Chapter 177: Upcoming Attack

[30 Minutes Later.]

[Outskirts Of Silverspire City.]

​RING!

​Marianne brought out her phone, immediately answering the incoming call:

​"Guild Leader!! There is bad news!!"

​A frantic voice sounded clearly from the speaker, and due to the speaker remaining on, Asher easily heard the man’s terrified tone over the hum of the jeep’s engine.

​"What happened? Explain it calmly!" Marianne yelled back at the phone, her knuckles whitening on the steering wheel.

​"Well, we discovered unknown energy signatures in the South! Well, not just one—there are many."

​Upon hearing the report, Marianne raised an eyebrow in confusion: "The South?! That isn’t our sector. The Dragon Guild should be controlling that entire region."

​"You are correct, Guild Leader, but the Dragon Guild are the ones who sent us this report... We also got news that they sent this exact report to all the top ten Guilds’ headquarters in the city."

​"What?! This is serious! Explain the issue properly!" Marianne yelled into the phone.

​"Um... I think you should come over and see it for yourself, I also can’t explain this over a call."

​"....?!"

​Marianne stared at her phone, utterly stunned. After some seconds of heavy silence, she asked:

​"What’s the threat rank on this report?"

​"We... We don’t know! It’s showing SSS-RANK, then well... It will vanish, and reappear again. The reading isn’t stable at all." He quickly said.

​Asher narrowed his eyes, listening quietly from the backseat. He didn’t know much about official guild threat-ranking protocols, but SSS-RANK was already the absolute ceiling for any Guild in Silverspire. Why would a reading fluctuate, vanish, and reappear like that?

​"Alright, I am on my way." She quickly said, hanging up the phone before looking over her shoulder at Asher:

​"Lord Asher, I apologize, but it seems we need to make a stop at the headquarters... It’s a different route from your villa."

​"No worries, just take me straight to the headquarters."

​"Huh?"

​Marianne was stunned by his willing compliance, but quickly nodded her head:

​"Alright, Lord Asher!" She turned the steering wheel sharply at the next intersection and slammed her foot onto the accelerator.

​’Having Lord Asher with us might actually be a good thing if things go wrong,’ she thought, relief washing over her.

​Asher remained silent, staring out through the tinted glass window as the city outskirts blurred past... ’I need to improve our family’s reputation. Right now, only the Awakened society knows about the Aetheldawn name—the ordinary citizens have no idea we even exist. If I want to fully take over Vaeloria and establish absolute dominance, I also need their recognition,’ he observed the bustling suburban streets, watching children playing safely in alleys and others sparring.

​’The best way to do this is to make their lives more easy and peaceful. Money? I already have plenty of that.’

___

​[One Hour Later.]

[Holy Sword Guild Headquarters.]

​BAM!

​Marianne slammed the jeep door shut and quickly walked inside the massive glass skyscraper. Asher followed smoothly behind her, having changed back into his clean, stylish casual wear, while Denise brought up the rear in a long-sleeved shirt and a low dark cloak that fully hid his bandage-wrapped shoulder.

​"Look, that’s the Guild Leader and Vice Guild Leader!"

​"Wow, I haven’t seen her in person before."

​"She is so beautiful... But the guy walking right behind her? WOW, can a human even be that handsome?!"

​"Is he a new member of our guild? He looks incredible!!"

​"I can’t even sense his rank... He must be an insanely powerful Awakened to be allowed to walk side-by-side with the Guild Leader."

​"Forget his rank! I just want to know if he can carry me through a dungeon! I would just stare at his handsome face the whole time!"

​"Face? I would gladly spend the night with a guy that handsome! And he looks so young too!"

​"Man, I am jealous. I’m a guy too, but he is completely out of my league in looks!!"

​Marianne listened to the whispering crowd, keeping her face perfectly flat and professional as she navigated the polished lobby.

​’How did their conversation immediately drift from their beautiful guild leader straight to him? I admit he is beyond handsome, but he’s already married,’ she thought as they came to a stop before the VIP elevator bank.

​’I am simply terrified of his wives. Even if they have their own internal conditions, they aren’t women anyone in this city can mess with... Besides, he doesn’t seem like the type of man who would ever need or look at another woman,’ she pressed the call button. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

​DING!

​Everyone in the busy lobby watched in awe as the three entered the elevator, staring in fascination until the doors slid smoothly shut.

__

​[Five Minutes Later.]

[Highest Floor - Command Room.]

​"I am here!"

​Marianne pushed the double doors open and entered the high-tech tactical center, immediately drawing the attention of all the analysts controlling the glowing computer terminals.

​"Guild Leader!" They all stood up in respect.

​"Keep the formalities aside!! Tell me the issue!" She said seriously, striding forward and stopping before the massive central display screen.

​"Yes, Guild Leader!" The same analyst who had called her earlier replied, quickly pressing a sequence of keys on his console.

​They all completely ignored Asher, taking him for a high-ranking internal guild member accompanying the leadership. Asher himself wasn’t bothered in the slightest.

​SWISH!

​The giant screen switched on, revealing an intricate holographic map of the entire region, spreading ten thousand miles outward with Silverspire City sitting right at the center.

​"This is the current range we can actively scan." He zoomed in on the screen toward the dense Southern Forest sector, and suddenly, thousands of bright crimson dots started appearing on the grid.

​"Are those...?"

​"Yes, Guild Leader... Just as you can see, those thousands of dots are all high-tier Monsters, with the absolute weakest among them registering as A-Rank. And as we speak, they are all moving in formation, heading directly toward the city." He swallowed hard, his throat dry:

​"If they continue advancing at their current speed, they will reach the outer city walls in six to seven days at most."

​"...?!!!"