"Lord Shen Tu," Li Yu replied with his tone shifting to professional politeness. "Sorry to disturb you. I know you're busy."

  "I am never too busy for the man who is helping me to win this war," Shen Tu’s voice rumbled. "Strategic Command just briefed me. You secured the Southern Jagged Peaks. And then, without rest, you diverted to the Silent Hollows, rescued the survivors, and crushed the beast headquarters."

  The projection of Shen Tu’s voice seemed to glare at the gathered crowd even though he wasn't there.

  "You have saved hundreds of lives today, Li Yu. You have saved even more for those not fighting. And you have secured two vital nodes in less than a day. The Alliance owes you a debt once again. Let me know if you need anything. Otherwise, I will increase your merit points so you can get what you want."

  The silence in the canyon was absolute. The survivors of the Broken Army—Patriarch Han, Sect Leader Yan—looked at Li Yu with pride. Shen Tu had not mentioned them but all of those things they were a part of as well. It made sense since he was talking directly to Li Yu that he wouldn’t mention them. The Alliance Leader himself was praising them. The "Shield" they had chosen was not just strong; it was golden and was currently radiant.

  "Thank you, Alliance Leader," Li Yu said with a chuckle. "Just make sure the points are clear. I have my eye on some items in the vault."

  "Consider it done," Shen Tu said. "Now, why have you activated the Priority Channel? Is there a problem?"

  Li Yu looked at Sect Master Yin. Yin was pale. He was shaking his head slightly, silently pleading for Li Yu not to report him for actions. Sect Master Yin had no idea that the relationship between Shen Tu and Li Yu was so good. Wasn’t he an outsider from the Southern Continent?

  Li Yu smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

  "Actually, Alliance Leader, I have good news to report," Li Yu said cheerfully. "I was worried about holding this sector with my tired troops. But it seems the heavens are watching over us."

  He gestured to Yin and pointed the token over there so Shen Tu could see.

  "Sect Master Yin of the Silver Sword Sect has just arrived. He brought two thousand fresh troops and a war chariot. He was so distraught over the failure of his previous team that he rushed here personally."

  "Is that so?" Shen Tu’s voice took on a thoughtful tone. He quickly processed what was going on. What hadn’t the Alliance Commander seen in all his years?

  "Yes," Li Yu continued with his eyes locked on Yin. "He was just telling me how eager he is to avenge his fallen disciples. How eager he is to correct the mistakes his troops had made. He’s itching for a fight. He wants to serve the Alliance. In fact, he insisted that he wouldn't leave until he had blood on his sword."

  Yin stared at Li Yu. He realized the trap snapping shut around his neck.

  If he denied it, he would have to explain why he was here threatening a hero of the Alliance. What looked like a close friend of the Alliance Leader. He would have to explain the "treason" narrative to Shen Tu, who had just praised Li Yu. It would be political and sect suicide.

  But if he agreed...

  "Sect Master Yin," Shen Tu’s voice boomed.

  Yin flinched slightly. He bowed to the token but his his posture was rigid. "Alliance Leader! I... I am here."

  "Your loyalty is commendable," Shen Tu said. There was a dry edge to his voice. He clearly understood exactly what Li Yu was doing and he approved. "It is rare to see a Sect Master take to the field with such passion."

  "I... I live to serve the Alliance," Yin choked out.

  "Excellent," Shen Tu said. "Because I have a situation developing in the Iron-Web Gorge. It is a meat grinder. We have lost two battalions sent there. The beasts are entrenched and we need a heavy assault force to break them."

  Yin’s face turned the color of old ash. The Iron-Web Gorge was a notorious death trap. Reports from there have only reported one thing back. Death. It was far worse than the Silent Hollows.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Since you are already mobilized," Shen Tu continued, "and since Li Yu has already secured the Silent Hollows, your presence there is redundant. I am reassigning you. Take your force to the Iron-Web Gorge immediately. Relieve the pressure there. It would be best if you could secure that node."

  Yin stood there, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. He had come here to bully a weakened army and steal loot. To silence all of the mouths that would have spoken of the failure leadership that his Sect provided. Now he was being sent to one of the worst fronts of the war.

  "Alliance Leader..." Yin stammered. "My troops... we have traveled far... we are..."

  "You are eager for vengeance, are you not?" Shen Tu cut him off with his voice hardening into steel. "You want blood? There is plenty of blood in the Gorge. Go get it. Unless... you have a reason to refuse a direct order?"

