Outside the cave, the soldiers and mages waited in tense anticipation.
The deafening roars that had once echoed within had long since faded, replaced by restless whispers.
"He's probably dead by now."
"Maybe he got torn apart in there."
Alize and Goran were visibly anxious.
Both of them wanted nothing more than to rush into the cave and help Ryn—but all they could do was clench their fists in frustration.
Military law left them no choice.
In stark contrast, Theron stood there with a satisfied smile, his eyes gleaming with smug delight.
To him,
Ryn's elimination… seemed to have gone perfectly.
All eyes remained fixed on the silent cave entrance.
Then—
Ryn stepped out.
His entire body was drenched in the dark, nearly black blood of the Calami he had slaughtered inside.
The murmurs outside fell silent instantly.
Alize and Goran let out relieved breaths.
Yet even so, they couldn't hide their astonishment.
A single man…
had stormed a Calami nest and returned alive.
Theron's expression changed the moment he saw Ryn emerge.
He forced down his shock and irritation, refusing to let anyone see it.
When Ryn stopped before him, he bowed slightly and reported in a calm voice,
"The mission is complete, sir."
Theron paused for a moment before replying,
"Is that so…? And what about the apes?"
Ryn answered immediately,
"Two of them, just as you warned. They've been dealt with."
The moment the soldiers and mages heard this, a wave of shocked murmurs swept through the ranks.
Eyes filled with disbelief, awe, and confusion all turned toward Ryn.
Ryn continued,
"However… inside the Womb Chamber—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Theron frowned, irritation creeping into his voice.
"If you have something to say, then say it."
Ryn replied honestly,
"I'm not certain. I waited for some time, but nothing emerged.
If you intend to enter, I advise you to proceed with caution."
The warning was sincere.
Theron, however, paid it no mind.
He stared at Ryn with an expression of pure disbelief.
After a brief pause, Theron turned and called out to five soldiers standing at the front.
"You."
His voice was calm.
"Go inside the cave and see for yourselves whether what your comrade said is true."
All five soldiers visibly paled.
Without meaning to, they glanced at Ryn at the same time.
Ryn turned toward them, offered a faint smile, and gave a small bow—
as if to reaffirm the truth of his report.
Even so, the fear on their faces did not fade.
"Move,"
Theron urged coldly.
"Well? If your friend is so confident, what exactly are you afraid of?"
His gaze bore down on them with suffocating pressure.
The five soldiers hesitated for a moment—
then, unwillingly, they marched into the dark cave as ordered.
Their figures were gradually swallowed by the yawning darkness before the army.
Time passed in oppressive silence.
Everyone waited.
Theron then turned back to Ryn.
"I believe you're lying,"
he said.
"Trying to lure me inside… so I won't come back out, just like your five friends."
A murmur of unease rippled through the ranks.
"Or perhaps you resent me for ordering you to enter alone,"
Theron continued in a mocking tone.
"So you decided to take revenge by tricking me into walking to my death instead."
A crooked smile formed on his lips.
"But I was clever enough to send your friends in my place."
He pretended to ponder for a moment, then spoke with feigned sympathy.
"Oh… in that case, does that mean those five died because of you?"
He put on an insincere look of sorrow.
"How tragic… to think they had to die in my stead.
Hee… hee hee hee…"
And at that very moment—
The five soldiers came sprinting out of the cave in a panic, rushing straight toward where Theron and Ryn stood.
"Reporting, sir!"
"There are no living Calami left inside!"
"And the two Marauders… are indeed dead!"
The smile on Theron's face froze.
The smug expression he had worn only moments ago vanished in an instant, replaced by barely restrained fury.
"Dismissed,"
he snapped.
"Return to your positions."
The five soldiers hastily retreated.
Theron glared at Ryn, his eyes burning with anger.
Then he turned on his heel and marched toward the cave entrance, snapping his fingers to signal his aide, Divine, to follow him into the darkness ahead.