Chapter 170: Chapter 170: System's Opportunist - 2

"We have crucial news," Cassandra began, her voice laden with anticipation. Her frog familiar perched attentively on her shoulder.

"My seductresses have informed me that Elio plans to cross to the other side of the wall tomorrow."

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Saren frowned, his salamander shifting uneasily on his lap. "Is he mad? Why would he risk everything like that?"

"That doesn't matter now," Angela interrupted, her sleek salamander coiling around her neck. "What matters is that this is our opportunity."

Cassandra nodded. "Exactly. It's the perfect moment to set our plan in motion. I need you to gather all our loyal soldiers and every member of the families who's still on our side."

"How many do you think we can gather?" Angela asked, her salamander's scales shimmering with anticipation.

"More than 10,000," Saren responded confidently. "Our families are extensive, and many still remember who killed the one who gave them their privileged position."

Angela smiled. "And don't forget the level 3 soldiers and, though few... even new level 4 that we've... acquired."

Cassandra nodded, her frog croaking softly. "The cores obtained from the debtors have been a valuable addition. Plus, Elio made the mistake of giving invocations to some of ours who pretended to be on his side."

"Which plan will you apply then?" Saren inquired, his salamander's eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"The third one. We'll spread the message that Elio is an impostor," Cassandra explained. "That his leadership will lead us to ruin. We'll especially target the high-level soldiers who've become arrogant under Elio's regime."

"Clever," Angela murmured. "Appealing to their pride and ambition."

"And then what?" asked Angela, her salamander's scales flickering with concern. "Elio has achieved things that seemed impossible. He's gotten more cores from the sea of monsters than we ever thought possible. Shouldn't we consider that maybe there's more at stake than we know?"

Cassandra shook her head, her frustration evident. Her frog croaked in agreement. "That's precisely the problem. How has he gotten so many cores? How has he managed to get so many people to reach levels that, according to the creator, should have taken decades? Something doesn't add up."

Saren intervened, his voice calm but worried. "Perhaps Elio has found a way the creator didn't foresee. After all, generations have passed since that diary was written."

Cassandra stopped, looking at her grandfather as if he were stupid. "Grandfather, think about this: How can a kid go against the words of the creator himself? How can he defy what God established for our city?"

Saren seemed increasingly convinced, his salamander nodding along. "It makes sense. Elio has always been... different. His rise to power was too fast, too convenient. I now understand your reasoning about the Goddess helping him.

He couldn't have come out alive from there, unless... unless Elio isn't acting in the name of our God."

Angela gasped, understanding the implications. Her salamander hissed softly.

"An agent of the Goddess," Cassandra repeated, her voice barely a whisper. "Think about it. Everything he's done goes against what the creator established. His actions, though seemingly benevolent, are leading the city to the brink of collapse. The barrier is failing because Elio is actively working to destroy it."

Saren still looked skeptical about the plan. "But he's given them so much... We'd need solid proof to make them believe such a claim."

Cassandra nodded, understanding her grandfather's caution. "I know, and that's why we need to act now. With his absence, we have the opportunity to open the city's eyes. We must reveal the truth before it's too late."

Angela straightened, her determination evident. Her salamander's scales glowed with anticipation. "What's the next step of the plan then?"

Cassandra's eyes shone. "When the dust settles and there are some casualties, we'll demonstrate that the barrier is no longer malfunctioning."

Saren and Angela exchanged looks of understanding. "Because the deaths will have reduced the population below the limit," Saren concluded, his salamander nodding gravely.

"Exactly," Cassandra confirmed. "It's a necessary sacrifice for the greater good of the city."