Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye
Chapter 456: Panic on All Sides

The sudden arrival of the monster horde didn't just disrupt the plans of Luca and Morning Star—it also threw every other faction into chaos.

In the core district of Imperial Capital, inside a luxurious hidden villa, the leading members of Imperial Capital's prominent families were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the man they called the "Great Sage."

Among them, the head of the Pike family was the most restless, as he alone knew all the details of their operational plans. To guarantee the mission's success, he had even dispatched Eli Pike—one of the few remaining geniuses in the Pike family.

While everyone waited nervously, the villa's main door suddenly burst open. The Pike family's butler rushed in, visibly panicked.

"Master! We just received confirmed intelligence from the Federation's upper echelons—the monster horde arrived ahead of schedule! The defensive fortresses on Imperial Capital's outskirts have already been attacked!"

As soon as he uttered these words, chaos erupted in the hall.

"Why did the monster horde suddenly appear earlier? Could Luca have something to do with this?"

"Under these circumstances, should we even continue targeting Luca? Could he have intentionally lured the monster horde toward us?"

"Does the Great Sage know about this? Why didn't he warn us beforehand?"

"Should we take this opportunity to escape Imperial Capital through the secret tunnels?"

Everyone began discussing various concerns, united only by one common trait—they were utterly terrified by the sudden news.

Though the head of the Pike family was equally shocked by the monster horde's early arrival, he knew he had to maintain his composure. Furthermore, he needed everyone else to calm down as well.

Sweeping his icy gaze across the panicked crowd, he slammed his palm hard against the table.

"Silence!"

Given his substantial personal strength, his commanding presence became even more pronounced amidst the panic-stricken atmosphere. All eyes in the hall instantly focused on him, and the previously noisy room fell completely silent.

"It's still uncertain whether the early arrival of the monster horde is good or bad for us! The Great Sage has already gone to deal with Luca himself. No matter what, we must wait for his return before deciding our next course of action."

The Pike family head's words left no openings for criticism.

Members of the various prominent families gradually regained their composure.

The "Great Sage" had previously demonstrated countless miracles before them. In their eyes, as soon as the "Great Sage" returned, all their troubles would effortlessly vanish.

A few minutes later, a single vine suddenly emerged in the center of the hall. In an instant, numerous vines sprouted wildly from that initial vine, rapidly intertwining until they finally formed a human shape. The figure, of course, was Councilor Devitt—the very "Great Sage" revered by the prominent families of Imperial Capital.

Councilor Devitt's arrival immediately attracted everyone's attention.

The Pike family head quickly hurried forward to greet him.

"You must have successfully eliminated Luca, right? Where is Eli Pike? Why hasn't he returned with you?"

Ignoring the Pike family head's inquiry, Councilor Devitt walked directly toward the podium at the far end of the hall, watched closely by the assembled crowd.

"Luca received assistance from Morning Star. Although I severely wounded him during our battle, he still managed to escape."

Expressions of disappointment appeared on the faces of the various family members present.

Compared to the others, the Pike family head's expression was especially grim. He had already guessed why Eli Pike hadn't returned alongside the Great Sage.

At this moment, Councilor Devitt's gaze shifted toward the Pike family head.

"In this exceptionally fierce battle, Eli Pike performed admirably. He unleashed all his strength and posed a tremendous threat to Luca during the fight."

Devitt's praise for Eli Pike made the other families begin to feel envy toward the Pike family.

Only the Pike family head's expression remained unchanged, as he waited for Devitt to say the words he'd already anticipated.

"Unfortunately, during the battle, Eli Pike fell into a trap prepared by Luca. Though I did everything in my power to save him, in the end, I failed.

We must all mourn Eli Pike! Everything he did was for the sake of our collective plans, and for that, we must be eternally grateful."

At Councilor Devitt's suggestion, everyone in the hall began observing a moment of silence for Eli Pike.

Although everyone wore somber expressions and closed their eyes solemnly, in truth, many were merely putting on a show—especially members of the other prominent families who had longstanding conflicts with the Pike family. Had the "Great Sage" not been present, some of them would have already burst out laughing.

"Your Excellency," the Pike family head asked anxiously, "should we still proceed with our plan? We've just received news that the monster horde has arrived ahead of schedule. With the monster horde interfering, can our plans still proceed smoothly?"

