One of the supporting officers nodded immediately.
"I agree. The Sword Maiden has not made a move for weeks. That doesn’t match her usual behavior."
Another officer added, "It’s possible she was injured in the previous battles. If that is the case, this might be our best chance to finish her."
Several of the other officers murmured in agreement.
The room slowly filled with voices supporting the idea.
"We should not hesitate."
"If she recovers, the situation will only become worse for us."
"This opportunity might not appear again."
The commander listened to them quietly, but the slight smile on his face made his thoughts obvious.
Avery stood on the opposite side of the table.
She frowned slightly.
"That reasoning is too rushed You are assuming the Sword Maiden is injured, but there is no real evidence supporting that," she said calmly.
One of the officers turned toward her with a frown.
"And what is your suggestion then, Dean Avery?" he asked.
Avery crossed her arms.
"We should wait for our allies. Something about this situation feels strange. The Sword Maiden is not someone who would sit quietly without a reason," she said calmly.
The commander’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"We cannot remain passive forever. Waiting without acting will only weaken our position. The troops are already restless," he said.
"That’s exactly why you shouldn’t rush into a battle. If this is a trap, you will be walking straight into it," Avery said. She could feel a faint rising irritation. These people were trying to walk to their doom.
Several officers exchanged glances, but the commander remained unmoved.
"A trap?" he repeated.
He leaned slightly forward.
"So your proposal is that we do nothing while the Sword Maiden gathers strength?"
Avery frowned. "I’m saying we should investigate properly before making a decision."
"I have already made my decision. The army will prepare for an attack," the commander replied.
Avery’s expression darkened slightly.
Her group was small compared to the commander’s supporters, and more importantly, the authority to make the final decision belonged to the commander.
As a Dean, she was still one rank below him.
For a moment, Avery didn’t respond.
Selene, who had been sitting quietly near her side, watched everything without speaking.
Weeks ago, she would have felt nervous in a situation like this.
But now things were different.
This Trial was only an imitation of the past, yet the experience she had gained here was real.
She had commanded powerful awakeners.
She had negotiated with kingdoms and leaders.
She had faced decisions that could change the direction of entire armies.
Those experiences had changed her.
Now, instead of fear, she simply felt calm.
Selene looked at the commander again.
It wasn’t hard to understand what was happening.
The commander wasn’t pushing for an attack because of strategy.
He wanted revenge.
The previous battles had humiliated him, and he wanted to erase that shame.
Selene slowly stood up.
"Avery, we can’t allow them to attack. So take care of it," she said calmly.
Then she turned and began walking toward the exit.
Her followers quickly followed her out of the hall.
The commander frowned when he saw that.
"Wait," one of his supporters shouted. "You can’t just walk out of the meeting!"
"What kind of behavior is this?!" Another officer slammed his hand on the table.
But Selene didn’t even look back.
Within seconds, she and her group had left the hall.
The commander’s expression darkened.
Meanwhile, outside the meeting hall, Avery chuckled softly.
"Well," she said, "the chick has grown quite a bit, hasn’t she? She is starting to give me orders instead of making a request."
Then her eyes slowly shifted back toward the meeting hall door.
Her smile faded.
Her figure began to change.
The human-like figure—an illusion—disappeared.
Her true form revealed itself.
What stood there could no longer be called human.
It was something far beyond that.
An existence so strange and incomprehensible that no sane mind could process it.
Inside the meeting hall, the commander stiffened.
His body refused to move.
His instincts screamed at him to run, but his legs wouldn’t respond.
Around him, the other officers began screaming.
Some collapsed onto the floor while clutching their heads.
Others staggered backward in horror.
Just looking at Avery’s true form felt like their minds were being torn apart.
The commander’s face turned pale.
Sweat ran down his forehead.
"You... You are not from this world," he muttered, his voice shaking.
Avery didn’t reply.
Instead, she looked down at him with cold amusement.
"Insects," she said calmly. "Look at yourself trembling, fearing what is going to happen."
The commander’s entire body shook.
"If only you weren’t so greedy to kill the Sword Maiden, and had actually thought logically, this situation might not have happened," Avery said.
...
Outside the meeting office, Selene stood quietly.
Her followers were gathered around her, but their expressions were uneasy.
One of them finally spoke.
"Lady Selene... what exactly are you and Dean Avery planning?"
Another added nervously, "Should we really be doing this?"
Selene looked at them and smiled faintly.
"I was planning to explain that soon. But I hope that once everything is revealed, all of you will support me," she said.
Her followers felt a sudden chill.
They understood the meaning behind her words.
It sounded polite. But it was also a warning. If they didn’t support her, there would be consequences.
None of them replied.
At that moment, the door of the meeting hall slowly opened.
Avery walked out.
Her appearance had returned to normal.
She looked just as elegant as before, with a pleasant smile on her face.
"Is it done?" Selene asked.
"It is," Avery replied casually.
Selene studied her for a moment.
"Were you injured?"
Avery covered her mouth and giggled.
"Haha, you jest. It was only the commander of the Ladder of Heavens."
Her tone sounded almost playful.
Selene nodded slightly.
Behind them, several followers cautiously glanced into the meeting hall.
Then they froze.
The entire room was covered in blood.
Bodies lay scattered across the floor.
None of the officers had survived.
From there, it took only a few hours for Selene to become the new commander of the Ladder of Heavens. She used Avery to crush all opposition, and took control of everything.