Chapter 170 The Rapture Has Arrived

General Michaels and Kylie were stunned when they heard Evalyn declare that she planned to massacre ¼ of the military base and gave General Payton the cruel job of pointing out the officers who followed [his] orders to die.

However, the look in the blonde's eyes told them her decision was personal.

"T-That…." General Payton dry-swallowed, "I do not doubt your words. Yet, you'd have me choose those to die? That's cruel, Ms. Skye."

"Tell that to the people whose families you killed." Evalyn replied coldly, "They'll find nothing wrong with making you pick out the guilty for death. Your soldiers killed innocent people they vowed to protect; following orders doesn't change that."

"Ms. Skye." He replied hesitantly, "Surely, you understand that Qi Sickness ran rampant today, correct? It was impossible to protect people when our soldiers were killing each other."

The blonde narrowed her eyes, feeling the gazes of those beside her.

"Send the leader charged with protecting our people to Immortal Skye." She said coldly, "I'll cross-verify and decide accordingly.

Do not let more of our people die, or I'll make the exchange two for one—or less.

Additionally, we'll slaughter everyone in your base and track down survivors if you fire a single missile. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes." The general dry-swallowed.

"Good; secure your objectives and act with haste." Evalyn ordered with a strange shift in tone, "And oh, general. There's something that I think you should know."

General Payton felt an icy chill crawl down his spine when he heard the bone-chilling smile in her voice. "What's that?"

"The military at Maryworth Hospital held my mother hostage to force me to aid them." She announced with a sinister smile, "Remember how that turned out, general?"

General Michael trembled with fear, triggering footage from the event to flash before Kylie's eyes. Everyone suspected that she and Kaze were responsible, but hearing it from her mouth made the admission chilling.

"S-So it was you?" General Payton asked nervously.

"Wasn't that an unspoken truth?" Evalyn mused ominously, "I was weak when you stole my mother from me, so Kaze had to save me. Two days ago, I crushed all your special forces simultaneously.

I have changed; the situation has not. What do you think I'll do this time?"

The general's anxiety transferred through the receiver like static from a poor connection.

"I… uh…." General Payton eeked out, afraid not to respond but lost for words.

"Relax, general." She whispered seductively, "There's no need to ruin the surprise. But I will leave you with one hint."

"W-What's that?" He asked with a cracking voice.

The Ice Phoenix put her lips very close to the mouthpiece. "Unlike Kaze and Crux, I lack a single annihilation technique; everything I know is… intimate."

Everyone felt icy electricity pulse through their bodies when they heard her words, all falling silent.

"I look forward to meeting you and the guilty, General Payton." She whispered sensually.

"I…." General Payton replied sheepishly.

"Oh, one last thing before I forget, general." Evalyn added playfully, "I have a special gift for you if you don't give me a full three-for-one list. I assure you; it's a real treat. Bye~bye."

The blonde cut off the receiver and thrust it into the ex-general's hands, staring at her blankly.

"I'm sure you're grateful you chose the right side." She remarked coldly, "Now, I suggest you use your full authority to control your soldiers, as my patience for the military has worn thin."

General Michael's shuddered, watching the Ice Phoenix walk away. "Yes, mam."

…

An hour later, Crux snuck up on Evalyn and pulled her behind a guest house, terrifying her. However, the blonde froze when she saw the Shadow Cat's panicked gaze.

"What is it, Crux?" Evalyn asked with a beating heart.

"Powerful Sky Plane cultivators are flying around this area." Crux replied, taking a sharp breath, "I'm suppressing my cultivation, so they cannot find me.

However, with your abnormal strength, they will come. If they see me, it will lead to immediate conflict, and I lack the strength to fight all of them.

You must stall them as long as possible until Kaze arrives; we don't have a choice."

A wave of anxiety crashed into the blonde. "How do I stall people that see me as an ant?"

"They can speak English, so you can hold discourse." The divine beast replied, "You have a technique that's top tier in the Sky Plane; that's worth talking about.

Additionally, you have a small army using the strongest cultivation technique they've circulated.

These people will be interested in Kaze. You need only convince them to wait until he arrives or return later after they find me."

"I… understood." Evalyn dry-swallowed, "I can rely upon you to fight to protect my life if necessary, correct?"

"That's without dispute." Crux replied seriously, "I have sworn my loyalty to Kaze Lexicon to protect my family from a future betrayal from whom I previously swore loyalty to. I will not break that word."

"Good, then tell me what I must do." The blonde replied, tense.

"Ice General!" Jake yelled at maximum volume, "We have a problem! Where are you?"

"Speak of the devil." Evalyn smiled wryly, "Let's get negotiations—"

"The non-mobilized soldiers suffering from Qi Sickness are running up the mountain!" He yelled, "We cannot negotiate or stop them with a demonstration of force!"

