"Your Majesty, I don't understand," said the general. "It was the Pranaya kingdom that placed undue pressures on Rtadhara, attempting to swallow it several times. The Empire of Dhatri did not even set its eye on its country until we have finished conquering the rest of the world!"
"No, you're wrong," Kush shook his head. "If Vajradandaka wanted, he could've handled Pranaya anytime. He could've easily stopped it from taking over the rest of the dryland nations. You seem not to remember the momentum he had when just ascended to godhood as Martanda. He could've called for followers from all over the world at that time. He could've torn Pranaya down at its root with least effort."
"So why didn't he?" the general was a bit young. He was only here because he was a Deva with extreme divine powers. Back when the Martanda ascended, he was only ten, so he didn't remember much of what happened. He probably didn't even hear what happened because Rtadhara was an extremely remote place.
"Firstly, because I was faster. He wouldn't have been able to save Abhaya in the small time frame immediately after his ascension and before Abhaya fell. Secondly, once Abhaya fell, his first sister's future was already in pieces. If he takes down Pranaya right after, he would be destroying yet another sister of his. The Charioteer of Rta really loved his sisters. And thirdly, taking down Pranaya, the strongest among the four major kingdoms will significantly weaken the drylands. The only way to make it stronger once again will be to unite all the kingdoms, which he was not willing to do. On the other hand, leaving the drylands weak will lead to significantly more losses when I eventually bring my armies here. Vajra's original plan was to bring all six nations together and keep guard at the mountain fortresses of Abhaya. With two of those nations gone, the chance of defeat was too high."
"But Your Majesty, taking Pranaya down and uniting the rest of the drylands would at least give him a small chance to face your invasion…Isn't it better than moving the whole country through the inhospitable desert and risk exposure?"
Kush hid a smile. "Who says he will be satisfied by a small chance? Vajra always pretends, but he is just as invested in this rivalry as I am. Just look at that land bridge connecting both lands. It is a perfect place to build a defensive line when your enemy is more numerous than yourself. Cactus clearly has no intentions to throw in the towel. He planned this a long time ago. His brought his whole country away from its ancestral territory just so he can score a perfect victory against me!"
Unknowingly an aura of solemnity shrouded the entire army standing on the high elevation. A sudden silence enveloped it as though a natural phenomenon. The emperor's words were not the reason for this collective change in mood. It was as though all men under the sky have come under an unexpected and grave influence.
In the silence, a low, gentle laughter was heard. On the land bridge beyond the foot of the mountain where ocean dances with the shore, a lone figure appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.
There was no way sound could've travelled all the way down there, but the figure still opened his pearly mouth to say:
"He he he…Little Grass, age has done wonders to your brain. Some seeds appeared to have sprouted in all that mud. You've become smart."
Grass instantly straightened up and looked sharply at the man below. They haven't seen each other in more than sixteen years, but he still recognised him instantly. Ever since he helped conquer Abhaya, Grass didn't exchange letters with Cactus anymore, but he missed him every day. He nearly lost himself in nostalgia looking at that figure below. Though he looked much bigger than himself back then they were fourteen, Cactus was still a child back then. Now he was a man. He looked steady and peaceful, with a mild smile on his face. His hair was short, arranged in lustrous curls at the nape of his neck. No matter how beautiful though, Grass knew it was a symbol of humiliation that he carried ever since Yuga-dheera nearly defeated him in a duel and kidnapped the fourth princess. Just like he carried that diagonal scar on his back from when he failed in saving his elder brother. For his eldest sister, he risked being condemned by his ancestors and migrated out of his prosperous homeland. He never considered taking the easy way and betraying Abhaya. For the people he cared about, Vajra would give everything without even the talk of expecting something in return. Kush knew this best, because he was the one that received most.
Even when they betray him, Vajra wouldn't take revenge on them. Except for disacknowledging Varunapriya, Rtadhara never took any actions against her. Except for not writing any more letters, Vajra didn't even express his disapproval of Kush lending his forces to Yuga-dheera. Even the assassin Sheesha who was Vajra's childhood guardian was ultimately not condemned or executed for helping the fourth princess with her dishonorable act. Sheesha was merely sent away on a difficult mission into the desert of finding more routes towards the sea.
Kush felt overwhelmed, but at the same time when he processed those words just spoken, he adopted a violent aura. "You came alone?!" he growled dangerously, taking a step to the front.
His entire army readied itself when it saw the emperor move that tiny little step.
"Whoa there, Little Grass," the king in front comically put his hands in front and took a step back, "I am a god. Don't be reckless."
Had Kush been a little calmer he would totally laugh at this scenario. You are clearly leading me on!
But he was not calm. Even if he saw that Vajra was probably luring him into a trap, his brain didn't react to it. His temples throbbed and his entire face flushed. With a loud rumble, his lungs exploded.
"CHARGE!!!" he raised his sword and roared.
Mounted soldiers rushed down the steep cliffs rising deep cries of battle. A hundred thousand strong army simultaneously moved, causing rocks to explode and small scale land slides to occur on the steep mountain sides. Yet, even more organized lines of soldiers marched over the ones that had been buried. It appeared the might of the entire world is rolling down from the top of those hills.
Amidst the great furor, two people were seen to be silent. But only one of them was calm. He was standing alone on the land bridge, his hands leisurely folded behind his back. He didn't even reach for his weapon. A small smile adorned his face. He was a god watching the play of the mortals, undisturbed by the ripples they cause. The other was standing on top of a cliff. He was silent as well, but his heart was pounding. He expected something terrible to happen. He was bracing himself for it.
A small head popped up from behind and scooched under his mighty arm. "Dad, is that Uncle Cactus you keep talking about?" the child seemed unperturbed by the bloodthirsty screams of the waves of soldiers around him. "Is he as powerful as grandfather? Is that why you sent all five battalions? I heard that in the battle of Manas, grandfather alone faced three armies."
"Hmm…" Kush was distracted. "He's probably not that powerful. But you never know."
He did say I would need the rest of the world to face him if he became god.
Suddenly the man at the center of the land bridge raised both hands. It was the moment before the boiling armies were to reach the mountain foot.
Every single man on that battlefield experienced a great shock to his system, as though his heart levitated out of his very body. When the king of Rtadhara raised his hands, the land bridge silently broke. It didn't cause any shockwaves, even the ocean around them remained calm. Slowly, but surely however, the landmass that the bridge was connected to separated from the mainland.