Chapter 124: A Set Up

After Kojui dealt with the gangsters, Emperor had to retreat because the rat king stole his thunder.

"We have to retaliate, Kojui meddled. We have been directly attacked by the gangs. So we need payback." Emperor announced.

"Ohhh! I like how you think, boss." Exusiai wanted to shoot her guns more and Texas sighed.

'Wait, something seems fishy?' Bison has heard from his father, Eurill that they are quite friendly with Lin Kojui.

But he waited for now and Emperor gathered them to go downtown. Where the Sauin festival for the deceased was being held.

The bustling streets were filled with people. Lungmen's downtown was merry due to the festival.

And the people made way for Emperor who is a famous rapper. He had an ingenious plan to lure out Lin Kojui.

"Rat king! I challenge you to a brawl! You dare take away our prey!?" Emperor made an announcement and Bison frowned.

'Are we really asking to get ambushed?' Bison looked around and it was a prime location for a stealthy ambush.

And while Emperor was yapping, Lin Kojui suddenly appeared from a sewer grate like a certain rat martial artist. But instead of fighting with his fists, he shanked emperor.

"Emperor!" Bison was shocked and he looked at the members of Penguin logistics.

"Why aren't you worried? Your boss got stabbed you know!?" Bison shouted at them.

"Eh, not the first time that the boss got killed." Exusiai shrugged and Bison was dumbfounded.

"N-not the first time to be killed?" He was confused as hell and he doesn't really know about the Feraerus.

"We've got other things to worry about." Texas prepared for a fight as they got surrounded by Kojui's new mooks from the Siracusan mafia.

"I have a little surprise for you, penguin logistics." Kojui smirked at them as he reappeared on a float in the middle of the street.

"We have to reach him in order to beat him. Exusiai, give us fire support." Texas ordered and they nodded.

Bison was still confused, but he lifted up his shield and he shielded Exusiai. Croissant doing the same as well.

They were then attacked by mobsters that had a beige shield on them. Lin Kojui's sand arts acted as a barrier.

Texas didn't care though, using the full power of her light saber and tearing through their shield. She then knocked them out with punches and kicks.

They fended themselves off, but they were being overwhelmed by the amount of thugs.

"Hmm, it seems that you guys need some help." Mostima appeared with her black lock and white keys.

"Mostima, great timing." Texas smiled at her a bit and she activated her arts.

Bison then heard the sound of a grandfather clock's bell as Mostima swung her staves.

The gangsters seemed to move in slow motion as her arts manipulated their sense of time.

Texas then moved quickly to clean up the enemies and they advanced towards Kojui's float.

"I won't let you." Lin Yuhsia appeared and she fended them off with her glass manipulation arts.

"Tch, the daughter huh?" Texas clicked her tongue and thought that her arts were much more troublesome than her father's.

"You've been causing too much trouble in my city, penguin logistics. Lin Kojui." Ch'en appeared with Hoshiguma and Beatrix.

It was going to be a three-way battle and Hoshiguma charged at penguin logistics while Ch'en went towards Yuhsia.

Bison saw the large oni run at him and he braced himself for impact.

His knees buckled as Hoshiguma swung her shield at him. "Heh, you need some milk, kid." Hoshiguma taunted him.

Beatrix was throwing champagne bottles at Croissant and the Forte was dying inside from the attacks.

"No! Do you know how much those things cost?" Croissant saw the brands of the champagnes.

"Ohohoho! A peasant like you can't beat the power of money." Beatrix used the attack, spending money and Croissant received tons of mental damage.

"Exusiai, support me." Texas looked at the Sankta and she busted out her Kris vector as well.

She began shooting at Yuhsia and Ch'en who were fighting and Texas ran towards Kojui.

The rat king used his sand to block Texas' route, but she jumped towards the walls and ran on them for a quick second.

Texas jumped around like an acrobatic and she was getting close to Kojui.

