Kaelra remained silent for a long moment after Gerald finished explaining the rods. Her reptilian eyes moved from the floating formation back to the map of the Prime Territory before finally settling on Evelyn.
"I understand the strategy now," she said. "The Twelfth Soul Current is no longer the objective. It is the bait. These rods are the real weapon that allows us to kill Verilux."
Gerald coughed loudly.
"I prefer the term , but yes."
Kaelra ignored him.
"My concern now is no longer whether the plan makes sense. It does." She leaned forward, resting both hands on the table. "My concern is the scale of the force required to make it happen. If we commit our strongest Saints to the expedition, the Dragon Clans will become exposed for the first time in thousands of years. How many Saints does Billion expect each race to contribute?"
The question immediately shifted everyone’s attention toward me.
I remained seated for a few moments before answering.
"I genuinely don’t know."
Several leaders exchanged brief glances.
"I don’t know because no one has ever reached the Twelfth Soul Current and returned alive. We have no idea what guards the prison, what trials remain inside, or how many Saints will ultimately be needed to subdue the Current. Sending too few people almost guarantees failure. Sending every Saint we possess could leave our homes vulnerable before the real war even begins."
I looked directly at Kaelra.
"The only answer I can give today is this, we bring enough strength to conquer the Current. Once we understand what we’re facing, we decide how much of that strength remains with the expedition and how much returns to defend our civilizations."
Kaelra considered my words before giving a slow nod.
"I can accept uncertainty when it comes from lack of information rather than poor planning."
Aelion quietly folded his hands together.
"The Elven Sanctuary has no objection to committing Saints if the situation demands it," he said. "Our concern lies elsewhere."
His emerald eyes drifted across the carved map before returning to Evelyn.
"Every strategy demands payment. Some demand territory. Others demand time. This one demands lives. What price do you believe victory will ultimately require?"
The room became still.
Evelyn answered without hesitation.
"Millions."
Nobody reacted outwardly.
"If every civilization represented here commits fully to this campaign, millions of warriors will die before the Prime Territory is free. Entire settlements may lose every defender they possess. Bloodlines that have survived since the dawn of the Prime Galaxy may disappear forever."
She rested one hand upon the stone map.
"But if we choose not to pay that price, then nothing changes. The Eternals continue ruling. More souls become Phantoms. More Abominations are created. Our descendants inherit the same war we inherited from our ancestors."
Her voice remained calm throughout.
"We have survived for thousands of years."
She slowly looked around the chamber.
"I think it is finally time we started living."
The Demon Lord was the next to speak.
"You ask every civilization to wager everything upon a single campaign," he said thoughtfully. "If we fail, there will not be another alliance. None of us will possess the strength to rebuild what is lost."
"I know," Evelyn replied.
"I merely wished everyone to acknowledge that before we continue."
The Naga Queen inclined her head slightly.
"Our people have navigated the Soul Sea longer than any race gathered here. If the prison lies as far away as the old records suggest, then reaching it may take months, perhaps even years. An expedition of this scale cannot survive on courage alone. How do we reinforce casualties? How do we communicate across such distances?"
Gerald answered before anyone else could.
"I’ll take care of that."
Every head turned toward the old man.
"For the past several days, I’ve been constructing a vessel specifically for this expedition. Its outer shell is layered with Soul Coating and Signature Concealment Arrays, allowing it to mimic the aura of an ordinary Soul Sea beast. Unless someone already knows we’re aboard, the chances of the Eternals noticing us while we travel are extremely small."
He couldn’t help smiling proudly.
"The original design only accommodated a handful of passengers, but after learning the scale of this expedition, I began redesigning it. The larger version should be finished within another two days."
Sue nodded thoughtfully.
"Our communication arrays can be integrated directly into the vessel. As long as it remains intact, every squad deployed outside can maintain contact with the main expedition."
Listening to everyone, I realized the discussion had quietly crossed an invisible line.
Nobody was arguing about the expedition anymore.
Without anyone consciously deciding it, the conversation had shifted entirely toward making the expedition succeed.
Evelyn seemed to notice the same thing.
A faint smile appeared on her face before she slowly rose from her chair once again.
"In that case..."
Her calm voice immediately drew everyone’s attention.
"There remains only one matter that must be settled before preparations officially begin."
Her gaze slowly moved around the circular table.
"Leadership."
Silence returned.
"The Ironheart Clan proposes that the expedition be led by the person who conceived the strategy itself."
She turned toward me.
"We propose Lord Billion as the commander of the expedition."
The silence lasted barely a heartbeat before the room erupted into discussion.
"I object."
"The Dragons object."
"So do the Griffons."
Several voices overlapped almost immediately.
It was the Griffon Chief who spoke first.
"This has nothing to do with disrespect."
He looked directly at me before continuing.
"The strategy may belong to him, but commanding the greatest coalition in the history of the Prime Territory is an entirely different matter."
The Demon Lord gave a slow nod.
"Our civilizations have followed leaders with thousands of years of experience."
His crimson eyes settled upon me.
"Lord Billion possesses extraordinary achievements."
He paused briefly.
"But experience cannot be replaced."
Even Aelion remained silent.
He wasn’t objecting.
Neither was he supporting the proposal.
He was simply waiting.
Evelyn didn’t appear surprised by the reaction.
"In truth..."
She smiled faintly.
"I expected every one of those objections."
She looked toward me before continuing.
"That is why I have no intention of asking anyone in this room to accept Billion as your commander simply because I trust him."
Her eyes swept across the gathered leaders.
"If he is to lead this expedition....he will earn that right."
A quiet chuckle echoed from the far side of the room.
Everyone turned.
Shade slowly rose from his chair, his shadow-like body dissolving around the edges before settling once more.
"Now..."
A faint smile spread across his featureless face.
"...this is finally a discussion I can appreciate."
He stepped away from the table, his eyes never leaving mine.
"Strength has always been the simplest language."
His hands folded neatly behind his back.
"If Lord Billion wishes to command warriors who have survived for thousands of years.....then perhaps he should first demonstrate that he possesses the strength to stand before them."
The room became perfectly still. Shade inclined his head ever so slightly.
"I volunteer."
His smile widened just enough to become unsettling.
"Allow me....to test the man who wishes to lead us."