When everyone was almost done eating, Lionheart VII put down the knife and fork in his hand, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said, "On behalf of the Lionheart Empire, I would like to express my deepest condolences for what happened in Setta City. President Steins and I have known each other for more than 50 years. Just three months ago, I invited President Da Vinci to watch a court martial arts competition, but I didn't expect it to be the last time we met. Losing them is not only a great loss for the Magic Association but also a misfortune for the entire human race."
Robb nodded. "I also deeply regret what happened to Prince Williams. He was a sincere friend and a true knight who fought for his people. I'm sure the people of this land will always remember his name."
"Both of us seem to be facing the same enemy now." The old Lion King's eyes shone. "And if the information provided to me by President Da Vinci is not exaggerated, then not only us, but the entire human race is now in an extremely dangerous moment."
"Yes." The future Supreme Magus Your Honor said bluntly, "The enemy we have to face is unprecedentedly powerful, and there are more than one of them. Although we traveled side by side a thousand years ago, that was only because it seemed that choice was in their best interest at that time. But in the end, they don't want to see the emergence of a powerful human race. The incident in Setta City is not an accident. There is an irreconcilable conflict between us. This is a war that concerns the survival of our race. And according to their past behavior patterns, I'm afraid that full-scale retaliation will come soon."
When Rob finished speaking, the table fell into a brief silence.
Although such an outcome was not unexpected, it was undeniable that until the moment before the answer was revealed, many people still held hope in their hearts. The Dawn Continent had been away from the flames of war for hundreds of years. None of the people present had experienced the dark history of countless blood and tears. Suddenly facing a war of survival or destruction, it was inevitable that they would feel nervous.
Only Lionheart VII's expression remained unchanged at the table. The old man obviously already knew the answer to this question. In fact, he just wanted to use Rob's mouth to say it to the others.
When everyone had almost digested it, Lionheart VII spoke again. "Before the war begins, we still have some things to do."
The two princes stood up with solemn expressions. "Your Majesty, please instruct us."
Lionheart VII nodded in satisfaction. However, his gaze ultimately landed on Rob.
The Lion King's next sentence caused the atmosphere in the entire palace to freeze.
"I intend to attack the Holy Alliance."
"Oh?" Rob raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not someone who doesn't care about the bigger picture. I'm not sending troops to avenge Williams." The old Lion King paused and said seriously, "Your Majesty, please tell me the truth. What are our chances of winning this time?"
"Next to nothing." Rob's answer caused everyone's heart to sink. Your Honor, the future Supreme Magus, was now recognized as the strongest expert in the Dawn Continent. As someone who had witnessed the gods in action twice and fought with the avatars of the gods and escaped unscathed, he was undoubtedly the most qualified person to evaluate the strength of the gods. If even his answer was so pessimistic, it showed how serious the situation was.
Lionheart VII said, "In this case, we must seize every opportunity. As the side at a disadvantage, we have a very low margin for error. Until the war begins, no one knows how each battle will be fought. However, from a strategic perspective, I know what we must do now. The human race must first unify and unite as one. As for the Free city-state, I've already sent a proposal to their parliament to form a wartime union, but as for the Holy Alliance …"
Lionheart VII shook his head. "The people there have been controlled by the church for too long. Although I still believe that as long as they are given enough time, they will see who is on the right side. Unfortunately, I'm afraid we don't have the time, so I have to do it myself."
Prime Minister Pushkin opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but Lionheart VII stopped him with a wave of his hand.
"The situation is not as bad as you think. The Holy Alliance is weaker than us, and the church is in turmoil. We have the support of the Bretton Family in the north, who can help us contact the local nobles. With the help of the Magician's Association, as long as we move fast enough, perhaps our knights will already be standing under the walls of Saint Massa before the church can react. So, I'm never worried about the problem of taking down the Holy Alliance."
The old Lion King looked into Rob's eyes. "As you said, this is a war for the entire human race. In this war, you can get my guarantee that as long as there is one person left in the Lionheart Family, we will not retreat. But at the same time, I also bear the responsibility of managing the empire. My people live on this land, and I need to be responsible for their safety. Once the war starts, I will transfer the empire's elite troops to the east and split them into two groups. This is also the time when the power of the empire's hinterland is at its weakest. I need someone to help me solve this problem, or at the very least, suppress those Abyssal Cracks within our borders, so that they won't cause any trouble."
At this point, Lionheart VII finally revealed the purpose of tonight's banquet. "I can guarantee that after the war ends, the alliance will be dissolved, and the empire's troops will withdraw from the territory of the Holy Alliance. But now, special circumstances require special treatment. We need to cut off the hands of those things in the human world, and complete the process of the unification of the entire human race."
After saying this, the old man closed his mouth, quietly waiting for the other side's reply.
On the other hand, Rob looked at Lolo. The latter took a few deep breaths, suppressed the nervousness in her heart, and said, "How many Abyssal Cracks are there in your country right now?"
"There are seven that have been confirmed, and there are two that are suspected. But yesterday afternoon, one of them was ruled out, so it should be counted as seven and a half." As expected of the empire's prime minister, Pushkin didn't even need to look through the records when he reported this number.
"What about the size?"
"Because of the different times they appear, the longest one is more than a mile in diameter, the shortest is less than two hundred meters, but most of them are three to four hundred meters in diameter."
Lolo calculated in her heart. Although the number of Abyssal Cracks was enough to make one's scalp go numb, other than the longest one which was more troublesome to deal with, the rest were still within a controllable range. If everything went smoothly, it was possible to close them within four months. So, she nodded to the old man.
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