Three days later, Sombravida had replenished his stock of Void Beast Thunder and was preparing the next phase of territorial compression against the Northwest Alliance.
Just as he began redeploying forces, five mid-tier Adjuchas signatures entered his sensory range simultaneously.
Sombravida paused.
"The Northwest lords."
Aside from the late Gross, five lord-level figures remained within that alliance.
If all five were moving together, it was not coincidence.
It was negotiation.
He smiled faintly.
"Summon all lord-level units."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A speed-type Adjuchas vanished instantly.
Controlled Reception
"My lord," Nel asked quietly, already raising her spiritual pressure to combat readiness, "negotiation?"
"It had better be," Sombravida replied calmly.
"If not… they may not leave today."
His tone was casual.
But not arrogant.
Over the past days of absorption and refinement, his reiatsu density had risen again. Against five mid-tier Adjuchas alone, victory was uncertain—
But escape was trivial.
And this was not a duel.
This was his territory.
And he had prepared it.
The Five Arrive
Soon the five lords appeared at the edge of his camp.
They halted.
Their expressions shifted.
Sombravida sat calmly upon a wooden stake.
Nel stood at his side.
Seven or eight Adjuchas guarded behind him.
Yet—
They sensed only Sombravida's spiritual pressure.
Nothing else.
Because the moment he detected their approach, Sombravida had activated his concealment technique, suppressing and distorting the surrounding reiatsu field.
Unless they visually confirmed otherwise, they would perceive only him.
Psychological advantage.
Immediate.
"You are… Sombravida? Yinfeng's subordinate?" one lord asked cautiously.
"Yes," Sombravida replied mildly.
"And you are the lords of the Northwest Alliance."
"What brings you here?"
Probing Authority
"We have come to speak with Lord Yinfeng," the lead lord said carefully.
"Would you inform him the Northwest lords request audience?"
"Yinfeng is on his way," Sombravida replied evenly.
"You may speak directly to me."
A pause.
The five exchanged glances.
He had said "Yinfeng."
Not "Lord Yinfeng."
Then—
Jekain arrived.
Behind him came multiple lord-tier figures.
Including Ogrind and Barbournes.
Jekain bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty. Forgive my delay."
The gesture was deliberate.
The title was unmistakable.
The five Northwest lords understood instantly.
They had misjudged the power structure completely.
Negotiation Begins
"Well then," Sombravida said lightly.
"Now that everyone is present… speak."
The leading lord swallowed.
"Lord Sombravida… we wish to understand your intention."
"You pressure our territory."
"You do not commit to full invasion."
"You control the tempo."
"We have no personal enmity."
"So we ask…"
"Can we cooperate?"
Sombravida chuckled softly.
"You already understand the situation."
"I have no desire to fight you."
"You manage vast lands."
"So do we."
"But Gatmont complicates matters."
The implication was clear.
They seized it instantly.
"That tyrant disrupts the forest's balance."
"He slaughtered our subordinates."
"He must be stopped."
Rapid alignment followed.
Open rebellion.
Joint action.
The Leadership Question
One lord pressed carefully:
"However… a coalition requires direction."
"Who leads?"
Sombravida shook his head.
"The Central Tree has already been divided."
"Resources are shared."
"Leadership is secondary."
"What matters is preparation."
"The Northern Forest remains resource-rich."
"They were not weakened heavily."
"If we end this conflict…"
"We must be ready for the next."
This was not humility.
It was redirection.
He did not claim kingship.
He implied inevitability.
The five lords understood.
He was thinking beyond Gatmont.
Terms of Alignment
"Three days," one lord said.
"We contact the Western and Southwestern alliances."
"Then we strike Gatmont."
Sombravida nodded.
"I will contribute."
"Ogrind. Barbournes."
"You will accompany them."
"And several newly promoted Adjuchas."
They would serve as visible proof of alliance.
"And," Sombravida added calmly,
"To demonstrate goodwill…"
"I withdraw my forces from your core territory."
The tension dissipated instantly.
Relief flashed across the five faces.
They had expected annihilation.
Instead—
They received space.
Strategic Equilibrium
After the five withdrew, Nel glanced at Sombravida.
"You trust them?"
"I don't need to."
Sombravida's smile remained.
"Whether they inform Gatmont or the Western Alliance first is irrelevant."
"As long as neither side unites against me."
"That is enough."
Three powers.
Balanced.
Each afraid to commit fully.
And Sombravida—
Waited.
The Coalition Forms
True to their word, within three days the Northwest Alliance mobilized toward the Western Alliance.
Ogrind and Barbournes traveled with them.
Sombravida observed in concealment.
Then, within two more days, the Western lords moved to coordinate with the Southwestern front.
The coalition was real.
Sombravida withdrew fully from Northwest lands.
He focused instead on fortifying the north and northeast.
Void Beast Mines multiplied.
Resources consolidated.
He would wait.
Let predators clash.
The War Explodes
One week after coalition contact—
War erupted.
Three alliances struck Gatmont simultaneously.
Over ten lord-tier Adjuchas.
Dozens of sub-lords.
The initial exchange reversed Gatmont's advantage instantly.
He nearly fell in the first engagement.
Only his adjutant's sacrifice enabled his escape through Garganta.
Gatmont's Fury
Back within his territory, Gatmont's spiritual pressure trembled with rage.
"What is happening?!"
"Was Yinfeng not containing two alliances?!"
The messenger knelt in terror.
"My lord… the last report indicated successful containment…"
"I do not understand why both northern alliances are present…"
Gatmont's expression darkened.
"Investigate the northern front immediately."
"If Yinfeng still lives, he is to send Adjuchas reinforcements at once."
"We must consolidate for decisive counterstrike."
"Yes, my lord!"
The messenger opened a Garganta and vanished.
Gatmont stared toward the north.
"Yinfeng…"
"What game are you playing?"
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