The Guardian gods

Chapter 411: 411

Ursula’s expression softened, though the weight of her concern lingered in her eyes. "Good. Just remember, strength isn’t only about enduring pain or overcoming obstacles. It’s also about knowing when to let others help you. Even the strongest flames need fuel to keep burning."

Xerosis gave a small nod, her lips curving into a faint smile. "I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Ursula."

Ursula nodded as the call ended, leaving both of them lost in their own thoughts.

While the demigods were laying out their plans, so was Nwadiebube. He had fallen into a calm state after receiving word from Yuki that the gods he feared would punish him were not present in their world at the moment.

This news lifted a significant burden from him. His previous haste to accomplish his goals had left many gaps in his kingdom’s stability. The most painful of these was the theft of the sacred branch.

Ezinne had used half of the branch to break through to the fifth stage, leaving only the other half. This meant they had the potential to produce another fifth-stage death shaman to strengthen their forces.

Unfortunately, the process for achieving a death shaman breakthrough proved problematic. Unlike Ezinne, who had successfully reached the underworld and condensed her domain with the help of her ancestors, the death shaman who followed her was not as fortunate.

This second death shaman attempted the same process, but the ancestral souls were overwhelmed. The underworld souls, drawn by the benefits that Ezinne’s ancestral soul was reaping, could not stand by and watch another chance be lost like last time.

In their overwhelmed state, a soul that was not of their ancestry infiltrated the process. This foreign soul played a pivotal role in condensing the death shaman’s domain. While the result was a new fifth-stage powerhouse, there was a major drawback: the death shaman now had to pay a price to activate their domain. This was in stark contrast to Ezinne, whose ancestors aided her freely without any cost.

Ezinne proposed returning to the underworld to expel the foreign soul with the help of her ancestors. However, Nwadiebube found himself rejecting this offer.

The foreign soul’s capabilities exceeded what was required for the war Nwadiebube was planning. While Ezinne’s domain was powerful, it was constrained by a sense of honor. The foreign soul’s domain, by contrast, had no such restrictions. It drew power from an almost limitless pool of forgotten souls—remnants of those denied proper rites, erased from memory, or consumed by resentment in the afterlife. Their vast numbers made the foreign soul’s strength nearly inexhaustible.

However, this immense power came with risks. When too many of these forgotten souls were summoned, they became uncontrollable, threatening everyone involved. Still, Nwadiebube believed the death shaman would know their limits.

At the moment, Nwadiebube was reading a message sent by the apelings. To his surprise, it was a formal letter—something he had never received before.

As he opened the letter, a powerful presence emanated from it, making him sit upright with trembling hands.

There was no doubt in his mind: this letter was not written by Zephyr. It must have come from the true leader of the apelings. The letter states "A month from now, at night when the moon is high. A parade of apelings will be moving through your territory. This is something of importance for the safety of the world and it would be best kept secret."

The message sent shivers down his spine. A parade of apelings, moving through his territory under the cover of night. What could it possibly mean? And why the secrecy? He felt a growing sense of unease, a premonition of something significant and potentially dangerous.

Nwadiebeube picked up his pen and began to write. He understood this wasn’t just a letter; it was the start of a dialogue. "Why the secrecy, your grace?" he wrote. "Are my people in danger? How can we help?"

After a moment, words began to form on the original letter, answering his questions. "The secrecy is for your safety and is needed to deal with the enemy. Your people are in no danger, if all goes well. As for how you can help, ensure the parade is undisturbed and hidden from the view of your people."

Then, the message continued, causing Nwadiebeube’s breath to hitch. "The enemy is among your people. Inform your alliances and other smaller kingdoms. Do not be surprised and act when sudden changes begin arising among your people. We are there to attract their attention."

Nwadiebeube didn’t get a chance to write a reply. The letter in front of him crumbled into dust, leaving him with the chilling pronouncements and a heavy burden of responsibility. The enemy was among them. He had to warn his allies, prepare his kingdom, and somehow ensure the apelings’ parade remained hidden, all while dealing with an unknown threat lurking within his own walls.

The dust swirled on the table, a ghostly reminder of the urgent message. Nwadiebeube stared at it, his mind reeling. The implications were staggering. An enemy within, a secret parade, and the safety of the world hanging in the balance. He had to act quickly.

He immediately summoned his most trusted advisors. When they arrived, he recounted the message, the crumbling letter, and the chilling warning. The room fell into a stunned silence. The idea of an enemy hiding within their own kingdom was unsettling, to say the least.

"We must inform our allies at once," Nwadiebeube declared, breaking the silence. "Messengers must be sent to every kingdom we are bound to, and even to those smaller territories who look to us for protection. We must warn them of the potential threat."

One of his advisors, a seasoned general named Okeke, spoke up. "But what of this parade, Your Majesty? How do we ensure it remains hidden? And how do we identify this enemy among us?"

Nwadiebeube sighed. "The apelings said the secrecy is for our own safety. We must trust them on that. As for the parade, we will increase patrols along the expected route, under the guise of increased vigilance against bandits. We will also issue a curfew on that night, claiming it is for a special ceremony. This should keep most of our people indoors."

"As for the enemy, who do you think they are?" Nwadiebeube asked, and the room fell silent.

A figure emerged from the shadows. Everyone rose to greet her. "Princess," they murmured respectfully. Nwadimma nodded to her brother, the king.

A seat was brought for her, and she settled onto it, her gaze fixed on Nwadiebeube. "You already have a suspect, but you’re still uncertain, am I right?"

Nwadiebeube nodded. "I do indeed, sister. If my suspicions are correct, then I understand why the apelings asked us to stay clear. With our own resources, we could never find this enemy."

Okeke connected the dots, a grave tone entering his voice. "Your Majesty, are you suggesting that the enemy is responsible for the occasional inexplicable disappearances of people?"

Nwadiebeube and the princess both nodded. The air in the room grew heavy with dread. The disappearances had been a source of fear and speculation for years, a dark undercurrent in their otherwise prosperous kingdom. The idea that a hidden enemy was behind them, an enemy so powerful that even the apelings advised caution, was deeply unsettling.

Nwadimma spoke, her voice calm but firm. "These disappearances are not random. They are deliberate, orchestrated. This enemy is cunning, well-hidden, and possesses abilities beyond our current understanding. That is why the apelings are taking the lead. They are the only ones equipped to handle this threat directly."

The implications were clear. This was not a threat they could fight conventionally. It was a shadow war, fought in secrecy, with stakes far higher than they had ever imagined. Their role was simply to stay out of the way, to ensure the apelings could operate unimpeded, and to protect their own people from the fallout. But knowing the enemy was among them, responsible for the disappearances that had haunted their kingdom, made the waiting all the more agonizing.

The meeting adjourned, leaving Nwadiebeube alone in the council chamber. The weight of the apelings’ message, the hidden enemy, and the disappearances settled heavily upon him. Yet, amidst the chilling revelations, one thing remained unchanged: his resolve to wage war against Osita. In fact, the current situation only solidified his conviction.

The knowledge that a hidden enemy lurked within his kingdom, a threat so powerful that even the apelings were involved, didn’t diminish his desire for conquest. Instead, it clarified his purpose. Taking over Osita’s lands and resources was no longer just a matter of expanding his kingdom; it was a strategic move, a way to gain the attention of the godlings. He chafed at the idea of being a mere bystander while supernatural forces battled for the fate of the world. He refused to be relegated to the sidelines.