The summit did not end in peace.
It ended in blood.
The Assassination Attempt
The tribal leaders were departing.
Torches lit the elevated walkways of the Royal Oni village.
The ogre envoy muttered something about "temporary cooperation."
The lizardmen were already preparing to return south.
And then—
Kaiser felt it.
A ripple.
Not from the ground.
From intent.
Observation Haki flared violently.
Multiple killing intents.
Hidden.
High in the trees.
Not orcs.
Not monsters.
Assassins.
"DOWN!" Kaiser roared.
Before anyone understood—
Black arrows coated in dark magic rained from above.
One aimed directly at the lizardman chief.
Another toward the ogre envoy.
A third—
Straight for Raizen.
Kaiser moved.
He didn't think.
He didn't hesitate.
His body reacted.
He stepped forward and swung his wooden sword.
The air shattered.
A circular vibration burst outward.
The arrows disintegrated mid-flight.
The tree branches holding the assassins fractured.
Figures cloaked in black fell screaming.
They hit the ground hard—
And shadow soldiers rose around them.
Kaiser's shadow.
He hadn't summoned them openly.
They emerged instinctively.
Five now.
The assassins tried to stand—
But the shadows crushed them.
Silence fell.
The tribal leaders stared in disbelief.
The ground beneath Kaiser's feet had cracked outward in a spiderweb pattern.
His wooden sword had splintered from the force.
Raizen stared at his son.
"…You held back before."
Kaiser slowly exhaled.
He hadn't meant to reveal this much.
But the alternative was leaders dying under his protection.
That would shatter trust instantly.
The assassins' cloaks burned away—
Revealing twisted humanoid forms.
Not pure monsters.
Not fully human.
Artificially modified.
Akane's expression turned icy.
"Magic engineering."
The ogre envoy growled.
"This is no tribal war."
Kaiser spoke clearly.
"Someone wants every leader dead tonight."
And if that had succeeded—
Jura would have fallen into chaos by dawn.
Public Declaration
The lizardman chief knelt suddenly.
"You saved my life."
The ogre envoy followed.
"Name your condition."
Kaiser looked at them both.
This was a moment.
Not of domination.
But of positioning.
"I ask only one thing."
He stepped forward calmly.
"When the forest shakes again—"
"You stand with us."
Silence.
The air was heavy with magicules and tension.
Then the lizardman chief spoke first.
"We stand."
The ogre followed.
"For now."
It was enough.
The first thread of unity was woven.
Aftermath
Later that night—
Raizen stood alone with Kaiser.
The cracked earth had been cleared.
But the damage remained visible.
"You risked revealing too much."
"I know."
"And yet you acted correctly."
Kaiser looked up.
"You're not angry?"
Raizen laughed softly.
"I'm proud."
There was no suspicion in his father's voice.
No fear.
Only trust.
"You want to unite Jura," Raizen continued.
"Then show them strength worth following."
Kaiser nodded.
He would.
The Hidden Army Expands
Deep in the marsh that night—
Kaiser walked among fallen assassins.
Their bodies were unstable.
Artificial magic core fragments embedded in their chests.
He knelt beside one.
Shadow gathered again.
"Arise."
Darkness swallowed the corpse.
A new soldier formed.
More refined than the orc.
Faster.
Sharper.
Red eyes burned with intelligence.
One by one—
He extracted them.
By dawn—
His shadow army numbered twelve.
They vanished into the forest canopy like silent guardians.
He would not use them recklessly.
But he would prepare.
Always prepare.
A Mother's Insight
Akane found him at sunrise.
"You're building something in secret."
It wasn't a question.
Kaiser didn't lie.
"Yes."
She studied him carefully.
"You are thinking beyond simple defense."
"I don't want us reacting forever."
She nodded slowly.
"Then remember this."
"Power without legitimacy breeds rebellion."
Kaiser absorbed every word.
"Win hearts before demanding loyalty."
She touched his cheek gently.
"You are my son. I see your ambition."
"But do not lose warmth chasing dominance."
He looked at her.
"I won't."
He meant it.
Far Above
High in the skies beyond mortal sight—
A presence observed.
A consciousness layered in cunning and cruelty.
A Demon Lord.
One who preferred manipulation over direct conquest.
His lips curved faintly.
"How interesting."
A Royal Oni child disrupting equilibrium.
Preventing fractures.
Building alliances.
He turned his gaze elsewhere.
"Continue observing."
For now.
The Dragon's Pulse
Deep within the sealed cave—
The Storm Dragon shifted again.
Magicules rippled violently outward.
Kaiser paused mid-training.
He felt it clearly this time.
Ancient.
Chaotic.
Sealed but not weak.
He closed his eyes.
"Soon."
He did not know why he whispered that.
But instinct told him—
That dragon would one day shape the forest's future.
And when that moment came—
Kaiser intended to stand above it.
Not beneath it.
Growth of a Sovereign
System notifications pulsed softly.
[Whitebeard Sync: 18%][Shadow Monarch Sync: 13%][Shadow Soldiers: 12]
Each decisive act.
Each political shift.
Each assertion of will—
Strengthened synchronization.
Power was responding to leadership.
Kaiser stood atop a massive tree branch overlooking the village.
Morning sunlight bathed Jura in gold.
Children trained.
Warriors sparred.
Tribes departed under new agreements.
Threads of unity forming.
He clenched his fist slowly.
"This is only the beginning."
He would not wait for destiny.
He would not follow the path written for others.
When the slime reincarnated—
He would enter a forest already united.
Already stable.
Already ruled.
And instead of becoming its center—
The slime would join his orbit.
The age of Jura's chaos was ending.
The age of the Shadow Emperor—
Was beginning.