Deus Citadel. Two weeks later after the Worldquake.

The world was in shambles, and that wasn’t an understatement. Millions of people were displaced from their homes, and there were billions in property damage. Fissures continued to periodically churn the already split Terre Continent, making countries fear for their citizens’ safety. Amidst the chaos, criminal gangs took the opportunity to profit by stealing bread and wheat, monopolising their towns. With local constables already stretched thin, armies were recalled as did their utmost to remedy the situation.

Spirit Beasts would often wander into the once-thriving cities due to the lack of defences and children had to live in fear within the disaster bunkers. Food was scarce, and the average gold a person could spend were rapidly depleted. It was… without a doubt… The worst period of time since the great warring age.

Governments had spent billions of gold for disaster relief, and every single person from the privileged class were forced to spend their own dime to secure the safety of their people. Nobles got their hands dirty by jumping into slums, while merchants had spent a good portion of the personal wealth to help rebuild their community. The Worldquake that fractured the continent had gone beyond that of a national emergency. It was a worldwide emergency now.

And what happens when the world was in peril? A Summit of course.

Gathering on Deus Citadel, the Alliance’s most secure fortress, dignitaries from each one of the three superpowers took the stage. The Himmel Empire sent over the familiar Prince Koshaku, the Kori Federation dispatched Deputy Prime Minister Venus, and the Lantis Republic sent Zhangyu Yaoguai. That wasn’t all. The Blacksmith’s League dragged their President, Ingram Ragnar over. The Mercenary Guild also had brought forth their top dog, Guild Master Xerxes. And last, but definitely not least, the Healer’s Association former nominal leader and current Alliance Head, Raphael was also present.

“It’s madness!” An exasperated cry echoed through the top floor of Deus Citadel. Guild Master Xerxes, the bulky old man who had a thing for excessive muscles, slammed his fist on the massive table. “Alliance Head! Didn’t you say that the Allfather would go into hiding after facing two successive defeats? Look at what he has done! People are dying all around, and there’s so little that we can do to help them!”

“Believe me, I didn’t expect this to happen either...” The red-haired nobleman, who looked deathly pale, replied with bitterness in his mouth. “I should have been more careful and less complacent. I apologise for my lack of judgement.” Raphael bowed his head, completely in grief and self-deprecation.

“Xerxes, you can’t blame it all on the Alliance Head...” Ingram, the Blacksmith’s League President, came to the Divine Healer’s defence. “No one could have anticipated that the Allfather would have the capability of breaking the entire Terre Continent, no matter how prepared one person could be.”

“...” Prince Koshaku sat with folded arms, his mind not really focused in on the conversation. Everyone knew that the Allfather was mighty but to the extent of breaking apart the continent? That was just plain absurd.

“Let’s not waste any more time… What’s the situation in Mythpoint Reach?” Deputy Prime Minister Venus said in a tired voice.

Her cheeks were hollowed in and her lips as pale as a winter’s ghost. The Kori Federation had suffered the most out of the three superpowers. The majority of its western side had been broken off while a massive chunk in the east had been split into its own continent. However, the Kori Federation’s main issue was their politics. Unlike the Himmel Empire and the Lantis Republic, the Kori Federation was made out of countless smaller clans and sects. They didn’t have a unified flag to fly under. With many regions broken off, some of the smaller entities wanted to rule over their own area, particularly within the new continent. Their rebellions during this time of mayhem gave the higher-ups in the country a severe headache and countless sleepless nights. In fact, it took Deputy Prime Minister Venus all that she had to drag herself into Deus Citadel.

“There has been no movement by the Black Masks after the Worldquake.” Raphael shook his head regretfully. “However, we have at least a thousand eyes on Mythpoint Reach. And there are at least fifteen Spirit Venerates stationed there at any given time. If the Allfather were to move, we'd at least delay it for a few moments.”

“No, I’m not asking about that...” The atmosphere around Deputy Prime Minister Venus rapidly shifted. Feeling the shift, all the leaders in the room instantly felt their blood turn cold, and shivers ran down their spines. Instead of a tired bear that only wished to hibernate, the woman had turned into a venomous snake that wanted to maim its prey limb from limb.

