I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 258 The Three Souls Are Not One, the Crimson Tide Laughs in Vain

"Whoosh!"

An hour ago, it was located 20 kilometers away from the sea cliff.

Listening to the wind whistling through the car window, John glanced at the Blood Howling Legion, whose black dots he could vaguely see behind him, through the rearview mirror. Then, while lighting a cigarette for himself, he floored the accelerator.

Half an hour earlier, in order to prevent the subsequent battle plan from going wrong and causing the entire 14th squad to die along with him, he forcibly ordered Charlie, as the commander, to knock out Wendy, who was trying to accompany him in this operation.

He then ordered the enemy and all members of the 14th squad escorting him to withdraw from the location where they could be attacked by enemy naval guns at any time, and then he personally carried out the subsequent plan to lure the enemy deeper into the territory.

As he had previously planned, Gromas indeed chose to dedicate some of his forces to contain any Imperial troops that might return to reinforce him, while he himself led the remaining main force in pursuit of Gromas as he 'withdrew'.

And with the strength of the dire wolf, they began to steadily reduce the distance between them.

If things go as expected, at the opponent's current speed, it should only take another 25 minutes for them to close the distance to a point where they can attack.

John will likely face attacks from various spells and projectiles, and if his driving skills are lacking, he could very well be killed in a crash.

"However, I won't let that happen."

After all, having successfully obtained three hours of rest under the original evacuation order, the mental strain caused by his previous continuous command has been greatly relieved, and he is now able to resume his analysis and magic eye techniques.

With the aid of these two techniques, through precise calculations in his brain, driving vehicles to dodge enemy ballistic attacks is almost no different from playing a beginner-level bullet hell game, and it's even the kind with built-in AI control.

Therefore, in John's view, the enemy forces posed no threat to him whatsoever during this chase.

"Compared to worrying about such things, the key is whether the Dark Assassin Division can destroy the enemy's anti-aircraft devices as expected, so as to prevent themselves from being unable to take off when escaping."

Otherwise, facing the impending main gun attack from the Damister, he feared he would have no choice but to jump into the sea to escape.

John frowned at the thought of jumping into the sea, a sense of doubt creeping into his heart.

In fact, in the last time he was swept to the bottom of the sea by groundwater, he was almost unlucky enough to drown, but was fortunately saved by Captain Wendy.

The strange changes that occurred in my body when I fell into the deep sea, and the feeling of being watched by some unknown entity.

John himself was actually somewhat aware of it.

Although I was almost unconscious at the time, which caused my consciousness to be briefly blurred, it is unclear whether this was due to the influence of this body or a special state brought about by the special soul of the transmigrator.

Even in that hazy state of consciousness, he could clearly sense that, apart from himself, three independent consciousnesses had appeared in his mind, and each seemed to be vying for control of the body.

Furthermore, these three consciousnesses are all different. The largest of them gives him a very calm feeling, which, if he had to describe it, is somewhat like staring into the abyss.

Secondly, there was an entity resembling an aggregate, and this consciousness seemed to naturally resist the former, launching a fierce confrontation against the former's attempt to control the body.

Compared to the first two massive consciousnesses, the last one existing within him appeared extremely weak and feeble, seemingly suppressed for a long time, and emanating a chillingly violent aura.

Perhaps it was precisely because of the conflict between the two that the original balance between consciousness was broken, thus giving the other party, who had no presence, an opportunity.

It successfully reached the body at the moment when the two consciousnesses clashed again, and attempted to take control of the physical body.

However, before it could fully gain control, it was interrupted by an unknown entity in the deep sea and subsequently perished.

Even now, when John recalls that time, he can still vaguely sense the resentment and anger the other person showed before their demise.

"So, if we analyze the above information, then this extinct consciousness, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is probably the real John Maslow?"

The reason why he suddenly had so much magical knowledge in his mind after waking up, and why the changes in his eyes became more and more obvious, was also due to the changes brought about by the other party's death.
But what about the other two consciousnesses?
Is it a product of the original owner's split personality? Or is it related to the Empire's magic soldier experiments?

"That really piques my curiosity..."

John frowned in thought, then subconsciously glanced at the rearview mirror inside the Jeep.

