đĄ Emergency Communication
The alliance planning session was interrupted by the sharp, urgent chiming of Master Wei's communication crystal. The sound cut through the strategic discussions like a blade, instantly commanding everyone's attention.
Blood Flower activated the receiving formation, and Master Wei's weathered face appeared in the crystalline projection. His usual calm demeanor was completely shattered - sweat beaded his forehead, and his hands trembled slightly as he spoke.
"Emergency report to the allied leadership," his voice cracked with exhaustion and fear. "The situation has deteriorated beyond our worst projections."
Jin Ho felt his stomach drop. "How bad?"
"The soul harvesting ritual..." Master Wei paused, clearly struggling with the magnitude of what he was about to report. "It's reached 90% completion."
Complete silence.
Then everyone began speaking at once.
"Ninety percent?!"
"That's impossible!"
"How much time do we have?"
â° The Race Against Time
Master Wei raised his hand for silence, his expression grave. "My operatives in the shadow valley report massive energy fluctuations. The void tears are becoming visible to the naked eye, and the corruption is spreading exponentially."
He gestured, and the projection shifted to show aerial reconnaissance images. The shadow valley looked like a wound in reality itself - dark energy swirled in unnatural patterns, and the very air seemed to shimmer with malevolent power.
"The underground tunnel networks have expanded by 300% in just the past twelve hours. Whatever he's doing down there, it's accelerating rapidly."
Blood Wolf's face had gone pale. "Timeline estimate?"
"Based on the current rate of progression..." Master Wei's voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "Forty-eight hours. Maybe less."
đ¨ Panic and Desperation
The weight of that revelation crashed over the assembled leadership like a physical blow. Two days to prepare for a threat that had been sixty years in the making.
"That's not enough time!" Blood Position protested. "We need at least a week to coordinate properly, establish supply lines, prepare contingenciesâ"
"We don't have a week," Jin Ho said grimly, his voice cutting through the rising panic. "We barely have two days."
Seol Hwa-rin stepped forward, her expression a perfect mask of determined concern. But behind her ice-blue eyes, rapid calculations were spinning.
'Forty-eight hours... that changes everything. If the ritual completes before we can intervene, there won't be any alliance to worry about. But if we can disrupt it at just the right moment, when it's almost finished but not quite stable...'
"What about evacuation procedures?" she asked aloud, her voice carrying appropriate worry. "If we fail to stop the ritual, how many civilians are in the potential impact zone?"
Master Wei's expression darkened further. "Conservative estimate? Half a million people within the immediate corruption radius. If the void portal fully manifests... we could be looking at continental-scale devastation."
đ Escalating Crisis
"There's more," Master Wei continued, and somehow his voice managed to convey that things were even worse. "My sources report that Eum Mugeuk has stopped all pretense of subtlety. He's actively recruiting blood art practitioners from across the region, promising them power in exchange for... voluntary participation in the ritual."
"Voluntary?" Blood Flower asked sharply.
"At first. Those who refuse..." Master Wei gestured to another projection showing abandoned villages. "Let's just say the recruitment becomes significantly less voluntary."
Jin Ho's hands clenched into fists, blood qi beginning to swirl around him unconsciously. ăThe bastard is accelerating because he knows we're onto him,ă Blood Heaven Great Emperor snarled.
ăWe need to move NOW,ă Thunder Lightning King agreed with rare urgency. ăEvery hour we delay, more innocents die.ă
âď¸ Impossible Decisions
"Recommendations?" Blood Wolf asked, his military training taking over despite the overwhelming situation.
Master Wei's projection flickered as he accessed more data. "My network can provide real-time intelligence, but we're talking about inserting operatives into what's essentially becoming a void-corrupted hellscape. Casualty rates will be..."
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
"What about the complete fusion technique?" Blood Position asked, turning toward Jin Ho and Seol Hwa-rin. "Is there any way to accelerate the training process?"
Seol Hwa-rin's expression showed perfectly calculated determination mixed with appropriate concern.
"We'll have to attempt it without full preparation," she said, her voice steady despite the apparent magnitude of the risk. "The danger to both of us increases exponentially, but..."
'But if I can master even partial fusion in the next forty-eight hours, I'll have access to blood techniques that could let me survive even if everyone else fails. And if the void portal does open, being the only survivor with both ice and blood cultivation could make me incredibly valuable to whoever emerges as the new power structure.'
"We'll do whatever it takes," Jin Ho said firmly. "No matter the personal risk."
đ The Point of No Return
Master Wei's projection began to fade as the communication crystal's energy depleted from the extended contact.
"I'll maintain continuous surveillance and provide updates every six hours," he promised. "But understand - if this ritual completes, if the void portal fully manifests..."
He looked directly at each of the alliance leaders in turn.
"There won't be anywhere to run. This becomes a fight for the survival of our entire world."
The projection vanished, leaving the alliance leadership staring at empty air and grappling with the weight of impossible responsibility.
Forty-eight hours to save half a million lives.
Forty-eight hours to prevent continental devastation.
Forty-eight hours to stop a plan sixty years in the making.
And for some in the room, forty-eight hours represented not just a deadline for salvation, but the ultimate opportunity for personal advancement.