Chapter 371 -: 370 Conclusion.

Chapter 371: Chapter: 370 Conclusion.

The summit soon concluded, and after reaching a general agreement on how they would proceed, everyone began leaving the conference room and returning to their respective accommodations to rest.

They had managed to reach a plan that, despite its risks, was considered the best option available to them.

There had been disagreements and several problems during the meeting, which was only natural considering the enemy they were preparing to face.

The opposing side was none other than the Zlycons, and a full-scale war between the two races was not something that could be entered into lightly.

The casualties on both sides would undoubtedly be enormous, especially when considering the existence of the Zlycon champions.

Their strongest individuals possessed power comparable to humanity’s greatest spell casters, and among them stood Chakravartin, who was widely regarded as the strongest of the Zlycon Infinite Core Spell Casters.

Fighting against such opponents directly would make the coming war incredibly difficult, and even the combined strength of humanity’s strongest forces could not guarantee that they would emerge victorious without suffering devastating losses.

That was precisely why the plan discussed during the summit was so important. If humanity could eliminate even a few of the Zlycons’ strongest Infinite Core Spell Casters before the war officially began, the advantage it would provide could be enormous.

Every powerful enemy removed beforehand meant one less threat they would have to face once the battlefield was filled with thousands upon thousands of soldiers and spell casters.

The difference between having to fight ten powerful opponents and having to fight only seven or eight might seem insignificant when looking at the numbers alone, but at the highest realms of power, a single individual could change the outcome of an entire battlefield.

Everyone understood that reality, which was why they had ultimately agreed to accept the invitation despite the dangers involved.

Elizabeth had initially been concerned that Victor Velentina would object to the plan. Considering the hostility between the Hayes Clan and Velentina, as well as the desperation with which the Hayes Clan wanted to participate in the coming war, she had expected him to raise some sort of objection or attempt to interfere with their decision.

Yet Victor had remained silent throughout the discussion, never voicing any opposition despite clearly understanding what the plan meant.

In the end, his silence had allowed the summit to proceed without another major complication, and Elizabeth could only consider that a fortunate outcome.

The desperation of the Hayes Clan was understandable, however, especially to those who had been sitting around that table.

Their heir was currently somewhere within the Four Stationary Continents, a place that had become increasingly dangerous with every passing day.

Nobody present knew the exact circumstances surrounding his disappearance, but the worry of his parents had been far too obvious to hide.

Even surrounded by the strongest spell casters humanity possessed, Elizabeth and Nathaniel had struggled to keep their concern from showing throughout the summit.

Political matters, military preparations, and the coming war could all be discussed calmly, but neither of them could simply forget that their only son was somewhere in the middle of the Four Stationary Continents.

"That son of a bitch!"

Elizabeth cursed under her breath as she once again attempted to establish a connection with the avatar she had placed inside Julius’s ring.

"I told him to keep the ring safe, but that asshole lost it!"

Her expression had become increasingly irritated as another attempt ended in failure. She had already tried countless times to reconnect with her avatar, yet nothing had worked.

Whatever had happened to Julius’s ring, it had severed the connection completely, leaving her with no way of knowing what had happened to the avatar she had entrusted to it.

The uncertainty was what frustrated her the most. If she knew that the ring had simply been destroyed, at least she would have something definite to work with, but there was no way for her to confirm exactly what had happened.

Nathaniel glanced at her before letting out a quiet sigh. "You do realize that you’re indirectly cursing yourself and me as well, right? He’s our son, which makes us the parents, so technically, the bitch you’re cursing is us."

He tried to make the remark sound humorous, hoping to ease some of the tension weighing on her. Unfortunately, the joke barely managed to produce a reaction.

Elizabeth simply stared ahead for a moment before releasing a tired sigh, clearly far too worried to find much amusement in his words.

It had already been more than a month since she had lost all connection with the avatar inside Julius’s ring.

They had considered numerous possibilities during that time, with the most obvious explanation being that something had happened to the ring itself.

Perhaps it had been damaged or destroyed, or perhaps some unknown force had interfered with the connection.

They simply did not know. What they did know was that every attempt they made to restore the connection had failed, no matter what method they tried.

The longer the silence continued, the more difficult it became for Elizabeth to remain calm.

She had even considered traveling to the Four Stationary Continents herself, but that was practically equivalent to seeking death if she went alone.

Even if Nathaniel accompanied her, the situation would not change enough to make such a journey safe.

The Four Stationary Continents were currently far too dangerous for either of them to simply enter without sufficient preparation, especially when they had no idea what they would encounter after arriving there.

They could not risk losing both themselves and their ability to protect the Hayes Clan simply because they were desperate to find their son.

There was, however, one thing that had prevented their worry from turning into complete despair. Julius was still alive.

The soul fragment belonging to him in the ancestral hall had not shown any signs of destruction.

It had remained extremely weak for more than a month, causing both Elizabeth and Nathaniel to worry that something terrible might have happened to him, but two days ago, the soul fragment had suddenly displayed a newfound vitality.

The change had been enough for both parents to conclude that Julius was still alive. Whatever had happened, it was likely that some kind of accident had caused the ring to be destroyed or otherwise disconnected from them.

As long as Julius’s soul remained intact, they could at least hold on to the possibility that their son was alive somewhere in the Four Stationary Continents.

Nathaniel sighed as he thought about the situation, his expression carrying a mixture of helplessness and resentment.

"That son of mine. I sometimes wish he were the quiet, shut-in type. At least then he wouldn’t have gone exploring wherever he wanted."

There was genuine resentment hidden within his words, though it was difficult to tell whether he was more angry with Julius or simply frustrated by the situation they had been forced into.

If he had another son who could serve as his heir, Nathaniel was certain that he would have kicked Julius out of the succession purely to get back at him for causing so many sleepless nights.

Unfortunately, he had only one troublesome son, leaving him with no choice but to worry about him regardless of how much trouble Julius caused.

Elizabeth remained silent for a while before finally raising her head.

"I’ve sent Kat to notify everyone who is in the Void Core realm or above that they must be present here within two days," she said, her voice returning to its usual calmness despite the worry still visible in her expression. "After that, we’ll leave."

Nathaniel nodded without hesitation. "Understood."

Neither of them said anything more. There was little else that needed to be discussed between them at that moment.

They both understood what had to be done, and there was no point in allowing their worry to interfere with their preparations.

Without another word, the two of them separated and began flying toward the main residence of the Hayes Clan.

By then, the majority of the major human powers had already begun putting aside their personal grievances and old grudges.

There would be plenty of time to settle those matters later, assuming they survived what was coming.

For now, the Zlycons had demanded a war after so many years of conflict and hostility, and humanity had finally decided to give them exactly what they wanted.

The difference was that this time, the humans would not enter the battlefield unprepared or divided as they had in the past.

The strongest forces of humanity were gathering, their grievances temporarily set aside, their preparations already underway, and their attention finally focused on the same enemy.

The coming war would undoubtedly bring immense losses, and nobody among those who had attended the summit was arrogant enough to believe that victory would come easily.

Yet for the first time, humanity had managed to bring its greatest powers together before the battle even began.

And this time, they intended to end the war once and for all.