Captain Jhon was thrown back, his chest covered in wounds. He fell to the ground, coughing up blood, his body trembling in pain. His eyes remained open, though his vision began to blur. He knew there was nothing more he could do.
With one final swing, Zooman thrust his sword into Captain Jhon's chest, ending his life mercilessly.
The brutal battle was over. Captain Jhon's body lay lifeless on the ground, along with the other soldiers, blood flowing from every wound. Zooman stood tall amidst the scattered corpses, his sword still glowing with a cold light.
Casually, he looked around, searching for his next prey. The distant screams and footsteps of fleeing people echoed in the air.
"Who's next?" Zooman muttered, his voice filled with arrogance and bloodlust.
Main Hall - American Alliance
A large meeting was taking place in the main hall. The high-ranking officials of the American Alliance gathered around a long table, with William Alexander sitting at the head, leading the meeting. The atmosphere in the room was tense; no one dared to speak. Occasionally, the soft voice of a female assistant could be heard, reporting the latest information from the battlefield.
"Sir, the Teleportation Hub in the southern city has been destroyed... A Tier-3 entity," the assistant said.
The word "Tier-3" made everyone in the room take a deep breath. They were all Tier-2 fighters, except for William Alexander and the two individuals sitting on either side of him.
"Sir, those creatures can withstand attacks from low-level defense towers," said a man in a black suit. "Only high-level defense towers can have any effect on them, especially the Tier-3 beings."
William Alexander nodded slightly, his gaze still fixed on the communication screen before him, his expression serious. Though he himself was a Tier-3, the current situation felt out of control. Tier-3 beings had appeared in almost every city across the American Alliance Island.
On the chat screen before him, several messages remained unanswered. William Alexander thought hard, trying to decide what course of action to take.
(William Alexander) Mr. Lein, what should we do? Many Tier-3 beings are attacking.
(Lein) I understand. I can save your alliance if you're willing to meet the conditions I've outlined.
William Alexander felt conflicted. He didn't know how to respond to the offer. After a moment, he turned his gaze toward the senior officials in front of him. His sharp blue eyes scanned the faces of everyone in the room. Once confident, he took a deep breath and spoke.
William Alexander's voice echoed the tension felt by everyone. They all immediately focused on him, sensing that something important was about to be revealed.
"I contacted the leader of the World Market Trade alliance a while ago," William Alexander began to explain. "He's willing to help, but with two conditions."
After delivering that last sentence, William Alexander paused briefly, waiting for a reaction from the senior officials. As expected, the faces in front of him grew tense. Some scowled, while others furrowed their brows.
"What's happened to you, President? Have you been hypnotized by him?" one senior official scoffed with a mocking tone.
"Exactly... We don't need the help of that young man. We can handle this ourselves," added another.
"I disagree. That would only degrade us as the top alliance."
Words of disagreement began to emerge one by one. All the senior officials spoke out, rejecting William Alexander's idea of asking Lein for help. The atmosphere, once tense, now shifted into chaos, with voices clashing throughout the room.
Suddenly, the sound of the floor cracking was heard.
An old man sitting to William Alexander's right dropped his large sword to the ground. The clanging noise echoed, silencing everyone in the room. The power of a Tier-3 was not something to be taken lightly.
"Enough of this nonsense. Let's first hear what that boy's conditions are," the old man said in a tone of authority. Even though he too seemed displeased with the forthcoming demands, he wouldn't allow the chaos to continue.
William Alexander nodded at the old man as a gesture of gratitude. He knew the man wasn't happy either, but at least he was willing to listen.
"Alright," William Alexander continued in a steady voice, "the first condition is to elect Lein as the ruler of the Divine Sky Realm."
For a moment, silence enveloped the room.
"The second condition," he added, "is to hand over 25% of the Alliance's shares to Lein."
William Alexander scanned the room, observing the clear disapproval on the faces of the senior officials in front of him. The tension quickly escalated as voices of protest began to arise one by one.
"25%? That's too much!" shouted a senior official with a serious face who sat in the middle of the table. "In the long run, our alliance will be under his control. Giving away a quarter of our shares is insane. This isn't just aid, this is surrender!"
That statement was met with nods of agreement from several others around the table. The voices of dissatisfaction grew louder.
"We cannot let someone like Lein become the ruler of the Divine Sky Realm," said another senior official firmly. "If he becomes king, he'll rule over all of us without opposition. He'll do whatever he wants, disregarding our interests."
The atmosphere became even more heated as intense discussions erupted. William Alexander remained silent, listening to all the opinions without giving an immediate response. He knew that this decision was monumental and couldn't be taken lightly.
The old man who had cracked the floor earlier sat with a cold expression on his face. After listening to the various opinions, he finally spoke up.
"Lein's demands are excessive," he said in a grave tone, his eyes locked on William Alexander. "Electing him as ruler of the Divine Sky Realm? And handing over 25% of our alliance's shares? That's too much. We cannot simply give away our rights and power just to gain protection. There has to be a limit."