The willowy shadow paused. It was clear that this was the very last thing that she had expected to hear. What would the Cloud Race be doing here? And worst yet, why would they be interfering in their plans? She suddenly thought of the worst possibility and she couldn't help but tremble a bit. "I don't think that the situation is that bad," Xavnik said. "These Cloud Race members come from the Prince of Earth." The shadow jumped again, before she seemed to piece together the same things that Xavnik had slowly come to understand while he listened to Leonel's words. But what baffled the shadow was why Xavnik would know this, it couldn't be... "He just directly told me. That littlest cousin of mine is not simple. He knows well that him informing me that he has Cloud Race members under his charge doesn't lessen my worries. In fact, it increases them. Look at him, he didn't even have to lift a finger and yet I've directly executed 10,000 of my men for him, he has such a charming smile and glistening eyes, and yet his heart is no less cruel than anyone I've ever met." The shadow paused for a moment before giggling. "Keep talking like that and I'll start getting jealous. Don't tell me you'll fall for your own cousin when you have me?" Xavnik seemed to be very used to this shadow and her antics, but at the same time he wasn't in the mood to play around. His thoughts were running a million miles a minute. Even as he spoke, he was trying to figure out what to do from here. Sensing this as well, the shadow's voice changed, and she became more serious. "Tell me exactly what happened." Xavnik almost carelessly explained things in the most direct way possible. His contact with Leonel was brief to begin with, so there wasn't much to explain. "I see... Indeed, this Littlest Nova isn't a simple character. Not only did he tell you so much, he didn't even ask you to reciprocate, it's as though he couldn't be bothered to care." "... Or he knows everything he needs to know already," Xavnik said lightly. The shadow fell silent. Indeed, if Cloud Race members had already infiltrated, what could there be that Leonel didn't know? In fact, it would be an exaggeration to say that Leonel might know even more than Xavnik himself did. How could a leader know every little thing his subordinates did? There might very well be some who were dissatisfied with his orders, some holding grudges from the death of their loved ones, and these would all be things that Leonel would have access to that others wouldn't dare to tell him for the sake of retribution. Just by being honest, Leonel had actually painted Xavnik into a corner he didn't know how to advance from and couldn't retreat from. "Is there a chance he's lying just to mess with you?" "Unlikely. Given his displays in the past, and the precarious situation of Earth, the odds that he really has Cloud Race members are quite high. The real question is how powerful they are." "Then how do you plan on moving forward? This isn't something that we can allow to go freely; if we're too lax, victory will slip from us." "What do you suggest?" The shadow laughed a seductive laugh. "If it was up to me, we would take the most direct approach. As I see it, he's managed to reach this stage likely using his mind over his brawn. There are potentially powerful Cloud Race members protecting him, but if you take an elite squadron with you, I don't believe you would lose. "In addition, you did well giving him that Heir-Grade 'reward'. He'll never be ready for the poison now, and he might even foolishly try to use it on you, leaving him in a precarious position." Xavnik thought for a moment, then shook his head. The eyes of Leonel weren't those of someone who was simple to handle. He wouldn't be handled with brute force directly, at least not without revealing his true face. But he wouldn't do that unless it was the final hope he had. The shadow laughed, unbothered. "You never listen to me anyway, but you always ask. This is just you trying to make me feel like I'm more than just a bed buddy, huh? I'm wise to your games." Xavnik didn't move for an entire hour, nor did he respond to the shadow's attempts at seducing him. Then, when there were just two hours left to his and Leonel's meeting, his gaze suddenly glowed with a fiercely bright light. "Oh, my hubby has a plan? Tell me, tell me." "I'm certain of Leonel's final trump card. The Pyius family. No one would ever guess that a Constellation family would divert their resources at the final moment, and especially not to the one young man so many of them want to kill. It seems that Leonel's charm is even greater than that of Adawarth's." The Pyius family's position was a bit unique. They had a portion of Sixth Nova's old territory, and it had to be remembered that Sixth Nova was once sandwiched between the Omann and Spirituals Religion. If Xavnik attacked the Spirituals Religion normally, and then tried to retreat back to his territory after all was said and done, who would be waiting for him right as he was in his most vulnerable position? The worst part was that after passing through the Pyius, there would still be the Omann lingering, and with just a bit of prodding from Leonel, they might jump to capitalize on the situation well. Of course, this wasn't what Xavnik had spent an entire hour figuring out... "I know what we'll do," he said lightly, standing to his feet. As though on cue, Ysemsan came rushing in from the outside. "Prepare the troops, Ysemsan. We are moving out now." Xavnik strode forward, his gait confident. ----- Erdiul Notes: Oh man, this guy is clueless LOL.