"You're right. We have no reason to retreat any longer!"
"Otherwise, we will face an annihilating attack from the Marines. Just recently, a Marine fleet sailed past only sixty li from our territorial waters."
"At the time, our kingdom's entire army was bracing for battle!"
As this king spoke, one king after another joined in, some angry, others afraid.
"There's no way back!"
"They want to drag us from our lofty mountaintop into the dirt. If we lose this war, we will lose everything!"
"For our noble bloodlines and families, that is even more unacceptable than death!"
"I cannot imagine having the same rights as those lowborn peasants."
"Class hierarchy is the most powerful tool for keeping this world stable!"
"Form an allied army! Assemble the greatest, most powerful fleet in history! Destroy the Marines and reclaim the world that belongs to us!"
"Fight them to the death!!"
"..."
Passions ran high. Furious roars rose one after another, echoing through the palace, and even the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling swayed slightly amid the fervor.
Watching the scene below, the four old men could not help breathing a small sigh of relief.
They knew full well that the coming war against the Marines could not be fought by the four remaining Five Elders and Cipher Pol alone.
The more important source of strength was these nations.
Never underestimate the world!
What constituted the world?
More than a hundred nations coming together in a unified governmental organization, forming an immense force—that was what made the World Government.
Within those hundred-plus nations, powerful fighters and cannon fodder alike would be born and die, generation after generation, without end.
"Then I hope all of you will pass this order down immediately."
"Every nation must give its all this time!"
"And there is something