Chapter 788: Directives and limitation
Somber expressions momentarily crossed the faces of the Depravitas, but sharpness and determination soon replaced the fleeting doubt. They had encountered countless adversaries in the past—alien monsters, cunning angels, monstrous demons, and even gods. This would not be an easy path, but they would face it head-on and emerge victorious as they always had. Their will was forged in war, and no obstacle would stand between them and their mission.
The True Depravita of Wrath, stood at the center of the group. Seeing the burning confidence and steadfast determination in the eyes of his warriors, he allowed himself a brief, rare smile. It was faint but sincere. In that moment, he was certain of one thing—so long as they stood united, there was no trial too great, no tribulation too daunting. As long as they remained together, they would succeed.
Taking a deep breath, Vlad centered himself. A new sharpness ignited in his glowing gaze. The fire of wrath was not always blind rage; in Vlad, it was a focused blaze, capable of temperance and strategic thought. He gave a small, solemn nod, and turned his attention toward the distance as he felt a powerful presence approaching.
Moments later, Overlord emerged.
A hushed silence swept over the gathering as the A.I. Chip Clone of the Xaos Kingdom strode toward them. His Divine Avatar body glinted under the pale light, displaying an aura that did not feel short of that of a High Legend. He stopped a few paces from the group and performed a brief, respectful nod toward Vlad.
With the core members of the Xaos Kingdom now assembled, Vlad initiated the transfer of critical intelligence he had acquired from the Exilon World. A wave of invisible data surged from his A.I. Chip and streamed into the minds of the other Depravitas and Overlord. Though the transfer itself was instantaneous, the information was so vast and overwhelming that it took them several minutes to mentally recover and refocus.
The data was staggering. It was clear that the Emperor had not been idle in his reconnaissance. Within the trove of knowledge was an intricately detailed map of Exilon—down to obscure villages with populations of less than a hundred. The strategic value was immeasurable.
Naturally, the group focused on the critical military targets: three colossal training compounds where elite soldiers were forged from childhood. These soldiers were engineered to become merciless, fearless living weapons. But more important than even these deadly warriors were the locations of the three Interstellar Teleportation Formations. These constructs had to be destroyed—simultaneously.
If even one formation remained operational, it would allow Exilon’s inhabitants to flee to the Zanis Family’s homeworld and alert them to the invasion. Secrecy, then, was not a luxury—it was a necessity.
Marked in red on the map were three "Hidden Zones"—secluded areas where the Silence Towers had to be constructed. These towers would emit a wide-range interference field, blocking all forms of communication. Once activated, they would blanket Exilon in silence, cutting it off entirely from the outside universe. No distress signals. No cries for help. Only the void.
A profound stillness fell over the room as the gravity of their task sank in. Finally, the A.I. Chip Clone, Overlord, spoke, its voice devoid of emotion:
"In essence, we must construct all three Silence Towers in absolute secrecy, and then activate them at the exact moment we destroy the Interstellar Teleportation Formations. No deviations. Not even the slightest delay. Furthermore, we cannot allow a single soul to detect our movements—civilian or otherwise."
The weight of Overlord’s words hung in the air like a looming specter. The Depravitas accepted their grim mission without flinching, but that didn’t mean they were blind to the difficulty. This would test them in every conceivable way—strategically, morally, and emotionally.
Overlord paused, calculating probabilities in silence, then turned toward Vlad.
"Are we permitted to exterminate all witnesses? Should we burn entire towns to the ground if they lie in our path?"
The question caused a visible shift in Vlad’s expression. His eyes narrowed, and the room seemed to grow colder. Overlord, though highly advanced and capable of thought indistinguishable from human intelligence, was still artificial at his core. He had no empathy, no morality—only efficiency. To the A.I., moral compromise was a wasteful inefficiency.
To him, the extermination of innocents was a small price to pay for mission success.
Vlad, however, was not a machine.
He had grown through war and loss, tempered by pain, but he had not become a monster.
"In Exilon," Vlad began, his voice steady but firm, "every citizen is trained from birth. They are soldiers—children included. But that does not mean we must descend into butchery. I will not sanction the murder of children. We will bind them, detain them, and transport them to our strongholds. Once our objectives are completed and secrecy is no longer vital, we can release them."
The Depravitas allowed themselves faint smiles at Vlad’s decree. They had expected nothing less from their leader. Ruthless in war—but not without principles.
Overlord, however, stared blankly at Vlad, his mechanical mind processing his words with icy detachment.
"We will be slaughtering their families," the A.I. said, his tone as calm as ever. "These children will grow to hate you. Would it not be more efficient to eliminate them now and remove the problem at its root?"
Vlad exhaled slowly, releasing a deep sigh.
"They will live to hate me," he replied, "and I accept that. Hatred is irrelevant. Let them loathe my name and curse my kingdom. As long as we are strong enough to defend ourselves, it does not matter who hates us. Peace is not the absence of hate—it is the presence of overwhelming power and the fear of retaliation."
Overlord remained still, his face unreadable. Efficiency was his highest directive, and in his logic-driven framework, Vlad’s mercy seemed inefficient—illogical.
But the Prima Master’s will was law.
And so, the A.I. Chip Clone bowed his head and accepted the directive without further resistance.
With the foundation of their strategy set and their moral boundaries clearly defined, the group began to assess their next steps. Every detail had to be perfected. There could be no room for error—not in a mission of this magnitude.
"We have three weeks until our march into Exilon," Vlad announced, his tone steady and deliberate. "On that day, the Graeica Emperor will manipulate the Laws of Space-Time across the entire planet, concealing the signal of our arrival for exactly ten hours. During that window, we must deploy all of our forces."
The room fell silent.
Even among the Legendary Depravitas, that declaration struck with the force of awe. Eyes widened, breaths caught in throats. The group had always known that the White Death was immensely powerful. But this? Altering the Laws of Space-Time on a planetary scale was not just power. It was divinity.
They had already begun to master the Laws, but they could barely control them within a limited radius—perhaps a few thousand meters, and even then only after exhausting every ounce of strength and will. What Alexandro would do was simply beyond comprehension. It reminded them that, no matter how strong they had become, there were still levels of power that towered above them like gods over mortals.
But the Depravitas did not allow themselves to dwell in awe or wonder for long. Admiration would not help them win a war.
Focus returned quickly.
They had preparations to make. The troops that would march on Exilon had to be flawless. There could be no weak links, no hesitation, and absolutely no mistakes. One slip—one careless word or action—could reveal their presence and alert the Exilon leadership. Secrecy was paramount.
The enemy could not know what was coming until it was already too late.
"Anglius is already in the process of selecting our best generals and the top-tier soldiers," Vlad continued. "Only the elite of the elite will join this campaign. Our task now is twofold: we must refine our own powers further, and we must personally guide the development of our core champions, including the Royal Guards."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Every warrior in this mission had to be more than capable—they had to be perfect.
The Depravitas would be the spearhead, but they needed people capable of sharing that burden and performing incredibly dangerous tasks with absolute certainty of success. No matter how strong a Legend was, they needed an army if they wanted to conquer a world.
The challenge ahead would require a lot of hard work, and they needed to take advantage of every second they had to prepare themselves and the army. The entire Xaos Kingdom enters in motion for the next few weeks, as they prepare themselves for the invasion.