Chapter 53
Chapter 42
Overview
The warlords gather for a council meeting with Chaco as the live field correspondent. Princess Vinata of the Blood Sultanate—a powerful six-armed naga with an overwhelming presence—arrives and immediately affects Carl with an inexplicable sense of awe and dread. When Stalwart punches Chaco for mocking his crown, a system warning about Scolopendra stirring emerges, alarming all present.
Summary
Carl, Donut, and Ferdinand are summoned to a warlord council meeting. Juice Box arrives in human form with a map, suggesting Team Retribution's operations are underway. Chaco appears as the live field correspondent, much to Ferdinand's dismay after a previous encounter. As the other warlords materialize—King Stalwart with his new crown, Warlord Fang, Architect Houston, and Epitome Tagg—Princess Vinata of the Blood Sultanate manifests beside Carl. She is exceptionally large, possessing six golden-adorned arms and striking red eyes without pupils. Despite Carl's awareness that his team plans to kill her, he finds himself overwhelmed by her presence and charisma, feeling small and vulnerable before her. When Cascadia attempts to start the meeting, Donut and Ferdinand erupt in laughter over Stalwart's ridiculous crown appearance, a bet Ferdinand had made beforehand. Chaco attempts to broadcast this mockery, prompting Stalwart to punch him, causing real physical damage and rendering him unconscious. The room falls silent when a system warning appears: "Warning: Scolopendra Stirs." Tagg confirms this has never happened before, and Cascadia laughs with an unsettling edge.
Characters
- CarlWarlord protagonist attending the council; deeply affected by Princess Vinata's presence
- DonutWarlord of the Princess Posse; laughs about Stalwart's crown and makes a bet with Ferdinand
- FerdinandWarlord of Team Retribution; participates in mocking Stalwart's crown and bursts into laughter
- CarlaMexx robot that seats the warlords at the table
- Juice BoxChangeling in human form with cobra emblem; appears distracted at the council table
- ChacoFormer skyfowl turned game show host; serves as field correspondent and gets punched by Stalwart
- CascadiaWarlord attempting to lead the meeting; appears sickly and tired with slurred speech
- King StalwartNewly-crowned orc warlord wearing a golden crown; punches Chaco when mocked
- Warlord FangReaver warlord appearing as a young, pristine human form with temple lights
- Architect HoustonWarlord of the Madness; bears a dent in his white mask with red teardrop
- Epitome TaggDream warlord arriving from battlefield with blood-splattered armor; confirms the Scolopendra warning is unprecedented
- Princess VinataNaga warlord of the Blood Sultanate; six-armed, white with golden scales, possesses overwhelming charisma and commands awe from Carl