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Chapter 927  Return to the Red Palace (4)

Principal Van Dyke stroked his chin. "Volkov\'s power seems secure for now," he said.

"He controls the government, the military, and the city guard. But beneath the surface, there\'s a simmering discontent. "

"How did he consolidate his power despite your presence? "

Van Dyke sighed. The man did a lot, but for sure most of his success was because of the blackguards.

"Volkov used a combination of tactics. He silenced any dissenting voices in the media, labeling them traitors and fear-mongers. Public gatherings were banned, and anyone caught speaking out against the regime faced harsh consequences—imprisonment, exile, even worse, knowing his taste. "

"He choked the life out of free speech," Erik said. That was what most dictators did. History was full of examples.

Van Dyke nodded. "Exactly. He also cracked down on education, rewriting history books to glorify his rise to power and demonize his opponents, Becker. Children are being indoctrinated from a young age to revere him as a savior. "

"And the elections?" Erik said.

"Weren\'t there supposed to be elections after Becker had been chased away? I knew Volkov said he was only going to be there temporary until someone was found to replace Becker. "

"A sham," Van Dyke said.

"The opposition candidates were disqualified on flimsy pretenses or mysteriously disappeared. The public was left with only one choice—Volkov."

A heavy silence descended upon the room. The picture Van Dyke painted was bleak. Volkov had dismantled the checks and balances of a healthy nation, replacing them with absolute control.

He controlled the flow of information, stifled dissent, and manipulated the younger generation to ensure his grip on power.

Not that New Alexandria and Frant in general were in a healthy situation, but still… this was too much.

"What about you? How is the situation?"

"Our forces are spread thin," Major Fischer said, not beating around the bush.

"We try to conduct minor acts of sabotage where we can. You know, assassinations, destruction of infrastructure. Our fighters slip in and out of the city thanks to secret tunnels and breaches within the barrier. But there are too many guards around, and the Blackguards\' presence is problematic."

Captain Lain nodded. "Volkov\'s men keep a close watch on the citizens. Curfews and travel permissions are enforced, so we can\'t even receive help from them. Propaganda fills the airwaves, portraying Volkov as our savior and lord."

Erik took in this information. Volkov\'s regime appeared to require significant force for its overthrow. His powers and clone army alone would not suffice.

Or better, Erik could kill Volkov. He only had to pay attention to the blackguards, but if he rushed with a gigantic army, there wouldn\'t be problems to do that.

To kill a single opponent wasn\'t hard, but multiple ones were a problem. He wasn\'t a thaid; he didn\'t have a natural mana barrier like them, and more often than not, whatever defensive power he got turned out to only be a liability which sucked him dry of mana.

"There is also another problem," Fischer said. "There is a particular group of blackguards that is creating a lot of problems."

That wasn\'t surprising at all. The blackguards were generally problematic.

"That\'s interesting… What did they do?"

"That particular group of Blackguards has been responsible for the deaths of many resistance members," Fischer said.

"They appear to have prior knowledge of our operations and plans. This particular team has thwarted many of our attacks targeting important locations or Volkov\'s men."

Erik frowned. "They must have an informant within our ranks," he said.

"Or else they have someone with divination powers or something like that."

"That\'s what we fear," Fischer said. "The problem is, if there is a traitor, we don\'t know who he or she could be." He sighed. "It\'s made us paranoid and distrustful of each other."

"We need more intelligence about this group," Erik said. "Do we know anything about their tactics or methods of operation?"

Fischer shook his head. "Very little. They strike swiftly and silently, then disappear without a trace. The only thing we are aware of is that their captain has a brain crystal power that allows him to create tendrils. It is not even that good of a power, but this guy is lethal with it. We also know his code name: Dark Tendrils."

"That\'s even more interesting," Erik said. "We\'ll have to find other ways to gather information."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you to take care of them," Major Fischer said. "Our troops can\'t fight the blackguards; we got our hands on brain crystal rifles, but it\'s not like we have enough to use them on any battlefield, and we don\'t have the capabilities to make them."

"I can take care of it, of course. Of both your problems. I will search for information about the blackguard\'s team, and I can also supply weapons to you. What I need is for you to create a supply line, something that would make it possible for me to deliver the stuff you need."

