Chapter 1262 The Work Must Be Done  Silent agreement echoed in the blank hall once Serah made her declaration.

Even those who had taken the logical or opposing side knew that deep down they also desired to stop Legris as swiftly as possible.

"If we are smart about it, we should be able to stop him from whatever he is planning." Serah added, turning to Kuzon, and then to Ana and Lemi.

"We have strategists among us. Plus, we have the infinite wisdom of the Constellations. All we need is appropriate power and the path we need to take… and we will charge into battle."

The Constellations instantly knew what Serah was trying to say.

"You want us to select our Hosts now?"

"That's right. The Trials were meant to be used by you all as metrics to see if we qualified for your power. I don't know about the others, but I have proven my worth already." She responded, now staring at each and every one of her comrades.

"While the Trial was ongoing, none of us called it quits, and even when Legris attacked, we braved the storm of his unpredictable invasion…"

Serah smiled at this point, her brows narrowing to show serious resolve.

"I'd say we are more than ready!"

The faces of everyone brightened up at that moment—with the only exception being Lemi.

Rather than smile and nod like the rest, she had a guilty expression on her face.

Perhaps that was because she knew how lazy she was during the trials, and how she didn't even face Legris throughout his invasion.

Out of everyone present, wasn't she already disqualified?

"We also need to strategize on his to track him down, and what to do when we find him." Kuzon added, taking a step forward as well.

"To be able to do that properly—especially the latter—we all need to be fully aware of our abilities."

In essence, for the sake of the mission's success and the overall efficiency of their task, the Constellations had to choose their Hosts quickly.

"I see. We will need to discuss among ourselves before reaching a final consensus." Aquarius said.

"Is there anything else?"

"Shouldn't we wait for Jared?" Maria's voice suddenly echoed in the hall.

Her question was perhaps the most pertinent, considering how almost everyone in the room had the same thoughts tucked at the corner of their mind.

It was a question that caused everyone to fall silent the instant they heard it."Jared came up with this whole method to stop Legris. Shouldn't he be here while we make such a monumental decision?" Maria further asked.

If it was Jared, surely he would be able to give a more accurate analysis of the situation and even profer a more advantageous strategy.

"I think we should wai—"

"No. We can't." Kuzon interrupted Maria with his words.

"Why not?"

"Were you not listening thus far? There's no time. The very reason we decided to be proactive was so we wouldn't just sit around and give Legris the advantage once again."

Kuzon felt his tone was a little harsh, but those words had to be said.

"Besides, we don't know when Jared is going to arrive. Rather than doom the world while waiting for his arrival, it's better we are proactive." Ana added in a sigh.

"Even you, Ana? You really think Jared would delay that long, even with all that is at stake?" Maria asked in slight disappointment.

"I believe Jared knows how severe the situation is, and he's working on a solution on his end. We just have to wait and—!"

"Wait and what? Let Jared handle everything, as usual? Don't you think we've burdened Jared enough? All this time… he makes the plans and shoulders the burdens… every time… all the time…"

Kuzon's brow was furrowed in slight rage. His words did not come from a place of envy or inferiority.

No, it was consideration.

"I'm tired of leaving it all to him. Even if it's just a little, I want to ease his burdens. That should apply to everyone here."

Kuzon looked around him, and he smiled a little.

"Isn't that why he assembled us as a team? So we could do things that he couldn't? So that we would be able to contribute when he wasn't around?"

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but everyone present knew they were inferior to Jared in both intellect and power.

But…

"We are still his allies, and we are still his friends! We need to act like it!"

Despite everything that Kuzon said, Maria was not satisfied with their current position.

She turned to Serah, almost as if begging for her intervention.

However, even Serah would not take her side.

"Jared did not wait for Neron before chasing after Legris, did he?"The moment Serah said those words, something within Maria ached.

"Even though Neron is reasonably strong, and this mission would be much easier if he was participating… Jared understood that we couldn't just wait around while Legris was causing so much havoc."

"Neron left behind a message! He clearly intended for Jared to go on without hi—!" Maria tried to offer a rebuttal.

"But what if he didn't? What if Neron said nothing? Would Jared have made a different choice?"

Maria fell silent, unable to respond to that query.

"I have asked myself that question for a while now, and there is only one answer that comes to mind…" Serah said in a whisper.

"No. He wouldn't have made a different choice. Jared would keep moving forward."

Considering how much Jared respected Neron, and how close the two were, he was still willing to take action without Neron.

It was all for the sake of the world.

"We should follow Jared's example." Serah finally posited.

She walked closer to Maria, placing her hand on the young girl's shoulder. A softened expression was on her face, and it was clear that Serah wasn't saying this easily.

"I'm sorry, Maria… but we need to get rid of Legris once and for all."

If Jared was present, it would certainly be much easier. But right now, he wasn't.

And everyone had to accept it.

"The work must be done…" Serah smiled softly.

Her crimson eyes met Maria's azure ones, and they both nodded in understanding.

"… Even if they have to do it without Jared."

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Do you think they made the right choice? I wonder…

Also, next chapter we get to see something nice.

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