UNIFIED W

Chapter 41: Irregular, part 6

Just outside the headquarters of Von City, citizens gathered, their nervous anticipation softened by a glimmer of hope in their eyes as they awaited their leader's important speech.

The upcoming speech from the fire clan leader is crucial; it has the potential to either divide the clan permanently or unite them during these harsh times, especially the upcoming cold and long nights.

The fate of the clan lies solely in the hands of their leader.

The fire clan leader understood the immense importance of the upcoming speech, which led him to experience anxiety and, for the first time in his life, a sense of fear.

The fire clan leader's hands trembled slightly as cold sweat formed on his face.

While he attempted to calm his nerves, he heard a knock on his office door.

Just outside the office, the entire inner circle council of the fire clan stood there, ready to follow their leader to the podium outside the enormous gates of the headquarters.

"Sir, your people are waiting for you."

The fire clan leader glanced quickly out of his window, observing the gathered crowd, before turning and leaving his office toward the podium.

The fire clan leader began to slowly crack inside, doing everything in his power to conceal it from his inner council, who walked behind him.

But with each step the leader took, he felt a shadow looming behind him, growing wider and darker.

The guards opened the inner gate for the clan leader and his council, and they were immediately greeted by journalists, reporters, and flashing cameras.

The fire clan leader took a few steps forward and stood behind the podium, and suddenly, everything went quiet.

It was so quiet that you could almost feel it in the air. The only thing the fire clan leader could hear was his own breathing and his heartbeat.

The clan leader looked around and saw people standing before him, waiting, as the tension in the air reached its peak.

The fire clan leader took a deep breath before beginning his speech.

"Greetings, my people of Von City. Today, I stand before you as your leader. For the past month, my council and I have worked tirelessly to improve our lives since the king passed a harsh judgment upon us."

The fire clan leader paused for a moment, glancing around, and immediately sensed the crowd's lack of enthusiasm.

Instead of happiness, he saw signs of displeasure spreading quickly among them.

Unfortunately, this was not a promising beginning for the fire clan leader. Nevertheless, he pressed on with his speech, hoping to align himself with his people.

"Fate has not been kind to us lately, especially towards me."

As whispers and murmurs spread through the crowd, the fire clan leader notices but presses on with his speech.

"I first lost my son in the great clan war and our clan has been suffering humiliation for the last couple of years."

The fire clan leader could hear the crowd's voices growing louder, but chose to ignore them and continue with his speech.

"It's no secret that we lost our most powerful weapon during the test event."

"But worst of all......"

The fire clan leader couldn't finish his sentence. Instead, he began to inhale and exhale, trying to calm his nerves.

He looked behind him and saw his council standing there, as motionless as statues.

The fire clan leader turned back to the crowd, determined to express what had been weighing on him for the past month.

He took a big breath and continued with the speech.

"But worst of all, I left my dying grandson in the hands of people I don't know or associate with the ways of the fire clan."

"This is what's been eating......"

But before the fire clan leader could finish his sentence, someone shouted out loud from the crowd.

"YOUR PEOPLE ARE DYING, AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL ISSUES."

"My family doesn't know how we should survive the coming cold and the long nights ahead of us."

"We are barely surviving now."

"Help us."

"What kind of leader lets his people starve and die?"

The crowd became louder and more aggressive.

The situation deteriorated to the point where fights broke out everywhere, and the guards struggled to separate individuals in the dense crowd.

"Order.... ORDER."

The fire clan leader shouted repeatedly, but nobody cared to hear what he had to say anymore.

Suddenly, as the fire clan leader was about to step down from the podium, he felt a sharp pain in his back.

Before he could react, five daggers pierced his heart, and he collapsed to the ground.

Everything froze, and it felt like the world paused for a second.

Everyone in the crowd halted and gazed at the podium.

There, the fire clan leader lay dying, encircled by his five most trusted inner council members, each clutching a bloody dagger.

The five council members simultaneously stepped over the fire clan leader's body and advanced toward the podium.

Everyone was silent as the dead, wondering why the guards were not doing anything.

The five council members began speaking simultaneously.

"We stand before you as your new leaders, as your brothers and sisters, as THE SOLUTION TO ALL YOUR PROBLEMS."

"Today marks a new chapter in the history of the fire clan. Together, we will survive and together, we will make the fire clan the greatest it has ever been."

There was no reaction throughout the speech, but suddenly someone began cheering loudly, and soon many others joined in.

In the end, the noise grew so loud that many in the crowd couldn't hear their own thoughts.

Meanwhile, the five council members stood over their fallen leader's body, blood staining the ground all the way to where the crowd stood.