The Author's POV

"What the fuck are you guys even thinking!?"

An enraged shout echoed inside of simple office space. Following this, pounding violently on a wooden desk, Monica glared towards the person sitting behind the desk.

"Daphne, just what went through your heads when you decided to sacrifice the person thas singlehandedly saved me, Amon, and the others!"

Monica once again shouted. She was beyond incensed.

Upon being notified by Donna about the bounty on Ren's head, Monica flew into a fit of rage and immediately went towards Daphne's office to get an explanation from her.

"Tell me so that I can understand!"

"Calm down Monica."

Daphne helplessly raised her hand to calm Monica down.

"Calm down my ass. How can I be calm in this situation?"

"Just listen to what I have to say."

Daphne pleaded.

"..."

Without saying anything, Monica stared at Daphne's eyes for a couple of seconds.

"Fine." Crossing her arms, Monica sat down on the seat opposite Daphne and gestured for her to explain. "I really want to know what crossed your minds when you made that decision."

Finally managing to calm Monica down, Daphne breathed a sigh of relief, before leaning back on her chair.

"Where should I begin."

Pondering for a moment, Daphne decided to relay to Monica about everything that went through that meeting. From how they decided to sign a truce, to how they decided to sacrifice 876 for the truce in order to give her and Amon enough time to recuperate.

The more Monica listened to Daphne, the tighter her brows knit.

"This is bullshit!" Eventually, after a while, she stood up and once again smacked the table. "Do you guys not realize that you've wasted a golden opportunity?"

"A golden opportunity?"

"Yes!" Monica cried out."Since they are the ones that proposed the truce, it obviously means that whatever the explosion did, they suffered major losses. If there is a perfect chance to fight back, it is now! Deal a devastating blow to both those demon bastards and the Monolith."

Though Monica wasn't able to fully witness the core explode as she had already left by the time it exploded, what she did witness was the pure destructive power that emanated from the core itself.

It was frightening.

There was no way that they came unscathed from that attack.

Listening to Monica's words, Daphne shook her head.

"If only it was that easy Monica."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think we don't know about what you've said? We've also thought about attacking them, but there are a couple of problems."

"What problems?"

Monica's face showed obvious signs of distrust.

Not minding this, Daphne explained.

"For one, we don't actually know the extent of the injuries from the Monolith's side. For all we know, the truce could be a trap proposed by them to make us think that they are severely weakened. If it truly was that way and we attack, we'd suffer massive losses."

For the Monolith to be the first one to step back, the Union heads were not naive enough to believe that the Monolith was just openly displaying their weakness.

There was a high chance that they were trying to instigate the Union into attacking them.

"If that is also not enough of a reason, Malik Alshayatin alone is enough..."

Deep apprehension flashed across Daphne's eyes.

Recalling him back at the meeting, although she knew that it was just his clone there, his presence was no joke. He was in his own league.

"Malik Alshayatin? The head of the Monolith."

Listening to Daphne's words, Monica's brows knit.

"Mhm, him."

"What about him?"

Shaking her head, Daphne sighed.

"Haa, you weren't there Monica, but the moment he stepped into the room, all of us could tell one thing." Lifting her head and looking at Monica straight in the eyes, Daphne took a deep breath before continuing. "It was that he was on another level."

"Hm? Another level?"

With deep apprehension in her eyes, Daphne explained.

"Yes. After the meeting ended, Octavious himself confirmed it. He was weaker than him."

"Tsss..."

inhaled a breath of

as prideful as Octavios to say such a thing, it meant

"Are you serious?"

is why we were hesitant on attacking them. Furthermore, with the demons behind them, the war would only end up

"But—"

Daphne cut Monica off.

have voted against the decision, the other heads all unanimously voted for 876 to be eliminated.

them enough promise to make them go

a high ranker, they may have done something, but in the end, 876 was a

mentioning by

no, it's because I know who 876 is that I'm saying

Daphne, Monica cried out inside of her

knew that if he really held a grudge against

the Monolith would be the last thing the Union should

I hope things don't escalate

Monica inwardly

went that way, Monica wasn't

***

long bray beard and turbid grey eyes sat crossed legs. The air around him distorted from time to

—Shua!

and appearing from out of thin air, was an elegant young man with long

the old man

"Leader, you have returned."

"Mhm."

a casual nod, the man who just entered, Malik AlShayatin casually swept the room with his eyes

suddenly appeared out of thin air. Then, after a couple of seconds, a cold and indifferent voice that

you done? Have they fallen

AlShayatin. "The Union accepted our

[A pity.]

of disappointment could be felt from the voice behind

body slightly, Malik AlShayatin

highness, is there anything you would like for

any conflicts for at

killing intent could be felt from the words of the individual whom

feel this, as the void

slightly,

for the

For now, do as I said

"Understood."

you don't disappoint

drifted in the

before them shrank, after a brief

do

where the black void used to

the demons have ordered, and lay low

with the three races. The incident where multiple ranks and below

AlShayatin had originally hoped that the Union would be hot-blooded and directly take their truce as a sign of weakness and have them attack the Monolith. This would've been the perfect chance to ambush

they did not

"A pity."

Glancing towards Mo Jinhao next to him, Malik AlShayatin

how are

"My injuries?"

"Mhm."

bit, Mo Jinhao

that severe right now. If the Union

Union was truly lucky in deciding to agree to the truce. Had they not

anymore, they could've easily have been able to overpower the five heads

was truly a

"I see.."

flashed before he turned around and left. Staring at his expressionless face from

***

2 P.M.

Caissa headquarters.

through some files. After a while, I looked up towards Smallsnake

do we

off of the papers in front of him, Smallsnake

"Around 10 million, why?"

did

honestly

that there would've

"Let's exclude Angelica who did pretty much all of the major tasks, but

"Information?"

tilted my head in

me regarding where to

"Ah, that."

it finally dawned on

fact given Smallsnake a list of companies that would rise

this was mainly due to the fact that I

many things were changing, I stopped

arms, I tapped on my bracelet

Catching the object I threw at him with both hands, Smallsnake looked at it and asked. "What is

it and give me the

widened

on. Did you

not all, I want you to sell