Chester and the others immediately snapped out of their initial shock and cheered in extreme excitement.
The North Moana Army had joined them, and their concerns over a civil war had been eradicated. They were happy because they could finally focus on their true enemy—the Raksasa Tribe. Darryl also smiled from ear to ear as he swiftly made arrangements to combine the North Moana Army’s camp with theirs. Then he ordered everyone to return to their tent to rest.
The previous battles had caused tremendous casualties, and they needed to heal before they planned their strategies against the Raksasa Tribe.
Once everything was settled, Darryl was about to head back to his tent for some well-deserved rest when a soldier spotted a shadow that lurked outside of camps. He called out, “Who is there?”
Simultaneously, everyone turned and focused their attention on the direction where the shadow was spotted. A figure slowly approached from the dark; his bald head stood out, and exhaustion loomed over his angular features. It was Donoghue.
Darryl and the others were stunned when they saw Donoghue’s sudden appearance. Was that not Master Rama’s disciple—Vikara? He had been missing for days. Darryl, Quincy, Parker, and a few others had sent some of their disciples to investigate the situation on the Chaotic Mountain Range. That man had been selected as the person in charge to lead the way, but none had returned since then. Naturally, Darryl and the others had yet to realize that the monk was Donoghue!
“Vikara!” Rama was overwhelmed with joy as he hurried forward and said, “Where have you been? Where are the others who were with you? What happened?”
“Master!” Donoghue replied remorsefully, “I am ashamed. I was journeying on the ocean with the other sects’ disciples when we encountered a storm. Everyone was dead except for me, but I dared not forget the crisis here in the Chaotic Mountain Range. So I struggled my way back here.” Donoghue paused to look at Darryl and the others before he said, “My sincerest apologies. My incompetence has disappointed everyone.”
What? They were at the bottom of the sea? Darryl, Quincy, and others felt their heart sank but were empathetic as they saw the sincerity in Donoghue’s tone.
“Little Master, you have tried your best; don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“Indeed! Besides, we were partly responsible for not thinking it through as well.”
“Yes, don’t be too upset, Little Master.”
They sighed and spoke out to comfort the poor disciple. When Darryl and the others had forgiven him, relief and gratitude emerged from Donoghue’s expression as he sneered inwardly.
‘A bunch of morons! They have no idea that they are being played right now. I was the one who killed every last one of their disciples, and here they are
consoling me,’ he thought.
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