Chapter 543 War?

After Erika and Cole died, many people began speculating who the masked man was, why he did something like that, who Mira and Maria were, and what was going to happen now. At least, that's how it was for the smaller Sects, Clans, and Families.

The top 7 Orthodox all knew that it was someone from the Unorthodox Faction who did all this, and if they were to take Cole's last words as truth, it wasn't just a single Sect or small group of people like this.

No, the entire Unorthodox Faction was in on it!

However, the question then was: why?

Why were they targeting two people they'd never heard of before?

Then, there was the question of who Sue Ming was. They'd never heard of this person before either, but from Cole's words, she somehow seemed to be tied to the Unorthodox Faction.

There were too many questions. However, openly provoking the Battle Maiden Sect like this, even if they were only singling out one disciple, was bound to create problems.

It'd be fine if the masked man tortured Erika and Cole in private, but he had to show it to the world. Not only that, but he straight up called out their Sect!

Did the Unorthodox Faction take the Battle Maiden Sect for a bunch of monks without human desires or emotions?! Did they think they'd just roll over on their backs without retaliating?!

Not only that, but the leaders of the Top 7 Orthodox Sects all knew that if the Battle Maiden Sect went to war with another power at this time… they might be forced to get involved as well. There was something they all needed from Aelina, and if they didn't help in this time of need, she might not give it to them.

Thus, most of the world was waiting for the Battle Maiden Sect's response to this 'show'. Would they let it pass, or would they retaliate?

At the top of the mountain, Aelina and the other Elders had an emergency meeting.

"Sect Master! We must show those low-life scum the consequences of provoking us like this!! How dare they try and provoke us like this?!" One of the Elders slammed her fist on the table before her.

"She's right, Sect Master! It's fine if those idiots want to do that stuff in the dark, but to call us out and broadcast it to the world…" Another Elder grits her teeth angrily, "They're going too far!"

"Do we really need to retaliate, though? It seemed like they were just targeting Mira and Maria by torturing those two, not the whole Sect. Also, it's not like the public will think lesser of us after this scene. If anything, their opinions might rise if we don't make a move."

"Yeah, but Mira is a candidate to become this Sect's Prime Disciple!! Dragging her name through the mud is the same as dragging the Sect's!" Another Elder pointed out, but her words made Aelina raise an eyebrow.

"Oh? Now, you consider Mira as a legitimate candidate?" Aelina asked in a slightly amused voice.

"..."

The room went silent for a while as all the Elders had awkward looks on their faces.

When Nova, Seraphina, Eden, Everly, and Rayna returned from their mission, they heard about Mira's feats, strength, mentality, and progression. A few of them even watched her spar with Eden and Ryuu!

It'd only been a month since her spar with Nova, but she was able to play with Eden as if it was nothing! Although Eden had severely limited her strength, she was under the same conditions Nova had, yet she still lost so miserably.

Despite their different fighting styles, Eden and Nova's strength was similar. Thus, Mira beating her in a spar is almost the same as her winning against Nova!

If they failed to acknowledge her comprehension speed, and strength even after all that, they'd be nothing but fools.

​ However, there were still a few Elders with some gripes about her low Cultivation and the short amount of time she's spent in the Sect.

"I think after hearing and witnessing Mira's power and talent for ourselves, we can accept her as a CANDIDATE! Making her our Prime Disciple is a different story, but that's beside the point. First and foremost, she's a disciple of our Sect!" Elder Angella raised her voice for everyone to hear.

Although she liked Mira, she was still fairly neutral on the Prime Disciple topic.

"Oh? Then what do you think we should do, Angella?" Aelina asked with a slight smile, staring at the woman.

Angella coughed, feeling a little awkward with the Sect Master staring at her so intently, but she gathered her thoughts for a moment a spoke calmly.

"Personally, I think that if this happened in private, we should leave these matters to Maria and Mira. After all, that's their own business and doesn't concern the entire Sect. They can come to us for help, but that doesn't mean the whole Sect should be involved."

Angella paused for a moment, "However, that masked man made private matters public. I'm not saying we should retaliate in a similar fashion, but we should at least ask for an explanation and go from there."

All the Elders fell deep into thought at Angella's suggestion.

"That's… not a bad suggestion, but will the Unorthodox Faction really give us an answer?" One of the Elders spoke what everyone else was thinking.

Her meaning with that question was clear: Would they even bother to give an honest answer if they were willing to go this far to provoke a single disciple in the Core Formation Realm?

Suddenly, Aelina asked a question that sent shivers down their spines.

"Why don't we just go to war with them?"

"......"

Silence. Complete and utter silence reigned over the room. Nobody even dared to breathe at such a question.

Aelina just grinned at their reactions, finding it all amusing, but she wasn't joking around. That was a serious question that she'd like to employ if possible.

'If used correctly, we might even be able to direct the beast's attention onto them instead of us!'

Aelina was trying to think of the best and most efficient way to enter the Ancient Inheritance Site and earn the most resources possible over the next 20 years.

Regardless of whoever becomes their Prime Disciple, they'll need an abundance of resources to groom them into a powerhouse that can fight against the Central Continent forces.

'And an entire Faction should have just what I'm looking for. Hehehe~' Aelina inwardly chuckled as she had the urge to go on a rampage, killing everything in sight.

"S-Sect Master… Don't tell me… you're serious?"

Aelina tilted her head.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"This… I don't think this situation necessarily warrants starting a war over." An Elder said quietly.

However, Aelina shook her head. These Elders didn't understand Mira as much as she did. The girl was indifferent to most things, but Aelina could tell she loved Maria dearly. Who knows what she might do if anything happened to the blonde girl? Though Aelina had a pretty good idea of what would happen after feeling the killing intent radiating off of her.

"We might not have any other choice but to go to war, and if that's the case, why not start now before it actually happens? Not only will we have the upper hand, but it's also a chance for us to procure some more resources."

All the Elders looked at her in shock, but a few understood what she was trying to do. However, what they didn't understand was why now.

"But isn't the Ancient Inheritance Site supposed to open in about six months? Can we really finish a war so quickly?" And Elder said, causing a large grin to appear on Aelina's face, sending shivers down their spines.

"Hehehe~ Then, can't we just make those little Unorthodox Faction rats our scapegoat? I'm sure the Beast Clans won't be too happy when we march into their territory, after all. So, we just need to give them a target to vent their anger on as we plunder all the loot from the Inheritance Site!"

"....."

Another wave of silence descended upon everyone at Aelina's words. The Elders just stared at her as if she'd grown a second head, trying to discern if she was joking or not, but they couldn't tell.

Aelina, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying this situation, but she didn't want to sit here in silence forever. After a few moments of silence, she got up from her seat and clapped.

"Alright, everyone! Let's prepare for war! Hahaha!"

***

Mira didn't know what was happening at the top of the mountain, but if she did, she would have been thoroughly shocked for the first time in a long time. Not only did Aelina guess her vengeful intentions, but she even planned on taking advantage of it.

Fortunately, she didn't hear anything as she brought Maria back to her room to rest.