Chapter 123: Chapter 123: The Map of the World

Chapter 123: The Map of the World

The heavy steel doors of the War Room were sealed shut. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

King Regent Hardsteel stood at the opposite end of the iron table. His mechanical eye whirred and focused on my crimson armor.

"Zenith Academy and House Vane of the Purists have declared war on us," the King Regent repeated. His voice was grim and metallic.

I did not flinch. I expected nothing less.

"They are arrogant," I stated coldly. "They think we are just a minor rebellion. They want to crush us before our industrial factories can produce a full continental army."

I stepped forward and leaned over the massive tactical map spread across the table. It was a beautiful and detailed parchment that displayed the entire Monster Continent.

"Show me the board," I commanded.

Cyrus stepped out from the shadows. The master assassin moved several carved wooden pieces across the map.

"The Zenith Academy sits directly in the center of the continent," Cyrus explained while placing a white tower piece in the middle. "They control the absolute heartland and all major trade routes."

King Regent Hardsteel pointed his heavy metal finger to the right side of the map. "The Demon Kingdom borders the far East. That is the exact location where the human armies first invaded from the Human Continent decades ago."

"And we sit here in the South East," I noted. I tapped my brass finger against the gritty industrial borders of the Forge.

Cyrus nodded and moved his hands across the other territories. "To the North of the Academy lies the Shadow Weald. Matriarch Vespera is already fortifying her borders. The Wild Tribes control the North West. Their untamed lands form a direct land bridge to the Beastman Continent."

"The Vampire Orchard is secluded in the South West," Nyssa added while analyzing the topography.

"Which leaves our immediate threat," I growled. My glowing red eyes locked onto a massive green territory located directly in the South. "The Elven Sylvanate. House Vane."

Cyrus placed a dozen green markers on the Elven border. "Lord Sylas Vane is mobilizing his High Elven Purists. They are preparing a massive magical vanguard to march on the Forge."

"High Elven magic requires immense mana," Anise observed carefully. "They cannot sustain a long siege without continuous magical refueling."

"Exactly," I smirked beneath my visor. "They rely on massive supply trains filled with pure mana crystals. If we cut their fuel, their elite mages become completely useless."

King Regent Hardsteel crossed his massive arms. "Do we set up defensive artillery lines along our borders?"

"No," I answered instantly. "We do not wait for them to reach our walls. We break their momentum before it even builds."

I moved a cluster of iron markers directly toward the Elven vanguard.

"We will send a loud mechanical decoy force to meet them head-on in the neutral zone," I explained. "We will use our heaviest and most intimidating steam tanks. We want Lord Vane to think we are throwing our entire defensive line at his frontline."

I picked up a single black marker and placed it completely behind the Elven lines.

"While they are distracted by the decoys, I will personally infiltrate their rear lines," I continued. "I will raid their primary supply camps. I will use my spatial inventory to steal all of their pure mana crystals. We need that raw fuel to power our own war machine. Whatever I cannot carry, I will blow to absolute ashes using the Arcane Rocket Launchers and grenades."

Rolf bared his silver fangs in a vicious grin. "And once their supplies are completely destroyed?"

"We trap them," I declared. "The decoy force will hold the front. Our true strike force will flank them from the rear. We will pincer the arrogant Elves and slaughter every single one of them. We will leave no survivors."

The War Room fell silent. The absolute brutality of the strategy was undeniable. It was not a battle plan. It was a complete extermination protocol.

"I will prepare the decoy battalions immediately," King Regent Hardsteel agreed. He turned and marched out of the War Room.

The heavy steel doors closed again. I was left entirely alone with my pack.

I let out a slow breath. I reached up and unlatched the heavy faceplate of my helmet.

HISSSS.

The moment the pressurized seal broke, a sickening wave of unnatural heat rolled off my body. My vision suddenly blurred. The War Room spun violently around me. I stumbled forward and caught myself against the edge of the iron table.

"Grik!" Nyssa gasped.

She rushed to my side and grabbed my armored shoulder. She recoiled instantly. The crimson metal was boiling hot.

"Grik, your internal temperature is skyrocketing," Anise warned. The master chef dropped her polite facade entirely. She placed her bare hand against my neck to check my pulse.

A dark and pulsating purple aura began to bleed out from the seams of my armor. It mixed violently with my crimson Fire of Rage.

I gritted my jagged teeth. The pain in my core was absolutely agonizing. Without the System actively regulating my mana flow, the C Grade energy I had absorbed from Valerius Thorne was tearing my internal channels apart.

"The Incubus Lord," I grunted heavily. I gripped the table so hard the iron began to warp beneath my brass fingers. "When I executed him, I absorbed his core energy."

Kaelith stepped forward. Her golden eyes were wide with sudden realization. "Incubus magic is built entirely on pure lust and domination. You absorbed a C Grade reserve of feral emotional mana!"

"I cannot contain it," I growled. My voice was ragged and completely strained. The chaotic purple mana flared higher. It flooded the War Room with an intoxicating and heavy pheromone.

Lysandra swallowed hard. Her elven cheeks flushed instantly as the heavy aura hit her senses.

"My internal limits are completely overloaded," I confessed while looking up at my pack. My red eyes were burning with a desperate and feral hunger. "The energy is going to detonate my core if I do not vent it. I need to channel it out."

Nyssa looked at Anise. Anise looked at the other girls. They felt the overwhelming and primal domination radiating from my body. They understood exactly what kind of help I needed to process the pure Incubus energy.

Nyssa stepped closer and slid her hands up my heated chest plate. Her dark eyes were filled with absolute loyalty and burning desire.

"Then let us cool you down, Sovereign," Nyssa whispered.