chapter 12 proposition

Two months after the incident, the Headian Trade Union nearly collapsed due to the damage Alex inflicted, but they managed to survive. Currently, they are still recovering and counting the losses caused by the short civil war.

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Today, however, is different. Alex is at an unknown facility, staring at a tear in reality—a rare phenomenon. Sometimes, people experiment on these tears, and Alex can see a shade of red on the human-sized portal to an unknown world or dimension. A group of people is chaining a criminal on death row, preparing to throw him inside and pull him back out.

"My Lord, the experiment is ready," a man named Opilav, the head researcher, spoke.

"Sure, begin."

The scientists pushed the man toward the portal, but the inmate resisted. With a hard shove, he slipped inside. After five minutes, they pulled him back out, and what remained was so gruesome that many researchers vomited—except for Alex. 

The inmate's face and organs were gone, his skin burned but not entirely.

"Run a few tests. I'm going to enter that portal to explore," Alex said.

The researchers were shocked to hear that their lord was planning a suicide mission.

"But it's too dangerous, my lord! You might die!" Opilav protested.

"Don't worry, just do a few tests and give me the report so I can make some countermeasures," Alex replied calmly.

At that moment, a butler entered, bowed, and spoke, "My lord, Lady Artemis has arrived for the business negotiation." It was Ian, the head butler.

Alex nodded and followed Ian to the room where Artemis stood, accompanied by two of her hunting companions.

"Well, long time no see, Alex. How are you?" Artemis asked with a slight smile.

"Pretty good. I just attended an experiment on a dimension tear."

"So, another one appeared," she sighed, as these tears only occurred once every five years.

"Well, Artemis, let's get straight to the point. What brings you here?" Alex's tone shifted to that of a businessman.

"I would like to purchase 200,000 steel arrows, 50 tons of grain and wheat, and lastly, 20 tons of fertilizer," she said, taking a breath as she awaited his response.

Alex thought it over. These items were available, especially since he had an overstock of bows and arrows he planned to sell. After reaching a conclusion, he spoke.

"How would you like to pay for these items? Barter, raw materials, or cash?"

Artemis, nervous, thought about her limited options since Draconia was her only major trading partner. Finally, she opted for raw materials.

"I've decided to pay in raw materials."

"Alright, I'll need 300 metric tons of iron and all of your black ore—which I classify as antimatter ore—and I will send a mining team," Alex responded.

Artemis was shocked. She couldn't provide that much iron due to her people's recent adoption of steel weapons, and extracting antimatter ore, which Alex knew how to use, was dangerous.

"Can we compromise? Please lower the amount of iron you're asking for. I can only give you access to half of the antimatter ore."

Alex considered this and smiled slightly.

"Artemis, you already know that I can forge the antimatter ore with the techniques available to me. As a compromise, I'll ask for only 70 tons of iron. In exchange, I'll request 90% of your copper reserves and access to that black oil you find useless."

Artemis thought deeply. Black oil was mostly used for fires and had no real value for her people. She decided to accept.

"Sure, I accept these terms. I hope my purchase will be completed next month."

Internally, Alex smiled deviously, having secured the resources he needed. Even if Artemis figured out his intentions and tried to stop him, she would be powerless as underground pipes carried the materials to his storage.

"Then we have a deal, Artemis," Alex said, shaking her hand.

Just as they were about to stand and leave, a soldier clad in silver armor with wing designs on the shoulder plates entered urgently.

"Lady Artemis and Sir Alex, you are being summoned to Olympus for an emergency meeting at once!" the soldier gasped, having ridden non-stop to deliver the message.

Alex and Artemis locked eyes and nodded. Alex placed a hand on Artemis's shoulder, and blue energy enveloped them both. In seconds, they disappeared from the room.

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**Olympus**

Upon arrival, they were greeted by soldiers and guided to a meeting room where several gods were gathered. Alvos was seated on the floor, while the other gods sat in their thrones. Artemis took a seat in front, and Alex conjured a black and red throne for himself.

After 20 minutes, the meeting began.

"Thank you all for arriving on such short notice. I will get straight to the point: the army of Chronos is pushing on the southern front, and we need to send reinforcements. However, he's also leading an army on the left flank of the western front."

The gods began discussing how to counter this when Alex raised his hand.

"Who is commanding the titans in the southern front?" he asked.

Ares checked the documents and replied, "It's General Herudus. He's commanding the 7th Horde, numbering 200,000 titans and human soldiers. Our forces in the southern front are battered and in need of reinforcements."

"Then why not send Alex with the reinforcements? He's the only one capable of commanding and fighting alone," Alvos suggested.

The gods murmured, and Artemis spoke up. "I will accompany Alex too."

Ares nodded. "That's a great idea. Alex, tomorrow you will depart for the southern front with 90,000 soldiers. Please bring a battalion of your own soldiers as well. We'll need them."

Alex narrowed his eyes. "Why do I need to bring my soldiers? The Olympian army can handle them."

Ares rubbed the back of his neck. "Your soldiers are capable of killing titans, and your weapons can slay them. It's that simple."

"Fine, but I'll bring a division-sized force and demand full command. Do you accept?"

The gods were shocked. Not only was Alex, a new god with no title, asking for command, but he also increased the number of soldiers he would bring to 10,000. Ares looked at Zeus, who nodded.

"With Zeus's approval, we accept your command over the southern front."

The meeting continued, discussing which gods would go to the left flank of the western front. Once it concluded, Alex and Alvos chatted.

"Soon, I'll depart for the battlefield, and I'll command the reserves here in the capital," Alvos said.

Alex nodded. "What soldiers will I be commanding from the 90,000?"

"You'll command the fast-reacting troops equipped with standard weapons and 500 knights from Artemis and Ares," Alvos replied.

Satisfied, Alex took a chalice of wine from a servant. After taking a sip, he asked, "Why weren't Athena and Hades present at the meeting, nor their representatives?"

It was odd for two powerful gods to be absent.

"Well, it is strange. They could've sent knights as representatives, but I think they're still recovering from the war. They had a small civil war before battling Chronos, which decimated their forces and drained their resources. Maybe they can't participate," Alvos speculated, knowing both gods had independent territories.

Alex pulled out a document and handed it to Alvos, speaking in a frustrated tone. "Wrong. They aren't drained of soldiers or resources. In fact, their lands are booming, and their armies are growing daily. They're not preparing to fight Chronos but each other. If you're wondering where I got this information, it's from my assassin, X, who's been gathering intel. Their armies are on par with the Holy Kingdom of Olympus."

Alex continued, "I'll impose economic sanctions on their nations for not participating in the war. Most of their income comes from Draconia and other city-states. I'll pressure those states to cease trading with the Kingdom of Hades and the Grand Duchy of Athens."

Alvos was shocked by this revelation. Their reports indicated the two nations were still recovering, but this new information painted a different picture. Now, he was furious.

"I'll confront them for lying—"

Alex raised a hand to stop him. "Don't. My plan will deal with them. Just sit back and watch the chaos unfold. At all costs, don't assist them," Alex said with an evil smile.

Alvos nodded and left for his quarters while Alex continued drinking.

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**The Next Day...**

Twenty kilometers from the capital of Olympus, Alex stood before an army of over 100,000 soldiers. Artemis stood beside him, gazing at the knights clad in different armors.

"Soldiers of Olympus, it's time for war! Let's march to the southern front and slay the titans!" Alex shouted.

The soldiers roared in unison, forming into four corps. Although confused at first, they quickly adapted to the marching speed. In just four days, they reached the front.

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**To be continued...**