When looked at from above, the royal capital of Wratharis, the kingdom of werebeasts, looked like a huge Tai chi symbol.
This symbol divided the two major powers, the temple under the command of the Kitsune, Kiku Inari Patienta, and the royal power under the control of Lupus Tiangou Ira.
The system of Wratharis was semi-democratic in appearance. Each time an important decision had to be made, it necessitated the main assembly which was composed of 193 different seats, each for the representative of their respectful race.
Of course, as with all systems that sold equality, in reality, were anything but equal.
In the Wratharis republic, four great races existed.
The Oni, The Stone Monkey, the Kitsune, and the Blue Wolf. The leaders of those four races formed the security council of the high assembly, with the Wolf and Kitsune holding permanent seats, while the two others seats could be taken if the leader lost to another one.
(A/N: Yeah, not really democratic. But hey, using fists is also democratic in a way.)
In the very center of Wratharis, stood a very large building reminiscing of a coliseum.
Around it, gigantic sculptures representing the 193 races could be seen even from afar.
Despite how wide it was, the interior of the building was rather well furnished and mixed elegance and wealth without looking too blinding.
This building was used for all important discussions. After all, the church and the royal castle also served as seats of power of their respective owner. Any leader taking a step in there would find himself in severe crisis.
This was why this building was created.
Currently, the building was full of people with different features in a room that looked like an amphitheater...
Bird, cat, lion, panther, bull, sheep, and so on. Curses and threats flew around as each one tried to appear and act as tough as possible.
For were beasts — weakness was a sin. The strong ate the weak and the weak could only cower in the sight of the strong.
Because of this, the social circle was extremely hierarchized with the stronger ones sitting higher. At the very summit, four seats hung above all of them.
“Leader of the Oni, Lord Shuten Douji.”
The moment those words resonated, all noise vanished from the room.
*Step* *Step* *Step*
It was so devoid of sounds, that the slow steps from behind the door high up could be heard.
Finally, the doors of one of the four rooms opened and the one announced entered.
The one who entered was a short woman, not unlike a child, though her outrageous clothes would beg to show a different tale. After all, her long open kimono aside, all she was wearing was something akin to a swimsuit. Her pale skin was so white it seemed she was devoid of blood. Her short purple hair was adorned with silver and golden jewels.
At first glance, she seemed no different than any human, if not for the two long horns protruding out of her forehead.
Taking her seat, Shuten took a swing of her most prized alcohol stored in the gourd she held in her hand.
Despite her slovenly appearance, no one in the room was fooled. They knew very well that behind this lazy exterior was a hideous madness that could threaten to explode at any moment.
“Leader of the Stone Monkey's, Lord Sun Wukong.”
This time, gulping could be heard all around. While the Oni lord was someone dangerous when triggered, she was rather calm most of the time. But the one who was called now was someone completely unpredictable.
*Bang*
The moment he entered, a cold atmosphere seemed to suddenly fill the room.
Sun Wukong was a man of average height with a rather athletic build wearing a black cloak. His black spiked hair aside, what caught the attention were the golden headband around his head and what looked like a white tiger skin around his waist, and finally, a long black tail swishing behind him.
This tiger skin was one of the reasons people feared him so much. Initially; the stone monkeys weren’t part of the four great clans. At most, they were just in the middle rank. But, about fifty years ago, this anomaly was born.
After killing the Tiger lord, he took his place in the security council. In fact, he was so strong that some people called him the Uncrowned King or the Monkey King rather than the monkey lord. If not for the divine law that stopped anyone not blessed from becoming king, they did not doubt that the current leader wouldn’t be the wolves.
After taking his seat, Wukong took a meditative pose and closed his eyes.
“Leader of the Kitsune and Supreme daughter of Patienta. Saint Kiku Inari Patienta.”
The tense atmosphere immediately warmed a little.
If people feared or were wary of the previous two, Kiku on the other hand, enjoyed popularity out of all norms.
Not only was she beautiful, but even though she generally acted in an abrasive way, everyone understood that she only had the best interest of Wratharis at heart.
