Chapter 54: All Out War
By dawn.
The news had already curdled the morning air of Yeren City.
The slaughter at the Oasis Grand Hotel wasn’t just a brutal massacre; it was a total erasure.
When the morning shift of the Leopard-kin patrols finally breached the room, they found the wreckage of the suite and the perfectly stacked, lifeless bodies of Chieftain Ignis’s entire vanguard.
But it was the forensic discovery on the corpses that truly chilled the blood of the city’s leadership.
Every single Voka warrior carried hidden, blackened seals of Norona City—clandestine markers of the Troll King’s deep-cover mercenaries.
The Voka Tribe hadn’t just acted out of personal greed; they had been a weaponized asset for the North, sent to test the delegates of Tempest City.
By midday.
The news had been ruthlessly purged from the public sphere.
The Four Governors had issued a "Total Information Blackout" decree, threatening any merchant or guard who spoke of the massacre with execution.
In the shadows of their private estates, however, the gravity of the situation hit them like a falling mountain.
**
Governor Vance was spotted standing in his darkened study, he stared at a dossier detailing the Voka Tribe’s ties to the Troll King.
He gripped his quill until the feather snapped.
"Ignis was not a lapdog of Norona," he exhaled a deep sigh as he stared at his empty room. "This isn’t a murder case. This is the punishment of Lord Varanus"
"An apostle cannot directly act without it being the will of his God" the Governor tilts his head, staring outside the world of his window.
"We cannot afford to anger Tempest City by investigating..." he clenched his fist.
**
Deep within his private armory, Governor Kaelen struck his anvil so hard the shockwave shattered the nearby stone sconces.
He looked at the map of Norona City spread across his worktable. "The Apostle didn’t just kill a Chieftain," he rumbled. "He was smart enough to cover his death by making him a spy."
The Governor let out a self deprecating laughter "He is forcing our hand. He wants us to choose: stay neutral or march into the frost."
"That fucking bastard!" he growled.
**
Reclining on a chaise lounge in her private greenhouse was Governor Sorsha.
She watched a rare desert viper coil around her wrist.
Her sharp hawk eyes glowed with a mix of fear and professional admiration. "How perfectly he plays the board," she whispered, a thin smile touching her lips.
"He used the Voka Tribe to prove their own weakness, punishing them by making them spies of the west." she chuckled.
"He is carving out our future for us."
**
Governor Corin sat at a massive table overflowing with gold and ledgers, he pushed a coin across the wood with a trembling finger.
"The Northern Coalition must be losing its grip," he wheezed. "And this Apostle... he isn’t just a crafty bastard."
"He is an apex predator." the Governor chuckled.
"If he can destroy a Martial Master like Ignis in a hotel room, what will he do to a King?"
He laid back on his seat, exhaling a deep sigh, "Sometimes I’m glad that a variable like the God of Beasts appeared in this desert"
"If that Deity hadn’t awakened" Corin’s eyes narrowed, "Hudeii Desert would have fallen into the hands of that Troll King!!"
Each Governor reached the same conclusion: Tempest City was no longer a trade partner—it was the new center of gravity.
**
Back at the Oasis Grand Hotel, the room was as calm as the eye of a hurricane.
The broken mahogany doors had been replaced, and the scent of death had been scrubbed clean by high-grade incense.
Roy sat by the window, watching the city below begin its slow, nervous recovery.
The atmosphere in the room was brittle with anticipation.
Suddenly, the shadows in the corner of the suite swirled, defying the natural light of the room.
A silhouette condensed, and Alisa stepped out from the darkness, her movements entirely silent, her dark-grey armor blending seamlessly into the gloom.
She looked composed, though her eyes were sharper than ever, reflecting the cold efficiency of her successful operation.
She crossed the room in two strides and knelt on one knee before Roy.
"The job is complete, My Lord," Alisa reported, her voice steady and devoid of emotion.
"Chieftain Ignis and the remnants of the Voka Tribe vanguard that weren’t present at the hotel have been tracked to their subterranean hold." she smiled, "I have annihilated the leadership and burned the network to the ground. The Voka Tribe exists in name only; their infrastructure is gone, and their connection to the Troll King has been severed."
She paused, looking up at him with a gaze of absolute, unwavering loyalty. "The governors are burying the news as you anticipated. They must be paralyzed by the evidence of northern involvement, and their focus is now entirely fixed on the impending clash between us and Norona City. The script is proceeding exactly as you authored it."
Roy looked at her, his golden-crimson eyes glinting with a dangerous, satisfied light.
He stood up, walking toward the balcony as the twin moons climbed high over the sandstone basin.
"Good," he murmured, his voice a low, predatory hum. "But I must tell you that the intelligence of Yeren City isn’t as weak as you think"
Roy slowly rose up from his seat.
"What do you mean by that, Master Jarden?" Alisa asked with a confused look on her face, Roy chuckled softly.
"Why are you suprised?" he asked. "Do you think the Governors aren’t aware that we had intentionally planted those evidence?" he asked.
"They’re aware but they will let it slide" he giggled, "This has reminded them that the new Tempest City is not a joke"
"Call Eurenia back, since we have finalized an agreement with the Governors. We have no need to overstay our welcome" he stated.
"We’ll return back to the new Tempest City and devise a plan to destroy Norona City"
"Master..!" Alisa bowed her head, "I have something to report to you"
"What is it, Little Rabbit?" Roy questioned.
"Uhmm regarding Norona City, you were busy with a lot of things so I failed to report it to you..."
"But a group of secret agents have been sent to infiltrate Norona City under my orders" she reported, "From their reports, it seems....."
"Norona City is planning an all out war on Hudeii Desert!"