Vexarius clenched his jaw, saying nothing.
"To protect the people of the human domain," Oberon continued. "And now, our apex is doing the exact same thing. So why do you resist?"
"Don't compare me to that selfish brat!" Vexarius snapped. "You're forgetting, he's the one who brought all this chaos to our doorstep! Why did he have to kill the Dimensari and Dragon race apexes?!"
Oberon narrowed his eyes. "Was I not speaking in a language you understood? They betrayed the alliance. They attacked the military camp. If not for Atticus, our descendants would all be dead."
"Still…" Vexarius growled through clenched teeth.
"None of that matters anymore," Oberon said. "What matters is now. He's trying to save the human domain. And you resist? Do you honestly think you can save it yourself? Or is your pride, your ego, worth more than the billions of lives that call this place home?"
Those words struck deep. Too deep.
Vexarius's trembling stopped.
His fists clenched tightly, teeth grinding so hard they cracked. Then, finally, he retrieved a mana contract.
The pressure bearing down on him lessened just enough to let him sign it.
As he did, the contract vanished, and with it, the crushing weight that pinned him.
Still seething, Vexarius rose and flew back to his seat in silence, his gaze burning. But he didn't raise any objections anymore.
Atticus finally opened his eyes, and his gaze moved calmly to Oberon.
"Now that that's done…" he said, "how are the imposters and spies within our system?"
"Since you left, we've doubled down on our efforts to purge the human domain of infiltrators. New detection methods have been introduced, mana resonance tests, bloodline frequency scans. So far, the results have been effective."
He paused briefly, then added, "I can't speak for the masses, but in every critical sector, military, politics, research, and defense, there are no more spies."
Atticus gave a single nod of approval.
"Good. The plan from here is simple."
The room sharpened.
Every paragon leaned in instinctively. The attack had just happened, and yet, he already had a plan?
Atticus continued,
"Activate the Domain Aegis Shield. Maintain it for as long as possible. Ensure every node is guarded and fortify each one."
The instruction was… straightforward…
The Aegis Shield was their most powerful defense, and activating it was something done only in the direst emergencies.
The paragons waited, certain more orders would follow. More elaborate steps. Grand strategies.
But none came.
Atticus said nothing else.
Instead, he rose to his feet, adjusted his cloak, and gave a curt nod toward the assembled paragons.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked out of the hall, Magnus silently moving with him.
The heavy doors closed behind them.
And for the first time in a long while, the paragons of humanity remained seated… but none could speak.
…
A cold voice reverberated through a vast, dimly lit chamber.
"…What?"
The sound of gritted teeth echoed in the silence, followed by the faint creak of clenched fists.
A stunning woman with flowing crimson hair remained bowed low, trembling in anger. She didn't answer.
"Jezeneth," the voice called again, this time sharper, more venomous.
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