Alex contacted Saahira, knowing there was a very good chance that she had stayed behind and saw what happened. His thinking was correct, and the details he received were not much different than Andrei shared, but it still gave him significant insight into the whole incident.
Evangeline initially sought Alex's location through a request tinged with an implied threat, and when Andrei questioned the consequences of non-compliance, she escalated to outright threatening them with torture.
Evangeline made it clear her goal was to meet Ruler, and she didn't mind going a bit overboard to acquire what she wanted.
But Saahira believed that while she was threatening to torture them, Evangeline was making sure not to go overboard because she not only kept her focus on Andrei but didn't even make an effort to stop her from making her escape.
As for how Andrei summoned so many creatures, it was after he was on the brink of death and roared before going unconscious, and till the time he stayed unconscious, the gathered beasts protected him like a precious treasure, with the strong even slaughtering the weak creature who dare get close to him.
It appeared the creatures were under an illusion, and the moment Andrei regained his consciousness, they regained their senses and began looking around in confusion yet vigilance.
Mere moments later, one of the Beast Kings killed and devoured Andrei before he tried to escape, but the other Beast Kings did not allow it, and what followed was a complete blood bath.
The creatures ripped each other apart, and barely a tenth of the creatures who gathered made their escape while two of the six Beast Kings lost their life, with the other receiving heavy injuries.
It was clear that they were fighting over the corpse of Andrei, and after killing the creature who devoured him and finding no corpse, they reluctantly left the area.
Alex had no clue how Andrei was capable of gathering the surrounding creatures, and it seemed to be an accidental thing because Andrei hadn't acquired any new skill, nor was he capable of replicating it, no matter in which emotional state he roared.
Alex had not heard of such ability from the Beast legacy holder in his previous, even when he was at his peak, so he began to think of the advantage Andrei held over him, and there were just two.
Andrei reached the Fourth Rank by being a Zenight Mortal with no room for physical growth, which was one concrete advantage, and another was possibly compatibility.
To say Alex was thrilled for Andrei would be an understatement, but he knew better than to think that his brother would suddenly gain the ability to command beasts like his servants without strict limits because that would be truly broken beyond measure.Alex did not know how Andrei could awaken this ability or gain decent control over it, but the immediate solution that came to his mind was the fifth heart of the Beast Monarch that he had yet to consume.
Alex pushed that matter to the back of his mind, knowing that consuming his heart would require Andrei to at least reach the Fifth Rank and grow physically and mentally stronger because of the great mental challenge each heart presented.
As for Evangeline, Alex would love to return the favor but felt it was best that he give Andrei a chance to get the score equal to her and Killian because he had the potential, resources, and time to achieve it.
But if Evangeline did come looking for a fight with him, then he would make sure to give her a piece of his mind for picking on his organization member.
-----------
The battle at the fortress went as planned, as the enemy captain killed the Ice Troll, and Alex assassinated him right when their battle ended.
With their captain dead and 40% of the army regiment killed, the last remaining lieutenant took charge and ordered a retreat.
The family Alex was part of was quick to contact him after his victory and congratulated him before asking him to go to a large-scale fortress under the command of Major Captain, who was also his cousin and eldest son of his uncle.
The Major Captain was named Varriz Isherius, and surprisingly, he was nice to Alex, as he not only welcomed him with open arms and introduced him to the ten captains under his command but even gave him command over three of the ten regiments and gave him the free reign to make decisions and act as he pleased.
The fortress was located at the border area and one that the kingdom wanted to be protected at all costs as they could not lose it because it was a lifeline of the kingdom, and for the same reason, the Grimmarsh kingdom also wanted to conquer it, so the competition was fierce.
Alex was in the best position to farm points, and that's what he did, taking quests from his cousin ranging from defending an area, ambush, or librating the fallen towns and villages.
Alex knew that on the start of the Sixth day, The Undead Duke would make his appearance and declare the creation of his Dukedum, and following that, in just a single day, four kingdoms would fall, and Dawnvale was one of them.
Alex knew there was no way of saving the kingdom because the lesson the third stage taught was a sacrifice, and that was not just speculation made by players but the information given directly by Zero.
The event was structured in a way that awarded the players a chance to earn points but also placed them in situations where they were either forced to give up on something or invest their points to secure a victory like Alex did to defend the fortress.
While he earned six times what he invested, if he had failed, then he would have lost 300k points, and now he was in a position where he needed to constantly burn points to earn them, and some things just needed to burn to save others because it was his responsibility.
In the three days of the event, Alex earned a total of nine million points, a massive sum compared to everyone else, and in the three days, things for his teammate also went well.
Venedikt was doing well as the captain of the fortress as he earned four million points in three days, and now was doing a big mission worth four million points related to the infiltration and assassination of the enemy Major captain.
Ravyn was close to completing his mission, which, if he successfully did, would earn him a sum of six million points, while Andrei and Saahira faced no further issues and were doing well as hired mercenaries, easing more than a million in points each day.
Evangeline made contact with Saahira on the third day and asked if Alex was willing to meet her, and as requested, she awarded him his location.
------------
"Captain, Your guest has arrived," A bearded soldier entered the tent and shared. After receiving a nod of approval from Alex, he left, and a instant later, a breathtaking beauty entered the room.
The woman stood tall, measuring at least 6.1 feet in height, her well-defined physique concealed beneath a flowing white robe, with her hair gleaming with a vibrant silver hue, and her eyes sparkled like precious gems.
"Ruler, it is a pleasure to meet you," Evangeline said with a smile that was fake to even a commoner's eye.
"Why did you want to meet me?" Alex questioned, not wasting time on fake greetings, as his eyes observed her status window, which was very clearly altered.
"I thought you would at least offer me a seat," Evangeline stated as she took her seat and placed her hand on the table, crossing her fingers, mimicking Alex's posture.
"I want to join your organization," Evangeline said, with a smile that would melt the hearts of many.
"Why did you want to meet me?" Alex repeated the question, knowing her words were nothing but lies.
"I came to give you a gift, a gift in the name of our friendship," Evangeline stated as she sent Alex a friend request.
"Don't delete it because, who knows, you may need my help in dealing with the issue of the Human continent, and I am not referring to the minor issue of your organization being banned from freely roaming the continent," Evangeline said, making Alex a bit surprised, but he didn't respond to it.
"I will be taking my leave, but you are welcome to attack and kill me to avenge your companion," Evangeline stated as she stood up before turning around and leaving the tent.
Alex sat there in silence, his mind trying to understand the purpose of Evangeline making contact with him and telling him what she did.
Evangeline made it obvious that she was referring to the issue of the approaching calamity ready to claim the lives of 80% of humans, and if she did such a sensitive thing, it raised questions about what else she knew.