Chapter 518: Everyone Shocked Twice
Rachel and the others stood near the side of the hall for a moment.
Her eyes moved across the crowd, taking in the unfamiliar faces. "There are a lot of people I don’t recognize."
Arden, standing beside her, gave a small nod. "Most of them are Grand Faction leaders, or their direct representatives."
Rachel nodded in understanding. After a brief pause, her gaze settled on two figures standing off to the side.
Without waiting any longer, she adjusted Giselle in her arms and started toward them.
Clark stood with Floren; the two of them didn’t talk to others easily, as they were the only otherworlders there.
Floren noticed her first. His expression brightened, and a small smile formed. "Oh? If it isn’t Rachel."
Clark turned his head at that, his eyes landing on her. "Oh, Rachel. Didn’t expect to see you here."
Both of them glanced past her for a moment, as if looking for someone else.
Floren raised a brow. "Where’s Garion?"
Rachel gave a calm smile. "He’s not here. He’s out training. I’m representing God Gym in his place."
Clark nodded slowly. "I see. And, by the way..."
Both he and Floren shifted their attention to the baby in her arms.
Floren lifted his fan and pointed lightly toward Giselle. "Whose baby is that?"
He let out a short chuckle, though there was curiosity in his eyes. "Don’t tell me she’s yours."
A beat passed. He leaned forward slightly. "Seriously... she isn’t, right?"
Rachel met his gaze and nodded. "She’s mine. Her name is Giselle."
For a moment, both Clark and Floren froze.
Floren blinked. "Wait... what?"
Clark took a small step back, clearly thrown off. "That... shouldn’t be possible."
Rachel looked at them, noting the exact same stunned expression she had seen from Sorien before.
She could already guess the questions forming in their minds.
Before either of them could speak again, she cut in smoothly.
"Don’t worry about it. Things are a bit different for us, so don’t think too much about it."
Floren stared at her for another second, then let out a quiet breath. "Of course it is. Garion really is a mysterious person."
Clark sighed, though a faint smile tugged at his lips. "Alright. We won’t ask. We respect your privacy."
Rachel inclined her head slightly. "Thank you."
---
The hall slowly quieted as Sianor stepped onto the stage.
He stopped at the center and looked over the crowd, letting the silence settle.
Dozens of leaders sat before him, their eyes fixed on the platform.
"Welcome, leaders of the grand factions," he said, his voice calm but firm. "The meeting will now begin."
Around the hall, the leaders nodded and straightened in their seats, their expressions turning serious.
Sianor clasped his hands behind his back. "As I mentioned before, this meeting concerns a possible war against the Black Chimera."
A low wave of murmurs spread through the room. Some leaned toward their neighbors, whispering under their breath.
One of the leaders leaned forward, frowning. "A war?" he said, his tone sharp.
"Why would we need to wage war against a mere demonic group like the Black Chimera?"
He crossed his arms, clearly unconvinced. "If you want to wage war, do you really need to gather all of us here?"
Several others nodded in agreement, their doubts plain on their faces.
Sianor gave a small smile, as if he had expected the reaction.
"That’s fair," he said. "I apologize for not explaining everything earlier."
He lifted his gaze, scanning the room again before continuing.
"The reason is simple. The Black Chimera has multiple members who have reached the Fourth Realm, the Perfection Realm."
The moment the words left his mouth, the hall fell into stunned silence.
A few leaders stiffened. Others widened their eyes or exchanged tense glances. The earlier skepticism vanished almost instantly.
The same leader who had spoken before leaned back slowly.
"I see," he said, his voice quieter now. "No wonder all of us were called here."
Enemies at the Perfection Realm were not something anyone could ignore.
Several leaders nodded, their expressions grim.
Sianor inclined his head.
"Yes. That is one reason you are all here." He paused briefly, then added, "There is another."
He took a step forward, his tone growing more serious. "We have also discovered their base."
That drew everyone’s full attention.
"It is a place filled with extremely dense demonic energy," Sianor continued.
"We believe it to be their stronghold... or at least a location where they are preparing something."
A faint crease formed between his brows. "We do not yet know what that is."
The room remained silent, the tension slowly building.
"But one thing is certain," Sianor said, his voice firm. "If we continue to ignore them, it will become very dangerous for all of us."
No one argued this time.
Then the same person earlier cleared his throat. "So what is the plan, then?" he asked, glancing between the others.
Sianor did not hesitate. He leaned forward slightly.
"It’s simple. We go in and strike directly," he said. "We don’t have time for extended planning."
A few of the leaders exchanged looks.
Some frowned, but after a moment, they gave small, reluctant nods. It was risky, but given the situation, it made sense.
Others were not convinced.
One of the leaders suddenly shook his head, his chair scraping softly against the floor as he shifted.
"If that’s the case," he said, his tone tight, "then I will withdraw."
The words cut through the room.
All eyes turned to him at once, including Sianor’s.
Sianor frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
The man met his gaze without backing down.
"This war is with the Black Chimera," he said. "They have Perfection Realm cultivators."
He paused, letting that sink in before adding, "But don’t forget, not every grand faction has cultivators at that level."
As he spoke, several others nodded in agreement, their expressions turning uneasy.
He continued, his voice steady but firm. "If we join this fight, we will be the first victims of this war."
He glanced around the room, making sure his words reached everyone.
"Yes, we are a grand faction, but we are not the heroes of the world."