“I’m asking if there’s a way for us to strike back at that fucking Allfather! That asshole that brought hell back to our lives!” Venus spat.

Prince Koshaku was the one to rebut his contemporary. “Deputy Prime Minister… Although I know how you feel, we can’t just carelessly approach Mythpoint Reach right now, not when our forces are stretched so thin.”

“Your Highness… Don’t you think that it’s the perfect time to strike? I don’t know what method the Allfather had used to destroy the Terre Continent, but there’s no way that it didn’t incur a cost. No, judging from how he’s still turtled up in Mythpoint Reach, it’s highly likely that he’s too weak to move out! If we pool all of our power, we might be able to push through the defences and take down the Allfather while he’s weakened!”

“Deputy Prime Minister...” An icy voice echoed through the chambers, halting all movements. Everyone turned to the source of the cold voice, only to see a well-built physical man with a burly moustache. He was hideous, to say the least, but no one dared to belittle the representative from the Lantis Republic.

“Clan Master Zhangyu...” Deputy Prime Minister Venus wasn’t one to be intimidated though. Staring straight into Zhangyu Yaoguai’s eyes, the woman crossed swords on the mental war ground with the frightening man.

“I would suggest you think before you speak… How can you be certain that the Allfather is weakened? He may be lying low, but there’s no evidence of his injury. If we took your advice and blindly charged into Mythpoint Reach, we could potentially be walking into a trap. Best case scenario, we lose a few men. Worst case… We’ll be annihilated.” Zhangyu Yaoguai gave his two cents, drawing many nods from the listeners in the chambers.

“I agree with Clan Master Zhangyu’s line of thinking… It’s far too dangerous for us to consider such an option.” Raphael spoke out.

“Hmph! That’s easy for you to say! The Lantis Republic is the country that suffered the least from the Worldquake! I’m sure you’re delighted to see our Kori Federation crumble while you spectate from afar!”

It was true. The Lantis Republic was the nation that took the least damage. Mostly because of Shin’s expert handling of the Payircis and their separation from the Terre Continent. Compared to the millions that were displaced in the other two superpowers, the Lantis Republic only had a hundred thousand citizens that were homeless. The rest were happily living their day-to-day lives as if nothing had happened.

“Mind your words, Deputy Prime Minister...” Zhangyu Yaoguai’s voice grew ever colder.

“Am I not speaking the truth? I’d heard that your new ‘Prince’ had a close relationship with the Blade of Death. He’d also met face-to-face with the Allfather just a few months prior… Then, the Lantis Republic emerged from the Worldquake unharmed… Perhaps you might be on the side of the Black Masks?” Venus shrugged her shoulders, trying to insinuate something.

“...” An eerie silence descended upon the chambers. All of the six representatives looked at one another, none of them willing to bat a single eyelash.

“You’ve taken it too far, Deputy Prime Minister...” Zhangyu Yaoguai’s body started to glow in a chilling purple light, and the water elements began to dance. He was holding back his wrath, but the overwhelming mana within his body still managed to slip through his pores.

“Oh, and what are you going to do about it?” Venus raised her chin as if daring the man to take a swing. One could cut the tension in the chambers with a knife as the two juggernauts continued to stare down one another. If nothing were done, Zhangyu Yaoguai would have likely sent a punch flying the Deputy Prime Minister’s way. Alas, it was not to be.

“ENOUGH!!!” Raphael’s commanding voice boomed, forcing the auras of each Spirit Venerate to collapse back into their bodies.

“We’re all on the same boat! We all want to take down the Allfather and bring peace back to our lands. If we don’t show unity in these times of peril, how do you expect the Alliance to defeat the Black Masks?!” The Divine Healer barked. “Clan Master Zhangyu, I would suggest you never unleash your mana in this place of peace ever again.”

“Fine...” With a snort, the hideous man leaned back in his chair and shifted his eyes to the side.

“Deputy Prime Minister… I’m only going to warn you once. Never make such groundless claims again… Particularly against Guardian Sword’s Master. You should know better than anyone how much he’d done for the Kori Federation...”

