Tower of Heaven

"Everyone here has been called to this assembly for a purpose. All of you will have big parts to play in the future we are envisioning."

When Alaric addressed everyone, over a hundred people had been gathered. It had to be known that the majority of those who followed the Tatsuya Clan and Divine Sanctuary as a whole were devoted and loyal. Their Society had bred such feelings in their subordinates.

Those who plotted and schemed were the minority, so they were the only ones left outside. In the meantime, Alaric addressed everyone else.

"This may be news to some of you, and it will be expected for others. Our Tatsuya Clan has been provoked by the Cosmic Dragons belonging to Heaven’s Gate. They are trying to force us into a war that they control, but we will not allow that to happen."

The details of Artemia’s kidnapping hadn’t been spread and wouldn’t be spread. Alaric spoke vaguely, showing Atlas that only the two of them were aware of this fact. Even the other Supreme Ancestors didn’t raise an eyebrow.

"We do not run from war. We do not hide from enemies who so boldly provoke us. However, we also do not play into their hands only because they bared their teeth."

In simple terms, the Tatsuya Clan… No, Divine Sanctuary was preparing for war.

This was the Tatsuya Clan’s personal matter, but both their clan and the Cosmic Dragon Clans were associated with Great Societies. Their Societies could not remain uninvolved if they clashed, which was why the other three Divine Beast Clan Heads appeared to support him in this assembly.

"I was not entirely lying outside. The Tatsuya Clan and its allies will indeed step back from the Tower momentarily, but it isn’t to focus on developing Vanatos. It is because, for the next five years, we will prepare for war."

"There is much to be done. If we wish to do this in a way that doesn’t end like it did in the past, we have to be precise with each and every action."

Alaric glanced at Atlas. What had been spun into a massive web of plans aimed at suppressing the Cosmic Dragons once and for all originally stemmed from the advice of a single young cultivator. If it weren’t for him, how would Alaric have reacted?

He would have gone on a manhunt throughout the Tower, destroying everything and turning the rest of the world against him again.

He didn’t want that to happen. He didn’t want his clan and people to feel the aftereffects of such careless actions.

After giving a short introduction, Alaric started to give a deeper explanation of his plans.

In essence, each group present at the assembly had a different job.

Some of them were to discreetly spread rumors and misinformation, some were to discreetly attack certain forces to stir conflict, and some others were to find their places in the political scene in order to gain more control over both the lower and upper floors of the Tower.

This was a plan of the Tatsuya Clan and its allies alone, but it was already reaching the scale of the entire Tower.

Atlas had a hard time digesting all of the information. The knowledge thrown around like it was nothing was far above his station.

"That Allfather guy is busy right now. He won’t be able to show his face for a few years at least, so this is the perfect time for us to make a move."

"The Mirrors of Heaven have spoken of certain tides for us to follow."

"There are forces rising against Heaven’s Gate in the upper floors: I’ve tried to make contact with them, but it’s been difficult gaining their trust." 𐍂ãＮǒ₿Е𐌔

That last one, Atlas did know. He didn’t speak up during the assembly itself, but chose to instead wait for it to end before he found Alaric and informed him of his connection with Bernan.

’This battle against the Cosmic Dragons…I figured he would be brought into it, but this is more interconnected than I thought.’

The Tower was so massive that it was incomparable to the size of the previous Mortal Realm. It felt like everything inside the Tower could occur without interfering with anything else, but that simply wasn’t the case.

Because, unlike the world, the Tower was a contained space. It had set limits and the society within it was forced to always be in contact with itself.

As such, even the smallest conflicts could be wrapped into massive struggles between powers beyond comprehension.

Wasn’t Atlas’ case something similar?

As the meeting went on, Atlas was able to summarize the key points inside of his head.

Firstly, these coming few years would be quiet on the large scale. Mostly, what would take place while he was in the underworld was preparation.

Secondly, the conflict was much greater than just the Heavenly Dragons and Cosmic Dragons. Those two forces were at the center of it, but if they wanted to collide, then they’d be forced to involve many more people in their conflict.

Thirdly, the Tower wasn’t as simple as he thought it was, nor were Legends as simple as he thought they were. Through the nuances of the conversations Alaric had with his subordinates, Atlas was able to understand that there really was so much more to this place than he ever expected.

Atlas had hoped to gain much more information through this meeting, but he’d made a mistake in believing that everything would be explained.

Most of those in the room were already aware of everything he needed to know, so it didn’t need to be said again.

The meeting inside of the mental realm continued for several hours, mirroring the party on the outside.

Atlas eventually stood up from his position and walked around the venue a bit as he listened in on the conversations in his mind before he found his way out of the main ballroom and into a side corridor bordering an open courtyard.

The peace and quiet was nice. He was able to focus all of his attention on the assembly until the very end.

"Everyone understands what they need to do, correct?"

The context had already been given. This wasn’t just about the Heavenly Dragons and Cosmic Dragons fighting against each other.

This conflict was being used as a pedestal to elevate the Tatsuya Clan, Divine Sanctuary, and all those who followed them to a new level.

Every single person who had the honor of being invited was more than willing to participate and do what they were told.

"Very good."

Alaric nodded, grinning at his allies.

"Well then, since I invited all of you for a party, I’ll let you go ahead and party. Enjoy the festivities for the rest of the night, because starting tomorrow, we’ll get busy."

As they gave their goodbyes, the guests in the mental realm left one by one. Atlas took the time to remember the names of the ones who acknowledged him and spoke to him before turning his eyes to Alaric.

Only the two of them were left now.

"You’ll be leaving soon, won’t you?"

Atlas nodded to the question.

"There is still a little to be done, but I’m almost ready. Within the next week, I will defeat the Hell Guardian and enter the underworld."

"Hmm…"

Alaric hummed as if he was ruminating over his thoughts.

"How much of our conversation did you understand?"

"Not much. I don’t have enough context to understand most things, but if you just mean the base concepts, then I think I understand most of it."

"Then, you are aware of what kind of state the world will be in when you return from the underworld."

Neither of them questioned "if" Atlas would succeed in his quest. They spoke as if it was guaranteed.

"Well, I can assume."

The world was going to become much more hectic. When he returned, the Tatsuya Clan would be in the middle of its plan, which would place it in a very precarious position.

"I need you to protect Artemia, Atlas."

Alaric looked him in the eyes and said what he wanted to say.

"If you return before everything has boiled over, Artemis’s survival needs to be kept a secret. I need you to protect her and keep her away from the world until the time is right. Can you do that?"

It was a loaded question. To give him this kind of responsibility…

Atlas didn’t dig deeper into that line of thought.

"Knowing her, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep her away from the world. But, if it’s just about keeping her identity hidden so the world doesn’t know that Artemia Tatsuya is alive, then I think I can manage."

Alaric smiled. That was all he asked for. Seeing Atlas’ dedication these past few months, he didn’t doubt the man’s capabilities any longer.

"I’m sure you want to get going soon, so I won’t keep you for too long. Just…I have one last gift for you before you leave."

Atlas raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"A gift? You? That’s something you know how to do?"

"Tch, don’t ruin the moment. When you leave this realm, open the Tower Forums. The news should have spread by now."

"The news of…?"

Atlas’ question wasn’t allowed to finish.

He found his mind completely disconnected from that space, with Alaric’s wide grin being the last thing he saw in it.

Nevertheless, he did as he was told. Sitting facing the open wall leading to the courtyard, he opened the Tower Forums.

And truly, he couldn’t stop the smile that was crawling up his face.

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