The moment Zeke returned from his state of heightened consciousness, he felt exhaustion take hold. Even though he was in far better condition than last time, the spell had still taken a toll. Fortunately, the Firebrand School only had a couple hundred Slaves, making it possible for him to retain his consciousness.
"Quick, Akasha, connect me to all my Slaves," Zeke instructed while catching his breath.
Using [Telepathy] on multiple targets wasn't all that difficult, but every additional person took a bit of added mental focus. A trained Mage might be able to connect to around a dozen people at a time if they focused hard enough, but anything more than that was almost impossible. However, for Akasha, there were no such limits.
Zeke felt a sizable amount of Mind Mana pass through his Core, almost knocking the breath out of him. At the same time, Akasha's consciousness divided itself into hundreds of branches, each focusing on a different target.
[Notice]
The connection has been established.
Zeke took a deep breath, focused his mind, and projected his voice with as much authority as he could muster. "Members of the Firebrand school, this is your new Master. I command each and every one of you to immediately let yourselves fall down and pretend to be dead. You will remain in that state until requested to do otherwise. This is an order."
His instructions didn't end there. "Members of the Ember Scar Cartel, pick up one of the fallen members of the Firebrand School, dead or alive, and bring them back to our headquarters. Don't leave a single body behind. Don't let anybody stop you."
Zeke then cut the connection as he noticed Ravi approaching rapidly. The Archmage was clad in lightning and soared through the air like a force of nature. He would be here in no time at all. However, there was one more thing Zeke had to do before then. He immediately used [Telepathy] to connect to the group of his closest followers to give them their instructions.
"Gravitas, bring Vulcanos and Raavan back. The rest of you chase after the remaining forces of the Firebrand school. We cannot let them escape—"
Ravi landed, debris shooting off in every direction from the violent impact. Zeke cut the connection and observed the Archmage. Ravi, for his part, didn't even look at Zeke and was wholly focused on the body of his old rival. For a while, neither of the two talked as Ravi stared at the corpse of Mahesh.
Then, the lightning ceased to arc around his body, and he slowly turned to Zeke. "How did you do it, boy?"
Zeke didn't dare to be flippant at the moment as he could see the wariness on Ravi's face. It was understandable. Zeke had been instrumental in the death of not one but two Archmages. There was no way Ravi would just let something like that go without an explanation. "I used his son as bait to draw him into a trap. My strongest subordinates were waiting in ambush for when he was trying to attack me."
While Zeke talked, Ravi observed their surroundings, apparently looking for something. "And where are those subordinates now?"
Zeke realized what Ravi was getting at. This would be the perfect time to double-cross him if he had any intentions of doing so. Even so, the lack of trust stung a little. However, it wasn't all that surprising. Zeke had shown himself to be far more dangerous than Ravi had assumed, dealing not only with the Master of the Ember Scar Cartel but also the Firebrand School on his own.
"They are chasing after the remnants of the Firebrand school," Zeke answered honestly.
Even so, Ravi didn't seem entirely convinced as he continued to glance around, as if fearing somebody would emerge from the shadows to attack him. At that moment, the first of the members of the Ember Scar Cartel passed by overhead, carrying a body.
Ravi's fists began to crackle with lightning, but he soon relaxed after he noticed that they were merely passing by. He observed the dozens of figures that came after, each carrying one or two bodies.
"What are they doing?" he asked.
"Getting rid of the bodies," Zeke explained. "Even though there is no real law in this place, we should still clean up, to hide our traces, if nothing else."
Ravi nodded slowly, shifting his focus away from the members of the Ember Scar Cartel. Zeke breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Ravi didn't delve deeper into the matter. Revealing the ability to retrieve Slave contracts from the souls of the deceased was something he couldn't afford. After all, this was an ability so terrifying that it could overturn the established order in all of Korrovan.
Ravi looked at Zeke with a piercing gaze. There was no hostility in his eyes—not yet—but a lot of caution. "Who are you really, 'Pete'?" the man asked, pronouncing his name almost mockingly. It was clear that he knew it wasn't his real name.
Zeke sighed. He had anticipated this outcome. After all, he had shown himself far too capable over the last few days, moving behind the scenes and toppling one established power after the other. No matter how good of an impression Ravi had of him, he would be a fool not to be at least a little wary.
"I represent a sizable force from Tradespire," Zeke said. "I cannot give you a name, but I can guarantee that we come with peaceful intentions."
Ravi looked at the corpse of Mahesh lying nearby, then back at Zeke, raising a single eyebrow. "You call that peaceful?"
Zeke shook his head with a slight smile. "I had no issues with the Firebrand School until they tried to kill me. Everything that followed was just the aftermath of that incident."