And when she was about to slash towards him, the rat king retreated. Raising a sand storm as a screen.

Texas then saw a box and it was a ticking time bomb. "Everyone! Take cover!" Texas ran away to take some cover.

But when the countdown stopped, it released some confetti and it said happy Sauin.

Candy then started raining from the skies and Emperor stood up again like he was a damned zombie.

"W-wha? What's happening?" Bison was confused once again.

Sora then appeared and spotlights were put on her. The number one idol of Monster Siren Records began dancing and singing.

"Ahhh... It's all the plan of the boss." Exusiai smiled wryly and Bison frowned.

'So it's a set up. Most likely dad, Kojui, and Emperor tried to test me...' Bison got miffed.

"Hmph, cause trouble again and I'll have to return to the LGD, penguin logistics. You're in luck, because I have to spend time with my sister." Ch'en huffed at them and she left with Beatrix and Hoshiguma.

"Hah, first is Dossoles. Now, dad's gotta set up this little scheme just to test Eurill's kid? You've got to be kidding me." Yuhsia sighed and she returned home too.

"So, what do we do next?" Croissant was still depressed about all the money that Beatrix wasted.

"Let's go back to the bar from earlier." Texas sighed and they went to the thrashed bar.

And even though the place was destroyed, they celebrated still.

"You think that the kid's got what it takes? He did evade them well and he didn't sell out penguin logistics." Emperor was in a conference call with Kojui and Eurill.

"He has done well." Kojui had to give him a pass as Bison didn't yield with the threat of execution.

"But man, you really went all out Kojui. Even hiring some Siracusan mafia?" Eurill laughed.

"Hmph, that's the thing. They really were trying to kidnap Bison and weaken penguin logistics or mountainDash." Kojui revealed and Emperor frowned.

"What!? Then that wasn't set up by you? Those Siracusan bastards, I'll kill them." Emperor took his gun and started loading it.

"So, you're saying that Bison was in real danger?" Eurill wa shocked and he had to calm himself down.

"Yes, I don't know why they wanted to weaken your influence. But it's most likely due to the money you make because of emperor Asmodeus." Kojui theorized.

"Dad, you have some explaining to do." Yuhsia butted in and Kojui sweated. She was his only daughter after all.

And Lin Yuhsia was excellent in all accounts. Too excellent sometimes even. And a father is weak to his daughter of course.

"Ohh? Emperor and Eurill huh? I actually have to tell you guys something. Siracusa is going to be done for." Lin Yuhsia reported.

"Hmm? Why?" Kojui raised a brow. "Ash wasn't amused with their involvement. And he left in a hurry. He looked pissed too." Yuhsia shrugged.

"Fuck, my bro is angry? They're in deep shit indeed..." Emperor suddenly pitied Siracusa's Mafia families. They were like an ant right under the eye of the storm.

And the storm is also raining lightning and hail. Things were fine for now, but he would be coming for them with a vengeance.

They knew what happened to Lungmen, Yan, and Ursus. Ash is a menace that doesn't believe in subtlety when it comes to revenge.

"They're fucked indeed..." Eurill nodded sagely and Kojui frowned. "What is a mafia family? Against a supreme conqueror." Kojui pitied them.

__Siracusan Border__

Siracusa is sharing a border with Leithanien. And their week is up.

Kazimierz marched through their new territory that they took from Ursus and they pincered Siracusa so they won't be able to run away to Rim Billton which is at the east of Siracusa.

The north wasn't even a question, Ursus was that way. And nobody is welcome in Ursus.

The south is where Laterano is located. And they were a part of the united nations.

Siracusa is geographically surrounded by the alliance. Rim Billton is the only place to escape, but Kazimierz set up their campaigning knights in the east immediately. Mlynar is a decisive leader after all.

Not wanting to be the salary man that couldn't do anything. So he's pretty motivated to get back on those who wrong them.

mountainDash logistics and penguin logistics were pretty important companies. And Siracusa tried to compromise them.