Through his reflection in the mirror, combined with the magnification effect of the Magic Eye technique, John could clearly observe the subtle differences between his current eyes and those of the past.

In his memory, his pupils had always remained pure black.

But now, magnified by the Demon Eye, he could clearly observe that two blood-like ring-shaped lines had appeared in the pupils of his eyes, and they were faintly connected towards the center.

Although it was so subtle that even an ordinary magic soldier would have difficulty detecting it with their magic eyes, John was able to clearly sense its presence.

And, most importantly, John discovered that since the appearance of this blood ring, he seemed to consume more magical power than before when activating the Magic Eye spell.

And as time goes on, this extra cost seems to increase as well.

It was as if the Demon Eye was changing in some unknown direction.

However, the presence of the blood rings in the twin pupils did not cause John any discomfort, except for increasing magic consumption. On the contrary, it greatly reduced the stinging pain caused by the spell's load.

Therefore, John didn't pay much attention to the other person's presence during this time.

But now, considering that this blood ring might be an item left behind by the original owner, John felt that he might need to have the esteemed headmaster examine it after the battle ended and he returned to the Empire.

After all, Principal Trotsky, as the former Demon King, was undoubtedly the world's best in terms of magical expertise and research.

If I could get the other party to help me, perhaps these mysteries surrounding me could be solved one by one.

"However, for now, let's prioritize finishing off this damn battle."

Hopefully, Galil's brothers and sisters can step up their game. Otherwise, if he has to jump into the sea to escape again, without the help of the pig-headed squad leader, he might not be able to survive the attack from that indescribable being in the deep sea.

John sighed inwardly, then glanced at the Blood Howling Legion closing in behind him, and the barrage of magic and projectile attacks they were launching. He casually tossed the cigarette that had burned out of his fingertips out the car window.

Then, based on his calculations, he suddenly turned the steering wheel and began to maneuver the vehicle in a serpentine manner, dodging all the attacks that should have hit him with extreme agility.

"Boom boom boom!"

……

In this chase-and-race situation, fifty minutes quickly passed.

At this moment, the Bloodhowl Legion, led by Gromas, had reached the plains area less than three kilometers from the end of the Sea Cliff.

Just as Gromas was about to order his army to be on high alert and watch out for potential traps, a report from the Bloodhowl Legion's reconnaissance unit left him frozen in place:
"Reporting to the Marshal, the enemy commander John Maslow jumped off his vehicle immediately after reaching the end of the Sea Cliff and told our scouts in Orcish that he wanted to speak with you personally!"

Did John Maslow want to have a conversation with himself?
Was the opponent preparing some kind of trap capable of instantly killing a Grandmaster? Or was the opponent truly desperate and thus intending to surrender in this way?
"..."

Gromas's eyes flickered uncertainly.

Because of the current situation, he was starting to have trouble figuring out what kind of trick John was up to.

Moreover, in his view, the enemy now has neither troop cover nor the time and resources to set up a trap here that can defeat him.

Furthermore, as a Grand-class character, he can perceive everything within the Crimson Tide Domain at any time and use Blood Sacrifice to erode and transform things within the domain.

This confidence, born from absolute power, was enough to make him disregard all the tricks his opponent had prepared.

Therefore, after careful consideration, the temptation of capturing the enemy commander alive made him suppress the urge to directly order the army to attack the sea cliff and kill him.

He then whispered a few words to his deputy, instructing him to send out a scout team to inquire about the elite troops who had arrived earlier and were now likely to have deployed anti-air and anti-magic devices, in order to ascertain the specific deployment of the magical facilities.

In this way, after confirming a few minutes later that the anti-air spell and the void spell had been activated.

Then he can confidently capture John Maslow completely and ultimately win the highest glory of this battle!

After giving his orders, Gromas immediately raised the reins, broke away from the main force, and rode the Moon Devourer alone towards the Sea Cliff ahead.

"Tap, tap!"

The enormous wolf claws rolled across the green grass, leaving trails of mud in their wake as they sped along.

But upon seeing the figure at the far end of the cliff overlooking the sea, Gromas did not speed up. Instead, he deliberately stopped and finally came to a stop 800 meters away from the figure, under the gaze of that person.