The death of Eli Pike had deeply disappointed him, but he also had to consider the bigger picture.

Councilor Devitt nodded slowly.

"I've already learned about this. Our plan will be temporarily suspended. After the monster horde passes, we'll reassess the situation and adjust accordingly."

After finishing his statement, he dissolved into vines and vanished from sight.

Those remaining in the hall felt profoundly disappointed. They had assumed this operation would easily eliminate Luca. Still, the news that Luca had suffered serious injuries was at least somewhat reassuring for them.

Once everyone had left, the Pike family head angrily smashed the cup he was holding onto the ground.

"I swear I'll make Luca pay dearly for all of this!"

He wouldn't dare direct his anger toward the "Great Sage," so he simply blamed everything on Luca—after all, Luca had always been his enemy.

Just as Councilor Devitt's plans had been interrupted by the monster horde, Zenith Technology Company was facing a similar predicament.

At Zenith Technology's Daskhollow Base, preparations were underway to deal with the incoming monster horde. Nova, as the person in charge of the base, wasn't directing the preparations personally. Instead, she was deep inside the base, communicating directly with her immediate superior.

"The situation has changed dramatically. Halt any attempts to eliminate Luca for now! Your most crucial task at this moment is ensuring the safety of Daskhollow Base. Do not allow it to be destroyed during the monster horde attack."

A cold, mechanical, synthesized voice came clearly from the other side.

Nova quickly nodded.

"Understood. I'll act according to your latest instructions."

After decisively accepting the new mission, Nova hesitated slightly before continuing.

"Do you have any information regarding this sudden monster horde?" Nova asked carefully. "The timing and manner of its appearance are far too suspicious. I tried collecting intelligence myself, but in the end, I got nothing."

"All you need to focus on is dealing with the monster horde," replied the synthesized, mechanical voice coldly. "Headquarters indeed has some related intel, but the security clearance required is extremely high. Even I haven't been granted access yet."

Nova felt deeply shocked by her superior's words. Her superior was already one of the top-ranking members within Zenith Technology Company. If even someone of such seniority wasn't qualified to view the intelligence, it implied that these secrets concealed something incredibly important.

Her mind raced quickly. Nova realized that there must be deeper reasons behind the monster horde's unexpected arrival.

"You don't need to overthink this or become overly anxious," continued the mechanical voice. "If you feel the current strength at Daskhollow Base isn't enough to ensure its survival, I can arrange additional reinforcements."

Nova quickly shook her head.

"I greatly appreciate your generosity, but I believe the forces at Daskhollow Base will be enough to repel this monster horde."

Nova was very familiar with her superior's temperament. Although she had never actually met her superior face-to-face, she knew her superior strongly disliked people who appeared weak or incapable. If she were to ask for additional help, it would definitely leave a negative impression. Even if it didn't immediately cause trouble, in the long term it would gradually undermine her position in her superior's eyes.

"Good. For the next ten days, I'll be heading to Eternal World to execute an important mission. The next time we communicate will therefore be after those ten days."

The icy synthesized voice disappeared, and her superior abruptly ended the communication.

Nova sat back in her chair, frowning in deep contemplation.

"My superior would never lightly enter Eternal World. Something significant must have happened recently to trigger unusual disturbances there. Perhaps all these recent events are connected. There has to be a deeply hidden reason behind everything that's going on right now. Since I no longer need to eliminate Luca, that means I can continue working with him openly."

Nova still hoped to obtain additional intelligence from Luca, just as she had done previously.

After making her decision, she immediately contacted Donlow.

"Luca is in Imperial Capital? Not at Shelter 102? Why would he be in Imperial Capital? Did the Federation force him to go there?"

Nova was visibly surprised after learning from Donlow that Luca was currently in Imperial Capital.

Naturally, she found this baffling.

In her view, Luca had numerous enemies within Imperial Capital, and he never seemed to care much about the attitudes or directives of the Federation's upper ranks.

Under normal circumstances, Luca should have outright refused to go to Imperial Capital.

Faced with Nova's questions, Donlow simply replied flatly,

"That I don't know. If you really want answers, you can contact Luca directly. I assume you have a way of reaching him."

With that, Donlow immediately cut off the communication.