Chapter 33: 33. Journey to the west – 2

Somewhere deep in the forest of Riverdale empire…

Rumble!! Rumble!!

The ground trembled as if something massive was tearing through the heart of the forest itself.

Branches snapped violently, ancient trees shook, and frightened birds fled into the sky in chaotic swarms.

A deafening roar followed.

ROAAARRRR!!

The roar echoed through the dense forest somewhere deep within the Aris continent, carrying an aura of fear so thick that even hardened beasts froze mid-motion.

A pack of C-rank Silver Lions burst from between the trees, their massive silver-furred bodies moving at full speed, claws digging into the soil as they ran for their lives.

These beasts were apex predators in their territory, nothing feared them especially when they were together with their packs.

Yet now, terror filled their golden eyes.

Behind them, a monstrous metallic silhouette crushed everything in its path. Trees were uprooted, rocks shattered, and the forest floor caved inward as the massive vehicle advanced without slowing down.

A thunderous blast erupted.

**BOOM!**

An explosion swallowed half the clearing as compressed energy tore through the fleeing beasts.

Several Silver Lions were reduced to mangled corpses in an instant, blood and fur scattering through the air before falling back onto the forest floor.

Inside the vehicle, Will sat calmly, his posture was relaxed as he observed the scene through multiple monitors lining the interior walls while sipping into some juice with sunglasses on.

(A/N don’t ask me where they came from)

“System,” he said evenly, eyes following the carnage without emotion. “Are we on the right track?”

[Absolutely, Host. The western borders of the Riverdale Empire are only a few hundred miles away.

After crossing them, you will enter the Babylon Empire. Maintaining this speed, you will reach the western edge of the Aris continent in approximately two days.]

Will nodded slightly.

“Yes,” he said. “Our destination is beyond that anyway. Unfortunately, this SATD will not go further than the continent’s edge. Still… it has proven far more useful than I expected.”

The SATD-V continued its rampage without manual input. Will did not steer it. He did not issue commands. The machine operated autonomously, its systems constantly scanning the environment.

Whenever its internal energy reserves dropped below twenty percent, it automatically hunted nearby C-rank monsters, extracted their cores, and converted the energy without interruption.

When higher-ranked threats appeared on its detection grid, the vehicle altered its route instantly, avoiding unnecessary confrontation.

It was Fast, Efficient and Ruthless.

“I feel like a villain of a sci-fi movie”

[you have villain like tendencies]

**ignored** (⌐■_■)

The interior of the SATD-V was surprisingly comfortable. The space resembled a small apartment rather than a war machine.

There was a bed secured against vibration, a compact kitchen unit, a functional washroom, and a wide command console that displayed real-time feeds from every direction.

Will leaned back in his seat, arms crossed loosely as he watched the remaining Silver Lions scatter in panic.

[Host,] the system spoke after a moment, [why not enslave a few beasts using your talent ’Lord of Slavery’?]

“Nope,” Will replied immediately, his tone was firm.

[Why?!]

Will did not answer right away. His eyes remained on the screen as another Silver Lion was crushed beneath the vehicle’s massive tread.

“Only demons and demonic entities deserve the taste of slavery,” he said finally.

[Again with that logic. These beasts are already dying under this machine. Why not give them a chance to live?]

Will’s expression changed.

The casual calm vanished, replaced by something heavier.

“For me,” he said slowly, “being under someone’s mercy is worse than death.”

The vehicle continued forward, its metallic body soaked with blood and crushed remains, but Will’s attention was no longer on the hunt.

“In my last life,” he continued, voice steady but dense with suppressed emotion,

“I wished I had died before my family. The feeling of being toyed with. The feeling of begging for mercy from someone who sees you as nothing but an ant. That helplessness…”

He exhaled quietly.

“It stays with you. And it eats at you.”

Silence followed.

Even the system did not respond immediately.

[Fine,] it said at last. [But eventually, you will need subordinates to do your dirty work. What will you do then?]

Will’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“Why do you think I asked for an Abyssal Node entry pass from the Sword Saint?”

The system paused.

[But how will you subdue the demons there? Even the weakest entities inside Abyssal Nodes are S-rank]

Will’s smile did not fade.

“Did you forget the fourth effect of that talent?”

[Ohhhh.]

The realization hit instantly.

[But how will you force them to call you ’Master’ consciously? They would prefer to eat you instead of calling you master just because you told them to, lol imagine serving yourself to them on a silver platter]

“I will figure that out when the time comes,” Will replied calmly. “Do not worry.”

[Why do I feel like you already have a plan? Should I try to read your mind?]

Will did not hesitate.

“I will discard the SATD immediately if you do.”

[…]

[Geez. Can you take a joke?]

Will ignored that.

“Anyway,” he said, stretching slightly, “I am going to sleep. Wake me if something comes up.”

The lights dimmed automatically as he moved toward the bed.

Several hours passed.

The SATD-V continued its march through the forest, crushing, hunting, and refueling as needed.

The environment grew denser, mana concentration thickening subtly as the vehicle neared regions less frequented by civilization.

Then—

BEEP! BEEP!

An alarm pierced through the interior.

Will’s eyes snapped open.

“What happened?” he demanded, already sitting upright.

[Check the monitor.]

Will turned toward the main display.

The sight made his brows tighten.

The SATD-V was no longer on the ground.

The massive war vehicle hovered several meters above the forest floor, completely immobilized. Its engines roared uselessly as invisible pressure pinned it in midair.

On a secondary monitor, a girl stood below.

She appeared to be around Will’s age, her posture calm, one hand raised slightly toward the floating machine. Her eyes were focused, her expression unreadable.

” A spirit-master, so far away from civilization” Will muttered.

[She is not part of the main cast] the system added. [more over she is A ranked in strength]

Another alert flashed across the screen.

[WARNING: High-Ranked Enemy Detected.]

A crimson interface appeared next.

[Permission required to initiate LAST DOOM PROTOCOL]

[Authorize? Y / N]

Will stared at the screen speechless.

[host please authorize it]

“What?”

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