As soon as Colton's words left his mouth, everyone in Drakonia fell silent."What's the matter? Do you all not have any differing opinions regarding Colton's idea?" Isaac breathed out a smoke ring, tapping his fingers on the table.Lucas raised his right hand and said, "What Colton said makes sense. However, Astraeus has a few elders and a Supreme Leader. There's no way they won't receive intel when we're on the move. In case they fight back, how should we deal with them?""Then we need to act swiftly, accurately, and ruthlessly so that once Astraeus realizes what's going on, they're unable to run," Elliot said lowly, leaning back in his chair."Elliot makes a good point. I'm in favor," Lightning said, waving his hand.Watching everyone exchange thoughts, Isaac put out his cigarette. Black Phoenix turned to glance at him.She knew that this man was about to come to a final verdict.At that moment, Janessa raised her right hand and said, "Drakon, there's one more thing. If, and I
The prickling sensation grew more intense, making Isaac more aware that the opportunity for a breakthrough was here.After some time, his body was drenched with sweat, despite being barraged by the sea wind. All the veins on his forehead were protruding. At this point, the pain wasn't just coming from his power core.Every vein in his body felt swollen.Isaac gritted his teeth harshly. His breath grew more and more labored, and the spiritual energy swirling in his power core was already at maximum speed.Suddenly… "Ah!" Isaac's eyes flew open, and he let out a thundering roar. The spiritual energy circulating within him stopped abruptly. His veins began to expand slowly, and his power core began to grow.A surge of power, several times more powerful than before, burst into the surroundings and toward the sky.At the same time, in the rooms on the upper floor of the temple, the generals—some busy on the phone, some resting—looked out the window simultaneously. Colton was holdi
Within one day, the names of all the lords, branch heads, the ten best Titans, and even some of the best students under the Astraeus Supreme Leader and Council of Elders were added to the list.Each person had their usual haunts, their movements, and information on their close family members recorded under them. That was why the document was a dozen pages long.Black Phoenix took the name list back and gave it a glance. The two names that were crossed out had been moved out from the hunting name list. She quickly turned around and walked outside.From Isaac's office, she went down to the third floor. Stopping in front of a thick metal door, she scanned both her fingerprint and her iris. The metal door swung open swiftly. She entered, and the door once again shut itself.This floor was her Intelligence Center. It was clear how highly Isaac regarded her.The marble floors were sparkling, and bright beams of light made the walls reflective. Inside was an oval-shaped working space tha
Ralph's phone on the nightstand vibrated. He sluggishly picked it up and answered it. An urgent voice came through the receiver, "Supreme Leader, w—we're in trouble!" "Get straight to the point. What trouble could we have in the middle of the night?""We've just received intel that someone had assassinated Lord Cragfall, Lord Highport, Lord Suncliff, more than ten branch leaders, and a few division leaders.""Is the intel accurate?" Ralph sprung up in his bed."I—It is.""Quick, inform the Council of Elders and the Snyder brothers to meet me as soon as possible. Also, inform all the Lords, who are still unharmed, to take precautionary measures."Ralph tossed the covers aside and picked up his clothes. His blood ran cold.At that instant, he felt an overwhelming sense of dread, as though Isaac's frosty, emotionless eyes were staring right at him from above.God damn it! It all happened too soon to be true!Meanwhile, in Colorino, the Yves family's residence was brightly lit. J
At Neuport, the atmosphere in the vintage, luxurious meeting hall in Astraeus headquarters was tense and depressed.The Snyder brothers, five elders, and Ralph were in the hall with several experts in the Renascence Phase and above.Ralph's eyes were bloodshot as he yelled at a man beside him who was sweating profusely and shivering nonstop, "Why are none of the calls getting through? Are they all dead?""Supreme Leader, I—I have no clue either. I'll keep calling." The man was on the verge of breaking into tears.He held a complete list of contact numbers of all the lords, leaders, and patriarchs, which he had just sorted out. However, he had called more than ten, and every call ended as the receiver wasn't in the network service area.The clock was ticking. The tension hung over them like a knife over their heads, so much so that they felt out of breath.Mordred Fraser, an elder in a red cloak, snorted and said, "Supreme Leader, I don't think they're dead. As influential as the
Mordred's subordinate's eyes reddened at his words. He asked, his voice quivering, "First Elder, why don't y—you come with us?""Hah! I'm an elder. How can I leave at a moment like this? Besides, Ralph is keeping an eye on me. If I step outside this building, our families will be in danger. Now, go!"Mordred watched his subordinate disappear around the corner, shut his eyes, and sighed. Then, he returned to the meeting hall.The Neal family's annihilation, Glenn's death, and, finally, the life-threatening injuries he suffered all taught him one thing—the Temple of Drakon wasn't necessarily better than Astraeus in terms of strength. But the one thing that led to Astraeus' downfall was the lack of unity among the members.Soon, dawn broke. Martial arts experts from various places arrived at Astraeus headquarters one after the other. Ralph remained in his room and didn't show his face, but somehow, those gathered could sense something was amiss.At the Yves family's residence, Isaac
Around 90 people—70 Dusk Soldiers captains, the seven generals, eight of the Yves family and Phineas' subordinate, and Isaac boarded Isaac's private plane at Colorino and left for Neuport before 9 pm.At Astraeus headquarters, Ralph was making a call in his opulent office, sitting in his wide heavy-armed chair made of ebony wood."Commander Romero, the Temple of Drakon will surely invade Astraeus by tonight. My men detected signs of the Dusk Soldiers more than 30 miles away. Astraeus has been facilitating the House of Custos in regulating order in the martial world all these years. We have done our fair share of hard work, credits aside. Commander Romero, I believe the House of Custos won't just stand by and watch Astraeus and the Temple of Drakon be at daggers drawn, will it? If war breaks out, the extent of loss will be immeasurable.""Supreme Leader, what do you have in mind?" a low and imposing voice came through the receiver.That's right. Ralph received news on discovering tr
The other two were stunned. They asked together, "What did he say?""Mr. Grannel said the House of Custos can't sit on the fence in such a big issue; we must be there. As for your suggestion, Cassius, it's slightly overdone; they're our fellow countrymen, so there's no need to be at loggerheads with them. Cassius, since Astraeus came to you, reply to them that I'll bring some men over personally," said Arian, getting up.Cassius' face lit up, and he immediately said, "Sure. I'll call Ralph immediately. Sir, remember to bring more men. Isaac is as cunning as a fox.""Naturally. Don't worry." Arian finished speaking and left.The autumn breeze was chilly. The northern night's temperature was almost 32°F. A plane landed in an airport 93 miles away from Astraeus. Twenty Jeeps with special car plates were already waiting.After disembarking, Isaac didn't enter his car immediately. Instead, he beckoned to Lupinus and Lucas and pulled out a map of Neuport. He spread out the map."Two mo