Strongest Hammer God

Chapter 971: No Way Back

The oath General Regalia had sworn was brutal and extreme. She had sworn on things she had barely any control over. If even a single person present decided that submission was preferable to an eventual punishment, her life would end.

These kinds of oaths were so rare that people were not even sure if they worked. Nobody carelessly bet on things like this. Was it even possible to swear on someone elseʼs action? In the past, Seekers had tried to make weaker Seekers swear an oath like this, but they hadnʼt worked. However, it was possible that the oaths hadnʼt worked because the person swearing the oath was forced to swear the oath. General Regalia had sworn the oath voluntarily, which might change things.

”I swear on my life that...” Protector Ziccan suddenly said as he repeated General Regaliaʼs oath in front of the others.

More shocked expressions appeared. Two people were willing to go to this extreme?

Overlord Cloudhorn gritted his teeth in frustration. He seemed to be wrestling with something.

Overlord Stygian stared into empty space, lost in thought.

”I swear on my life...” Senior Protector Blooddrought said as she swore the same oath.

”For Humanityʼs sake!” Overlord Cloudhorn suddenly shouted in anger and frustration. ”Are you three crazy?!”

The three of them didnʼt look at Overlord Cloudhorn. At the same time, some of the other onlookers moved further into the background and suppressed their auras. Some of them had thought about joining the three of them, but Overlord Cloudhornʼs words had stopped them in their tracks.

Kyle could feel the atmosphere changing. The hopeful atmosphere vanished, replaced by carefulness and hesitation.
”Are you scared?” Overlord Stygian asked neutrally.

”Iʼm scared for them!” Overlord Cloudhorn answered. ”Theyʼre throwing their lives away! Itʼs bad enough that their oaths essentially prioritize these six Sages over Humanity, but itʼs even worse that theyʼre handing their lives to our enemy!”

”Do you not trust Humanity?” Overlord Stygian asked. ”Do you not trust that Humanity wants to defeat the Demons?”

This was a loaded question. As an Overlord, Overlord Cloudhorn could not possibly say that he didnʼt trust Humanity. With his position, he had the power to change Humanity, and if he said that he didnʼt trust Humanity, it would be like admitting that he was incapable as a leader. By extension, this also meant that he shouldnʼt be an Overlord.

Yet, if he said that he trusted Humanity, he wouldnʼt have any excuses to refuse anymore. As a leader, he was supposed to lead by example. If he demanded trust, he first had to extend trust.

”Because I donʼt,” Overlord Stygian suddenly said.

Everyone looked at Overlord Stygian in shock.

One of the most respected and powerful people in Humanity and one of its core pillars said that he didnʼt trust Humanity.

”Humanity, as an organization, can be trusted,” Overlord Stygian said, ”but an organization is just a collection of individuals. By definition, Humanity is opposed to the Demons. Therefore, by definition, Humanity can be trusted in regard to fighting the Demons, but that is all theoretical and does not represent reality.”

”Trusting in Humanity is not any different from swearing this oath. Youʼre betting on something you have no control over.”

Overlord Stygian looked at Overlord Cloudhorn. ”But none of that matters. While our thoughts and feelings might be different, our positions demand trusting Humanity. We are expecting countless Shields to throw their lives away. These Shields know that they will almost certainly die. As Humanityʼs Overlords, we must stand behind the thing weʼve built.”

”Therefore, I swear on my life...” Overlord Stygian said as he swo-

Overlord Cloudhorn pulled out his sword before Overlord Stygian could finish the oath. Most of the present people couldnʼt even react to Overlord Cloudhornʼs rapid actions as tremendous amounts of Energy gathered on his sword.

And then, he unleashed the full power of his Battle Rite.

The surroundings fell into chaos as a transparent wave of cutting Energy moved through a seemingly random person in the audience.

Everyone immediately readied for battle, but just a moment later, Overlord Stygianʼs calm aura pressed down on them. It was like a tall and kind man putting his hand on their shoulders, telling them to calm down.

An instant later, the person whom Overlord Cloudhorn had attacked suddenly turned into the expanding corpse of a Demon.

For a moment, the onlookers almost couldnʼt believe what they were seeing. The red of Humanity represented trust and confidence! Every direct member of Humanity went through countless screenings and investigations to make sure that they were not Demons.

It was supposed to be impossible for a Demon to infiltrate Humanity this deeply!

Yet, here it was, a Demon, wearing the red of Humanity, and what was even more shocking was the fact that Overlord Cloudhorn knew about it.

While all of this was going on, Overlord Stygian never stopped speaking his oath, and eventually, he finished it. Now, four people, including one of Humanityʼs three pillars, had joined Kyleʼs team.

After finishing his oath, Overlord Stygian looked at Overlord Cloudhorn calmly. It was almost like he had already known that this would happen.

General Regalia and Protector Ziccan just looked at Overlord Cloudhorn in shock. He was their superior, and they had trusted him! Yet, he had known about the presence of a spy and hadnʼt dealt with them!

”Well, there it is,” Overlord Cloudhorn said with an annoyed sigh. ”Thereʼs no way back anymore. There might be more, but this was the only one I knew of. If thereʼs only one left, you still have a chance. If there are more, itʼs difficult. As long as two of them simply talk to each other about todayʼs events, the four of you will die. Youʼve not only handed your lives to Humanity, but also potentially to the Demons.”

”The others might not have known,” Overlord Cloudhorn said as he turned to Overlord Stygian, ”but there is no way you didnʼt know. Why?”

”The same reason why you killed that Demon and why General Regalia swore the oath,” Overlord Stygian answered with a calm smile. ”We can only survive if everyone present steps into the fire. If one individual does not enter, everyone who has entered will die.”

”Someone has to be the first, and the second, and the third. We are Humanityʼs leaders, and it is our job to protect those who are weaker than we are. As Iʼve said, trusting everyone present to sacrifice themselves for Humanity is foolish and unrealistic, but as leaders, it is our duty to do so anyway.”

Overlord Cloudhorn sighed in annoyance once again. He wanted to wait and see how things developed. Kyleʼs argumentation had already convinced him, but General Regaliaʼs oath had been impulsive and made it much harder to plan. Overlord Cloudhorn wanted to help and invest in the group from the Supreme World, but they had to do it slowly and secretly.

A moment later, one of the onlookers stepped forward with narrowed eyes. It was a Senior Protector. ”I swear-”

”Wait a moment,” Overlord Stygian suddenly said with a smile. ”I support your dedication, but there is another oath that I must swear first.”

Everyone looked at Overlord Stygian with curiosity.

Another oath?

”As the strongest person present, I must swear another oath,” Overlord Stygian said. ”I swear on my life that nobody present will receive any negative consequences for not swearing the oath as long as it is within my power to stop. If anyone present tries to force anybody, either directly or indirectly, to swear this oath, I will be forced to immediately kill this individual. These oaths must be voluntary, and the only way to make them truly voluntary is to get rid of all negative consequences of not swearing them.”

”If I kill or hurt any of the present beings who have not sworn the oath, I will die.”

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