"Volkaria is overstepping its bounds," the Sixth Elder said with a hint of anger.
"Ignore them. They have no choice. Even if we wipe out Wyvernia, the worst Volkaria will do is sever ties with us. But would they really ally with Celestria?" the Third Elder retorted.
Volkaria and Celestria shared an irreconcilable enmity. If not for Celestria's schemes, Volkaria wouldn't have lost two Champion-level trainers.
Had those two not died, Volkaria would have five Champion-level trainers, making it the third superpower in the world.
So this grudge ran too deep to resolve.
Even if Volkaria disapproved of Drakoria's actions and felt threatened by Drakoria's growing power, the most they would do is stay guarded—they would never stand together with Celestria.
Their hatred for Celestria was like Drakoria's hatred for Babath.
Too bad it was Wyvernia that abducted Julian—if it had been Babath instead, the force that crossed the border wouldn't just be one army corps, but the navy, army, and air force all at once.
"Mm, when the time comes, Second Elder, go and smooth things over with Volkaria," the Grand Elder said.
Since the Tenth Legion had already crossed into Wyvernia's territory—and since Jake was already on his way to their capital, Havenburg—Drakoria had no reason to pull back now.
At the very least, they had to hit Wyvernia hard—make them hurt, make them cry, force them to submit.
Reassuring Volkaria was also necessary. Drakoria still needed this ally, and so-called reassurance naturally meant offering Volkaria some benefits.
"Grand Elder, there is news from Gastly who is lurking in Celestria that they've sent two of their Champions to Wyvernia," said the staff member who had just stepped out but now returned again.
Looking at the intel in his hand, the Grand Elder sneered: "So they're not abandoning their godson after all."
Initially, Celestria had wanted to stay out of it—because they assumed Drakoria wouldn't actually cross into Wyvernia's territory. After all, once you crossed that line, things would escalate dramatically.
But Drakoria had charged in without hesitation, acting as if they intended to wipe out Wyvernia entirely.
Now, Celestria had no choice but to intervene.
If they really let Drakoria destroy Wyvernia and take control of its Top-tier Secret Realms and Ancient Ruins, their strength would grow even further.
Celestria was already struggling against Drakoria. So if Drakoria grew stronger, Celestria's position would become even more precarious.
So they immediately dispatched two of their Champions.
With only five Champions in total, sending two showed just how seriously they were taking this.
And it wasn't just the Champions—Celestria had also called in allies bound by its various defense pacts. All these allies were based in the same Asian continent as Drakoria.
The purpose was self-evident.
This alliance pact existed purely as a tool for Celestria to restrain Drakoria.
The Grand Elder took out his phone and dialed Volkaria's President.
"Celestria has sent two Champions. I hope you can stop them."
"Done."
The President agreed immediately before hanging up.
He didn't demand any benefits—he knew Drakoria never mistreated those who helped them. Asking for favors outright would only cheapen the gesture.
The reason they wanted Volkaria to stop Celestria's Champions—instead of sending their own—wasn't because Drakoria couldn't handle it.
It was a strategic move to strengthen ties with Volkaria.
Drakoria was determined to strike Wyvernia, but doing so would inevitably alarm other nations, pushing some neutral countries toward Celestria.
That's why Drakoria needed a heavyweight ally—Volkaria—to publicly back them.
And of course, any "favor fees" would be generous.
"Contact our agents in Wyvernia. Have them stir up public opinion and push for the resignation of President Isaac."
---
Wyvernia, Presidential Office
President Isaac was in a heated discussion with the eight councilors on how to deal with Drakoria's Tenth Legion crossing the border.
Relying on their own forces to repel the invasion was pure delusion—so their only hope was external help.
Their godfather, Celestria, was their best and only option.
Fortunately, their godfather hadn't completely abandoned them. Upon learning of the invasion, they immediately dispatched two Champions and activated their allied pact.
This meant Celestria's missiles were now aimed at Drakoria's territory—though whether they'd actually fire them was another question.
Meanwhile, Drakoria's operatives embedded in Wyvernia began spreading information.
Soon, rumors spread like wildfire:
> Wyvernia secretly abducted Julian, provoking Drakoria into war.
> Over 100,000 Wyvernian soldiers and air force personnel have been killed.
> Even Champion, Andrew, has been killed.
At first, the public dismissed it as fake news—until photos surfaced, including images of Andrew's corpse, they had no choice but to believe it.
Then they learned that Drakoria's Tenth Legion had already crossed into Wyvernia's borders—led by none other than Champion John.
The people were torn between fury at Drakoria's aggression and fear for their own safety.
[@ILoveKimchi: It's all that idiot Isaac's fault! If he hadn't provoked Drakoria, none of this would've happened. Drakoria has always been a friendly neighbor. It's because of Isaac that we're now at war with them. This guy must step down. Only if he resigns will Drakoria stop!]
[@RebelCatBoss: Sure, snatching Julian was a power move, but did that idiot Isaac even consider the consequences? Did he really think Drakoria would just take this lying down? Now we're facing their full wrath!]
Similar posts started appearing online, along with many others like it.
The sheer volume of such comments led many Wyvernian citizens to instinctively blame President Isaac for the crisis. Almost instantly, calls for his resignation were everywhere.
In many cities, even protests erupted.
People took to the streets, holding up banners demanding Isaac resign and that a new President be elected.
What started as a single spark now ignited all of Wyvernia.
BANG!
When Isaac got the news, he slammed his fists on the table and roared in fury: "These fools! Absolute fools! Can't they see they're being manipulated?!"
"President, you should immediately address the public and clarify things," urged the Fifth Councilor.
"Clarify? Do you think these fools will listen? Find out who's pulling strings behind the scenes!" Isaac snarled.
The speed at which the narrative had spread nationwide left no doubt—someone was fanning the flames. In fact, he didn't even need to investigate—he already knew this had Drakoria's fingerprints all over it.
Wyvernia was indeed controlled by the chaebols; all ten Councilors and the President, either came from the big chaebols themselves or had their backing. But getting to the top still required the people's support, at least on the surface.
So if the demands for his resignation didn't die down, then to appease the masses, he might really be forced to resign.
And then—
His eyes swept across the Eight Councilors before him. Their expressions were unreadable.
If he really did step down, wouldn't that be an opportunity for one of them to take his place…?
*****
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