While Aziz stewed over some depressing thoughts, the Pinnacle continued to interrogate the two Paragons, completely tossing aside the supposed agenda for today. No one was really going to blame him though, or at least no one from the Southern Continent. Attacking someone who would be a key ally in the war to come was a stupid choice.

The sounds of regular punching roused Aziz from his introspection, and he looked up just in time to see the two Paragons’ faces swell up from a good round of beating. It was masterfully done, and the colonel was beginning to reminisce about the time he spent in boot camp, as a little recruit, when troublemaking trainees were taught an object lesson.

Of course, as someone who would eventually become a scout, Aziz’s body was too small to be of value in beating someone up back then, and it was fortunate that he didn’t take part in that back then…but that was another story.

Pinnacle Kolya cleared his throat. “My apologies for that little interlude. My temper got the better of me — it has been a few decades since a nation declared war on my Mortal Light Dynasty. I will make sure to reciprocate in kind. The current Plenum is problematic; I think that the Thousand Flowers faction is a far better ruler.”

His nostrils flared. “I suppose this is now a good a time as any.”

The Pinnacle clapped his hands, his gaze turning to someone in his delegation. “Paragon Ying Xin, if you please.”

Paragon Ying Xin? Aziz blinked twice, and then with a jolt, remembered who she was. She had welcomed Thunderbolt when they first arrived at the East, and she was the one who was…serving as a liaison between the little Gaius and the Eastern military. Of course, he wasn’t sure what happened to her after the debacle at the conclusion of Spring Fury, once they left the East.

But it would seem that she’d sought out refuge in the North.

“I’m sure the Hand of Fate needs no introduction, ladies and gentlemen. She came to us a month ago, and this was going to be the ninth agenda on the list. But since the current Plenum is clearly a problematic administration, we may as well just bring it forward now.” The Pinnacle turned to Paragon Ying Xin and nodded at her.

“Thank you, Pinnacle Kolya.” She cleared her throat. “I am Paragon Ying Xin, one of the members of the previous Plenum. Our nation is stricken by a civil war, stirred up by people” —she glanced pointedly at the two bruised Paragons— “who have been exploiting differences between the various Territories. Their goal aligns with the richest of both Eo-Seu and Mi-Zu, who have been funding a private army and their protestors.”

The two Paragons tried to speak, but Pinnacle Kolya glanced at them once, a light of warning in his eyes.

“Our constitution has no precedent for an unexpected split of the Plenum, as we never anticipated that Paragons would be tempted by worldly wealth and power,” continued Ying Xin. “This, clearly, is us putting too much stock in people. Even the traditions of countless years can be ended with a single day. And therefore, I am here today with a single request.”

“A request?” Queen Hyperion glanced at Kolya, and her mouth quirked. “Oh, I see what’s going on. Hand of Fate, you’ve played quite the potent hand. Pun intended, of course. Please, speak your request.”

Paragon Ying Xin’s smile was humourless. “It’s a simple one, really. I request that Pinnacle Kolya, the wisest ruler of the past three centuries, to intervene in our failing nation and quell the unrest.”

“I accept your request,” Pinnacle Kolya replied. “Here and now, I declare that in seven days, the forces of my Mortal Light Dynasty will move out to capture the current members of the Plenum. Other than a select few radical members, the rest are free to surrender, in which case we will grant them amnesty and a continued place in the Plenum, if the new governing body sees it fit.”

The murmurs intensified, but Aziz was beginning to see the brilliance of this move. The fact that the North had been requested to intervene, over the Western Holdings, was an implicit way of declaring leadership over the Five Lands. The Mortal Light Dynasty would therefore be first amongst equals, and since it was someone from the East itself who had requested for help…

“No one will be able to gainsay this,” Aziz concluded out loud. “The two Paragons from the East here will not raise a word. The only one that would, Paragon Shizo, isn’t here for some reason, and is wanted by the North. The other nations have no grounds to intervene either.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Marie added. “But I have a feeling that the Pinnacle’s trying to bait the Human God into responding.”

“The Human God?”

“Watch.”

Aziz turned back to the centre table, where Paragon Ying Xin had just thanked Pinnacle Kolya for his aid. Given the momentum in which Kolya had just done things, this agenda wasn’t going to be a debate now, but rather, a unilateral action.

“I must stop you right there,” a melodic voice spoke. The seat reserved for the Human God, which had been empty, was suddenly filled up by Anren. “The East is under my protection.”

“There’s no laws regarding this too,” Kolya replied, “so you might assume that personal might is enough to make us accept this. But we’re in a civilised world, O Human God. Can you hold off an entire nation?”

“You’re threatening me?”

“My nation has been long of the opinion that people should live freely, within reason. But you are not what I’d call part of the ‘people’. And if you can alter perceptions and memories, even more so. I would not fight against the demons, only to see a continent of crazed fanatics whose every action is given a pass by a great god,” the Pinnacle replied.

Aziz exhaled loudly at Kolya’s words. He had left no way out for Anren; the Conference of the Four had so far avoided and danced around Scorpio’s words, but now that the Pinnacle had said this directly…

Things were about to get nasty.