't have happened."
Though Ryan hadn't thought that far ahead, since these soldiers were all Lord Locke's subordinates, he did not wish for Locke's forces to suffer losses.
"Does anyone know where Azure Peak Island is? How far it is from here?"
"I—I do."
As soon as Ryan spoke, a soldier flew out from the formation.
"Commander, I was born in the Nether Sea. As a child, I lived under the tyranny of the islands."
"I was saved by members of the army and eventually made my way to Nether Mountain to join the Sovereign army."
"I passed by Azure Peak Island before leaving the Nether Sea, so I still remember its location."
"Good!"
Ryan was overjoyed. Grabbing the Highgod by the shoulder, he turned to the five battalion commanders.
"You five proceed to Lotusrock Island and report to Commander Oakes. Follow his orders."
"I will take this soldier and head immediately to Azure Peak Island to support our comrades."
"If all goes well, I will bring that company back with me to Lotusrock Island."
"If not… I will slaughter the entire Mad Lord pirate crew and use their blood to honor our fallen comrades."
With that, Ryan didn't wait for a response. His body turned into a streak of yellow light and shot off in the direction indicated by the soldier.
"This…"
The five battalion commanders exchanged looks and smiled bitterly.
"Heh, our deputy commander isn't bad at all."
Compared to other factions, there was far less internal strife in the Sovereign army. Due to constant training in magical formations, relationships among soldiers were harmonious.
"Yeah, I can tell."
"He rushed to help his comrades the moment he heard of the attack. I recognize him as our deputy commander."
"Hahaha, Montara, as if your approval decides anything."
"But serving under a commander with this kind of humanity does feel pretty good."
"So, what now?"
"Do we follow Lord Ryan, or head to Lotusrock Island to meet Lord Oakes?"
"Lotusrock Island."
"With Lord Ryan's strength, that so-called Mad Lord Harald is no match for him. Once Ryan arrives at Azure Peak Island, it will be the end of the Mad Lord pirates."
"The fall of one of the Seven Lords will definitely shake the pirate forces in the Nether Sea."
"Many pirate crews will surely target the island controlled by the Mad Lord crew, trying to seize it and become the next of the Seven Lords."
"But since Lord Locke sent Ryan to support Lord Oakes, it likely means he no longer wishes for pirates to exist in the Nether Sea at all."
"We should follow Ryan's orders and proceed to Lotusrock Island."
"Agreed."
"Then it's settled—we head to Lotusrock Island."
After some discussion, the five battalion commanders finalized their decision and led the army toward Lotusrock Island.
Wrapped in yellow divine power, Ryan activated the Profound Mysteries of Earth Movement at full speed. With each step, he covered a thousand meters.
"So fast!"
The Highgod he carried was astonished by the rapidly shifting scenery.
He himself was an Highgod, yet his full-speed flight was only about five thousand meters per second.
Ryan, however, was moving at over eight thousand meters per second—nearly twice as fast.
"Lord Ryan, this way."
The Highgod quickly refocused, constantly observing the surroundings and adjusting Ryan's direction based on his memory of Azure Peak Island's location.
"At our current speed, how long will it take to reach Azure Peak Island?"
While flying, Ryan protected the Highgod with divine power and asked.
"Commander, at this speed, it will take about five days to reach Azure Peak Island."
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