The morning sun spilled gold across the Amethyst Guild estate, glinting off polished stone and faint wards that shimmered faintly in the air. Ashura stood at the highest balcony, arms crossed, surveying his guild in motion. Kai and the other leaders were moving about like cogs in a well-oiled machine, delegating, observing, and refining the efforts of their subordinates.
Ashura's eyes narrowed slightly. The year of frost had honed him, but time away had also given him perspective. The world didn't pause because he had fought through cataclysmic dungeons or seized the head of a sleeping god. Other guilds, other factions—they were moving, gathering resources, knowledge, and power.
Kai approached, hands folded behind his back. "Captain, reports have been coming in from our scouts and spies. The other guilds have been… busy. Some have been exploring old ruins, others hunting rare monsters, and several have begun experimenting with elemental enhancements. A few have even captured minor divine fragments."
Ashura's lips curved into a faint, sharp smile. "Good. Let them chase after scraps while I prepare for the real storm. Bring me everything they've gathered. Every scrap of intel, every monster tracked, every artifact recovered."
By midday, the guild's council chamber was alive with activity. Maps covered the walls, charts and magical projections spun in the air, showing monster movements, dungeon locations, and emerging threats. Ashura moved silently among the displays, absorbing every detail, every note, every report. His violet lightning wraiths circled above him like sentinels, occasionally flickering down to point, highlight, or bring certain reports closer.
"Guild leaders," he began, his voice cutting through the murmurs, "listen closely. The gods of other worlds are not idle. They will not descend directly, but their soldiers will. They know I am the barrier. They cannot touch the planet itself, but their forces will attempt to claim it for them. These soldiers are not ordinary—they can inhabit vessels, mimic the abilities of the body, and some can act flawlessly, even concealing their presence from all but the most acute senses."
A hushed silence fell across the room. Every leader and senior member understood the weight of his words. Ashura's eyes glinted as he continued.
"You all have been building, training, exploring. That's good. But remember this: when these soldiers arrive, we won't have time to experiment. We'll be forced into conflict immediately. They are masters of war, magic, and subterfuge. Many will die, inevitably. It will test not just strength, but strategy, endurance, and resolve."
Kai's brow furrowed. "Are we to fortify the continent then? Gather all the guilds?"
Ashura shook his head, a wry smile forming. "No. That is too slow, and coordination across continents will be messy. Instead, we focus on intelligence, rapid response, and elite countermeasures. My guild will be the spearhead. You act only when necessary. Understand?"
"Understood," Kai said. The others echoed in careful unison, each understanding the gravity of the upcoming threat.
Ashura tapped a finger on the map, sending a pulse of violet light through it. Clusters of reports—gathered resources, rare monsters, magical fragments—glowed briefly. "These are the threads. The other guilds have been weaving their webs, but their webs are nothing compared to what we will create. We must know everything. Every artifact, every new spell, every emerging threat. I will lead, but we must all be aware. Knowledge is as sharp as any blade."
He paused, letting the words settle, then leaned back slightly. "The outer gods are watching, and their soldiers will move before their eyes. But they don't know everything. They can't. That's our advantage. We will exploit it."
Kai, with a half-smile, said, "Captain, you make it sound almost… fun."
Ashura laughed softly, though the sound carried the weight of storms contained. "Fun? Perhaps. Survival? Certainly. But you'll learn, Kai, that knowing what's coming, predicting the moves before they're made, that… is exhilarating. It's why we fight. Not just to survive, but to dominate the stage when the players arrive."
The room fell silent as Ashura's gaze swept over his people. Every guild member, every subordinate, felt the weight of what he said. But alongside it, there was a spark of excitement, the kind born only when true danger looms and a leader stands unwavering in the storm.
After hours of reviewing reports and distributing orders for continued reconnaissance, Ashura stepped out into the estate grounds. The air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of violet lightning from his wraiths. He closed his eyes, feeling the subtle threads of divinity that had awakened within him after his recent trials, the pulse of power from the Nameless Apostle class, and the memory of the sleeping god he had subdued.
A plan was forming—not just for survival, but for domination. When the outer gods' soldiers descended, when chaos spread across the planet, the Amethyst Guild would not merely survive. They would shape the battlefield, and Ashura Bellet would stand at its eye, unwavering, a storm incarnate.
And as night fell over the estate, the violet light of his wraiths flickered and pulsed, a silent reminder to all: the storm had returned, stronger than ever, and nothing—not even gods from beyond the universe—would be able to touch it without paying the price.