Hours later, the Elvin ships had entered Royal God Clan waters. Although the Royal God Clan was within the center of the main martial world continent, they were essentially surrounded by a ridiculous large natural moat that spanned tens of kilometers – effectively cutting them off from the main land.
Usually, troops from other god clans would use Royal God Clan provided ships to sail to the Royal God Clan gate. However, the elves were special cases. Using teleportation arrays provided by the destroyed celestial deer sect, the elves were able to directly teleport thousands of kilometers into this natural moat.
As such, it only took a few hours of sailing to reach the teleportation arrays stationed in the middle of the ocean.
Akash looked toward Dyon. They sat in a comfortable lounging room that made Dyon remember that he should think of these ships as less than that, and more like wooden yachts. The inside was much too luxurious to be plainly noted as a ship.
"Are you prepared for what's to come, Dyon?"
Dyon had been lazily reclining on a couch, but he looked up to answer. "What do you mean?"
Akash sighed. "There's no hiding your identity once we enter the gates. We'll have to immediately report, and that will require me bringing notable campaign leaders along with me – leaders that will include you.
"You've angered the prince, and normally, that would be enough for trouble, but, from what I hear, you've also had run-ins with the Ragnor and Cavositas God clans… that's not exactly good for your prospects."
Dyon smiled, not seeming to mind. In reality, the worst they could do to him was push him to the back line, but, it was unlikely they'd do that. To them, he was a newbie and he was weak, not to mention they wanted him dead in the cleanest way possible. What would be cleaner than dying on the front lines? But, wasn't that exactly what Dyon wanted? Free reign to charge first and dominate?
"Oh, and why's that?"
"Although campaign heads, like myself, have free reign over attacking, when it comes to defending, the rules are a bit different. If they weren't, it would be impossible for our gate to have lasted so long."
Dyon nodded, this made sense. Most merits were won by conquering, but when it came to defending, the fate of the universe was at stake. Which meant pride should be put aside to work together, rather than competing for the higher ranking.
"Since the competing universe will be attacking us soon, we'll be in a defending position… and the choices for defending are decided with votes.
"Ace's elder brother, Voron Cavositas is the head of their clan. Elof's elder brother Vidar Ragnor is the head of their clan. Luckily, the Royal God Clan's first prince of this generation is not here currently… but, unluckily, this means he's left his duties to Elwing. With three major votes like this, it is unlikely the lesser clans will go against them. You and your army will be put in the most dangerous situations without a doubt."
Akash took a deep breath. "And that's not even to mention the Saeclum clan, an auxiliary branch of the Ragnor clan. We heavily rely on their soul strength to provide scouting reports and various other supportive measures. The mere fact they're under the Ragnor clan would be enough for them to play foul…. But you also killed one of their best geniuses! They won't let you go."
Akash was starting to get annoyed by Dyon's lack of worry. "Do you understand what I'm saying?!"
Dyon smiled, his eyes sharpening as he said words that made even the battle-hardened Akash stir.
"Let them come."
**
Soon, the tens of Elvin ships appeared before the largest doors Dyon had ever seen as they stood on the deck of their ship.
They stretched thousands of meters into the sky, casting a massive shadow onto the ocean's surface. The doors themselves were a dark black with faint gold worn with years of ageing. And, to make it even more odd, it stood in the middle of the water!
Currently, the elves were directly in front of Earth's gate, about to cross two identification pillars that would open up the doors. The Royal God Clan Island was still off in the distance, far away from the gate.
Dyon looked up in anticipation, holding tightly onto Ri's hand. 'I guess we're finally here…'
And just like that, the doors opened. There were no flashing lights. No enormous black hole. No grandiose display. It simply opened them up to a new world, one that seemed not too different from theirs.
Until… you caught the whiff of blood in the air.
The feeling of war hung thickly… But, the atmosphere of a warrior wasn't something many could handle. To some, it crushed them – never allowing their full potential to shine through. But, for Dyon, his eyes flashed as he suddenly grinned for an inexplicable reason.
His blood boiled and his foot itched as he remembered some of the words his father had once said to him.
Dyon had always wondered why his father was so adamant about the military. There was nothing glorious about war. There was death. There was pain. There was suffering. And yet, in all of that, there was a rush. The feeling of domination. The primal feeling you got knowing there was little left to protect you. There was only yourself. Your comrades. And the weapon in your hand.
"Remember Dyon," he said, "I don't want war… I need it.
"Why do I have a loving wife and a treasured son here and still insist on putting my life on the line everyday? Because war isn't just about yourself.
"I fight for you. For your mother. And for anyone else who may have a son and wife of their own.
"There is no glory, there is only victory. There is no defeat, there is only death.
"When the day comes that you have to step onto a battlefield for yourself. When the day comes that you smell the blood of your allies and your enemies and you smile. When the day comes that your blood boils and your eyes redden, pushing you – itching you toward the lands of hell. That's when you'll know you're my son."
