Chapter 100: Council Of War

The next day after we had rested, we gathered in the meeting room.

Everyone was absolutely shocked to see Jallah still alive. Lots of tears were shed by everyone...even Gavin and Carlos. Dante as well.

The whole time, Rune didn't let go of Jallah. At one point she looked at me and tapped her head.

"Need to talk, Rune?"

"Could you not mention my...less than faithful antics to Jallah...? I...really thought he was dead, so-"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. As far as I know, you've always just been a friend to us. Right?"

"Thank you, Mizik..."

After that, Gavin approached us.

He...smiled.

"You two aren't really so bad, after all. You might be otherworlders, but I can overlook that. Just for you two. Thanks...for getting our buddy back. From now on, you can really rely on me for anything. I mean it," Gavin said.

"Woah! Going soft, Gavin? I kinda like it. It's about time you showed those two some respect!" Michael said with a laugh.

"Damn, Michael...sometimes I really regret voting you in..." Gavin said angrily.

"Hey, Gavin," I said.

He looked back to us.

"Don't worry about it. We're allies. We have to look out for each other."

"Just do me a favor and stay alive out there. We can't have our newest heroes dyin' on us yet," Gavin said.

"Does this mean we're friends, then?" I said jokingly.

"Ah...sure...whatever," Gavin said as he looked away from us.

"Aww, isn't that sweet Gavin? You made a couple of friends! For once..." Michael said mockingly.

"Michael, I swear to Iris..."

Iris immediately glared at Gavin and he straightened himself.

"Sorry, lady Iris," Gavin quickly said.

"Ugh...no swearing to me. No using my name as a swear, none of that! It's rude!" Iris said angrily.

"Ahem...can we get this meeting started?" Dante asked meekly.

"Yes...please sit down everyone!" Iris said.

After we were seated, Iris waited at the front of the room.

"Now then, first thing's first, Jallah will present everything he learned in Nexus before his capture. Then we will bring him up to speed on the events that occurred in his absence. Lastly, we are to prepare plans for the upcoming war to finally liberate Nexus. Before that though, I have two things. One, a question, and two, a promotion for Mizik and Isabella."

"A promotion?" I asked.

"Yes. With the return of Jallah, I wish to give the both of you special titles. You are our secret weapons. From here on out, you two are 'Special Forces'. No longer are you investigators. I'll run the details by you later. For now, just be proud of the fantastic work you've done."

"Thank you, lady Iris. It is an honor," Isabella said.

"My pleasure. Next...Gavin, I was wondering if-"

"Jallah can have his stupid position. It's too much of a hassle anyway. Besides, he's better at it than I am, for starters," Gavin said.

"Please don't make a habit of interrupting me. But very well. Jallah will also resume his position as seat 3. Meaning Gavin will be seat 4, Michael is 5, and Carlos is 6. Lastly, that means Isabella and Mizik are both the 7th and 8th Enforcers respectively. The special forces unit. More on that later. Now then, Jallah," Iris said.

"Of course Lady Iris," Jallah said as he gently pulled away from Rune and moved to the front of the room. "First, I have intel from Nexus."

For the next hour, Jallah explained his findings and how he ended up in that situation.

He went to Nexus to assess their military strength as well as to assassinate the man responsible for the indoctrination training of their Attendant soldiers. A scientist possessing an extremely rare Aspect that allowed him to slowly tamper with people's minds. They had been using his rare power to forcefully turn their insane and hateful citizens into complete unquestioning slaves.

Jallah aimed to put a stop to that and weaken their military greatly. Potentially turning everyone against each other as well.

Additionally, he discovered prototypes for a device that would disable Enforcers on the field of battle.

Yakon wasn't kidding... They really did use the Abyss Engine to deal with Jallah.

In the process, well over a thousand soldiers met their end and multiple Overlords nearly died.

They collected the excess energy flowing from Jallah to create an interference field. Once that test was successful, Kazuma subdued him and they shipped him off to Central.

