Chapter 39 — Preemptive Strike
The decision was made at dawn.
They would not wait for the Church and the Abyssal Courts to come to them.
They would strike first.
The loyalist citadel buzzed with grim purpose. Cairis stood at the center of the war room, maps spread across the obsidian table, his restored power radiating like a dark sun. Liora stood at his side, shadows curling around her like a living mantle, her violet eyes glowing with determination.
Nyxara, still bandaged but fierce, pointed at the map.
"The Church's main forward base is here," she said. "Heavily fortified. They have the bulk of their paladins and the remaining celestial artifacts. If we hit them hard and fast, we can destroy their leadership and cripple their invasion before it truly begins."
Cairis nodded, claws scraping the table. "We take a strike force. Fast. Brutal. No mercy. We end this before they can regroup."
