Thragg wasted no time in presenting his idea to the high council. The high council was a separate governing body meant to work in tandem with the Grand Regent.
The Grand Regent was a second in command for the emperor and reported directly to the emperor. He was the highest military authority second only to the ruler of the nation.
In the event that the emperor dies or is bed ridden and cannot rule, the Regent works as a stand-in and rules in place of the emperor until the emperor is well enough to sit on the throne again or until the heir to the throne is grown enough to take the reigns.
In order to prevent usurpation the Grand Regent must work in tandem with the high council, a governing body meant to not only advise the emperor but to also handle administrative duties and internal affairs that the Emperor delegates to them.
When the emperor is absent, the Grand Regent holds power. However, unlike the emperor, he can not pass any laws or make decisions without consulting the high council
So should the Grand regent wish to change laws, he must always consult the high council first, and if they oppose his decision, he either has to convince them or let it go.
"What nonsense are you speaking Grand Regent Thragg, to pull back our forces would mean centuries of work completely wasted. Do the efforts of our warriors mean nothing to you!"
Shouted a member of the council, his voice harsh and unamused. Any Viltrumite speaking with such a tone to the Grand Regent would have suffered a broken jaw. However, members of the high council were exempt from that.
"Not only that but a sudden pull back invites weakness and suggests the mighty Viltrumite Empire may be stretched too thin, we can not afford to let the coalition know about something like this"
Another female member of the council spoke. However, her voice was softer, and she spoke using logic and not emotion.
"The empire is stretched too thin! and as things stand, another scourge virus will wipe us out completely"
Thragga protested, his face showing a displeased frown. He expected the council to be more receptive to the idea after they were supposed to be wise.
"The science department has been working on a way to combat the virus, next time we will be ready"
"You mean the science department that's severely understaffed?! What can 5 scientists do? Can they even be called a science department?"
Thragg questioned, and the council seemed to go silent for a moment. His words were true. The scourge virus decimated the population of the empire. The once bustling science department filled with genius minds that pushed forward the technology of the empire was now a shadow of what it used to be.
"The scourge virus, poisoned the air in our home planet forcing us to flee it and live in spaceships, any contact with even an iota of the virus is enough to kill and because of that the 5 scientists you mentioned can't even study it properly…"
The worst thing about the scourge virus is that it was intensely dangerous, resilient, and viral. It was meant to kill Viltrumites and Viltrumites only, meaning that any other species can inhale it without issues and don't need to do anything to disinfect.
However, as a trade-off, the virus was essentially immortal, nothing can kill it, and there's no way to disinfect, meaning if it makes contact with any Viltrumite, it's over.
The less than 50 Viltrumites left are the only ones who never made contact with the virus and thus were never infected.
"The mighty Viltrumite empire, where is that might? Because from my position, it no longer exists. Even here in this very room, the council used to be 100 strong, but now only 5 remain"
He argued with a passion in his voice and gestured to the empty council room filled with empty seats.
Once again, his words struck true. The council was a collection of the wisest of Viltrumites, carefully chosen through a grueling process that challenged not only their intellect but their strength and experience. Any Viltrumites younger than five hundred years old were not selected.
His words brought silence to the room, and the council members held no rebuttal to his words. However, despite Thragg's passionate words, the silence lingered for more than a minute, a sign that the members of the council were not willing to approve of his plan.
"Your silence speaks volumes about your willingness to save the Viltrumite Empire. you would willingly let our people perish, and that alone is enough to deem you traitors"
"Do not dare throw such an accusation at the council. It has been us who have made sure the Empire continues to thrive despite its current status. We have worked tirelessly to ensure our might is not questioned, It is you who is the traitor, you who is so ready to abandon the cause of our empire"
The council member accused. However, Thragg was unmoved. He had honestly expected some support. These were supposed to be wise and battled, hardened Viltrumites, yet because of pride, they refuse to see reason
"Very well then, I am a traitor. Whom among you is going to stop me?"
The Grand Regent asked while he unbuttoned his cape and let it fall on the floor, revealing his muscular form. Even amongst Viltrumites Thragg was a behemoth of a man, standing much taller than his brethren and possessing strength far above their own.
He was the ultimate Viltrumite warrior, built for war and combat. Any Viltrumite would think twice before deciding to face off against him.
