Gabriel grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist, refusing to look in her direction again.
Seraphina caught a brief glimpse of the veiny bridge of his back and her face flushed red as she hurriedly looked away.
"Do not follow me into my room," Gabriel said in a flat voice.
"Why," she asked instinctively, then said in a smaller voice. "I mean, I saw it all already."
Gabriel paused for a brief moment. Then he turned his head slightly, his eyes cold.
"Seraphina."
Just hearing him say her name made her expression shift again.
She leaned back like a satisfied predator. "Fine. I will behave."
Gabriel did not trust her words, but he also did not have time to argue.
He dried off quickly and dressed in fresh clothes. The moment he stepped out, the sounds of the camp returned.
His expression changed instantly. The relaxed look he had worn throughout the bath vanished, replaced by a serious face.
As he walked through the corridor, a few of the former slaves who now worked as helpers lowered their heads respectfully.
When he reached the meeting room, he did not enter immediately.
He paused outside the door, hearing the voices inside.
When he entered, the room fell silent instantly.
Every gaze turned to him. It was like time stopped. It was at this moment that Gabriel realized something else.
They were not just waiting for a plan.
They were waiting for him to decide what kind of future this camp would have.
Gabriel walked in calmly and took his seat at the head of the table.
He did not waste time with greetings. His gaze swept across the room.
Scarlet sat with her arms folded, her expression as emotionless as always.
Alice leaned back with a faint smirk, but her eyes were attentive.
Sophie sat close to his seat, posture straight, veil in place, calm as always.
Ragnarok99 looked excited, like he had been waiting for this.
The rest of them wore serious expressions.
Gabriel placed both hands on the table as he spoke in a deep and firm voice. "Today was a message."
Everyone straightened.
"The eastern camp sent their number two man. They did not send him to negotiate. They sent him to erase us. And they failed."
His gaze shifted slightly toward Scarlet and the others.
"However, if we sit here and pretend today was a one time event, we will die."
"So you called us here to plan retaliation," Scarlet asked calmly.
Gabriel nodded once. "Yes."
"You basically want war with the eastern and northern camps?" Lilly spoke this time, unease clear in her tone. She still felt there was another way to resolve everything.
"I already have war," Gabriel replied calmly. "I just did not choose the timing."
That line made the room feel colder.
Alice leaned forward slightly, her eyes sparkling with interest. "What is your plan?"
Gabriel did not answer immediately.
Instead, he turned to Sophie.
"Give me a summary of our current situation."
Sophie nodded quickly. "We lost some fighters. Otherworlders died, but most have already respawned. Our barricades are damaged but are being repaired. Our food supplies are stable for now, but ammunition is not something we can replace easily. Our biggest issue is manpower. If they send another Hero Rank, we cannot rely on luck again."
Ragnarok99 raised his hand slightly. "Sir Broken, we have you."
It was true that he could stop a Hero Rank, but...
"I am one person," Gabriel said. "I cannot fight a Hero Rank every time, and that does not mean I can protect everyone at all times."
Sophie nodded slowly. "So we need deterrence."
"Yes."
Scarlet finally spoke, her tone calm but deadly. "Deterrence means you hit them hard enough that they fear you."
"Exactly." Gabriel nodded.
Alice smiled. "Now we are talking."
Lilly looked uneasy. "But the eastern camp is huge. And the northern camp too. If we attack them, they will retaliate with everything."
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. "They are already going to retaliate. Losing two Hero Ranks in a short amount of time is a massive blow for any faction in this world."
He leaned back slightly. "We are not choosing between peace and war. We are choosing between dying slowly or striking first."
That line settled heavily in everyone’s chest.
Gabriel’s gaze shifted to Sniperbowlegend. "Sniperbowlegend. I need you to find out if the northern camp has a schedule for supply movement. Routes. Times. Anything."
"Yes, Sir Broken!"
For a brief moment, the corner of Gabriel’s eyes flickered toward the empty space beside him.
No one noticed.
But Seraphina was there, invisible to the others, leaning against the wall like she owned the room.
Her voice whispered so only he could hear it. "You know I can find out."
Gabriel’s expression did not change.
But his mind moved fast.
He could use her.
He hated relying on anyone.
Yet this was war.
And war did not care about pride.
Gabriel looked back at the table.
"Before we talk targets, we need to address something," he said.
Sophie tilted her head slightly. "What?"
Gabriel’s tone remained calm. "We have a prisoner."
By prisoner, everyone instinctively knew who it was.
Geoffrey.
"He is alive. Locked up. And he will be useful."
Ragnarok99 cracked his knuckles. "Let me interrogate him."
"If you break him, he becomes useless. I need him coherent," Gabriel said. "So there will be no interrogation."
"From him, we will learn about the structure of the eastern camp. Their leadership. Their patrol schedules. Their weak points. Their internal rivalries. Every single detail."
"You mentioned the northern camp as well," Sophie said, her eyes narrowing behind her veil. "You are planning to attack both camps."
"Yes, but not at the same time."
He leaned forward, fingers tapping the table once.
"We hit the eastern camp first," he said, a smile appearing that did not quite reach his eyes. "We do it so swiftly that the north does not hear a thing or send reinforcements."
The plan sounded simple when spoken aloud, but everyone in the room knew it was anything but.
They would need coordination, precision, and trust to bring it to fruition.
This was their first large scale war, and the tension could be felt by all the core members of Broken Dawn.