  Refusing a direct order from the Alliance Leader during a war was grounds for sect dissolution and execution. They would have to explain why they were here and then why they were trying to be cowards.

  Yin looked at Li Yu. Li Yu was smiling and was even tossing a silver ring he had kept. A silver ring was the storage treasure of their sect and only their people had it. A clear sign of provocation. Yin looked at the "rats" of the Broken Army who were now smirking at him.

  He looked at the token. He bowed. It was the stiffest, most painful bow of his life.

  "I... obey," Yin rasped. "The Silver Sword Sect will march to the Iron-Web Gorge."

  "Good hunting, Sect Master," Shen Tu said. "Li Yu, come see me when you return to HQ. Shen Tu out."

  The light faded and the token went dark. Li Yu slipped the jade back into his robe. He looked at Yin.

  "Well," Li Yu said. "You heard the boss. Better get moving. The Iron-Web Gorge is lovely this time of year. Lots of beasts. Big ones I hope."

  Sect Master Yin straightened up. He looked at Li Yu with a hatred so profound it felt like a physical blow. He wanted nothing more than to kill this young man in front of him but now he couldn’t.

  He had heard the stories about Li Yu’s actions since he arrived here but the stories he heard were all so ridiculous. He wasn’t at the Alliance HQ when Li Yu defeated the patriarch of the Crimson Fang so he never saw it first hand.

  The crazy stories about Li Yu made it so many didn’t believe his growing legend. Thinking that it was propaganda that was spread by the alliance to boost morale. That the alliance was saying, ‘look we have this monster on our side right now. Don’t worry we can win. He beasts his opponents by looking at them and makes enemies run at the sight of him.’ It was all utter non-sense to senior leadership of most organizations.

  "This isn't over," Yin hissed at Li Yu. His voice was low enough that only Li Yu could hear. "You have made an enemy today, boy. A permanent one."

  "Get in line," Li Yu said dismissively. "Take a number and wait for your turn to face me. But right now, you’re blocking the view."

  Yin turned on his heel. He stormed back to his chariot.

  "All units!" Yin screamed and was now taking his rage out on his own men. "To the chariots! We move to the North! Move!"

  The Silver Sword Sect army was confused and terrified by their master's mood. They scrambled to obey. Within minutes, the fleet took to the air, turning away from the Silent Hollows and heading toward the grim horizon of the Northern Front.

  Li Yu watched them go. Behind him a cheer erupted. It started with Patriarch Han, then spread to Sect Master Zhou, and soon the entire canyon was roaring with laughter and applause. When had they ever been able to face down the Patriarch of such a sect and gotten away unharmed? Never. They knew it wasn’t over but they trusted Li Yu and his actions. His actions thus far had only protected them. They believed he had a plan for dealing with this.

  "Did you see his face?" Commander Lei slapped his thigh and was laughing so hard he nearly cried. "He came to kill us and he got sent to the Gorge! That place has been a nightmare since the war started!"

  "He did it to himself," Matriarch Su said solemnly but she was happy to see what had happened to the man. "The Commander didn't even draw a weapon. He just... talked him into hell."

  Patriarch Han walked up to Li Yu. He looked at the young man with renewed hope in the alliance. It was one thing to be strong in combat. It was another to navigate a bit of politics and use another person’s hand to hit for you. This showed that Li Yu wasn’t simply a brute. He had at least a bit of brains to him as well. A welcome sign for their leader.

  "Commander," Han said. "You truly are the shield we needed. The Alliance of the Jagged Peaks... we are honored to bear the name and be under your leadership."

  Li Yu turned back to the group.

  "He was a bully," Li Yu said simply. "Bullies don't like it when you call someone stronger. Remember, people like them are what you should not be."

  Li Yu turned and looked at Grandmaster Pan. The array masters that were near here had stopped what they were doing when Shen Tu started talking.

  "Hey, Pan," Li Yu called out. "Stop staring and fix the array here. I want to go home."

  Pan shook himself out of his stupor. "Right! Yes! Pillars four and five, stabilize the flow! We’re working on it!"

  Li Yu walked back to Tekton and sat down once again. He closed his eyes. He was tired. Not physically but socially. He had done more talking, leading and politicking recently than he had in a long time.

  "Never again," Li Yu muttered to himself. "Next time, I'm just going to stay at home and raise my fish. I don't care if the world is ending."

  Li Yu was woken up when the white pillar of the Silent Hollows flared to life. The blue light of the Grand Formation swept through the canyons and was finally chasing away the last of the shadows.