An icy chill crawled down the blonde's spine, turning to the divine beast.

"You must fight on your own, Evalyn." Crux said seriously, "Also, unless you wish to attract attention, you mustn't use your divine technique unless necessary."

Evalyn strode from behind the building with a beating heart, her mind hazy and racing. "Give me a situation report! We must mobilize immediately, and I need to know the situation!"

Jake froze when the Ice General strode past him, walking toward the lake where two-thirds of her forces were cultivating and the other third kept guard.

"The soldiers are moving up the south side mansion at a fast pace and approaching from the east and west." He explained, "Natural barriers prevent them from approaching from the north."

She entered the area quickly, walking past the soldiers and cultivating members toward the lake.

When she reached the water, she didn't stop walking. Her right foot touched the water and froze it in a three-foot radius, which turned into a five-foot radius when her left touched down.

The speed of her steps did not slow; she looked more stable than before. It was a raw display of power and skill that people could not comprehend.

She waved her hand in the center of the lake, approaching the ice pillar she had built earlier, which was slowly melting.

A ramp of ice formed, leading to the top. As Evalyn stepped on it, it crunched, creating natural steps that froze once they stabilized.

The Ice General didn't once lose speed or momentum during the operation. She only stopped at the top, where she panned the area in a 360 spin. "Immortals, listen up!"

Everyone snapped to attention at her decisive tone.

"Soldiers affected with Qi Sickness are approaching our base!" Evalyn yelled, making everyone's hearts pulse, "We must defend our lives, for they will not negotiate!"

Most gasped in shock, hearing that they'd soon be fighting soldiers face to face.

"Those with Qi Sickness look like humans! They sound like humans! They can even use items and speak like humans!" The Ice General warned, "However, they are not humans! Not anymore!"

Everyone held their breath, confused by her words that warned them they'd be fighting humans. Anything requiring a disclaimer stating people weren't humans meant they'd assume the contrary.

"Immortals, you have not seen these animals!" Evalyn asserted, "But if you look at the soldiers around you, not a single one disagrees! These animals have killed their comrades, stolen their friends, and razed their homes!"

All original Immortal Skye members looked to the soldiers, who gave them grave expressions laced with anger, regret, and ire. Complex emotions surrounded the topic.

"Listen, Immortals!" The Ice General ordered, "These people will use weapons on us and will not care about pain! They'll eat people's flesh and destroy their own bodies to destroy our electric fences!

Unless you seek a gruesome death, you will put aside your humanity and fight!"

Waves of horror washed over them, noting her extreme lack of tact compared to Kaze.

"New Immortal Soldiers!" Evalyn yelled, "Set up your drones and rovers! Bring out your RPGs, chemical weapons, and assault weapons.

We must conserve our Qi, so you're up first! I want every soldier to be line Immortal Skye's perimeter in three minutes; I don't care how you do it, but make it happen!"

The special forces soldiers were dazed by [her] order, only then comprehending that she was now their leader.

"You heard the woman!" Kane roared angrily, "If you've forgotten, I'll remind you that these people saved your lives from missiles and are the people preventing Malta from killing your families! General Skye is your new leader, so look alive soldiers!"

On his word, the soldiers snapped into action, moving to gun depots in the humvees while other soldiers moved toward the mansions to retrieve weapons.

"Kane Ryker, Edison Michaels!" Evalyn yelled authoritatively, making them wince, "I will give you orders; give those orders to your soldiers. For now, I want our enemies dropping like flies!

Do not use Guided Arrow. If necessary, use slash attacks or other techniques in your arsenal.

Now go! I'll get the Immortals mentally prepared for the second stage!"

The two men saluted her and rushed off.

Now that everyone was in motion, she lifted her foot, and ice developed under it. She lifted the other, and the same happened. Step after step, she increased her ice platform, overlooking Immortal Skye.

Her heart thumped when she got to a place she could see over the wall.

"Dear God." Evalyn whispered in horror, "Malta didn't underestimate Immortal Skye, after all."

Thousands.

Thousands of Maltian soldiers ran up the south side mountain, getting only so far before they slipped on wood chunks, creating an avalanche that tripped the sea of people behind them.

Those were just the people they could see. The east and west sides of the mountain contained people running at full strength.

Worse, these people were not ordinary. They had survived two weeks of cultivating.

In other words, the [zombies] were faster, stronger, and had exponentially greater defense and healing capabilities than humans.

At that moment, Evalyn realized that Kaze's initial warning was downplaying the situation significantly.

Immortal Skye faced a hellish situation she wasn't confident modern weaponry could combat.

The Rapture had finally arrived.