Published at 5th of October 2026 6:23 am

Chapter 1177: Masterful Schemers

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Asher didn’t know how to react; what he had just heard and seen would shake anyone to the core if they were in his shoes. Originally, he had thought and guessed that it was just a bunch of soldiers that had been gathered here, planning to ambush the Algorith Frontier.

But he had been wrong, he had been so wrong. Even if he had been given a thousand guesses, he would never have guessed that this silver metallic underground bunker was scattered across the entire Zarethorne Empire.

It was shocking that the Velkarin Empire had been able to pull off such an insane stunt and not a single Soldier from any Frontier or Outpost had been able to sense anything. It seemed impossible.

Asher continued leaning against the metallic door through which the First Regent, Second Regent, and Third Regent had gone as his mind spun. A possibility flickered within his mind; a spy.

There had to be a spy somewhere, or at least someone that knew something, and someone of considerable power and position within the Frontier, not necessarily within the Algorith Frontier, but at least within a couple of Frontiers and Outposts.

As for why he had thought of a spy... it was only natural that someone of that status existed.

If you asked anyone if they loved their Country or Empire and could die for it, they would nod their heads and give a positive answer, but everyone had a breaking point and a weakness. Even he, Asher, would become a spy if someone he loved was being held captive and there was nothing he could do about it.

So, if any spy was acting on their own accord because of greed or if they were being influenced and threatened, he didn’t know.

’I wonder how many millions of soldiers the Velkarin Empire has sneaked into the Zarethorne Empire.’

Asher thought to himself as his head lowered, his purple eyes meeting the metallic ground as he became lost in thought.

Just this place alone already had about three million Soldiers, and more were on the way. He couldn’t help but imagine that other Frontiers and Outposts like the one he had gone to for his second Star Academy Mission, which possessed smaller numbers of Soldiers, were already being outnumbered and were just waiting to be slaughtered. Hardly anyone would survive in such a battle of such staggering scale, as they would be hopelessly outnumbered.

Asher shook his head as he decided to stop thinking about it. The only thing he could do now was inform the Commanders and Vice Commanders, who would spread the word across the various Frontiers and their Commanders.

But even that was extremely risky. With the possibility of a spy in place, if word was already spread, the Velkarin Empire Soldiers that were stationed underground would instantly find out and react, launching their attack before the Frontiers that even knew about them could do anything.

So, in a way, it was kind of useless whether the word spread or not. Even if the information was hidden and only the Commanders and Vice Commanders knew about it, it was still useless, as only Commanders and Vice Commanders couldn’t win battles and wars alone.

If that was the case, then there was no need for Frontiers and the gathering of Soldiers; only Commanders and Vice Commanders should be enough.

’Should I kill as many Soldiers as possible?’

Asher asked himself, his expression turning into a slight frown as he considered the possibility.

But as he had that thought, he instantly killed it. He couldn’t use his Astra Energy or Star Energy here. While he could use it while he was within the Second Layer Of Space, he couldn’t use it at the First Layer Of Space where the actual Soldiers existed.

Besides, even if he could indeed use Star Energy and Astra Energy regardless of any restrictions at this moment, it was still a stupid idea, as he was in a place where a Crownstar Life Ranker that could take on Damian Wargrave was staying. It was impossible to make a move without alerting a being of such caliber.

The First Regent was already paranoid and had already warned them. If he made a move and they noticed anything, they would instantly launch their attacks without delay or holding back.

’But there has to be something I can do, right?’

He thought to himself for a moment as he remained calm despite the weight of everything he had just witnessed.

’With the recent development, the Empire is about to turn into a literal burial ground.’

He exhaled with a heavy sigh as he shook his head in thought. He couldn’t help but imagine the scale of destruction and bloodshed that was about to follow and come. Even if he informed the entire Zarethorne Empire, millions were still destined to die regardless of how this went.

At the end of the day, although people possessed power from the Star as a source that could erase thousands of kilometers with ease, nobody could still save anyone. It was truly saddening.

At the end of the day, personal power was the highest form of power. Not an artefact, not some form of weapon, not some form of personal bodyguard, but actual personal power.

’But I have to give props to the Emperor of the Velkarin Empire. He launched a large-scale War against the Zarethorne Empire, but only deployed a small number of Soldiers for the actual war, fooling the Zarethorne Imperial Family into thinking that things were still developing slowly. But the entire time, the man was scheming something so diabolical.’

Asher thought to himself with a small smile as he mentally applauded the Emperor. It was an insane tactic, one he wouldn’t have seen through without any prior signs or clues if he were in the Zarethorne Empire’s shoes.

’At the end of the day, all these Emperors, Empresses, and old people are all masterful schemers,’ he mused to himself as he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry on the Zarethorne Empire’s behalf.

His purple eyes shifted towards the Grand Regent, who was now seated with her eyes closed as she leaned back comfortably into her seat, as she had nothing to do. He stared at her for a moment with an expressionless face, but unlike his expressionless face, his mind reasoned something.

’Only if Virelass could tear through the defence of a Crownstar Life Ranker, that way I could attempt killing the woman. A pity.’

He thought to himself, his eyes narrowing for a moment as he considered the possibility.

Yes, he would be caught by the other three Regents the moment he killed the Grand Regent, but it didn’t matter; he could always escape regardless of whether they caught him or not.

As for how he knew that Virelass couldn’t injure a Crownstar Life Ranker, Azaron was the answer, as he remembered slashing against the man’s chest, and instead of the man’s flesh tearing open, his own entire arm fractured instead.

Of course, Azaron and the Grand Regent, or any other Crownstar Life Ranker, weren’t the same, but Asher wasn’t about to play stupid games and win stupid rewards.

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