The Devil Horns stepped back from their table and looked across the vast hall.
The Black Meeting had become a storm.
Voices clashed from every corner of the chamber. Nobles pointed at one another, generals slammed their fists against marble, merchants shouted over soldiers, and scribes hurried through the aisles with trembling hands. Blue flames flickered wildly along the walls as if even the fire could feel the tension.
All of it had started because Junyu stood up.
Junyu watched the chaos with a faint smile.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Katsa looked around at the arguing rulers.
"You call this beautiful?"
Junyu folded his arms.
"It means people are finally speaking honestly."
The masked host observed the chamber from the central platform and laughed softly.
"Remarkable. For the first time in years, this room looks less like a gathering of tyrants and more like a gathering of politicians."
Thunder rumbled outside Noctharis Isle.
Rain began striking the stained-glass windows.
The debate had begun.
TABLE ONE — THE EXECUTIONISTS
Aurex Valdren sat at the head of the first table like a king presiding over a funeral.
Golden light from the chandeliers reflected from his armor, casting sharp shadows across the faces around him.
Adrian Blackwood slammed his palm onto the marble.
"Bellini grows stronger every year. If we wait any longer, the Wanderers will become impossible to control."
Nikolai Volkov nodded grimly.
"My scouts report that three Wings have already begun gathering followers."
Aurex spoke without raising his voice.
"Bellini's death is not cruelty. It is prevention."
The table fell silent.
Even Volkov lowered his eyes.
Aurex continued, his tone colder than the rain outside.
"A king who commands millions of Wanderers can overturn nations with a single order."
Blackwood leaned forward.
"Then we strike before he gives that order."
Aurex tapped the table once.
The sound echoed like a judgment.
"Correct."
TABLE TWO — THE OPPOSITION
At the second table sat the delegates who opposed the assassination.
Veer Rajput stood with his hands behind his back.
"Assassinating the King of Wanderers will set every island under his banner on fire."
Luca Bellandi adjusted his gloves carefully.
"And if Bellini survives, he will unite the Wanderers against us forever."
A woman in silver robes, Lucienne Moreau, spoke calmly.
"Bellini has kept the Wanderers from open war for years. Remove him, and a hundred lesser warlords will fight for his throne."
Murmurs of agreement spread around the table.
Veer looked toward Aurex's throne.
"This meeting claims wisdom. A wise ruler does not create a civil war while peace still exists."
Luca nodded slowly.
"We are discussing the murder of a king, not the dismissal of a corrupt mayor."
Lightning flashed beyond the windows, illuminating their faces in pale white light.
TABLE THREE — THE UNCERTAIN
The third table was chaos.
Merchants argued with mercenaries, spies interrupted nobles, and rising crews spoke over everyone at once.
Thiago Almeida shrugged.
"If Bellini dies, trade routes collapse."
Ren Takahashi replied instantly.
"If Bellini lives, military routes collapse."
Gabriel Monteiro laughed bitterly.
"So either way we lose money."
Ton leaned toward Mil.
"I like this table. Everyone sounds confused."
Mil whispered back,
"You fit in perfectly."
Katsa rubbed her forehead.
Junyu leaned forward, his crimson eyes reflecting the blue flames.
"Bellini is not the enemy."
Ren narrowed his eyes.
"You speak as if you know him."
Junyu answered without hesitation.
"I know what he represents."
"And what is that?"
Junyu looked around the table, then spoke a single word.
"Freedom."
The word lingered in the air like a bell after it had been struck.
Thiago frowned.
"Freedom for Wanderers, perhaps. Not for rulers."
Junyu shook his head.
"A ruler who fears free people is already weak."
Several delegates exchanged uneasy glances.
For a moment, no one argued with him.
THE HALL
Hours passed.
Arguments rose and fell like tides crashing against Noctharis Isle.
Servants carried fresh wine between the tables. Scribes dipped their pens until their fingers stained black with ink. Rain hammered the windows while thunder rolled above the castle.
High above the chamber, Aurex watched in silence.
Again and again, his gaze returned to Junyu.
The young Wanderer spoke with the same stubborn fire every time someone attacked Bellini.
Aurex's expression darkened.
His father was a great man, he thought.
The resemblance is undeniable.
The circle between father and son is complete.
Far across the hall, Ikiro noticed the stare.
He leaned toward Junyu.
"Aurex keeps watching you."
Junyu snorted.
"Good. Let him."
Ikiro did not smile.
"No. I don't think that's a good thing."
Before Junyu could reply—
CLANG!
The masked host struck the floor with a black staff.
The metallic sound exploded through the chamber and silenced every table.
"Debate time has ended," the host announced.
Delegates slowly returned to their seats.
The chandeliers dimmed.
The blue flames burned lower.
The air felt heavier than before.
The host raised the sealed voting crystal.
"Prepare for the first declaration."
No one spoke.
This was no longer a debate.
It was the opening move of a political war that could reshape the entire world.