Both sides first wanted to size up their rival; Nafız wouldn't join the war unless necessary, even the Elemental Ten wouldn't appear in the first stage. Jashua wanted to attack the enemy from where he rested his back; he would level the shield they bought with the riches of the Hell Realm to the ground with Orc-produced weapons.
That he gave his order before entering the meeting was obvious from the attack-purpose mechanical vehicles advancing towards the front of the army. Twenty energy weapon ramps lined up side by side had turned towards the Death Pass, and the technicians standing at their heads were reporting to their superiors the news that they were ready to fire.
Jashua sat on his throne on the platform set up right in the middle of the army, in a place those on the Death Pass could easily see. One side of the war was the Hell Realm forces, the King had come representing them; right on his right was Hueso, his grandson, and his son-in-law Alis.
The seat on his left side was empty; even though a small number of people knew who it was reserved for, it wasn't possible for the forces on the Death Pass to guess. Actually, they didn't even focus on this issue; the Mercenaries gave more importance to the formation of the enemy army.
"Is this the Hell Realm army starving to death five years ago?"
One of the commanders spoke, hitting his hand against the stones of the wall rising up to his waist; there were two stripes made of diamonds on the shoulder part of the khaki-colored armor on him.
"You don't call it the Hell Realm, call it the Orc Empire. Look at the weapons in their hands, they all possess first-class workmanship, and extra energy crystals to strengthen the type of energy they store are embedded in their hilts."
The eyes of the second speaking commander were sharp; despite such a long distance, he managed to see the energy crystals shining like the turquoise stones on his shoulder.
"Then why didn't the Orc Empire send an army and is putting these forward?"
"I think it has two reasons; first, the difficulty of transition from where they are to here, and knowing that if a large-scale mobilization begins, all civilizations will unite and try to prevent this.
And secondly, while they already have tongs they can thrust into the fire, why should they burn their own hands? Everyone knows the new Hell Realm King was born on the Orc Steppes, even that he is a project of the current Orc Dynasty Family."
Even two low-ranking commanders on the Mercenaries' side were aware of this fact; actually, everyone knew this business originated from the Orc Empire, but since there was nothing they would do even if they proved it, they had focused on sustaining the war coming to their doors.
The Empire of Machines and the Lands of Light didn't hesitate to use the situation for their own interests; they might even be pleased that such a thing happened at certain points. After all, they knew they would prevent the attack of the orcs when they came to help, at least for now, these were their thoughts.
"Fire at will!"
The Element Cannons fired one after another sent their colorful attacks onto the transparent energy shield. Within seconds, dozens of shots glided through the sky, creating a visual feast, and the Death Pass war officially began.
The sun wasn't sending its rays yet as if wanting to wipe the sleep from its eyes and stab them into the earth, but the attacks bouncing off the transparent energy shield had taken on this job in its place. The forces of the Lands of Light, dressed at least as colorfully as them, were also watching the initial probings like everyone else, and they were spending time making evaluations among themselves.
"The weapons of the Hell Realm forces are not bad at all. What do you say Solo, can your Earth Energy stop these?"
When the young man, wearing a long caftan in the shade of his short red hair, directed his question to the only person standing a few steps away from him and larger than himself, he first met a gaze coming from above as an answer. Physically, it was normal for this to happen, but Solo, just by looking, managed to explain that these words were an insult to him.
"Your feeble flames might perhaps remain insufficient to clash, but for my hard rocks, these consist of merely a joke!"
Ignis, who was the leader of the forces present here on behalf of the Companions of Fire, smiled as if he knew he would get this response; his handsome face looked much more attractive in these moments. All of the five-person group behind him were male like himself, and their bodies were developed enough to make a bodybuilder jealous.
"I can change the direction of all of them with a single spell, but I wonder? How many energy crystals did the Mercenaries sacrifice to support this shield, and how many will those Hell Realm dogs risk spending to attack!"
The Leader of the Companions of Wind Forces, who styled his green hair as if struck by electricity, had perhaps voiced the question on everyone's mind. What was happening right now was a war of wealth; if the two sides could continue, it could last forever, but again they all knew this would end somewhere.
"You are very successful at listening to others' conversations again Ventus, the wind element was a tailor-made choice for your personality!"
Nympha, the leader of the Companions of Water, who was the second woman in the five-person command echelon, possessed an appearance as clear as the element she commanded, but the things coming out of her mouth didn't show parallelism to this.
"Actually, we could say the same for you too; do you see the need to have the water renewed every two hours because one needs to not get out of the water all day to clean the filth inside you?"
The leaders of the Companions of Fire and Earth had also bickered on a small scale, but a visibly electric arc was beginning to form between the two women. Judging by their words, they looked as if they would continue to bicker without taking a step back, but a bright light covered the area before words would reach their ears.
"Ladies, please calm down! We are here to help our allies, please shelve your personal conflicts until we return to our lands!"
When Franz showed the power of his element that gave its name to the continent he came from, all attention turned to the direction they were. Even the Mercenary commanders watching the war turned into moths gathered to the brightness of the light spreading for a while.
"Is that what you say, His Highness Franz? Since when did you start acting as the Leader of the Lands of Light forces, I wonder?"
Ventus was angry, his teeth were clenched together, but he didn't hesitate to show this to his interlocutor by smiling.
"Did the representative of the Godfrey Family appoint you in his place or what? Or is it because he didn't want to get out of his defense-purpose vehicle that you took it upon yourself and assumed this role Franz?"
The leader of the Companion of Light forces was acting as the leader of the forces present here on an honorary basis, but apparently, the other factions didn't want to recognize this. The representative of the Companions of Earth was listening to the conversations, maintaining his composure; he was like a rock standing in the same place for centuries, but the red-haired young man next to him had a few words to say.
"Franz, I can understand your effort to clear the name of your master's problematic son, your putting things right in his place, or your trying to elevate your own status within your society, but we all know why we are here, right?
Are the lands of these incompetents being invaded, will the orcs come up to our borders, is the Hell Realm getting stronger, I don't care about these one bit. You know they are not important issues for the Lands of Light in the same way either.
Anytime we want, we possess the power to burn to ashes those who dare to enter our lands. The only reason we are on the wall they call this Death Pass is to determine the leader of the next generation. Which society's representative will head Nakitav twenty years later, who will be the bishops, it will all be determined here.
Therefore, I warn you beforehand, if there is anyone attempting to sabotage me or my society, I will show no mercy to anyone. Everyone better watch their step!"
The Companion of Fire spoke in a way befitting his element; every word of his was an ember piece of fire. Diplomacy or forced politeness was up to here; they all knew why they were here, and they were aware the real war would be fought among themselves.