Chapter 177: Incoming
In a dark, obsidian-walled room, Veer’s eyes snapped open. A gasp of pain tore from his throat as he vomited a mouthful of blood, his face a ghostly white.
"This?!" he rasped, clutching his chest:
"Such a powerful man... How can such a person reside in the lower world? And that kid..."
KNOCK!! KNOCK! KNOCK!
A knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Come in," he called out, wiping the blood from his lips.
The door creaked open, and an old man with a hunchback and a gnarled walking stick entered. Dressed in a faded mage robe, he meticulously avoided the small pool of blood on the floor.
"You met him?" the old man asked, his voice a low, gravelly whisper.
Veer’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Met him? You know that guy?!"
The old man snorted. "Know him? We killed his parents." He tapped his walking stick on the ground, a palpable aura of a second-order bursting forth.
"I thought when he destroyed his cultivation, he was as good as dead."
"Butler Benji... we need to do something," Veer said, getting out of bed.
"If we let him continue growing, he will someday invade the upper world and threaten us!"
Benji’s wrinkled brow furrowed in thought. "You met him at the outpost?"
"No," Veer’s teeth ground together. "He attacked us."
"That means he is targeting all our outposts," Benji deduced.
"Send word to the lower world. All Wendigos stationed there should come together and attack his nation!"
"Butler Benji," Veer interjected, his voice firm.
"Based on the information I gathered, I am sure that guy is God wolf, the same person that Guy; Xanor mentioned. So if we are attacking, we should attack the Beastify nation." A vengeful fire ignited in his eyes:
"He must pay for destroying my clone."
"Hmm," Benji mused, stroking his chin. "Your words hold meaning. Then we attack the Beastify nation. Use all forces."
"All forces?" Veer’s eyes widened.
"Butler Benji, if they are all wiped out, we won’t have any more soldiers in the lower world. We need to inform the King before going on with this plan."
"Okay... let’s go," Benji said, and in a blink, he vanished from the room.
".....??"
Veer stared at the empty space before him, a mix of confusion and dread washing over him.
’Does he want revenge?’ he wondered, then hurried toward the door.
____
[Moments later.]
In the grand Throne Hall, the Wendigos’ King sat on his throne, his crimson eyes fixed on Benji and Veer.
"So you want to attack him with our full force?"
Both men nodded.
The King’s face remained impassive. "Xanor gave us good information about the lower world. Throwing the lives of our people away won’t get us anywhere." He turned to a guard.
"Get me Xanor."
The guard bowed and quickly exited the hall.
"Why him, My King?" Benji asked, his voice tight.
"He wants his revenge," the King said, a cold smile on his lips.
"This is a good opportunity for that." He stood up, his presence filling the room with an oppressive weight.
"I understand your worries, so we will attack the Beastify nation with 100% of the forces in the lower world and 30% of our elite soldiers."
Veer and Benji gasped. The Elite Soldiers were all Divine-rank Wendigos, each one possessing wings.
"My King!" Veer pleaded.
"A whole 30%?! That’s about three hundred thousand... We need them here against the humans!"
"No! The King is right!" Benji’s eyes blazed with a manic intensity.
"We must secure victory! Sending those guys will make it possible. Better still, they all have spirit energy."
"Butler Benji! I know you want revenge for your son!" Veer argued, his voice rising in frustration.
"But sending that much... our military strength will be severely reduced, and if the Humans get news of it, they might attack! Don’t forget that during that war, both sides lost! I don’t want that to repeat itself!" He turned to the King:
"My King! The little girl with him has the power to summon Mythic Beasts! I don’t know how many she can summon... I know she is an unknown threat and must be rooted out, but attacking blindly isn’t the right decision."
The King fell silent, his thoughts a storm of calculations.
BAM!
The three men turned as the double doors of the hall burst open. Xanor and the guard walked in.
"My King!" Xanor bowed, stopping beside Veer.
"You have always wanted revenge," the King said, sitting back on his throne. "This is it."
"Huh? But my King, I arrived some days ago, and I am not yet strong--"
"Stop all these excuses," the King’s voice was a low growl.
"You will command one billion Wendigos. Among this army will be one hundred thousand Elite Wendigos. You will be the commander of this force." He waved his hand, and a full set of God-rank equipment appeared, along with a gemstone identical to the one given to Matilda.
"These are all God-rank equipment and armor, and this gemstone will alter your celestial energy into spirit energy. With spirit energy, you will be able to break through the chains and enter the First Order." He turned to Benji.
"Benji will build a Teleportation Array here, while you will set up another in the lower world. This array will be used to transport the Elite Wendigos over. Each of these Elite Wendigos is in the Divine rank." He then looked to a corner of the hall.
"Shadow Eyes will go with you... Her job is to assist you."
Xanor turned his head to the side as a woman in a ninja outfit appeared out of thin air. Two God-rank katanas were on her back, but the only thing Xanor could pinpoint were her unnerving red eyes.
"She is the Fifth Pillar," Veer whispered to him. "And don’t stare at her eyes. She can burn your soul just by looking at her. That’s why she’s known as Shadow Eyes."
Xanor quickly averted his gaze.
"She doesn’t speak much, but she can kill," the King said with a smirk.
"Thank you, My King... But who am I really attacking?" Xanor asked, a new hunger in his eyes.
"Your job is to kill God wolf and take over the Beastify nation," the King said, his voice flat and cold.
"I don’t care how you achieve it."
Hearing the King, Xanor’s grin widened. "My King, I accept this task, but my strength is insufficient--"
"Always ambitious," the King scoffed. "Once you get to the lower world, Shadow Eyes will give you spirit stones... It will advance your rank to the peak of the God rank!"
An unknown force grabbed Xanor and pulled him toward the King.
BAM!!!
Xanor swallowed, staring into the King’s menacing red eyes.
"I don’t care if you burn down the lower world. Just make sure to kill the God wolf and deliver food to us."
"Yes. Yes. Yes, my King!" Xanor quickly nodded, sweat running down his temple.
"Good! Get going!" The King tossed Xanor back to the ground and gestured for him to leave.
"Don’t fail me."