After that, the rest was history. They built a fully operational machine to combine his power with the demonic energy from Kazuma and stored it in mobile units. Eventually, those mobile units would be used to assault Arcadia and take complete control of Ignitus.

Meanwhile, Jallah was trapped in Nexus and unwillingly powering an interference field that made their country invincible.

It meant two things...

One, that Nexus could actually be attacked at this point, and two, that attacking them would still be very dangerous.

The mobile Abyss Engine units were still potent enough to disable Enforcers and even Iris.

However...their supply was severely limited. At the same time, the energy could not be restored due to its source, Jallah, no longer being present.

It meant that we could still liberate Nexus due to the presence of myself and Isabella... But at some risk, regardless.

Next, Iris brought Everyone up to speed about Draiko, the newest Overlord as well as Jallah on all the things that happened in his absence.

"Well...at least Yakon is dead, right? Even if someone worse is replacing him, he's still new. He might not fully comprehend his abilities yet. I'm sure Dante could take him easily. Right, Dante?" Jallah said.

"Hmm...I don't like to brag. I would still be cautious even when fighting someone other than Kazuma. Especially so if he has an Ultra Aspect. It's how I've survived so long," Dante said.

"Ah, you're just being modest, dude! Dante, you're super strong!" Michael said enthusiastically.

"Yes...strong but with caution. I'm not invincible. Just impervious to physical harm. Kazuma could still kill me with his demonic energy attacks if I'm not careful. And then there's Draiko... We don't even know what he's capable of yet..."

"Excuse me, but from what I saw, it was like fighting a really powerful vampire," Isabella said.

"Go on..." Iris said.

"He used a blood power like Carlos has and tried to bite me...to no effect. He was also capable of turning into mist and flying. He could use ice magic and tried to make my body decay. Since I have such potent holy magic from The Priestess, his attacks were useless. My holy magic was highly effective in attacking him. I didn't kill him because I didn't want to alert Novak, but... Mizik wanted me to collapse a building on them. I figured he knew what he was doing, so..."

"It was obviously going to get Novak's attention. But regardless, you destroyed the central tower for the Engine. Even with slave labor, that could take years to rebuild," Iris said.

"In other words, everything worked out fine. You did good. So be proud of yourselves, you two!" Jallah said with a smile.

"Well now, with those things out of the way, it's time to discuss our combat plans. Leiso, if you could open us up?" Iris said.

"Gladly, Lady Iris," Leiso, who had been quiet until now, said.

Jallah went back to his seat where Rune clung to his arm lovingly and Leiso moved to take his place at the front of the room.

"First off, I wish to propose a strike team consisting of most of us to assault Central with our overwhelming power. Before that, however, I wish to address the issue of the remaining Abyss Engines. I will NOT put my comrades and soldiers lives at risk as long as we do not possess at least some form of countermeasure against them. Mizik and Isabella are fine, but they aren't omnipresent. If they're with us, they can protect us from the Engines, but what about the support troops?"

"Excellent proposition as usual, Leiso. Now then, Carlos? I believe you had something to share?" Iris said.

Carlos stood and bowed his head.

"With the time I've had to reconstruct the device Mizik destroyed in the stadium, I managed to get it working. The signal is too weak to drain us fully, but strong enough to notice a loss in power. Next, I got to work on something that could nullify the field..."

Carlos pulled out a device like a neck choker.

"This is a prototype of what I call: the Divine Engine. It strengthens our bond to Iris and casts a field that interferes with the Abyss Engine. Currently, I've determined that the best place for it is around the neck in order to strengthen the flow of power. My researchers are currently working on a full combat harness that will sit below the armor and produce a much stronger signal."

"That's...incredible!" Iris said with wide eyes.

I could swear I saw a smug look of pride and joy in Carlos' expression, but it quickly faded.

