(The wider universe, Leo's POV)

*THRUM*

*SHUDDER*

Leo's craft trembled as it crossed the boundary between the Stilled World and the wider universe, as after several decades spent within that sealed and silent realm, he finally stepped back into the lively

cosmos once more.

"I am back..."

He murmured, feeling an odd sense of liberation rise slowly within him, as although the Stilled World was rich in mana and unmatched in safety, it had somehow never stopped feeling like a quiet prison to him, that was built for someone else's peace rather than his own.

"Back where I belong..."

He finished softly, his gaze drifting toward the endless black outside the craft's window, as to him, this void, these distant stars and this thinner mana felt homely.

*Click*

*Click*

He tapped a few instructions on the data slate, and soon, a flight tracker updated before him, showing him the estimated arrival time to planet Nemo at 14 hours and 35 minutes.

"Perfect. These new generations of jets really are a lot faster than before, as if this were an old jet, it would easily take me over two days to get to Nemo."

Leo praised, as he felt proud of his Cult Engineers who had worked hard to improve the technology on the Cult fighter jets over the past few decades.

For a brief moment, he allowed himself to appreciate that small victory, as while he had been fighting and training, others had been building and innovating, each of them contributing in their own way toward the same distant goal, which was to someday restore the Cult to its former glory.

*Sigh*

*Clench*

Letting out a slow, heavy sigh, Leo clenched his fists, as even though everything was unfolding exactly as planned, the weight of what he was meant to do next settled on his chest like an invisible stone, as such was the burden the Emperor Suppression Manual had forced upon him.

The twisted scripture demanded indiscriminate slaughter on a scale so monstrous it sickened him just to think about it, insisting that billions must die without distinction, whether they were soldiers, civilians, men, women, the elderly, the crippled, or even children, as every life counted the same so long as the number fed the manual's hunger.

Yet the more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt on a level deeper than logic or morality, because senseless killing simply did not align with who he was, nor with the identity he wished to bear for the rest of his life.

So instead, he chose the only path that allowed him to fulfill the manual's requirement without becoming something he despised.

Which was to attack a predominantly soldier occupied planet, such as Nemo.

As a former Cult world, recently seized by the Righteous Faction, Nemo was now repurposed almost entirely into a military base with only a few native civilians remaining in scattered pockets.

'Attacking Nemo is the safest bet...' Leo thought, his gaze steady on the drifting numbers on the screen, as the craft glided through the

dark with a calm hum.

'Not only is it guarded by a single Monarch tier Commander according to Chaosbringer, but nearly ninety-eight percent of its population consists of soldiers.

He exhaled slowly, releasing some of the pressure lodged beneath his ribs.

'Once I arrive there, I will have thirty hours to kill as many as I can, since it will take reinforcements from the nearest base about thirty-two hours to come to Nemo!

He thought, as he began to rub his palms anxiously.

As of now, he had no benchmark to understand what his new killing speed would be like, as this was going to be the first fight where he unleashed his aura to the maximum.

'Let us hope I can complete at least five percent of my overall kill target from this one raid. If my progress is any slower than that, I might not be able to make it in time to save Veyr!

Leo hoped, as he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

'It has been a while since I fought without restraint, however, based on my own understanding of my strength, and those of the Monarchs I have faced, I can confidently say that I am stronger than the average Monarch even as a Transcendent.

Perhaps, if I fought an opponent like Charles, I would still lose six out of ten duels. However, even Charles would not be able to win ten out

of ten.

I would draw two and win two at the least, if not win four of those

ten.

While against Monarchs like Dupravel and Su Pei, the success ratio

should be nine to one!

Leo theorized, as he felt confident in his ability to deal with the enemy Commander and any of his other Transcendent tier

Lieutenants.

As the only question he had now was how fast would he kill the

others?

Would his aura be sufficient to crush entire battalions in a single sweep? Or would he be forced to wear them down piece by piece, hunting through bases, underground bunkers, transport hubs and orbiting docks one after another, while the clock ticked mercilessly in the background.

'Do I start with the military bases and gut them on their home turf... Or do I go for the main mining sites instead, where there's maximum resource value, so they're forced to come stop me?'

He asked himself, as his mind automatically began laying out attack routes, marking probable concentrations of enemy troops, and matching them against the time window he had in hand.

If he chose to attack specific military bases, he would probably move slower in the beginning.

However, if he attacked a main mining site, and made a lot of noise,

there was a possibility where the enemy could flock to him instead, making his job just a tad bit easier.

"Thirty hours is not a lot... but it is not too little either, provided I do not waste time chasing scattered squads!

He concluded, as his thoughts circled back to the Emperor Suppression Manual itself, and how ruthlessly simple its requirement sounded when stripped of all context.

In the end, the manual did not care whom he killed.

It did not care whether his targets had names or families.

It did not care whether they screamed, begged, repented or cursed

him in their final moments.

All it wanted was for him to kill everyone he came across.

'If that is all you care about... then I will give you your number in my

own way!

Leo decided silently, as he opened his eyes again, his gaze firm.

'I will slaughter soldiers. I will break armies. I will erase entire

battalions from existence if I must.

But I will not walk into a civilian colony and turn it into a graveyard

just to satisfy a stupid requirement.'

He decided, as he absolutely refused to become the monster the manual wanted him to be.