Chapter 85: Tempest Invasion [2]
The next morning, the first rays of the desert sun cut through the stained-glass windows of Saint Jarden’s Cathedral, painting the grand nave in brilliant streaks of amber and crimson.
The crisp morning air carried a palpable, electric tension that seemed to make the very stones of the Cathedral vibrate.
Inside the inner council room, the atmosphere was completely transformed.
The higher officials took their designated seats around the massive, circular basalt table once again, but the baseline of power in the room had shifted catastrophically overnight.
The heavy, lingering scent of burnt frost and weakness was entirely gone, replaced by a suffocating, dense wall of martial pressure.
At the apex sat Roy in his Wolf-man form, his sleek crimson hair cascading down his waist, his golden-crimson eyes scanning the assembled followers with a calm, satisfied expression.
"Good morning everyone" Roy’s voice thundered across the council room.
To his right, Lord Manuses sat with his wings tightly folded, a sharp glink in his eyes as he assessed the rapid evolution of the frontline commanders.
"Good Morning, Master Jarden" Lord Manuses bowed.
To Roy’s left, High Priest Croak leaned on his staff, a subtle, knowing smile playing on his lips.
"Good Morning, Master Jarden" High Priest Croak bowed as well.
The core operatives were brimming with an almost uncontrollable power.
Commander Trojan sat perfectly upright, the linen bandages completely gone from his chest.
"Good Morning, Master Jarden" Commander Trojan bowed.
His skin radiated a faint, golden thermal hue, and the air around his seat distorted slightly from the sheer density of his expanded sun mana.
His posture was no longer that of a recovery warrior, but of an absolute juggernaut—a newly ascended Martial General whose physical chassis felt as solid as enchanted steel.
Next to him, Alpha Brenda practically radiated danger.
"Good Morning, Master Jarden" she bowed.
Her amber eyes gleamed with a deep, predatory intelligence, and the new bloodline she now naturally emitted caused the shadows in her corner of the room to flicker violently.
Her claws, now reinforced with dense kinetic alloys, lightly tapped the stone table, leaving faint gouges in the basalt with the slightest touch.
She sat like a caged apex predator, a Martial General eager to be unleashed.
Completing the frontline curve, Captain Eurenia sat with flawless, rigid grace.
"Good Morning, Master Jarden" Eurenia bowed, not hiding her satisfied smile.
Her shattered sternum was entirely healed, replaced by a bone structure so dense it rivaled the finest armor plating.
Deep crimson sparks occasionally flared along her fingertips as her mana cores hummed with terrifying capacity.
She looked sharper, faster, and infinitely more lethal—a fully forged Martial General ready to rewrite the shame of her past defeat.
And standing just half a step behind them, perfectly integrated into the absolute darkness of the room’s perimeter, was Alisa.
"Good Morning, Master Jarden" Alisa bowed.
Though she remained a silent, frictionless phantom, the subtle, terrifying depth of her Martial Master aura was undeniable to everyone at the table.
Her presence was entirely erased from the physical layer, yet she anchored the room like an invisible blade.
The time of being the hunted was officially over.
As they sat before the round table, brimming with divine growth and absolute loyalty, their eyes locked onto Roy, waiting for the single word that would launch the first invasion of Norona City.
"I’m glad to see all of you here have evolved into your next cultivation realms" he smiled, "We now have three Martial Generals and one Martial Master with us"
"It’s by the will of Lord Varanus" they all bowed their heads as they recited in chorus.
"Praise be to the God of Beast"
"Praise be to the God of Beast"
"All glory belongs to Lord Varanus"
"All glory belongs to Lord Varanus"
"Good" Roy nodded, "I hope you all rested well, for we are about to commence our first invasion on Norona City"
The moment those words came out of Roy’s lips, everyone tensed up.
They knew things were now serious.
Roy cleared his throat, "I’m sure everyone is aware that I’ve been in Norona City since the delegations in Yeren City was over"
"There was a traitor amongst us and luckily, I happened to yncover everything and he has paid for his sins"
Roy stared at everyone sitted one after the other.
"Why I am saying this is because I want you all to be vigilant, who knows if there are traitors hidden amongst us"
"I will be giving the Inquisition Division full authority to carry out the task of noticing traitors, arresting them, interrogating them and executing them"
"That is why I founded the Inquisition Division in the first place" Roy locked eyes with Brenda who instantly bowed.
"I love to serve the God of Beast in the best way possible" Brenda smiled, "With the authority given to me..."
"I promise not to disappoint the Apostle of Lord Varanus"
"Good" Roy nodded, "We’ll discuss about Tempest’s economic situation and our financial future"
"For now, let’s talk about the main reason why this meeting was called in the first place" Roy tapped his fingers on the Varanite table.
"Every single one of us will invade Norona City" Roy declared.
Everyone was shocked by Roy’s words.
"Every single one of us?" Lord Manuses asked.
"Yes" Roy laid back on his seat, "Right now, the Troll King has an undead army of thirty thousand mummies"
"Tempest City won’t be able to defend against such numbers without suffering greatly" he sighed.
"This is why we will be switching to offense" he stared at the two Martial Lords, "While I investigated the Troll King"
"I learnt a few things, he is conducting a very catastrophic ritual, I can’t tell you what it is but if the ritual is complete"
"The Hudeii Desert will cease to exist"
"The Church of the God of Misfortune which exists outside the Hudeii Desert is funding the Troll King"
"Humans?" Eurenia asked.
"Yes" Roy smiled, "They are humans and from Domini Kingdom as well, it seems that’s where the Church of Misfortune is situated"
"Two humans are currently in Norona City and they are both Martial Lords, Manuses and Croak will handle those Martial Lords"
"Trojan and Brenda will head straight to the undead army to reduce their numbers as quickly as possible"
Roy paused for a moment.
"Eurenia has an unfinished business with an Ogre General, while Alisa will be given a role to play"
"This is the first invasion Tempest will make towards Norona City" Roy’s lips curled into a dark grin.
"I plan to throw Norona into a deeper chaos, and when the second invasion begins"
"Norona City will be decimated" Roy declared.
"Even the Troll King will not survive the wrath of Lord Varanus"