"We might make a tunnel the Blackguards won\'t be able to find, but that will require months."

Captain Lain chimed in. "Let us not rush into drastic measures. Also, keep in mind that to send Erik to deal with those guys might not be the ideal solution. There could be more pressing situations for him and June to be in. We should discuss that first."

Van Dyke nodded in agreement. "You\'re right." The principal paused for a second.

"You were talking about an army before. James and Mary told me you can make clones. Were you referring to an army of clones earlier?"

"I was," Erik said.

"Then, is there a way for you to send the clones to monitor the Blackguards\' movements and report any patterns we observe? In time, a weakness that we can exploit may reveal itself."

Fischer smiled. "That would be an excellent start, Erik. Every little of information helps. We\'ll do the same on our end."

Erik paused for a second. "I can certainly do that, but I need at least three months to prepare a sufficient batch of clones. They need some time to develop and mature."

"That\'s too bad."

"Yes, but I have four clones with me right now, as well as three more people. We can take care of this, but with the number of people we have, I think the best thing would be to take care of the blackguards\' team, as Fischer suggested. At least we will be able to solve a significant problem."

"Good," Van Dyke said. "Given this, we can focus on searching for information."

Erik agreed to Van Dyke\'s suggestion. Lain didn\'t look entirely convinced, though she didn\'t object.

"Aside from killing Volkov, there was another reason I came here," Erik said. "What would that be?" Van Dyke asked.

"To save Richard Stone. When my people attacked Fasard, the blackguards took him prisoner. His daughter is with me."

That made everyone happy. Emily Stone had powerful divination abilities, and if she saw an important event in the future, she might be able to prevent catastrophic events from occurring.

The only problem was that her powers were unpredictable, as they were powerful.

Lain glanced at Fischer and Van Dyke. "General Becker made us aware of this already." Lain took a moment.

"Based on the situation, we believe they have taken Richard to the Grand Ducal Prison." Lain paused, weighing her next words. "All signs show that this is the most likely location in which Volkov would detain a high-profile individual like him."

Erik nodded.

"The Grand Ducal Prison," Erik said. "That makes sense. It\'s New Alexandria\'s most fortified prison, after all. I remember it being a place shrouded in rumor and dread."

"The Grand Ducal Prison. It\'s not like any prison most of us know. It was built centuries ago, and it\'s a labyrinth of cold stone and mana enhanced metal bars deep beneath the city. They call it \'the Maw\' for a reason. People go in, but never get out."

"Fear-mongering," Van Dyke said. "It\'s probably just a regular old prison with a fancy name."

Fischer shook his head. "There\'s truth to the whispers, I\'m afraid. Volkov renovated the Grand Ducal Prison after his rise to power. Torture chambers were added, isolation cells designed to break even the strongest wills. It\'s become a symbol of his brutality, a place where dissenters are silenced and opposition crushed. At least the high-profile ones."

"regardless of the place, I need to get him out."

Lain studied Erik for a moment. "Rescuing Richard from that prison would not be easy. Even your powers may not be enough."

"Did you forget I saved your ass from the eastern prison?" Erik said.

"Yes, but the number of blackguards is simply too large there. Besides, they are not those weak guards that worked where we were kept prisoner."

In essence, the Grand Ducal Prison was a fortress.

"I have to try. Richard helped me save my father. I owe him."

"We\'ll help in any way we can. The resistance has been searching for an opportunity to strike at the Grand Ducal Prison and save some high-profile prisoners for a long time. We just lacked people, and strong ones at that."

Erik turned to Van Dyke. "Principal, what do you think? Is rescuing Richard Stone possible?"

Before responding, Van Dyke thought about it in silence.

"It would require careful planning and coordination between our forces. But yes, I believe with your abilities, Erik, and if your clones are really as strong as Mary and James claim them to be, we could rescue Richard from that place."

He looked Erik in the eye. "I will help you do this. We shall free your friend."

Erik nodded, a small smile forming. "Thank you." In his mind, the beginnings of a plan started to come together. First, he would need to gather more information, and to do that, he already had a great idea in mind.

And with that, the meeting drew to a close.