Hero of Darkness

Chapter 1291: The Terms of Alliance

As soon as the heated conversation between the rulers of the three empires had settled for the better and all the important personnel had taken their seats… Kahn now threatened to attack the alliance itself.

This declaration sent even some of his own entourage into shock, and everyone from the opposite side had their eyes wide open in sheer disbelief.

“You dare to mess with the alliance itself? With what justification?!” asked Nievan, his tone filled with rage.

“We do have a justification for it.” said Kahn with a laidback tone.

“Whether it is the Abyss Empire’s revenge or even staging a fake attempt on my life by your alliance…

We can make up enough reasons to warrant a war with your empires.” stated Kahn with a firm tone.

“And we don’t necessarily need to fight you all at once, either.

Let’s say, for example… we start with the Zivot Empire.” said Kahn as he hunched forward and clasped his hands on the table.

“Your coalition exists on paper only. Not all of you are actually unified, and neither is there a strike force comprised of all of your best fighters.”

It was an obvious fact that people tend to overlook while boasting about alliances in general. In the end, they all had their respective leaders who never handed complete control to a single entity.

“First, we fight you, then the Empire that serves the Goddess of Wind.

From there on, we can target the Empire of Sentience or the Beast Empire.

One after another, just the fall of one nation will pave the way for us to conquer the next one.

And even if some magical reinforcements appeared to help you…” iterated Kahn with unshakable confidence.

“Do you truly believe that they will not try to devour your falling empire instead?”

Shock!

His words bewildered even the top figures of the Zivot Empire.

Among the troops standing behind these important figures, Legolas pretended to be shocked as well.

“I understand that both of your empires are just mere spearheads at the moment due to you being closest to the Rakos and Abyss Empire.

However, that alone makes you more susceptible to incur our wrath than the others,” threatened Kahn once again.

“The only help you will get from the so-called Council is, at most, an elite group of warriors who won’t even consist of many 7th-stage saints.

No one is sending their powerhouses to die for another nation.” his words gave everyone a bitter reminder.

“Hence, the terms you offer us now will not just decide our involvement with the council but the future of your empires themselves.”

Kahn’s tone was both conceited and hateful, as he played his part very well.

It was right then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind…

[Kahn, aren’t you going too far? Even I want to get up and punch you in the face.] said Vanessa, the princess of the Vulkan Empire.

[I’m just trying to sell our act. Your father knows it too.] responded Kahn.

Soon, Emperor Havi Hos Siegfreed spoke with an incredulous tone…

“What other alternative do you have then?

You are aware that even if neither of our empires don’t necessarily form a treaty with your forces, the council will always find a way to isolate and attack you.

Let us say that in a scenario where you have joined the council and are fighting against the Demon Empire… there is no guarantee that the allied empires won’t orchestrate some kind of ambush to kill you for your divine keys.

So don’t act like you can do whatever you want without facing repercussions.”

This time, he was threatening Kahn openly, reminding him that even if he joined their side… he would still be a target.

“Besides, getting rid of the Abyss Empire is also one strong motivation for many of them, given the history.

The Rakos Empire may be able to defend itself, but for how long? You surely don’t assume that you’re untouchable just because you command the forces of two nations, are you?” he asked Kahn, reclaiming the lead in the conversation.

Kahn lay back on his chair and revealed a thoughtful countenance as he came to his own conclusion…

“That may be the case… but we cause sure cause a lot of mutual destruction, even easier to achieve if the enemy is from a faraway empire.

Just as it is risky for us to enter the coalition, it is even riskier for others to eliminate us without sacrificing their major powerhouses.”

“So what then? It seems we are at a standstill.” said Nievan.

At this moment, everyone could tell that neither side would leave unscathed if they tried to pull one over the other.

“Then I have a suggestion…” said Kahn, a sinister smirk appearing over his face.

“The Rakos Empire and the Abyss Empire would temporarily join the coalition. However, we have two main conditions.

You are to relay it to the main council headquarters, and unless they agree to both, we have no reason to join or lend a helping hand in any way.

Instead of fighting against the Demon Empire’s armies… we will attack anyone facing them from behind.

How does that sound for a good cause for accepting our terms?” asked Kahn with a sly smirk.

So either they made an ally out of him, or an enemy who could destroy their forces when they were struggling against the main enemy.

“Fine… what are your terms?” asked Nievan with a displeased expression.

[Why is this young man hellbent on fighting a war? Shouldn’t his priority be preserving his troops and defending?] spoke Maeral to his brother.

[He has a lot to prove to both the empires. Oftentimes, war is the best way to maintain leadership and raise the morale of your subjects.

And I heard it’s been only 3 months since his coronation. He has more to gain and cement his rule over both empires just by starting a war.

We must not become his collateral victims.] responded Nievan.

It seemed like the representatives of the council for this meeting were finally ready to hear Kahn’s terms.

“First of all… if we are to become a member of this alliance, any form of persecution order against either the Rakos Empire or the Abyss Empire must be discarded.

If the council wishes to let bygones be bygones, they must prove through actions first instead of words.

The second condition is that we will act independently and decide whether or not to respond to the alliance’s call for participation or reinforcements against the Demon Empire.” spoke Kahn, stating the detrimental terms of cooperation.

And there was a very reasonable cause behind both of his demands if they were to join the coalition with other empires.

The first condition was important because even if the Council of Great War extended the invitation itself, it did not guarantee that Kahn, the Rakos Empire, and the Abyss Empire would not be treated as outcasts or even criminals.

Integrating someone inside your alliance and then persecuting them was a very ancient and effective strategy that was practiced everywhere, whether it was a business organization or a clan of people.

Many had often seen this trope in those Murim Novels and Manhwas where members of some average or lower strength sect join the Muriam Alliance or similar organization, and soon, they are treated as mere henchmen.

A lot of those times, people whose background hailed from Great Clans or the mythical Great Nine Sects in many story settings, acting like they owned the lives of these small or medium sect members.

Their organization often treated these obviously weaker members like disposable lapdogs. Not only do they get treated harsher, but they also get sent as mere fodder to the frontlines by the powerful sects.

And all of that for what?… A mere illusion of involvement in a great alliance that was and always will be controlled by the most powerful players from the beginning to the end?

Kahn knew that once they got themselves involved with the alliance, they would receive no different treatment than the people he had often read about in novels.

On top of it… There was already a prejudice against the Rakos and the Abyss Empire among all the other participants. So they would always use this form of inclusion to have them excluded from the actual power play.

Even the normal day-to-day office politics worked like that on Earth. Hence, Kahn had no intentions to become the subject of unnecessary ostracization when it was they who needed his forces.

As for the second condition…

It was obvious, as there were plenty of examples among such novels.

The alliance leaders would send a task force or group of people they saw as a thorn in their eyes to fight battles on the front where they were either outnumbered, underequipped, or even underqualified; just out of spite.

If that were to happen with Kahn and his forces, millions of soldiers would die a meaningless death.

On top of it, such orders could often be used as a smokescreen to set up an ambush against Kahn’s people.

He would be an idiot to lead his troops anywhere just because the alliance said so without confirming the information from his own sources first.

Thus, both conditions had a sound reasoning behind them.

“Third and the most important of them all…” said Kahn as he made his last demand.

“The dispersion of The Inquisitors.”