The ground rumbled intensely as countless magical beasts that resided in the Murky Mountains rushed in the direction of the Southern Federation. Their eyes gleamed with madness as only one directive echoed inside their minds.
Devour humans, elves, dwarves, and gnomes at all costs!
Such a large-scale mind manipulation magic from the School of Enchantment was only made possible because of the ivory skull that was a Rank 1 artifact.
However, the artifact had its downside as well.
Firstly, it was a consumable artifact. It could only be used once, after that it would forever be destroyed. Secondly, only Rank 1 magical beasts could be manipulated through it, for they were the weakest ones and had the least resistance to enchantment magic.
However, that would more than suffice.
After all, in the entirety of the Murky Mountains, the vast majority of the magical beasts present were Rank 1. They would be more than enough to deal a great blow to the forces of the Southern Federation.
At the orc settlement, everyone present was cheering at the top of their lungs, whether it was orcs, trolls, or even the mindless ogres.
Orcs had poor temperaments and were easily susceptible to getting angered. However, if there was one thing that set them apart from trolls and ogres, it was their deep consideration for their kin.
The sole reason why they had even used the skull artifact was so that they could fight the people of the Sothern Federation and claim land and resources for their species.
Trolls and ogres, on the other hand, were lazy, brutish, and highly avaricious creatures. Their corrupt nature would often lead them to distrust one another.
They generally preferred violent solutions to things and loved bloodshed. That was the main reason why they had allied with the orcs in the first place.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Amidst the people that had gathered, a lanky orc was standing with his arms crossed and deeply gazing at the center of the runic formation where the ivory skull lay, or whatever was left of it anyway.
His eyes flashed with complicated emotions and his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, causing blood to seep out.
We tried so hard to get that thing out of the secret plane, but now… it has turned to nothing but mere dust…
Kurdan… is this what you sacrificed your life for?
He glanced at his brethren around him who were jumping around in joy and excitement. Seeing that, he couldn't help but grit his teeth in irritation. To him, it felt like everyone was getting to enjoy this moment only because of Kurdan and his comrades' sacrifice.
Suddenly, a firm hand clasped his shoulder. Gorgo turned his head, only to see an elder of his tribe looking at him with concern.
"What's bothering you?" Asked the middle-aged orc.
"Nothing, it's just…" Gorgo paused for a moment before speaking. "My friends and I had to go through so much just to get that thing," he said while pointing at the heap of ivory dust.
"But now, it's all gone." Gorgo's shoulders slouched ever so slightly. "It feels like my friends' sacrifice was meaningless—"
"It was not!" The elder interrupted him sternly. "Kurdan and the rest sacrificed their lives so that you could get that artifact back to us. Now that we have put this artifact to use, how can you say that your friends' deaths were in vain?"
Gorgo lowered his head and remained silent, his eyes turning slightly red and moist.
"The die has already been cast, Gorgo," the elder continued, his eyes flashing coldly. "Now, all we have to do is paint the lands belonging to the Southern Federation in blood."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Gorgo's eyes flashed with ruthlessness as he recalled the appearance of the human Magus who had killed his comrades.
He glanced at the elder and nodded with a solemn expression. "You're right!"
Seeing that look in Gorgo's eyes, the elder grinned. "Yes, that's the spirit, my boy. Now, go gather your team."
"Yes, elder." Gorgo nodded and turned around, disappearing amidst the crowd.
…
In the depths of the Murky Mountains, the aged orc wearing tattered robes, the one who had just presided over the ritual, leisurely walked toward a forest clearing.
The responsibility of activating the artifact and having its effects magnified over a large scale was his. He had carried out his duty perfectly.
Not only did he have to make sure that the magical beasts attacked only the four major races, but he also had to ensure that the beasts did not harm his brethren as well as the trolls and ogres that they had allied with.
It was difficult for a Rank 1 artifact's area of effect to be so massive, however, thanks to this orc's strength as well as the ritual it was made possible.
As he approached the forest clearing, he saw two tall figures already waiting for him there.
One of them was the orc chief, a muscular orc with scars all over his body. He was wearing garments made from beast skin and his upper body was bare, displaying his chiseled physique.
The other was a hooded figure wearing a black cloak, the aura surrounding him was dark and sinister. His appearance wasn't visible, but from the exposed skin one could tell he too was an orc.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Seeing the aged orc making his way to them, the orc chief grinned widely, displaying his sharp lower tusks. "You have truly outdone yourself. I didn't think the artifact's area of effect would be so great."
The aged orc chuckled in an eerie manner, "Yes, although the area covered was only a fourth of the Murky Mountains, it should be more than enough. At the very least, tens of thousands of magic beasts have fallen prey to the artifact's power."
"It's a pity it couldn't control Rank 2 beasts," said the cloaked orc in a raspy voice. "Otherwise, our chances of victory would have significantly increased."
"Hahaha," the orc chief laughed out loud. "It doesn't matter. This is also good for us."
He looked in the direction of the Nightingale Kingdom and muttered solemnly, "I wonder if things will be any different now...
"I can only hope."
"It will be different," The aged orc replied. "This time, not only do we have countless suicidal magical beasts fighting for us, but we also have those foolish trolls and ogres. Those idiots will serve as the perfect meat shield."
The cloaked orc nodded in acknowledgment.
As the group of Rank 3 Magi simultaneously cast their gazes toward the land belonging to the Southern Federation, they couldn't help but be filled with hope.
Time and time again they had clashed with the forces of the Southern Federation in hopes of securing more land and resources for their species. But they had failed every time.
The orc chief's lips curled up into a wide grin. He clenched his fist and spoke with fiery passion,
"The war has begun!"