If not for Shin’s intervention, the Obsidian Gate would have spawned billions of Umbras and plunged the Kori Federation into an age of darkness on a scale that had never been witnessed before. The Kori Federation owed a debt to the young Prince, and its government should be well aware of that.

“I spoke in poor taste...” Venus immediately admitted her fault before taking back her claim.

It was understandable for the leaders of each country to be on edge. A disaster had struck, one of a scale that had never been seen before. Furthermore, based on how the continent had been split, the three superpowers would likely never be the same ever again.

‘Hmph! You better be grateful to our Prince! If not for him, I wouldn’t have bothered coming here in the first place.’ Zhangyu Yaoguai mentally snorted. In his eyes, the Kori Federation and Himmel Empire losing power was a good thing. However, Shin was far less optimistic about their misfortune, mainly because of the billions of innocent lives affected. In fact, he’d even sworn to give some military and financial help wherever he was able. Even as they were seated and having a summit, Guardian Sword out saving people. That’s why there weren’t many that loathed the Lantis Republic for escaping Scott free from the disaster.

“Ignoring the Deputy Prime Minister’s accusations, what she said prior to that does have some merit.” Guild Master Xerxes interjected while stroking his beard. “If the Allfather is really weakened… We should take this opportunity to strike!”

“Oddly enough, I agree with Xerxes.” Ingram from the Blacksmith’s League nodded his head. “The Black Masks only has the Allfather as an absolute threat. Their next strongest members are the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts, of which only one had reached the Primordial Realm. If the Allfather is even slightly weakened, we should take this opportunity to cut down on the Black Masks numbers.”

“Problem is… We have our own countries to tend after.” Prince Koshaku cut in the conversation. “All of our military might has been stretched thin, and our Spirit Saints are on standby for a possible invasion. The Himmel Empire doesn’t have the resources to sponsor another raid on Mythpoint Reach.”

“Neither can our Kori Federation,” Deputy Prime Minister Venus added.

“Hmph! If you can’t even supply the men, why bring up that idea in the first place?” Zhangyu Yaoguai shouted back.

“You didn’t let me finish...” The woman snapped back. “We can’t provide the military might, but if the Alliance is willing, the Kori Federation will send Saint Geom and a small force of ten Spirit Venerates.”

“Saint Geom, huh...” Raphael got to thinking. Previously, during the first attack on Mythpoint Reach, four Spirit Saints joined the assault against the Allfather, and it bore no fruit. If they really wanted to breach Mythpoint Reach, the Alliance need far more firepower. “I ask all of you present, are there any Spirit Saints from your organisation willing to step forward if we raid?”

“... Our Blacksmith’s League’s Saint Thor won’t stay silent.”

“Neither will our Mercenary Guild’s Saint Atossa.”

Raphael smiled. “I will do my best to convince Saint Althea to join.”

Just like that, four Spirit Saints had joined the oncoming purge. All eyes were now on Prince Koshaku and Zhangyu Yaoguai.

“I can’t promise anything…”

“Like I said before… Our Himmel Empire is stretched thin now… If...”

Before they could fully swerve away from the conversation, Raphael beamed, as if remembering something important. “Ah, I don’t really have to ask you guys, right? I’m sure Shin Iofiel’s tongue could get some Spirit Saints moving.”

“You...”

It no secret that Shin had close relations with both the Lantis Republic and the Himmel Empire. He was personally close to Longyu Tian, the Saint of Time, while his fiancee’s mentor was Saint Firebird. Not to mention, there was also Isadore, who was the heir to the Himmel Ancestor. One word from Shin far surpassed anything that the representatives could say. If Saint Althea, Lady Seph’s master, were to personally put in a request, there was no way that Shin could ignore that.

“Hmph! Fine! But first, you’ll have to confirm the status in Mythpoint Reach!” Zhangyu Yaoguai folded his arms and harrumphed.

“Hah… There’s no winning against you now, Alliance Head.” Prince Koshaku rubbed the temples of his forehead. “I’ll let His Majesty know and get back to you within the week.”

“Haha, thank you!” Contrary to the start of the meeting, Raphael was now grinning from ear-to-ear. Looks like having Shin as his backing sure paid off...