"Are you sure this is what we should be doing?" Enciades raised a brow at Ash's plan.

"Umu, Narcissa. Do it." Ash nodded at the feline and she started to unleash her arts to their full potential.

Hand prints appeared on originium clusters and mountains. She then started barricading Siracusa's borders with literal mountains and giant rocks.

And back at Siracusa, the scouts reported what was happening.

"T-they're reshaping the landscape to box in Siracusa?" Signora Sicily almost fainted as she received the report.

Narcissa made quick work of nearby mountain ranges. And there were tons of rocks and originium clusters around at no man's land.

Alastor and Ifrit then teamed up with Leithanien's casters. Making a huge lake of lava that acted as a moat. Except it trapped them inside of the country in a ring of fire.

Ash delivered on his promise and Siracusa would fall. It was even enough to do just that as they will definitely self destruct due to famine and anarchy.

But that would make the civilians suffer. "What's your next move?" Degenbrecher grinned at him.

"We come knocking at their front door." Ash squinted his eyes and he looked at the destruction trio.

Alastor, Astaroth, and Narcissa weren't really deployed much. They were called the incarnations of destruction for a reason.

"Let's go." Ash ordered and the trio nodded. "Ash! Can I come with them! Please?" Ifrit also wanted to be a part of their cool group.

And she had the potential, so Ash agreed and they started marching towards Siracusa.

Arriving at a frontier town, Paradiso quickly evacuated the civilians and they started their mission.

"Kyahahaha! Yeah! That's right! Burn like garbage! Ifrit-sama has given you the privilege of being immolated!" Ifrit fired her flame thrower like a maniac.

Her pyromania was being satisfied to the maximum as she burned everything in front of her.

"That isn't how you should do things Ifrit, your flames are too small." Alastor raised her hand and her palm started to glow crimson.

A tsunami of fire then consumed the ghost town and Ifrit pouted at her.

"Alastor-nee, you're too strong! Leave some for me." Ifrit whined.

"Then simply grow stronger and burn things faster." Astaroth shrugged.

"She's right, dummy." Narcissa was hauling her gigantic weapons and she mowed down anything that was still standing. Destroying everything in sight like a titan.

Earthquakes rumbled as she used her arts and she flattened the razed town to the ground.

"Rejoice, you'll be free from the Siracusan mafia's influence. Paradiso will build you housing, once we annex Siracusa of course." Ash snapped his fingers and the burning embers of the town died down in an instant.

He then ordered the army to set up tents for now. Because they won't really take too long in annexing Siracusa.

"Onwards, continue." Ash nodded at his team and they resumed their unstoppable advance towards Siracusa's capital.

Heading towards the place in a beeline, they caused absolute mayhem and destruction.

Out of the twenty two independent city states, several of them lost contact with the capital and the mobile cities got captured by silverlance pegasi and Sarkaz.

Resistance was futile, all those who oppose march were sent to sleep with the fishes. After all, enemy combatants that still want to fight aren't protected by the Gelato Accords.

Hence, not a war crime. And to show them just how outclassed they are, Ash was pulling mobile cities. Using thick chains that hooked onto them.

Arriving at the capital Ash looked at Narcissa and she put down the mobile city she was carrying.

He snapped his fingers and everyone in Volsiini heard him.

"The time has come, Siracusa fractured from Leithanien in the past. Built this place from the ground up. Enjoying your independence for years. And where did that lead you? Back to me." Ash squinted his eyes.

"Your Signora Sicily made a huge mistake. And that is attacking my wards. I am a generous emperor, but I'm not a little bitch that just watches when my nation has been wronged." The campaigning knights stomped on the ground.

Narcissa threw her giant spear on the mobile city's catterpilar tracks and wheels, causing an earthquake at the city.

The nomadic city stalled and the citizens of Volsiini trembled.

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Thanks for reading everyone, fucking internet is down as well. I only got the chance to post now. Anyways, ciao