*Bang*
The words of the Absolute Queen set off an explosion in the minds of Zandorians. They who were weak of body were being told they could kill off a god with their hearts. Was that even possible?
"You need to make a decision now. Will you help the Brute King or you would helplessly look on as the Dark God gets away?"
"You have a chance to decide your own fate. What will you do?"
There were several eyes focused on Alexis's imprint, and many more gazing into the fiery blaze that was Ray. Amongst those many pairs of eyes were those of the Western Emperor. He was garbed in his royal attire and next to him were three royal guards with looks of apprehension on their faces. These guards were those with the highest authority within the palace, and they had the greatest talent amongst them all. Each one of them was an Above Mortal Realmer, and there was one who was even at the 6th Stage of the Above Mortal Realm. This person was a familiar face to the Silver Wolves. For it was Captain Zakai.
"I knew we were to be wary of them. And when Abe got so much stronger in such a short time, I was convinced that they were indeed monstrous individuals." Abe's father sighed in exhaustion and said.
"But who knew that they were gods?" he added before a bitter smile occupied his face.
"There is no way you could have known," Captain Zakai comforted the Emperor. No one knew about gods. In fact Zandor had no idea about other wielding realms until recently. One couldn't fault the emperor for his lack of knowledge. Then again, his son was a Noble. So he not knowing these things may come off as gross incompetence.
"Bring the War Horn," Abe's father didn't dwell on the issue so much. He gave an order that was a bit surprising.
"Are you sure Your Majesty?" one of the three Royal Guards asked. The War Horn was a tool that allowed an army commander to transmit his voice over a large area during a battle. It was used to convey orders and made it much easier to give instructions than to shout them out. Since every empire had its own way sending formation signals to their armies, or much simply put 'formation codes', there was no need to fear that the opposition would understand what was being said.
"Would you rather that we sit here and do nothing?" the Western Emperor asked with a bit of scorn. He knew what they were worried about. Abe's father wanted the War Horn to pledge his allegiance to the Brute King. With his voice resounding through all the empire, the people were sure to follow the lead of their leader. And it may very well be the trigger for the other empires to follow suit.
"Bring the War Horn," Abe's father insisted without even listening to their rebuttals. He could understand their concerns. They may have been worried that they may end up doing much more than driving out the Dark God. After all, how could they fully trust the words of a goddess, one whose compatriot was trying to destroy their world?
"That woman is my son's teacher. And I trust Abelard's judgement." Abe's father smiled slightly when he thought of his son.
His boy wasn't even on this planet. And Abe had revealed much before he left. After all, it was hard to explain why he was quitting school. And it was definitely going to be difficult to keep his journey under the radar given that he was the Emperor's son. He was going to be gone for several months. What was he to tell his father? That he was going on a 7 month long trip to nowhere?
"I will get it for you right away Your Majesty," Captain Zakai was not as insistent on keeping mute like the others. Unlike the other two, he had met Mane before. He knew the young boy was unordinary because he held such great power at a young age, but now that he knew that the boy's parents were actual gods, a lot of things made sense. Also, he quite liked the boy. And he trusted his prince.
Soon a large horn was placed before the Western Emperor. The horn was the size of a large Warhammer, yet it was completely overlaid with gold. This was the Royal War Horn, a property of the Western Royal Family. The Emperor took a deep breath before blowing deeply into the horn.
*VUUUUU*
The loud call of the Western Monarch shook the people of the West. "Is that the War Horn?" Many learned individuals wondered. With their attention temporarily stolen by the call of their Lord, Alexis's imprint became a distant memory. However it wasn't only the West that heard the cry of the Western Lord. With the entire world temporarily halted – with no noise to conceal the sound of the spirited monarch – everyone could hear the voice of the Western Lord. And that included the Lords of the other empires, and those with power just below them.
"Looks like our Emperor was a bit late," Duke Essandor chuckled and said. Sir Blunt laughed as well.
Their Emperor was still wary of Alexis due to how she had bossed him when she made an appearance in his court. It didn't mater that Alexis was a goddess. An Emperor's pride was not to be trampled upon. And it seemed their Lord hadn't forgotten the 'shame' of that day.
"The Western Empire acknowledges the feat of the Brute King, Fire God of Olympus, Great Reus. We have seen for ourselves how you have defended Zandor. We have seen for ourselves how you have protected us. May the others hear and understand, these gods have been with us for years. They live here, in the Western Empire. Neces is their haven and their home. Their home is right next to the Market Square, and many of you may have seen their son- a blond haired blob called Mane. Yet never have they caused any harm or hurt us. In fact, they have been dedicated in raising up the younger generation and have picked a few talented ones to coach. I know this because my own son was one of those chosen."
The words of the Emperor caused many to stare in the sky in disbelief. There were gods living amongst them this entire time? People loved gossip, and such juicy information almost made them forget the situation in which they were in.
"Now that I think about it, that lady looks kind of familiar"
"Yeah, and I think I know the kid the Emperor speaks of"
"Is that not the one who is usually in the company of Prince Abelard and his two foreign friends?"
"More like the Prince is in his company given that the kid is the son of actual gods"
"Yeah. I heard those foreigners are called the Hydra Twins back at the Wielding Academy"
"I did too. And I also heard that the one called Mane is their team captain. Though he has never fought before, his intelligence has provided several trophies for our academy. People thought he was a weakling or a coward. But now, it seems he just disdained to fight personally. After all, how could the son of a god be weak?"
Many of the Neces residents suddenly realised that they had seen Alexis at one point in their life or another. Surely she was all sparkly and golden now, and her armor and valiance made her look foreign. But when they looked closely, they realised that she was indeed someone they had seen before. And they finally understood the feeling of goodwill they had towards Alexis's imprint. There were even some older ladies who smacked their heads in realization. For they had seen such a person in their youth. They had grown older yet she remained the same. But since she was a goddess it made sense. And they couldn't help wondering whether the Brute King was the gentleman they usually saw her with. And most swiftly recognised Mane due to his strange hair color and good looks. Besides, the boy was well mannered and reserved.
"That sneaky brat," Ray's eyelids twitched in annoyance hearing the Eastern Emperor's lengthy speech. The emperor may be middle aged, but to Ray who was a few hundred years old, he was a child.
The words of the speech didn't bother him until the part that informed the people of not just his home, but his son. There was no way they could live in Zandor incognito anymore. After all, although the people had seen Alexis, they had only seen her radiant form. If she walked among them after this, none will relate the beautiful woman to the goddess they had seen. But now everyone knew who they were. And Ray knew that Abe's father had done this because he knew that Ray would never hurt him, given that Abe, his son, was Mane's friend and his wife's student. This way people from the other empires will be wary in hatching any schemes against the West when they survive this ordeal. Abe's father was indeed a deeply scheming man. He was already thinking about what could happen after this. And using a god family to ensure the safety of his family sure was a good thing.