He then stared intently at the figure that appeared exceptionally weak no matter how he looked at it, and after a long while, he spoke in a loud voice:

“John Maslow, I heard you wanted to talk to me about surrender? Now that I’m here, will you be sensible and come kneel down before me with your hands bound, or will I have to capture you alive myself?”

Gromas's powerful shouts echoed through the air, reaching John's ears clearly even from a distance of 800 meters away.

But John couldn't help but find the other person's attitude somewhat amusing.

He knew that this newly crowned champion must have developed a strong sense of apprehension towards him because of the reputation he had previously earned on the battlefield of Faoken.

Otherwise, given the other party's decisive and efficient personality, upon seeing him as the commander, he would never deliberately distance himself from him, but would immediately urge his mount to charge towards him.

And with that irresistible strength, he forcibly captured himself.

Instead of revealing himself as he is now, deliberately maintaining a distance of 800 meters from himself.

He even secretly used his Grand Domain to constantly detect everything around him, trying to analyze what kind of terrifying trap he had prepared, showing that he was already too nervous.

However, this is exactly the situation John wanted to see.

He needed time for the Dark Assassins to complete their final bombardment of the Sunfire Fleet, and he also needed time to hold off Gromas, ensuring that the enemy would perish completely in the epicenter of the explosion the moment the bombardment arrived.

Otherwise, if the enemy manages to survive this shelling, even if they are severely injured, they will be at risk.

Given the enemy's almost superhuman regenerative abilities, coupled with the Allied landing forces and the addition of Reginald, the Imperial Army would also be unable to avoid being surrounded and annihilated.

Thinking of this, John immediately smiled and then channeled his magic into Gromas, who was in a state of extreme fear, and said:

"Save your breath, Gromas. You and I both know very well that you can't do anything to me, can you?"

"Besides, I'm right here. Even if I tie my hands and wait for you here, do you really dare to come and capture me alive?"

After saying that, John deliberately raised his hands in front of him, making a provocative gesture of begging to be taken prisoner towards Gromas in the distance.

Upon seeing John's action, Gromas did not become angry; instead, his gaze became increasingly serious and wary.

He didn't believe that the imperial commander in front of him, whose intelligence was almost supernatural, would dare to provoke him like this without any trump cards. After all, the destruction of the Fifth and Seventh Legions had already proven just how insidious this seemingly harmless human was.

If he truly believes the other party's pretense and impulsively steps forward, he will likely be overwhelmed by various bizarre attacks, instantly becoming crippled.

Moreover, intelligence indicates that the enemy is accompanied by a squad of at least fifteen magical soldiers.

But at this moment, he did not notice the fifteen magic soldiers.

Furthermore, given the opponent's skill in controlling people, Gromas was 80% certain that once the opponent issued the order for those dozen or so magic soldiers to launch a self-destruct attack, these dangerous beings, who had been tamed by the opponent and turned into absolutely loyal dogs, would definitely be willing to choose a suicidal attack on him for the sake of the opponent's word.

Even if our side uses a void spell to defend, the magic soldier will abandon the power of the star core and instead use himself as a vessel to detonate the explosive magic.

Under the impact of such absolute annihilation power, even someone of the highest rank like him would likely find it difficult to survive such a terrifying attack.

"Fortunately, I had already sent troops to place anti-air spells in advance. As long as I confirm that the magic facilities have been deployed and activated, then without the speed that magic soldiers rely on for flight, as well as the ability to release conventional explosive magic, we will be able to prevent them from flying."

"At this distance, I can easily kill the magic soldier from a distance, and after breaking through any traps that John Maslow may have set up, I can capture him completely."

"And to achieve this goal, there's only one thing I need to do right now!"

"That is, waiting!"

He awaited his deputy to bring good news, and waited for John Maslow's tense expression upon discovering the limitations of his flying magic.

Wait for the look of despair and resentment on the face of this foolish human, blinded by arrogance, as he discovers all his efforts have been in vain and he is finally captured by his own hands.

And that scene will surely become a memory that you can savor for years, or even more than a decade, later.

Looking at John Maslow, who was deliberately luring him into a 'trap' and was showing an unprecedented state of weakness, Gromas, who had seen through everything, couldn't help but smile slightly.

At that moment, he was already clearly aware of it.

Victory is within our grasp!

"Wow!"

……

(End of this chapter)