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As Joe excitedly ran out to make the preparation, Berakt snorted.
"There must have been at least a thousand moments when I wanted to kill that idiot. Leader, if the completed living golems still show a less-than-impressive performance this time, don't stop me from killing that bastard."
[It won't come to that, Berakt. I've already personally verified their abilities. Joe is still a valuable asset for our cause.]
"Yeah, yeah, Berakt. Stop bitching about Joe. He did side with you when the demons were bad-mouthing you behind your back. And he even gave me a new arm," Bardray said, raising his left arm. After losing his left arm in a battle against the Red Plutonian Tribe's Great Battle King, Rakiman Hog, it had been replaced with a living golem's arm.
"Or maybe, do you have some secret affection for him? Is that it? Truth is, you seem to look kindly on Joe. Anyway, Berakt also has an adorable side."
"You always choose to say words that aren't worth responding to, Bardray... When will you come to your senses? Remember that you are the Red Tiger King."
"Of course, I'm well aware of that. That's why, after fleeing with you from Rakiman, I've been training so diligently all these years."
Bardray narrowed his eyes as he recalled that day. Back then, despite there not being a significant difference in pure strength, and even though it was an opponent that Berakt could easily defeat, the two great warriors had been forced to flee in disgrace due to the 'Fear of the natural enemy.'
Since that day, Berakt and Bardray had longed for the moment they could exact revenge on the Red Plutonian Tribe. They had dedicated themselves to training, fueled by their desire for vengeance.
"It's a bit disappointing. I would have liked to fight the Red Plutonian Tribe first if possible. Don't you agree, Berakt? For now, we'll have to satisfy our regrets by dealing with the True Demon World."
[Don't worry, Bardray. The Red Plutonian Tribe is under the leash of the Imperial family. They started with a lot of momentum when they first emerged, but they ultimately became a subordinate force of the Imperial family. Unless those guys can win the war against the Zipfel without relying solely on the blood they receive from the Imperial family and the blood they occasionally successfully plunder.]
Naturally, Orgal was confident that the Red Plutonian tribe couldn't win against Zipfel. The current Red Plutonian tribe was merely a shadow of its former self during its heyday.
"In that case, we should help the Imperial family eliminate the Red Plutonian tribe."
[We might be able to get rid of them without even lifting a finger. The Imperial family will absorb their technology and strength if Zipfel corners the Red Plutonian tribe, and begin to expand their power in earnest Of course,. Zipfel will have to deal with them, and the Vamel Alliance will do the same. The Imperial family has crossed a line. Once Jin Runcandel learns about their intentions regarding Temar, they'll become Runcandel's top priority target.]
At that time, Orgal didn't share the details about the Majin created by Temar because he intended to use it when the time came.
"If that happens, it will leave a bitter taste in both my and Berakt's mouths. I want to tear those guys apart with my own hands."
[You and Berakt will have a chance to repay your disgrace, no matter how the situation unfolds.]
"Well, that's a relief then."
Orgal pondered for a moment about the Red Plutonian tribe.
'The fact that the Imperial family is controlling the Red Plutonian tribe isn't just because of the blood support; there's a bigger reason. For instance, the Red Plutonian tribe's battle god... the Imperial family probably knows something about his whereabouts. And when the Red Plutonian tribe reaches its limit, they may have a plan to find that battle god and turn him into their puppet.'
The Red Plutonian tribe's battle god.
Orgal's memories of it were still faint, but one thing was clear—he had been the strongest of his time, alongside the Blue Plutonian Tribe's Battle god.
If he had been present, the course of the Red Demon War would have been very different. The Imperial family wouldn't have been able to hold the Red Plutonian tribe on a leash like they do now.
'You never know, the battle god might awaken without the Imperial family's help and become the savior of the remnants of the Red Plutonian tribe. So, it's best not to confront them directly whenever possible. In any case, when one faction finishes off the Red Plutonian tribe, we should cautiously intervene and secure what we need for ourselves.'
The same applied to the Imperial family. Orgal hoped that other factions would take care of the Red Plutonian tribe without their direct involvement.
When the time came, Kinzelo was planning to control the weakened imperial family like they were doing with the Red Plutonian tribe.
'We have to make them spill all the information they have about Lokia and the Sun God. Especially Lokia, their information about that bug was surprisingly vast. Lokia's world, the fact that it existed... for now, this information might be useful when dealing with Jin Runcandel.'
Orgal had heard about "Lokia's world" from Manoff. Unfortunately, he didn't know that Jin was already aware of it.
Orgal looked at his executives.
[As soon as Joe finishes preparing, we'll set out. Everyone, get into position.]
***
Underground, Red Plutonian tribe's Fourth City, Usrok.
Rakiman Hog, Bekios Kam, Gaila Tun, Bakarun Jung.
All the Great Battle Kings, except for Drek Hon, the owner of the Fifth City who died by the hand of Jin, had gathered in one place. Shimat, 1st-class Battle King, was delivering a report to them.
"...That's the situation, compatriot Great battle kings."
"Hmm, it's worse than I thought. Not only Drakka, but even our compatriots who went to attack the Milkun Kingdom have been wiped out?"
"We can't properly counter Zipfel either because we lack the blood needed to operate the aerial fortress. Damn it, at least we didn't lose any of the flagships."
Gaila and Bekios spoke.