"When the Divine Engine is finished, we can mass-produce them within a short period of about a month. I just need a couple of weeks to make the final adjustments and order the materials. A factory is already being constructed with the full basic needs. I have a lot of people working on it currently. We have time, yes?" Carlos said

"With our recent victory, it is highly unlikely that Nexus will take the opportunity to attack us. Even if their mobile Engines still work, we still have Mizik and Isabella. Their powers are more than enough to deal with Kazuma, Draiko, and possibly the other Overlords. Likely, they are still scrambling to pick up the pieces and restore power to their country's barrier," Iris said.

"Might I add, that this power source isn't infinite. They might rebuild the Engine and pour all of their mobile units into it, but only power it for a week or a month. That way, they will be completely defenseless when we actually attack," Carlos said.

"Well then. With that settled...Leiso? Would you mind continuing?" Iris said.

She bowed her head to Iris.

"First of all, I wish to make a statement of our power and might to Nexus. We will assault their most heavily populated and fortified military port and Mizik will provide the firepower by himself," Leiso said.

"Umm...me?" I said.

"Are you not capable of making high level and very destructive spells? How strong Can you make them?" Leiso asked.

Theoretically...and I truly mean theoretically... There wasn't a limit.

I could use all of my mana and even pull from the chasm of magic to cast a spell of immense and destructive power.

However...my body was still mortal.

Doing such a thing would leave me incredibly tired and disoriented. I wouldn't be able to fight...but I could still do it.

"Yes...but I'm worried about leaving myself open for attack afterwards. How powerful are we talking?" I asked curiously.

Leiso smiled and spread her arms wide.

"I WANT YOU TO OBLITERATE EVERYTHING IN A FIVE-MILE RADIUS OF THAT ABOMINABLE PORT!!!" Leiso shouted.

"Umm...well.."

"Can you do it?" Leiso asked as she drew close to me.

"The short answer is yes, but-"

"Good. Start making the spell. I want it as explosively powerful as you can possibly make it. We can handle protecting you afterward. Besides, Isabella will be right beside you," Leiso said with a proud smile.

"Umm...Leiso? Why are you so intent on having Mizik obliterate this port?" Isabella asked.

Leiso gritted her teeth in rage as she looked away.

"Forgive her, but that port is also a frequent place of visit from the High Imperial General of Nexus. Overlord Davis. He and Leiso have a sort of...terrible rivalry..." Iris said.

"That sick bastard keeps trying to assassinate my family descendants. He's already sent his soldiers to kill more than a dozen of them over the years. Additionally, his powers are a direct counter to mine. Magnetism...such an abominable Aspect... But my water Aspect keeps his ships from advancing too far. We are evenly matched on the field of battle. Davis adores his little port. It's his pride and joy. That's why he named it after himself. Port Davis."

"And you want me to destroy it because it'll piss him off?" I asked.

"Not just piss him off. It'll demoralize him. And if he's present, an attack of that magnitude would most definitely kill him too. As much as I want to end his life myself...I'm afraid my Aspect of Metal is useless against someone who uses Magnetism. And with his Creation Aspect, my Water is difficult to use up close."

"I understand. I'll spend the next month preparing a spell to obliterate Port Davis. If possible...if Davis survives, you can be the one to kill him," I said with a smile.

Leiso smiled widely at me.

"DAMMIT! I wish you weren't married, Mizik!" She said as she walked away.

"Woah..." Michael said.

An iron thorn materialzed and nearly hit him in the face.

"SHUT UP, MICHAEL!" Leiso shouted.

Michael placed his hands over his mouth and sunk down in his chair. The other Enforcers stared at Leiso in silence.

Isabella gently wrapped her arm around mine and smiled nervously.

"Don't worry, she won't try anything."

"Thank you, Mizik!"

"Ahem...anyways... After Mizik annihilates Port Davis, we can set up a base camp in and around the crater. After that, we can use it as a staging ground to launch a campaign against Nexus on the ground. Eventually, we will fight our way to Central and cut the head off the serpent," Leiso said.

"Will this campaign include air and vehicular support for us and the troops?" Jallah asked.

"Of course. But I will not deploy aircraft or vehicles against any Overlords. Additionally Jallah, you will not be partaking in this battle."

