Soon enough, the next day arrived, and the atmosphere proved to be entirely different. The electric sensation of anticipation hung in the air, tingling at the nerves of Rui and Amare when they got up, causing them to be more serious than they normally were. They were about to enter a huge battle that very day, after all.

They each knew what their duties and obligations in this war were. They knew what the responsibilities that they bore were. They merely exchanged a deep look and a serious nod before preparing themselves mentally.

There was no light-hearted banter or talk.

There was simply silence as they got within their own heads, honing their concentrations and their own focus for the task that was ahead of them as they freshened up, getting ready to get to work.

Within an hour, they departed from their luxury quarters, heading to the capital to meet with the others. There was a little over six hours left before the battle was to begin, and they needed to be there with the leaders of the operation to make sure that everything was in order.

The ride to the capital town was as quiet and self-absorbed as their first time, where they immersed themselves in the surroundings and the environment of a new world that was foreign to them.

Nothing was allowed to distract them, lest it take from their power when the time for battle came.

Soon enough, they arrived at the tusk-like megastructure at the very center of the country, de-boarding the elephant that they had just ridden. Not even the bright light of the morning Sun shining upon the world around them was able to ameliorate the heavy darkness that settled in the air.

The nervous energy in the air still remained, as did the sense of anticipation and peril.

Normal people didn't know what was happening, but the therianthropes on the streets outside of the megastructure could feel themselves, looking more nervous as if there was an impending storm.

CLACK

When the door to the megastructure opened once they reached it, they found a large congregation of officials and other leaders deliberating about several matters together. Yet, the moment Rui entered the room, the conversations halted entirely as they all shifted their gaze to look at him.

The air grew heavy as their attention converged upon him, fixating on him with an intensity that came only from knowing that they were placing their faith in him.

Rui's gaze swept across the room as he focused on the leaders of various clans whose projections were placed next to that of the seat of Lord Vakratunda, who had adopted a more martial look himself that day.

He spotted a monkey man, a winged man with an eagle head, he spotted a serpent man, and even a few predators here among them, many leaders who had congregated for the planned attack.

Their eyes bore on him with immense scrutiny as they studied him, sizing him up from top to bottom, while their gazes simply glanced over Amare for a moment, before shifting back to Rui.

What they saw clearly impressed them.

Rui's pitch-black eyes were filled with unfathomable power, especially when his mind was hyper-focused on the task of ambushing and defeating the Dragon Emperor. Having fully restored his stamina with enough rest, he was in perfect shape to go all out against the Dragon Emperor.

His presence was beyond heavy.

Each and every single person felt a suffocating mental pressure bear down on them domineeringly and oppressively from him. It only made the atmosphere that much more charged with peril.

They didn't see even the slightest hint of fear in his eyes.

All they saw was ferocious, yet sturdy determination. One that wouldn't yield very easily, there was no room for even questioning whether he was qualified to do what he was assigned to do.

He clearly was.

Lord Maruthi sharpened his eyes, studying his presence as he understood what his friend had told him. It was indeed true that there was something about Rui that was very divergent from the norm in ways that couldn't be explained.

He was just different.

Fundamentally.

Rui had a deathly presence to him as a tint of darkness seemed to highlight his shadows sharply, as though there was a bright light that was somehow focused on only him and nobody else. The presence of the Gu in his body sent chills down the spines of those who beheld him.

Therianthropes were very sensitive creatures; they could sense the sheer amount of death contained within his body.

It tingled at their nerves, sending chills across their skin. They could feel the boundless power and potential within him.

The potential to become anything.

"You are here." Lord Vakratunda nodded. "Good, the attack is in six hours. Everything is almost perfectly in place. Once it is, we will fully mobilize, and you will commence your ambush on the Dragon Emperor. Then, this war will begin."

His presence contained an edge to it that day. One that he had painstakingly sharpened to bring out his very best against the supporters of the Dragon Emperor and the many leaders who had sworn loyalty to him. Power seemed to brim beneath the very surface of his skin, more power than almost anybody else on the continent.

His calm and composure were the only things that prevented the atmosphere from degenerating even further into one of fear. Yet, his elephantine eyes remained serene and wise, even if prepared for what was undoubtedly going to unfold.

"Our enemies have already discovered our discreet mobilization," Lord Vakratunda remarked. "However, while they are suspecting some potential military action further down the line, we are relatively certain that they do not know what is about to happen. Regardless, we want to minimize the time that they have to prepare for this attack. We will start the moment we are ready. You will have to remain on standby until then."

"That's perfectly fine by me." Rui nodded, sharpening his eyes.

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