Chapter 24
At the Division 9 Main base
Ray sat in his room with an angry expression. "Such moves are the reason we aren't at our full potential," he spoke, his expression darkening as he took a deep breath.
"I need to make more progress with the body modification technology. If it succeeds, I will be able to break my limit and reach the Platinum Stage in my mana core, enabling me to challenge a Saint. Only then will I take the throne from you, Arthur," Ray said, his eyes burning with intensity before he sighed in frustration.
"But the progress is slow. Furthermore, someone entered my base during the Tier 9 Mana beast attack and stole some of my research. We weren't able to catch the person, but if this information gets out, then I need to be the first to have a breakthrough." Ray wasn't a scientist himself, but he had many people working for him who were.
Ray wasn't entirely wrong, especially considering the current times and the stance of Sky King Arthur. However, Ray's motives were to have the many eyes of the Clover clan, envious of their ocular power. Even more, he wanted to remove a threat to his position as Sky King after he killed Arthur, as the Clover clan would be the only one capable of challenging him at that point.
Arthur was also right in his position. After the heavy losses the Hidden Sky City had faced, confronting the other empires would be too risky. Starting a civil war when they were already weakened was a fool's thought. But by not acting, he was showing the Clover clan that he feared the impact of their absence, which gave them the confidence to act more boldly.
With spies from other nations in the city, they would send information back to their homelands, which would in turn give those nations the confidence to attack. Arthur wanted neither a civil war nor a war with other nations. However, the Sky Empire's victory in the Fourth Great War between the five empires—and the two before it—had surely caused the other nations to harbor deep resentment, just waiting for the right time to strike them down.
This was similar to the previous war, where all four nations came to take down the Sky Empire. While they did fight among themselves, their primary focus was the Sky Empire. Being surrounded by those nations didn't help, and the small and large kingdoms suffered greatly from the clashes.
In the Clover Clan Grounds.
The Patriarch, a tall man with a muscular figure, dark blue hair, and black eyes, sat at the head of the table, looking at the various people assembled. Austin stood behind him.
"Patriarch, we haven't been allowed to leave our clan grounds for months now. This has to stop; we are not toys," an Elder spoke loudly.
"After all our pride as the strongest clan, and all we did in the previous war, this is how they treat us? It is unacceptable! We should strike while the empire is at its weakest and take the position of Sky King. If they won't accept our merits, then we will take it by force," another Elder spoke.
All five people at the table were Moon Class Elites who held significant power within the Hidden Sky City. The entire Clover clan had over 30 Moon Class Elites within its grounds.
The Sky King's army had around 40 Moon Class Elites, after 15 died in the Tier 9 Mana beast attack. The other clans had four to eight Moon Class Elites in their ranks. Altogether, even after losing some Moon Class and two Saint Class Elites, the Hidden Sky City was still strong, though not at its peak.
Its strength could now be compared to the other hidden cities, whereas before it had been superior. The Patriarch looked at the elders agreeing with the aggressive words and sighed. He spoke in a deep voice that was clearly heard by everyone, "Elders, please calm yourselves."
Everyone fell silent as the Patriarch said, "If I hadn't revealed my Four Clover Eyes to you all during the Third Great War, none of you would have the confidence to speak like this."
Everyone lowered their heads as the Patriarch continued, "Yes, what the Sky King is doing to us is unfair, especially when we have the right to be respected. But I believe Arthur is a reasonable man. I know that the reason he is denying us now is because of the threat of a war with the other hidden cities. Therefore, we will not act now. We will wait until the other nations have backed down, giving us an opportunity to speak with the Sky King once more. If he denies us then, we will use force. But do not expect the other clans to take our side. We are alone in this. Even so, I would like to talk with the Sky King first and try my best before resorting to force."
He looked at everyone and said, "Do we understand each other?"
The Elders nodded, and one of them said, "We understand. But speak to him about this lockdown. They have already used mind readers on us, which is disgraceful enough. Also, allow our Elites to take on missions and resume their jobs with the police."
"I understand, Elder. It won't take long," the Patriarch nodded. He then looked at Austin. "Okay, let's leave this issue for another day. Go and inform your parties. We will talk in the next meeting; I have things I need to do."
Everyone left the room, leaving the Patriarch sighing and holding his head. "Austin, you are our best talent. You will be entering the Black Ops competition being held soon. I also want your thoughts. What should I do about this situation?"
Austin looked at the Patriarch and questioned, "Do you want to become the Sky King?"
The Patriarch nodded. "For my clan, yes. And why not break the record? No one from a clan other than the Imperial Clan or the Silver Clan has ever become a Sky King. I could become the third clansman to achieve this." He smiled.
"Then I think your mind is already made up," Austin answered.
"Hmm, but are you in agreement with those thoughts? Tell me the truth," the Patriarch questioned.
"No, I am not," Austin said.
"Why?" the Patriarch asked.
"Because there should be another way besides fighting our own people," Austin spoke.
"Our own people are in this clan!" the Patriarch replied, slightly annoyed. "If they don't allow us our rights and try their hardest to push us down..."
Austin didn't say anything.
The Patriarch concluded, "As the 13th Patriarch, I, Levi Motomato, will bring that achievement to our Clan."