Chapter 813 813
"How long do we have?" Karyk asked.
"At best, two years. At worst, five months," Aliac replied. That's all the time we'll have.
"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Karyk asked, his voice filled with frustration. "We can't just sit back and wait for them to come. There must be something we can do to prepare ourselves."
Aliac nodded in agreement. "You're right. We can't afford to be idle. We must use this time wisely to gather allies, strengthen our defenses, and learn as much as we can about our enemy. Knowledge is our greatest weapon."
Karyk agreed with Aliac. If they fought in Elzeria, they were at their weakest without the support of any of this world's elements. And if they fought Elzerians here, then at least their people could use all they had to fight. Unfortunately, that also meant that it was too late to fall back.
The destruction of this world was going to be large-scale. Although they could protect some worlds, most of the worlds were going to be left defenseless.
"Leave the knowledge gathering part to me. You'll have to be the one to prepare a force strong enough to stop them in the future," Karyk told Aliac, his thoughts clear.
"How are you planning to gather information?"
"Isn't the answer right before your eyes?" Karyk pointed towards the portal in the distance, his mind clear.
"Did you not hear what I was saying? It's impossible for you to defeat them alone!" Aliac's concern was evident in his voice as he glanced towards Karyk.
"Don't worry. I'm not going there to fight them. I'll keep a low profile and just try to gather information. Moreover, if not me, then who? Are you confident enough in being able to return alive from there if you're caught?" Aliac hesitated for a moment, understanding the weight of Karyk's words.
He knew he didn't have the same level of expertise and stealth as Karyk did. Moreover, although Karyk couldn't kill all of them, he was the only person amongst them who could kill those immortal beings.
As long as it wasn't a force of hundreds, Aliac was certain that Karyk could return alive.
Although he didn't want to accept and risk Karyk who was going to be the most important part of the puzzle, he knew that there was no other option.
Both of them had their clear responsibilities. While Karyk was to gather information and take care of any unforeseen events, Aliac was to stay behind and prepare an army powerful enough to face the Elzerians.
With the seal being destroyed, he had no reason to stay in the Central World either. He could actually go out freely and prepare his people.
"Just promise me you'll be returning alive! This will be a war lost from the beginning if we lose the only person who can kill them!" Aliac said, his worry still evident.
It wasn't wrong to say that more than worrying about Karyk, he was worrying about the losses in case Karyk died. No amount of information was worth Karyk's life.
Gabriel had been sitting, lifeless and empty as the Talisman had failed. He felt like he had lost everything, even his opportunity for revenge! He had been fooled, and even Ezekiel couldn't catch it.
However, when he heard Karyk mention that he was going to go to Elzeria, he came to his senses. Although he had lost the opportunity to directly kill their king, the burning flame of revenge was still burning in his heart.
"I will come with you!" Gabriel exclaimed, taking a deep breath. He had long stopped struggling with Karyk's restraints.
"No you're not!" Without even considering the proposal, Karyk rejected the suggestion.
"You can't decide where I can and can't go. Either you'll take me with you, or I'll find my own way. From what I heard, there are thousands of portals to that place now!"
Gabriel stood up, his eyes firm with no shred of doubts in them on what he had to do.
"Do you remember what happened to our family the last time both of us left them alone? Who will you blame this time if something happens to them? Will you blame me again or find someone new to blame?" Karyk's cold stare pierced through Gabriel, but he remained resolute.
He reached out and grabbed Gabriel's shoulder, his voice filled with determination. "I understand that you want revenge. But will it be too late to have revenge when the war actually starts? Will you be able to forgive yourself if you got your revenge now but lost Zena as well?"
"And even if you might be able to forgive yourself, I won't. So choose... Do you want an earlier revenge at the cost of your sister's life? Or can you wait two years? I promise, that girl who killed your friends... you'll be the one killing her with your own hands!"
Gabriel's resolve wavered as Karyk's words sank in. He knew deep down that Karyk was right. Revenge was important to him, but not at the expense of his sister's life. Zena was the only family he had left, and he couldn't bear the thought of losing her too.
He had already experienced losing her once. And no amount of revenge was able to get rid of the feeling of loss. Moreover, it wasn't as if an earlier revenge was going to bring Ezekiel back to life.
Although he had to wait, but in the meantime, he could become stronger and make sure that the next time he met that girl, he could make sure that she paid for everything!
Taking a deep breath, Gabriel lowered his gaze and nodded. "I can't risk Zena's life for my own vengeance. I'll wait. But promise me, that when the time comes, you'll let me be the one to bring justice to the girl who took everything from me! You won't kill her!"
Karyk placed a hand on Gabriel's shoulder, his expression softening. "I promise, Gabriel. When the time comes, you'll have your chance. But for now, we need to focus on gathering information and preparing for the war ahead. Together, we'll make sure no one else suffers the same fate as our family."