Ravi's expression shifted into a frown as he lapsed into deep contemplation. When he spoke again, his question caught Zeke off guard. "If they had targeted the Lion's Den but spared you, what would you have done?"
Zeke considered the question for a while. "I probably would have stayed out of it," he said eventually.
"You'd let all of us die?"
Zeke nodded in affirmation. "Bringing down the Ember Scar Cartel nearly cost me my life on multiple occasions. Despite appearances, I hold my life in high regard."
Ravi's eyes began to glow, lightning crackling all around his body. "How can you be so sure I won't kill you right now."
Despite the threatening stance and overwhelming pressure from the Archmage, Zeke remained completely calm. He merely smiled at Ravi, not saying a word. He knew that the man wouldn't kill him, and Ravi knew it too.
After a moment, the Archmage retracted his Mana and killing intent, a deep sigh leaving his lips. "Was that why you didn't cure my son? As leverage?"
This time, Zeke shook his head. "No, I never had any intention of holding his life over your head. I am going to cure Sunil no matter what. We made a deal, and I fully intend to honor the terms."
Ravi relaxed upon hearing this reassurance. Most of the tension between the two had been broken at this point. After another moment of silence, the older man spoke again. "So, where do we go from here?" There was a hint of awkwardness as he asked that question.
Zeke shrugged. "If you think this is all part of some grand plan, you're dead wrong. I had no intention of ending up in this situation, nor did I plan for it. I did what I thought to be best at the time, and this is how it ended up."
Ravi still looked a bit dubious, but it seemed he at least believed him for the most part. This was a good sign. It seemed some manner of trust between them had been re-established—time to strike while the iron was hot.
"But I can tell you what I plan to do from now on if you're interested," Zeke offered. Ravi nodded without hesitation, prompting Zeke to speak. "I managed to take control of a large part of the Ember Scar Cartel, as you already know."
Ravi nodded.
"Further, I plan to take control of the western districts, replacing the Ember Scar Cartel completely and taking over their territory."
Ravi's eyes widened. However, after he glanced at the many Chimeroi still passing by overhead, his gaze turned more thoughtful. "The other players won't just accept that," he said eventually.
Zeke nodded. "I am aware, but I do have my plans." Ravi looked at him with great interest, so Zeke decided to elaborate a bit. "Of the four great powers, one is already under my control. The Death Mage in the South is unlikely to make a move, having always remained passive. The merchants in the East are easy to deal with if you have the money. That only leaves the Venomous Cabal in the North," Zeke explained.
"How do you plan to deal with them?" Ravi asked.
Zeke shrugged. "I don't know yet. It depends on how they act. However, I am not afraid of a fight if it comes to it."
Ravi nodded thoughtfully. "What about the Lion's Den?"
Zeke raised a brow. "What about it?"
"Do you not have any plans?" Ravi asked.
"What plans would I have for your family, Ravi? I thought I made it clear that I have no hostile intentions."
Ravi shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I know you have taken the Nair family under your wing. Did you have any intention of making a deal with my family as well?"
Zeke regarded the older man with astonishment, detecting a crafty glint in his eyes. It was evident that Ravi harbored a strong desire for such a connection. Whether it was due to Zeke's demonstrated talents or the plans he had recently divulged, the unmistakable gleam in Ravi's eyes conveyed his eagerness to be involved.
In an instant, Zeke's eyes sharpened with shrewdness. He was open to the idea of forging an alliance with Ravi. However, if the older man believed he could exploit his youth, he would soon discover his miscalculation.
"I am sure we can come to an agreement…"
The two of them returned to the dwellings of the Lion's Den nearby. The moment the door to Ravi's office closed, the battle began. For hours, pleading, screaming, laughter, and threats could be heard until two haggard figures emerged.
Both Ravi and Zeke appeared more disheveled than they had after their recent battle, yet each wore a contented smile. Ravi was pleased to have secured a substantial stake in Zeke's forthcoming endeavors, and Zeke was satisfied with having enlisted the assistance of an Archmage—the only one currently in his employ.
While Ravi hadn't explicitly agreed to serve Zeke, he had committed to representing his interests in the city, lending an additional veneer of legitimacy to his endeavors. While Zeke had the utmost confidence in the Nair family when it came to business, the Lion's Den was a welcome addition. Their name alone would guarantee that any force would think twice before going against them.
The first thing Zeke did after his meeting with Ravi was to visit the injured Chimeroi. He still had a dozen of them to cure from the effects of the Marrow-Shackle, not to mention Ravi's son, Sunil. As part of their agreement, Zeke promised to take care of them as soon as possible.
It was time to make good on this promise.