Once again, his words left the council speechless. Who was going to stop him? certainly not anyone in the room
"Argall the great was assassinated by the turncoat, and that plunged the empire into chaos,as the Grand Regent I took the throne in his absence. However, after the civil war, we found out that the heir to the throne had been killed during the war. This meant there was no one to relieve me of my duty, and I continue to serve as Grand Regent."
He explained, and while doing so, he placed his hands behind his back and slowly paced back and forth. The council could see where he was going. However, they held their breaths and waited.
A small trickle of tension made itself apparent in the room. The council members wore frowns on their faces. They waited for Thragg to say what they knew he was going to say.
"For the past centuries, I have effectively been the Emperor of Viltrum in everything but in name…."
His words were true, with no heir to the throne the empire is his. He has held the seat of Grand Regent for a little while now, and there's probably going to be no change to that even in the future.
"I am tired of having to share such power with all of you. If you can not see what is best for Viltrum, then your council is no longer needed"
"You would crown yourself, Emperor?"
The question was not asked out of wanting to know or curiosity, but asked for confirmation. They wanted a clear and unmistakable affirmation before they made any move.
In just a few words, the tension had suddenly ballooned and became palpable. The council members had already balled their fists and waited. They were fully aware that Thragg was a powerful individual, his entire existence was conceived out of a need for a strong Viltrumite warrior that surpassed all that came before however despite that in a 5v1 they were confident in their odds.
"If the council can not see what is truly important, then yes. I would"
There was not even a single delay after Thragg's words were uttered, and the High Council was already in motion. One of the members crashed onto his body, tackling him full force. However, Thragg was unmovable.
He ignored the foolish attempt at tackling him and focused on the oncoming punch to his face. He struck before it could land.
BAM!
His fist met the skull of the council man and shattered it like a juicy tomato before grabbing the body by the shoulder and tossing it to another oncoming attacker, keeping him busy for a few seconds.
He then used his knee to strike the high council member that had tried to tackle him, his knee striking the man's stomach, forcing to stagger back. This allowed Thragg to kick him back where he came from.
This freed Thragg's movement and immediately moved to the council member he had tossed the headless body onto and easily punched through the woman's stomach, his fist exiting out her back. Thragg then followed this up by cracking open her sternum and crushing the heart.
The body fell limp to the floor, and blood began to pool. Thragg's own hands were drenched in blood, but he did not care. In fact, the act of killing aroused nothing in him, like what he had done was as natural as breathing.
Thragg felt a fist connect to his head. The force was powerful enough to force him to tilt his head sideways before grabbing the offending fist and breaking the arm it was connected to.
To their credit, Viltrumites could take punishment. It took a lot to get them to scream out in pain.
Thragg pulled on the arm he had broken forcing the council man to be pulled towards him, with that Thragg then delivered a vicious headbutt that caved the Viltrumite's forehead letting blood splatter on Thragg's face but he didn't care as he plunged his fist on the council man's stomach before using both his hands to tear him in two and then tossing both parts in opposite direction..
In the span of a few brief seconds, three Viltrumites were already dead. Thragg was completely unharmed, and the two left were now hesitant to attack. It was not out of fear that they were hesitant to attack, but out of logic, Thragg was stronger, and their fists would barely tickle him.
"Is there a problem?"
Thragg questioned the two however they did not answer. Instead, they dropped on one knee.
"Hail Emperor Thragg"
They exclaimed, and Thragg could not help but let out a snort of amusement. Viltrumites were rather simple than they would like to admit. As much as they valued the sciences and strength in equal measure, they still adhered to the rule of might makes right.
'If words can not bring a solution, then violence can.'
He thought those words to himself. In his old human life, many people honestly believed that violence was never the answer and in truth he too believed that however despite that, even on earth every day it was proven that violence is the answer.
'Although it's better for it to be last resort rather than the first option'
"Good, now stand up and let's clean this mess up. Once all the remaining Viltrumites have returned, I will be making the announcement to end this era of conquest"
He announced before heaving a sigh, being an emperor of 50 people wasn't really an achievement, but it still meant that he was now responsible for 50 people.
Not only does he somehow have to find his way to Earth, the earth of this universe, but also convince earth's governments to let aliens live there, humans don't exactly like foreigners in their land.
'This about to be a whole headache'
He thought to himself before allowing the two Viltrumites to stand and had them begin disposing of the bodies.
.....
A/N There's like 3 chapters on Patreon, I'm working to get it to like 10 but if you want to read those 3 chapters
@www. patreon. com/YoungmasterDio
No spaces of course.