That figure sent a non-negotiable reply: they were to co to the Council Hall and execute the traitors on the spot, under his supervision.
Furthermore, he commanded them to keep the purge absolute and secretive, digging as hard as they could into the traitors’ regular contacts and recent movents.
Utilising the initial leads provided by Hye and Moth, the Grand Elder escalated the search, leveraging every connection he had to achieve the fastest possible results.
Yet, despite the blackout, the word eventually leaked. As he had feared, the traitors weren’t only the many nas in the list.
First of all, there was one specific faction that remained ominously silent—the very sa faction that had openly antagonised Hye from the mont he arrived. The faction that both he and Moth had suspected right from the start did not respond to his summons.
[Things don’t look nice at all!] After two days of suffocating tension, the Grand Elder suddenly ssaged Moth. [Be ready for an incoming attack. Can you bring Hye here?!]
Moth stared at the ssage in disbelief for several seconds. The shock didn’t stem from the warning of a hit—he had felt the storm gathering—but from the request to summon Hye.
It ant the Grand Elder admitted that the forces coming to besiege the Council were formidable enough to threaten his own elite guard. It ant the aggressors were a big faction, a power bloc equal to the Grand Elder’s own.
Realising this, Moth stole a sideways glance toward the corner of the room where the hardliner faction sat. They were no longer looking at the screens; they were looking at the doors.
[I can use that item, yet it’ll require an insane amount of treasures to activate...] Moth replied, referring to a high-tier spatial displacent artefact he had kept in reserve.
[Use it! We will discuss the cost and the rewards later!] The Grand Elder didn’t even hesitate. He knew the price of failure was the empire itself.
[I’ll need the space lock to be opened for one minute!] Moth stated.
[I’ll do it in half an hour!] the Grand Elder confird. [The communication channel will open briefly a few minutes before the jump. Make sure to let him know exactly what he is walking into!]
[Sure. But still...] Moth hesitated, his mind racing through the variables.
[We’ll need all the help we can!] The Grand Elder’s text flashed across Moth’s interface, each word carrying a weight that made the young Elder’s heart sink. [My spies tell there is a strong army of Toranks heading towards us as we speak!]
Moth froze, his breath hitching. The council hall, already a pressure cooker of suspicion and silent threats, seed to grow even colder. He struggled to process the tactical impossibility of the statent.
[Do you an coming from space?!] Moth ssaged back, his mind instantly jumping to orbital bombardnts and the terrifying sight of Toranks’ new weapon appearing in the sky. If they had breached the planetary defence grid, the war was already lost.
However, the Grand Elder’s next response was even more chilling.
[No. They are moving inside our world, inside our central regions as we speak! Their numbers are vast, and they are supported by that damn faction you suspected from the start!]
[Then...]
[No, we need to summon all the forces we can get, and we need to do it fast!] The Grand Elder’s words carried an authoritative weight, leaving no room for Moth’s inexperienced wavering.
[I’ve already sent the signal for all of our forces across the world to converge. Yet most are scattered, and of those remaining loyal, only a few are close enough to intercept. But...]
[I get it! Leave it to !] Moth’s gaze turned fierce, his previous hesitation replaced by a cold, burning resolve. [Just let know when the communications return, and tell the exact second I can trigger the artefact!]
[Sure!] The Grand Elder replied, before cutting the connection to return to his frantic arrangents for the upcoming bloodbath.
Moth sat in his seat, his eyes scanning the traitors across the hall. He could barely believe the reality of the situation. To have mbers of his own race, at the highest levels of governance, working in tandem with the Toranks to dismantle the empire from within... It made him physically sick.
His hands gripped the armrests of his chair so hard the tal groaned. He swore a silent oath that he would strike them down with his own hands the mont the first shot was fired.
Yet, as he controlled his breathing, another problem lood—one that required a different kind of finesse: Hye.
Moth knew the human. Hye wasn’t the type to flinch from a fight, especially if it ant elevating his status within the Hescos hierarchy. A victory here would transform him from a guest and simple ally into a saviour of the empire. Moreover, the chance to sabotage the Toranks’ grandest sche would be a temptation Hye would find difficult to resist.
’But he isn’t a man of simple generosity,’ Moth sighed inwardly, his mind racing. ’He won’t accept a suicide mission without being properly compensated. Given how desperate our situation is, he’ll know he holds all the cards. He won’t settle for the original requests he gave before.’
This was the dilemma that haunted Moth as the countdown ticked away. He needed an anchor—sothing so enticing, so fundantally valuable, that Hye would be willing to risk his entire fleet and his own life to jump into the heart of a civil war.
’I can’t use the threat of the Toranks attacking his hidden territory,’ Moth thought, discarding the idea imdiately. ’It’s hidden for a reason, and Hye is pragmatic. If the risk is too high here, he’ll simply retreat to defend his own people. He always has a Plan B.’
Moth squeezed his brain, searching for the ultimate carrot. He needed sothing that touched on Hye’s core ambitions—power, rare resources, or perhaps access to high-tech secrets and innovations.
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