Among the Great battle kings, only those two were in a state where they could give a proper response. Rakiman hadn't fully recovered from the injuries he sustained from Octavia last time, and the strongest Great battle king, Bakarun, was barely conscious due to shortage of blood. Every time Rakiman and Bakarun breathed, there was a faint metallic sound.
"Instead of gaining blood every time we launch an invasion, we're wasting the blood we already have and returning from battles empty-handed."
"Probably because the supply of blood from the Imperial family and the bodies of Blue Plutonian tribesmen keeps decreasing. If they would give us as many Blue Plutonian tribesmen as they did when we last operated the aerial fortress, we might be able to turn things around... Especially since Zipfel has sent troops to Grosh's castle."
"I agree with compatriot Gaila. Compatriot Shimat, you should demand more from those damned Vermonts. At this rate, both our tribe and the Imperial family are in a tight spot."
Listening to the responses of the Great battle kings, Shimat couldn't contain his anger. He felt like he was watching incapable and foolish subordinates.
Right now, Gaila and Bekios had to lead the Red Plutonian tribe when Bakarun was not in his right state. And, in Shimat's view, those two were lacking in every aspect except combat power.
It had always been like this. Shimat had high hopes for awakening the Great battle kings, but this was the reality.
"Compatriot Great battle kings, since when have our Red Plutonian tribe become unable to survive without relying on inferior races?"
"What?"
"Have you become so accustomed to being fed like domesticated beasts?"
"Compatriot Shimat? I think you're making a mistake right now."
"It's not me who's making a mistake; it's the compatriot Great battle kings! Don't you still understand? The Imperial family is taming us. They deliberately manipulate support to create a situation where we have no choice but to be subservient to them. Just like right now!"
"It seems like you momentarily forgot your position, compatriot Shimat. Let me remind you..."
Just as Bekios reached out his fist toward Shimat, Bakarun raised his trembling hand to restrain him.
"Wait... listen... him first..."
Despite his current weakened state, Bakarun held the highest rank among the Great battle kings. Bekios displayed signs of displeasure but immediately stopped his actions.
"Go on, tell us," Bakarun said.
Shimat exchanged a grateful glance with Bakarun and then turned his attention back to the Great battle kings.
"As I mentioned earlier, we have reached a point where we are entirely dependent on the Imperial family. This is due to several reasons. Initially, we had no choice but to accept their support because our situation was dire. Additionally, some of our compatriot Great battle kings made significant mistakes."
He referred to Rakiman and Drek. Especially Drek, if he had not died during his attack on the Empire, they would have been able to exert tremendous pressure with his blood-sucking ability. Moreover, the supply of blood from the imperial family and the bodies of the Blue Plutonians has been diminishing over time.
The Great battle kings continued to silently observe Shimat's audacious demeanor. Until Bakarun expressed his discomfort, no one could voice their discontent to Shimat.
"However, the imperial family is not truly composed of people who genuinely work for the benefit of our Red Plutonian tribe. In my opinion, their goal is to seize our technology to create their own weapons. That's why they have been trading with us whenever they need our technology. In other words, they are manipulating us, weakening us, and making us compliant so they can ultimately devour us or dispose of us."
"So, what do you want to do in the future, compatriot Shimat? As you mentioned, we are already in a situation where we can't do much without the imperial family's assistance."
"That's the main reason we're in this situation, as we didn't gain much from our war against the Zipfel. Initially, the imperial family provided generous support, and due to the absence of Elona Zipfel, we were able to harvest the blood of Zipfel mages. However, our losses have increased over time."
"Then, are you suggesting that we should end the war with the Zipfel?"
"Yes. However, we mustn't make it seem too obvious. This way, the Imperial family won't completely cut off their support. We need to accumulate strength while pretending to continue our fight with Zipfel, just enough for compatriot Bakarun, at the very least, to regain his strength."
"Is it possible to just pretend to fight against Zipfel without the imperial family knowing?"
"It is possible. Since the appearance of Elona Zipfel, the Imperial family hasn't been able to personally confirm every battle we engage in. They fear that Zipfel, or that artifact they call 'the Demon God's Ord,' will be completed, which is why they want to keep themselves as hidden as possible."
"Alright, let's move on. What's next?"
Shimat took a moment to catch his breath.
It was a pivotal moment, a choice that would determine the fate of the Red Plutonian tribe.
"...We will attack the Imperial family. They may think they know everything about us and have been using us, but they don't. So far, they have threatened us by claiming they can reveal the whereabouts of our compatriot battle god, but I believe they don't know where our compatriot battle god is, or even if they do, they might not be able to use him as they wish. If they could have done that, they would have already."
"Hmm, I see… I roughly understand what you are trying to say. But isn't that incredibly risky? We might lose the compatriot battle god forever, and we might lose the Imperial family's support, which we've been receiving..."
"If we don't make such a bold move now, the Red Plutonian tribe will undoubtedly become the Imperial family's pawns. If the Great battle kings choose to ignore my opinion, I will take the path for the sake of the Red Plutonian tribe, even if I have to do it alone."
A heavy silence filled the room. Naturally, the gaze of the Great battle kings and Shimat fixed upon Bakarun.
"We... will... follow... compatriot Shimat's... opinion."
After a brief pause, Bakarun nodded heavily and spoke his agreement.
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