A tall woman with incredible curves wearing a red kimono entered. Behind her, six golden tails danced freely in the air before vanishing as she took a seat after she saluted everyone with a wave of her hand.
Sadly, the warm atmosphere didn’t last long.
“Leader of the Blue Wolves and King of Wratharis, his majesty, Tiangou Lupus Ira.”
Few people hissed quietly or watched with disgust as a tall man with golden fur and blue eyes wearing a golden and red Kimono entered.
The king, watching them all simply smirked,
“Everyone. Bow for this king.”
The expression of most of the leaders became complicated, but they had no other choice than to bow to a man they found unworthy.
Everyone aside from the others three great lords bowed while cupping their hands.
“We salute the son of heaven!”
Their voices resonated in the dimly lit room.
Seemingly satisfied, Lupus nodded his head and took his seat before speaking again,
“Everyone, let’s sit. I believe it’s time for us to talk about the future.”
Most of the people present began to frown.
They knew the reason for this reunion, and even though they weren't particularly against it, they weren't all for it either.
Lupus, despite his brash manners, understood that what mattered currently were the lords.
War was the domain of the King, and as long as he got enough votes, not even the church could use their rights of veto.
Throwing a glance at the sullen Kiku, he hides a smirk and began to extrapolate.
"I think you all know about my intentions to wage war against Lustburg. You might not understand it, but this is most likely the best moment. Currently, without a Supreme daughter and a blessed King, Lustburg is without a doubt at its weakest. Completely conquering it isn't impossible."
The leaders began to discuss in a hushed breath. For people like them, war wasn't about patriotism or whatnot. Only foot soldiers thought like that.
For people standing at the highest place, war was all about benefits. War with no clear benefits was just a waste of time and resources.
Lupus perfectly understood this and began to explain the situation while highlighting the current weakness of Lustburg.
Once he finished, he sat back with a pleased expression.
He could see that aside from the die-hard leader on Kiku's side, most of the neutral ones were leaning towards war.
Focusing on the other two great lords, he asked,
"What do you think?"
He didn't even bother asking Kiku, the two of them never saw eye to eye. He was sure that if not for the protection of his blessing, she would have already tried to assassinate him. Well, he would have done the same.
Douji smiled a little before asking, "How reliable are your sources? What about the prince?"
Lupus scoffed, "My sources are foolproof. We had enough time to confirm the truth. Milia Castitas lost her blessing, and as such, Lustburg lost not only a powerhouse but also one of its greatest defenses. If we don't attack now, then when!?"
He smashed the armrest of his chair as he asked her while also addressing the room.
Sun Wukong, who was still in meditation opened his eyes and spoke plainly,
"Winter is coming."
"This indeed so, but don’t you think this makes it more interesting? They will definitely never think that we would attack even during winter. What's more,"
"You want to use us as a vanguard."
Lupus didn't deny, "The stone Monkeys are impervious to fire and water. What's more, with your steel-like skin, you guys are the perfect vanguard."
He spoke very carefully, he understood very well that this man wasn't the kind who liked being ordered around. Even someone as arrogant as him understood that some people shouldn't be crossed if not necessary.
'I am lucky that this guy wasn't born in the Ira family.'
Sun Wukong piercing golden eyes stared at Lupus for a short while before he lost interest,
"I will only participate if I can fight the Saint of sword."
"Of course."
'Why should I stop you two freaks from fighting and killing each other?'
He scoffed Inwardly. He didn't understand why anomalies such as Lilith Lustburg and Sun Wukong could be born, but it didn't matter.
Finally, he turned toward Kiku, and was surprised to see her show such calm countenance.
Kiku, standing up, spoke quietly, "I understand where this is going and I will not stop you. But, let me give a warning…Do not underestimate Lustburg."
On those words and without waiting for the assembly to end, she left.
Lupus ignored what he only saw as the growling of a sour loser.
'Soon, I will do what no other kings did. I will annex another kingdom.'
He could already feel his heart beating wildly in his chest.
His ambition didn't stop here. He would become the second Conqueror king but unlike that king… He would not fail.
