Cassandra held his gaze, refusing to flinch under the weight of his ambition.
"You are describing a war of attrition," she realized, her voice hushed. "A war where the first engagement is designed to shatter their perception of us."
"We aren't just surviving; we are establishing ourselves as a capable, lethal adversary."
"The Apostle network's current model of the Underlayer is a collection of demons in an underground city," Rex said, his voice dripping with a controlled, elegant contempt. "They see a population with limited surface capability and a reincarnator leadership that has been merely managing its existence rather than weaponizing it."
"They see a threat that can be contained." He leaned forward, the light catching the sharp angles of his face. "The canyon engagement destroys that model."
