Tanqueria's National Security Bureau issued an urgent classified order.
Its elite super-soldiers, along with a specialized long-range armor-piercing sniper team, were immediately deployed to the Northwest Defense Base near the Draconian border.
A covert operation to assassinate Divine Drakebane was set into motion.
The Chief of the National Security Bureau, Valdemar, personally delivered the order to Tanqueria's Supreme Command Center.
Upon receiving Valdemar's request for military action, the high-ranking officials of the Security Command Center erupted into a fierce debate.
Two-thirds of them strongly opposed the risky operation.
They believed that further provoking Drakebane would put Tanqueria in an even more vulnerable position.
There was a serious risk of inciting the wrath of Draconian leaders, potentially damaging Tanqueria's relationship with its most powerful ally.
However, the hawkish officials supporting Valdemar insisted that Tanqueria's dignity could not be challenged.
No matter how powerful the enemy, Tanqueria would never back down.
Anyone who dared to violate Tanqueria's sovereignty must be eliminated—no exceptions.
To that end, Tanqueria was prepared to pay any price to eradicate all provocateurs.
They were even willing to disregard international opinion and resort to restricted unconventional weaponry to eliminate their enemies outright.
The opposition, however, countered with equal ferocity. They argued that Valdemar's approach was tantamount to fueling the flames, leading Tanqueria to its own destruction.
Drakebane's attack had stemmed from Yakonov's provocation.
Yakonov had colluded with the Dark Syndicate and the Panacea Ocean Warriors Alliance, attempting to use Drakebane's assassination as a bargaining chip to advance his own ambitions.
Such actions were, in essence, a betrayal of Tanqueria.
Divine Drakebane's violent assault on the Northwest Defense Base had been an act of personal vengeance, not a deliberate challenge to Tanqueria's sovereignty.
The fact that he left immediately after killing Yakonov made his intentions clear.
If the National Security Bureau took direct action against Drakebane now, it would likely push him into an even more frenzied retaliation.
As the crisis escalated, the moment the Eight Great Royal Houses of Draconia intervened, the situation would spiral beyond control.
This was no longer just a matter of revenge—it had begun to threaten Draconian interests. Losing Draconia as an ally would be catastrophic.
Without Draconia's support, Tanqueria would find itself completely isolated on the world stage.
History had already proven that without Draconia, Tanqueria was nothing more than an isolated country, waiting to be swept away by the tide of time.
If that happened, Tanqueria's international standing, national security, and economic development would all be placed in an extremely disadvantageous position.
Although Divine Drakebane's sudden emergence had disrupted the planet's balance of power, his actual aggression was minimal. Unless someone directly threatened his interests, he had no reason to interfere in other matters.
Yakonov's attempt to use the Snow Valley missile exercise as an opportunity to assassinate Drakebane had been a grave mistake from the start.
Now that Yakonov was dead, the consequences of that mistake were his alone to bear.
If Valdemar's ambush failed again, Tanqueria would suffer irreparable humiliation. The world would see through its facade of strength, exposing all its weaknesses.
The allied nations that had once stood by Tanqueria due to its power would inevitably begin to abandon it.
If things reached that point, the consequences would be truly terrifying.
The conservative faction of Tanqueria's National Security Command Center believed that while Tanqueria appeared strong on the surface, its overall strength remained far inferior to that of Draconia.
Offending such a powerful ally over a mere traitor like Yakonov would be an unwise decision.
However, Valdemar adamantly refuted their arguments, harshly criticizing the conservatives for their cowardice.
"Yakonov may have harbored treacherous ambitions, but that was an internal affair of Tanqueria!
Divine Drakebane was a Warlord Supreme who never let a grudge go unanswered—he could only be either destroyed or submitted to.
No organization dared to defy him.
Even a military stronghold as mighty as Tanqueria's Northwest Defense Base had crumbled before him like paper.
If Autreynia's HexaPoint Tower did not seize this moment to apologize and beg for Drakebane's mercy before his wrath turned upon them, it might soon be too late.
And if that happened, he would unleash his super weapon system against them.
The world would then face an era of catastrophe.
Divine Drakebane had once declared atop the Sakuranian Sea that anyone daring to use unconventional weapons against him would face the ultimate consequence—no matter how powerful they were. He would stop at nothing to unleash catastrophe upon the entire planet.
Even if it meant becoming the world's greatest sinner, he would crush those who dared to provoke his bottom line.
As Tanqueria's high-ranking officials scrambled to decide how to handle Divine Drakebane, rumors of his formidable return rapidly spread across the globe.
Meanwhile, the conference hall of the Panacea Ocean Warriors Alliance became a battlefield of its own, with voices clashing in heated argument.
Shepherd frowned deeply. "We must act swiftly. If we ramp up pressure on Draconian from both the east and the south, their leaders will have no choice but to rein in Drakebane before he takes his revenge any further."
Dorian, the leader of Dark Eagle, shook his head. "Mr. Gilkes, you must tread carefully.
"Draconian has yet to make a move, nor have they spoken a single word. That in itself is far more terrifying.
"With so much military presence on their eastern and southern fronts, they should have already sent a spokesperson to condemn or protest, just as they always do.
"But this time, they remain completely silent.
"And that silence ... is truly terrifying.
"Because silence, more often than not, is the calm before the storm."
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