The Author's POV

Ding—! Ding—!

The ringing on Kevin's phone didn't stop, and soon he was bombarded with messages.

There were multiple people making attempts to get in touch with him, and each of their reports included new developments on the situation outside.

Kevin continued to work on the files that were in front of him while he sat in his chair and ignored the calls that came in.

It wasn't until Emma hurriedly entered the room that he finally looked up and took his eyes away from the papers in front of him.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean what is it?"

Emma stared at him with a look of complete and utter bewilderment on her face. She approached him and slammed the tablet she was holding down on the table in front of her.

"Did you not receive the reports? All the four great cities have been taken over!"

Emma exclaimed.

"It hasn't even been a couple of days, and yet, we've already lost so much ground! By now, everyone has already started doubting your capabilities."

"Let them."

Kevin replied, his voice sounding unconcerned.

His reaction made Emma extremely confused.

"What's going on? Why are not worried about what is happening?"

Setting the pen down, Kevin reclined on his chair.

"Emma, if there is one thing that you don't have to worry about, it's my position as the alliance leader."

Kevin didn't become the alliance leader for no reason.

He had provided each of the top executives with benefits that were enticing enough for them to support him in the election.

No one would be able to remove him from his position unless they were on the verge of complete collapse.

No one.

"No one will be able to take it away from me for the time being. What is occurring is beyond the expectations of everyone present. Who would have imagined that the Monolith would sacrifice four of its most senior executives in order to conquer the four cities?"

This was outside any realm of Kevin's imagination.

Never before had he witnessed the Monolith give up four pillars of their forces in exchange for the control of a few major cities.

It had taken him by surprise, and it brought to his attention the fact that someone had assisted Malik Alshayatin in some way.

Most likely, it was Jezebeth.

"What do you propose we do at the moment, Kevin?"

Emma asked. She was currently sitting on the sofa opposite him, unwrapping a piece of hard candy that she had taken from his desk earlier in the conversation.

She placed the candy in her mouth and asked.

"We have been inundated with requests for assistance coming from people living in other great cities who are part of the alliance. They are claiming that a large number of beasts have already begun attacking the city and that they are unable to defend themselves against the onslaught alone. How many additional troops do you recommend we send?"

"None."

Kevin flatly replied.

Emma was so surprised by his response that she nearly choked on the candy that was in her mouth.

"Cough! Cough! Ch..what?

"You've already heard me. I have no plans to send any reinforcements. I intend to instruct everyone to return to Ashton city."

"What!?"

After hearing what Kevin had to say, Emma got to her feet, completely astonished by what she had just heard.

"Are you seriously telling me to give up those cities? What about the citizens that are hiding in the bunkers? What will you do with them?"

"Don't worry about them."

Kevin gently drummed his fingers over the wooden desk.

"The Monolith's goal isn't to kill the citizens. It's to convert them to join their side. For now, they are quite safe and the Monolith will likely not touch them."

Kevin more or less understood Malik Alshayatin's motives.

His objective was to save as many individuals as he could while still preserving humanity. Even though he was the type of person who would be willing to exterminate millions of people in order to accomplish what he wanted, this did not mean that he desired to kill millions of people.

He would not kill millions of people unless it was absolutely necessary to accomplish his goals, which, as of right now, were not.

Before Hemlock attempted to win the citizens over to his cause, it was highly likely that he would keep them safe until the Alliance was completely wiped out.

Kevin had every reason to believe that the citizens would not be in danger because Hemlock could not win over the people unless he first succeeded in vanquishing their last remaining source of hope.

The Alliance.

"The bunkers are not as simple to breach as one might think. It will take them some time before they are able to enter, and by that point, a significant amount of time will have been lost. They are most likely going to leave them alone until a winner is determined."

If this was the case, then there was no need to have any of them evacuated.

"In addition, if necessary, they can utilize the portals installed on the lower levels of the bunker. Since the dampening system that surrounds the cities has been taken down entirely, they should have no difficulty evacuating."

Kevin waved his hand at Emma.

"Do not worry excessively about them. Our current priority is to consolidate our forces in order to slow their advance."

The more spread out their forces was, the easier it would be for the Monolith to advance.

Kevin understood this perfectly, and hence why he immediately made the call to have everyone retreat.

Although his decision would indeed be quite controversial, he didn't care.

For as long as he could slow down their advancement, then they were all good. After all, Kevin was only just biding his time.

This was only the start of the war. A single loss wouldn't decide the end of the war.

What mattered the most right now was that Ashton city was safe.

As long as Ashton city remained as is, then everything would be fine.

"Do me a favor, Emma."

Kevin looked up at Emma.

"What is it?"

She asked, seemingly afraid of what his next words would be.

Her fears would be revealed true not long after as he announced.

"All residents of the great cities must return to Ashton city within the next month. Leave the individuals in the bunkers and return. Those who refuse to comply will be severely punished. Make sure you say everything word for word. "

"This…"

After listening to what Kevin had to say, Emma's expression became very complex. She had the intention of speaking her mind, but in the end, she restrained herself and kept her mouth shut.

She perfectly understood that there was no point in trying to change his mind.

Once Kevin's mind was set, there was no use trying to change it.

"Alright, I'll have everything done by the afternoon. I'll see you later."

"Thank you."

Emma left the room shortly after that, and the room fell into a state of silence.

At that precise instant, Kevin's face contorted into an agonized expression, and he reached for the side of his abdomen in an effort to alleviate the excruciating pain.

"Ukhh…"

'I don't have much time left.'

***

Days passed since the fall of the great cities, and during that time, under Kevin's orders, all the major forces were forced to evacuate back to Ashton city.

As a result of their decisions, the alliance received a great deal of criticism and discontent from the general public, which constantly received news of what was happening in the outside world.

However, with the support of the Union and the most powerful guilds in the city, they were able to quickly put an end to the growing discontent within the human domain.

With each passing day, the greater the image of Kevin as a tyrant became in the minds of those in the human domain.

A month later, Hollberg.

Following the destruction of the four major cities, the smaller cities that comprised the human domain were also gradually consumed by the forces of the Monolith, which arrived just as quickly as they had left.

Whenever they would arrive in a new city, they would scavenge everything and leave nothing behind.

The once-glorious city of Hollberg was now deserted and a shadow of its former self; it lacked any of the vitality that had made it such a desirable location.

"Everything is clear. It doesn't look like there is anyone left behind."

A man dressed in all black murmured something to his watch, which he had brought up to his mouth.

It was important to point out that just because the man was dressed in a black suit, that did not mean that he worked for the central government.

Rather, he was a member of the Monolith's reconnaissance team and was responsible for ensuring that nothing suspicious was occurring in the cities they had conquered.

After all, it would only take one sneak attack to reverse the favorable situation.

━Understood. Great job. You can go ahead and install the mana compressor in a safe location. Make sure that no one apart from you knows where it is located.

"Understood."

A voice extended out from the speaker of the watch, and the man who was dressed black nodded his head in response.

"I will do as ordered."

He ended the call after that and lowered his hand. Shortly after that, he proceeded to make his way toward the deeper ends of the city.

Unbeknownst to him, a small rat crawled out from among the debris that had formerly belonged to one of the buildings and emerged a few meters away from where he was standing.

Within its shiny red eyes, were the perfect reflection of the man in black.