Chapter 412
A bitter resentment simmered within him. The absurdity of it all struck him: he was planning war games, strategizing troop movements and siege tactics, while beings of immense power were engaged in a struggle of cosmic proportions. It felt trivial, almost insulting. He envisioned himself as a child playing with toy soldiers while a storm raged overhead.
"They think they can handle everything themselves," he muttered to the empty room, his voice laced with frustration. "They think they can keep us in the dark, protect us like children. But I will not be protected. I will not be kept in the dark."
He paced the room, his mind racing. He understood the apelings’ desire for secrecy, their need to operate without interference. But he also felt a burning need to contribute, to prove his worth, to show the godlings that he was not just a king of men, but a force to be reckoned with.
"If they want to fight their secret war," he thought, "then I will fight my own. I will expand my kingdom, amass power, and make myself impossible to ignore. When the dust settles, they will see what I have accomplished. They will see that I am not a child to be protected, but an ally to be reckoned with."
Nwadiebeube wasn’t the only king to receive this message—Osita did as well. Major kingdoms across different continents were sent the same warning, even Murmur, who had believed his presence had long been forgotten.
The entire world was in agreement about the plans of the demigods. Even Murmur, who had stepped back from the mortal realm and refrained from exploiting the situation, realized there was nothing to gain if everything was lost to the gods’ counterparts.
The only one planning to make a move was Björn, who received the message from Mahu. For him, there was no better time to insert himself and his ambitions than when the world’s attention was consumed by the demigods.
Björn had decided that Yuki would bear his child, who would ascend to the throne of the Björn Kingdom. This child would stabilize the kingdom’s fractured structure and establish it as one of the powerhouses of the Northern Continent, alongside the werewolves and humans of the Silver Kingdom.
Change was occurring rapidly with the coming ascension of the demigods. Björn knew that the origin gods would no longer focus as intently on the mortal realm, as one of their primary concerns—the safety of their children—was now addressed. With the ascensions underway, this concern was no longer relevant.