"What!? Why not!? I have a perfectly good reason to-"

"Jallah! Absolutely not! I forbid you from going back to Nexus!" Rune said sternly as she gripped his arm.

"Ah...Rune... Come on...I have work to do!" Jallah protested.

"No! I won't risk losing you again!"

"She's right, Jallah. Besides, even if Isabella healed your wounds, your power still hasn't fully returned. And don't try to lie to me, I can sense it. You have around half of the strength you once did. There's no telling how long that could take to fully recover," Iris said sternly.

"Haah...fine... Does this mean I'm guarding the home front?" Jallah asked hopefully.

"Should Nexus attempt to mount a counter-assault during our campaign, you will be in charge of handling it. The Divine Engine should allow you to fight back effectively. I believe Leiso and I already discussed the finer details of what her forces will be doing in such an event. The Omega General will be in charge of directing them while Leiso consucts activities in Nexus," Iris said.

"Sounds good. But if I recover in time for the final battle...?"

"Depending on what Rune says, you might be able to participate. I am leaving your monitoring up to her."

"Ah, dammit... I won't be able to join at all then! Come on!" Jallah protested.

"No, Jallah! None of that! I won't let you put yourself in that kind of danger again! I won't let you throw your life away in the final battle of this war..." Rune said with tears in her eyes.

"H-hey! Please don't cry! Come on! Okay, I'll stay! Just don't cry, alright!?" Jallah said quickly.

Rune wrapped her arms all the way around him and rested her head on his chest.

"Okaaaay...get a room... No need to do that here," Michael said awkwardly.

"You really like making things more awkward than they need to be, don't you?" Iris asked.

"Guilty as charged. It's fun," Michael said.

I still have no idea how you became an Enforcer.

"Very well... Leiso, do you have an idea of our roles in the battles ahead?" Iris asked.

"I will take charge of the military as Alpha General. Dante can lead the Enforcers on the ground. Lady Iris, I may request your assistance in dealing with Novak when the need arises," Leiso said.

"I already planned to. We are not allowed to stage full all-out battles between gods on mortal worlds, but I'm going to ask permission. That way, I can assure my victory. Novak will be dealt with and once he's gone...we can finally have an era of peace on Ignitus."

There was a longing sigh from everyone in the room.

I could easily tell that they were all unbelievably sick of this stupid war. It had dragged on for far longer than it should have.

"Well Carlos, continue your work on the Divine Engine. As much as I'd like you to get it done quickly, I would prefer for it to be done the right way. Don't rush it. Michael, Gavin, and Dante, you three will keep watch over Nexus for the next month and a half. Jallah, you may resume investigative work and patrols while you recover. Take it easy though. Leiso, prepare your forces for the upcoming battles. Mizik and Isabella, report to me after everyone has left. All of you are dismissed!" Iris said.

At once, all of the other Enforcers got up and left. We remained seated along with Iris.

"Now then...you two are henceforth known as the special forces unit in the Enforcer group. You will be called upon to deal with existential threats from now on. Anything capable of destroying our world, like Novak's Overlords for example, will be your job."

"What does that mean for our patrol work, Lady Iris?" Isabella said.

"You will continue doing patrols, but you won't be as focused on helping the common people. Jallah can take care of that in Ulkanos. There is also the matter of protecting Nexus after the war..." Iris said.

"You want us to inhabit Nexus?" I asked.

"Yes and no... Until we can rebuild it and get everything running smoothly, it's a literal no mans land. But I'll have you moving back and forth. You may also have your choice of any place of dwelling you wish. Just be prepared to travel frequently. Additionally, Mizik, I need to know. Can you truly fulfill Leiso's request?"

I closed my eyes and tried to grasp the type of spell she wanted me to use.

Its power was immense and would likely almost knock me unconscious, but I could do it.

"Yes. It'll be very taxing, but possible. You can consider Port Davis to be nonexistent."

Iris nodded.

"Then I'll leave the spell's creation to you. Don't fail us, Mizik."

And after that, we left to return to Ulkanos.