Chapter 121: The Preparations... (Part 1)
Chapter 121: Chapter 121: The Preparations... (Part 1)
Chapter 121: The Preparations... (Part 1)
Helion Goldmane violently jolted awake.
He gripped the edges of his massive oak desk, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. Cold sweat dripped down his scarred face. His golden eyes darted around the room, expecting to see the cosmic horrors of the Astral Server.
Instead, he saw the familiar stone walls of his office. The afternoon sun filtered through the window.
Sitting comfortably across from him was Draven Mordis.
CLINK.
Draven calmly set his ceramic teacup down on the desk. He had just finished the last drop of the Sunflare Elixir tea. He looked at the Lord Commander with cold, unbothered pitch-black eyes.
Helion slowly released his death grip on the desk. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked at Draven, but he no longer saw a first-year Academy student.
He saw the chosen proxy of a cosmic entity. He saw an absolute equal who was fighting a shadow war for the survival of the human race.
Helion did not drop his commanding, respectable aura, but his tone shifted entirely.
"Elder Martha," Helion breathed out, his voice heavy with sudden realization.
"When the Beast Wave breached the outer walls, she summoned the Corpse Titan. That monster was meant to destroy Bastion Seven from the inside. But it was completely eradicated before I could escape those chains."
Draven remained silent, simply watching the Warlord.
"It was you," Helion stated, absolute certainty ringing in his voice.
"You killed the Corpse Titan. You protected my people from the shadows while the rest of the Vanguard was blind."
Helion stood up. The strongest human on the planet placed his right fist over his heart and bowed his head slightly.
"You saved my Bastion, Zero," Helion swore with deep, unwavering sincerity.
"I am forever indebted to you. You have my absolute trust."
"Save your gratitude, Commander," Draven replied smoothly.
"We have a world to save first. If my squad leaves Bastion Seven tomorrow, the Capital Elders will instantly flag our movements. We need a flawless alibi."
Helion sat back down, his tactical mind fully engaged.
"I have already prepared one," Helion answered.
"I was planning to send the highest-ranking students on a World Tour Training Exercise to celebrate our global victory. The public expects Bastion Seven to show off its new champions. If you need an alibi to hunt those King-Level Beasts, just use the one I am giving you. You will travel as official Vanguard ambassadors."
"A perfect cover," Draven nodded.
"We will hide our identities in the outer Bastions and operate in the dark."
"What about our home front?" Helion asked, narrowing his eyes.
"If the Church is brainwashing officials, Bastion Seven might already be compromised."
"Your city is clean," Draven assured him.
Helion looked surprised. "How can you be sure?"
"Because the local traitors are already dead," Draven explained coldly.
"Sirius, the underworld Don, and the Hennessey Patriarch completely cleansed the dark sectors. They slaughtered anyone connected to the Church during the Beast Wave. Bastion Seven is currently the only secure fortress on the planet."
A grim smile crossed Helion’s face. The criminal underworld and the noble families had unwittingly protected the city from an alien infection.
"So, you have taken them under your banner already. Then we focus our blades outward," Helion declared.
"We have exactly ten months before the Megarift opens in Bastion One. What is the first move?"
"The Church needs two things to open a spatial tear of that magnitude," Draven said, leaning forward.
"They need the massive mana output from the two King-Level Beasts, and they need Key Magical Cores to act as the spatial anchors. We must assassinate the Kings and intercept the Cores."
"Finding those Cores will be like finding a needle in a wasteland," Helion warned.
"The Church hides their treasures well."
Draven’s lips curled into a dark, mocking smile.
"I already have one," Draven said.
He swiped his hand over his spatial ring.
FLASH.
A massive, pulsating magical core materialized on the wooden desk. It radiated an intense, suffocating spatial energy. The sheer density of the mana cracked the polished wood beneath it.
Helion stared at the core, utterly stunned. He recognized the Vanguard security seals etched into its surface.
"That is the Class-A Spatial Core," Helion realized, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"That was sealed inside the Vanguard Academy’s deepest vault. It was reported missing months ago."
"I stole it during the Academy Trials," Draven confessed casually.
"The Church was planning to extract it during the Academy Trials. I simply got there first."
Helion looked at the teenager in pure disbelief. Draven had robbed the most secure vault in the city right under his nose.
"And the man who disabled the vault’s security?" Draven continued, his eyes turning deadly cold.
"It was Instructor Graves. He was a high-ranking sleeper agent for the Church. He was leaking vital Academy data directly to the Cult."
Helion physically flinched. The blood drained from his face.
"Graves?" Helion repeated, a sudden, burning shame washing over him.
"He was a senior combat instructor. He trained our elites."
"He was a rat," Draven corrected sharply.
"And I executed him in the Vault. You must have seen his body as well."
Helion sank heavily into his chair. He stared at the glowing Megarift Core on his desk. Draven had been fighting this apocalyptic war, executing traitors, and stealing enemy assets while Helion was blindly trusting his own staff.
The Lord Commander let out a long, heavy sigh. He admitted his absolute failure.
"I let a Church spy teach the future of humanity in my own Academy," Helion muttered bitterly. "My blindness nearly cost us everything."
He looked up. His golden eyes locked onto Draven’s pitch-black gaze. The shame vanished, replaced by the ruthless, calculating aura of a Warlord ready for war.
"You have the plan, Draven," Helion said, his voice laced with iron.
Helion leaned across the desk.
"Now tell me," Helion commanded softly. "What exactly do you need from me to burn the Capital to the ground?"