Night fell in Aquazyl once more, leading to the rise of civilization from the depths. The Sea God Clans' aversion to sunlight was strange to say the least, as it didn't seem to stem from a physical condition at all. Their actions were completely random from an outsider's perspective.
Damien and Zara returned to the Ruvia and Oga Clan branches respectively when they came out from their burrows. During the brief moment of respite they gained during the daytime, they had come up with a vague course of action to follow.
The plan was simple.
"I want to speak to your Clan Head. I have a proposal that he surely wouldn't want to miss out on." Damien said with confidence.
"The Clan Head? Even if you wish to meet him, it will be difficult. The Clan Head rarely exits seclusion, and when he does, it is only for the most important events concerning the clan as a whole." The elder replied with furrowed brows. He didn't doubt Damien's qualifications to meet a figure with the Clan Head's status at all. After all, Damien's strength wasn't too different from his own.
Damien nodded. He'd already expected this. Still, the village elder wasn't some small character, considering his strength. It was likely that the clan had positioned a large portion of its elders in these small battlefields to ensure that their subdivisions could survive. If Damien took this into consideration, he could be somewhat assured that the village elder had the means to contact the Clan Head as he wished.
And if there was a point of contact, nothing more needed to be said.
"I can swear on my mana that you won't regret helping me this time. If my proposal succeeds, the Ruvia Clan will benefit more than you could ever imagine. It might even be possible…for the clan to usurp the throne."
The village elder's eyes narrowed. "Can you stand by what you just said? I'm aware that you haven't known about the Prominence War for long, so I can excuse your mistake this once. Do not play games with me."
Damien shook his head in rebuttal. "I'm not playing games. I truly have a plan."
The village elder glanced into Damien's eyes. Strangely, he couldn't take Damien's words as mere nonsense. He hadn't known Damien for long, nor did he have any reason to trust him. Still, he had the itching feeling that Damien's words contained some truth.
He furrowed his brows in thought. He wasn't lying when he said contacting the Clan Head would be difficult. If he had something of note to tell the Clan Head, he might be able to rouse the latter's interest, but Damien was seemingly intent on keeping his proposal hidden.
"At the very least, hook me. If you can convince me to help you, then I can convince the Clan Head." The elder said firmly.
Damien raised his brow. The elder's words sounded like a guarantee, and powerhouses didn't make guarantees easily. If the elder was truly so connected to the Clan Head…
"Very well. For this plan, the end goal is…the total annihilation of the Tephit Clan."
***
Damien and the Ruvia Elder's conversation was mirrored by Zara and the Oga Elder. The two worked in tandem, securing meetings with the central figures of these two great clans for only a single purpose:
The downfall of the Tephit Clan.
Now that Damien had the qualifications to compete for sovereignty, he wasn't going to waste it. But at the same time, he couldn't stay in Aquazyl until the Prominence War reached its finale.
The Prominence War between the five clans was on the level of planetary warfare. To kill millions down to the roots would take time, especially when the enemy was of equal strength as the attacker. The Prominence War would at least take 5 years to a decade to reach completion.
In this time, Damien would be long gone. He might even reach Demigod status in 5 years, considering his past and current trajectory. He couldn't allow the war to prolong, especially since the Emperor Bone Sea would become a pivotal weapon in the war against the Nox if he could obtain it.
The best way to use the 3 months he had was to get rid of the greatest competition.
The Tephit Clan who won the previous Prominence War was far larger and more powerful than the other 4 clans. Any single clan wouldn't be able to defeat them alone in a head-on battle.
Even if the clans worked together, reaching the Tephit Clan's peak experts was a challenge in itself. The number of 4th classes they'd raised over the years was immense.
Damien and Zara's help could change a great deal of things.
For one, they both had specialized spatial skills that could be used for concealment and transport. If one wanted to launch a heaven-shaking ambush, their combination was the greatest tool.
The two of them were also experts in their own right. Their combined combat power surpassed a large majority of the elders of any clan. Plus, Damien's mana was nearly inexhaustible. Against a large number of enemies, he was a war machine.
To eliminate the Tephit Clan, they didn't need to cut the weeds and stomp the roots. This job could be left for the other four clans after they left Aquazyl. As long as they could eliminate the Tephit Clan's experts, their victory would be confirmed.
"…what you're saying is true, but can you match your claims? It seems as if you consider yourself a force that can match an entire clan." The Ruvia Elder questioned doubtfully.
He knew Damien was strong, but to suggest turning the tides against the Tephit Clan was insane.
"Maybe not by myself," Damien openly admitted. He wasn't stupidly arrogant enough to put himself on such a pedestal.
"But what if I can bring my own force to match? And what if the Oga Clan also agrees to cooperate with us?"
The village elder's eyebrows jumped as he fell into thought. He ignored Damien's claims about his own force since he didn't believe a young child like him could accomplish so much at his age, but if the Oga Clan and Ruvia Clan cooperated with a spatial expert aiding them in bypassing barriers…
'It might be possible.'
It was a wild thought to have. In normal circumstances, the two clans together still couldn't compete with the Tephit Clan.
In the 100,000 years after the previous Prominence War, the Tephit Clan's society had taken major leaps. Their techniques and technologies were far too advanced for the other clans to understand.
This meant that their defenses were nigh-unbreakable.
But Damien's spatial ability erased this obstacle entirely. If they could ignore the Tephit Clan's technology and only had to focus on battling their experts, their chances of success were greatly heightened.
"I can't completely trust this plan, nor do I have the appropriate knowledge to judge its success. Haa, I guess I should congratulate you for hooking me thoroughly. To discuss further, the Clan Head's presence is necessary."
The village elder was cynical about their chances, but he wasn't an idiot. The plan Damien suggested was full of holes due to his lack of knowledge, but the overall structure was indeed viable.
A transmission talisman lit up in the elder's hand. On the other side…
