"You really destroyed the Assassins Association?" Mane asked with his eyebrows raised in surprise. He turned to Indra for confirmation but all the god did was to shrug his shoulders. Mane returned his gaze to his father. The battle god was scratching his head in embarrassment. He was a protective father. He had to admit that he had gone overboard. Maybe it was because he hadn't been in his son's life all this while; or because he was pissed that his son almost died; or it was both, but it didn't change the fact that he had killed off an entire organization. But the Brute King was a battle god stained with the blood of several thousands and millions. Included in this number were gods and goddesses and Ray didn't regret a thing. Although he felt that he went overboard by exterminating mortals, if he was given a second chance he would make the same decision.
"Well that saves me the trouble" when Ray was thinking that his son will disdain him for his actions, Mane said words he wasn't expecting to hear.
"Wait what?" Indra asked, thinking that he didn't correctly hear what Mane said.
"Why are you acting surprised? They tried to kill me. There is no way I was going to let that slide. In fact I have been secretly searching for them these past few weeks. Unfortunately I didn't get any credible information. I thought they were good at hiding. Who knew you had already taken care of it for me"
Mane shrugged nonchalantly as he went on to say, "Though it would have been better if I was the one to take of them".
"Hahaha. You really are my son!" Ray laughed boisterously and trapped Mane in a huge bear hug. Indra shook his head wryly at the father-son interaction. They were a bit too similar – Mane and Ray. The difference between the father and son was that the son had inherited the rational brain of his mother and so could make more informed decisions. Other than that, they were both ruthless to their enemies and pampering of their families.
"At least you left the leader for me" Mane forced himself out of his father's embrace and stated.
"Don't underestimate him" Indra warned.
"I'm not" Mane shook his head to indicate that he was going to take this man seriously. He had already been informed by his father that this person who was now referred to as Master by the people of the Eastern Empire was working under the orders of the Dark God Seth. He also knew that the Master wasn't a simple underling of the Dark God – he was a high level servant of the God of Darkness. Such a position was envied by all servants and came with great power and responsibility.
"We want you to handle him whilst we focus our attention on the greater threat" Indra informed Mane of the decision he and Ray had taken just moments ago. They hadn't told Alexis about it but they knew she wouldn't have a problem with it. She wouldn't be comfortable having Mane thrust in a battle of this magnitude, but she also knew that there was no way her son would be able to avoid the war that was coming.
"Where is your friend?" Indra asked. The young prince had disappeared the moment they handed over the assassin. It wasn't just him. The twins had also left the premises in a rush.
"The twins are off to the Northern Empire. Abelard is going to see his father." Mane informed the two gods.
"I see. But isn't it dangerous for the twins to travel alone" Ray wondered. He didn't ask Mane what his team was up to because he already knew. Abelard was going to see his father to inform him about the happenings of the Eastern Empire. Abelard's father was the Emperor. As long as Abelard let him know that the war had already began, his father was going to take things seriously. It was a good thing that Abelard's power was known to his father. That would make it very easy to convince the Emperor. It would take some time to assemble all the nobles and convince them to provide resources, including the most important resource of all – the human resource. But that would be made simpler if they were made to understand that their power was at stake if the Eastern Empire took over. And with the recordings Captain Zakai had, it wouldn't be very difficult to sway them. Plus Selena and Frederick had been sent back to their families to fan the flames and spread the word that the war had already began. The unrest would also help unnerve the nobles and quicken their assertion.
The twins weren't part of the Northern Empire's royal family but they belonged to an influential family. Their father was the Grand Marshall of the Northern Empire and was largely in charge of the Empire's military power. Unfortunately their father didn't know about their true power so it would take some time to convince him that the threat was real. But Mane anticipated this so he sent someone with them. Someone to protect them and to provide that deterrent force. Someone who could easily put the Northern Empire's nobles and powers in their place with unsurpassable and unquestionable power and strength.
"They aren't alone. Mom went with them" Mane smirked as he stated. He sent the Absolute Queen with the two boys. With her there, Mane didn't have to worry about any assassination attempts on the twins on their journey.
"I was wondering why I couldn't sense her presence" Ray mumbled.
"Good. So we need only a few weeks to declare war" Indra nodded his head in praise.
"Not true" Mane shook his head with a frown.
"Why not" Ray wondered.
"The affairs of mortals are different from those of gods. It would take some time to get all the nobles to sign over their command of their forces. Then the empires would have to agree to set their differences aside and work together – all of them: Western, Northern, and Southern Empires. They would have to agree to form an alliance and combat the evil that is threatening to take over their world. They will argue and try to glean benefits from one another while conserving as much power as they can so that they will be able to stand firm and even deal with the others after the threat has been dealt with" Mane slowly explained the way the mortal world worked.
"Do they think that the Dark God is some minor threat? They would be lucky if a fifth of the population remains after the war!" Indra exclaimed.
"It's not that they think the Dark God is a minor threat. It's simply because all of this would be unbelievable to them" Mane elaborated.
"Mane is right. The mortals have no knowledge of us. And we've been trying as much as possible to prevent them from finding out about us" Ray rubbed his temples. He understand exactly what Mane was talking about.
A few years ago he was asked to repay a favor he owed – he was asked to kill a baron called Coal. Ray obliged. It was a simple task for him. But because he had to keep the power of a god under wraps, he completed the mission with a team: He, Alexis, and a friend. They didn't use their true power. They acted like mortals, and completed the mission with the power of mortals. However, there was one person who knew that they weren't as simple as they seemed. Even though Ray only had an avatar on Zandor at the time, the Western Emperor could sense his vast power.
"Mortals always complicate things. Gods wouldn't think so much before taking action" Indra grumbled.
"That's because its action against mortals. We don't regard the lives of mortals highly so we can throw them under the bus as long as it doesn't affect us" Ray rubbished Indra's words. Gods were even worse. Because they lived almost eternal lives, they were more terrified of death than mortals and were willing to trade anything to get something that would benefit them.
"Dad has a point" Mane agreed with his father as he recalled the conversation he had with Indra concerning Shura. The God of Destruction could destroy worlds as long as he compensated the gods those worlds were pledged to with something of importance.
Indra was silenced by their words. He didn't want to agree with them, but he knew they were right. Gods were only proactive when it had to do with mortals. But when it came to their own lives and interests, they weren't so eager to jump on board. The Dark Kingdom was a classic example. All the gods knew it was a dangerous organization. However because this group hadn't infringed on their interests, they couldn't be bothered to do anything about it.
"But we can speed up the process" Mane suddenly stated.
"How?" Indra was intrigued. If they could speed up the process, then they could be better prepared for what was coming.
"You have spent most of your years on Zandor making sure that the people didn't know about the existence of Gods" Mane started.
"So we have to let them see that Gods exist" Ray continued. He was also of the same mindset. They had to put on displays of power. People had to know that they existed. First would come fear, then insecurity, doubt and finally unity against the unknown.
"It wouldn't be so hard. Zandorians are a superstitious people. They already think Hidden Cloak is a god. And they are keen to blame gods for unexplained circumstances. But they've never had the actual figures show themselves. So that's what we must do. Sir Indra, you must go to the Southern Empire. Mom is already at the Northern Empire. Dad will stay here." Mane ordered the battle gods like they were his subordinates.
"It was Mom's idea" Mane added to convince Indra to follow the plan. The battle god's eyes brightened when he heard that the plan was made by the Absolute Queen herself. It was a plan she had come up with before she left.
"Alright. I'm off then" Indra quickly left once his role was given. There was no time to waste.
Mane smiled at his father once Indra was gone and asked, "What's your size father. We need a cloak for you"