"A creature capable of destroying islands?"

"How could something like that even exist?"

"Then the elves are going to be destroyed!"

Odir continued speaking, completely unaffected by the growing panic below.

"If nothing is done, the elves will be eradicated, and the destruction will not end with them. The consequences of such a creature reaching civilization will spread far beyond their settlement, which is why I have appeared before you now."

Siar immediately raised his voice.

"Then what do you want us to do, Great Odir?"

"I want both of you to stop fighting each other, gather your forces, and march toward the elves. You will fight together against the creature and prevent the destruction of an entire race."

Cull slowly raised his head. "But what does that have to do with us?"

The moment Cull finished speaking, the heavens trembled.

"FOOL!"

The single word shook the entire battlefield.

The ground violently trembled beneath the soldiers, forcing several of them to place their hands against the earth to keep themselves from falling. Cull’s expression immediately changed as he lowered his head, finally realizing that he had questioned a being far beyond his understanding.

"I am no longer merely Odir, the founder of the Riversian. I am a deity who has ascended beyond the boundaries of your understanding, and I have become the god of bravery for the entire races."

His voice became stern. "I do not possess bias toward the Riversian, nor do I possess bias toward the Forestian. Your differences mean nothing to me when compared to the survival of every race upon this world, so do not allow selfishness and old hatred to blind you."

The divine figure looked down upon the armies.

"This is not merely a battle for the elves. If one race is destroyed today, another may be destroyed tomorrow, and eventually the threat will reach all of you."

Odir’s voice echoed across the battlefield with immense authority.

"You have spent generations fighting over territory, resources, and pride, yet you now face an enemy capable of destroying entire islands. Compared to such a threat, the blood you have spilled today is nothing but a meaningless waste."

The armies remained silent.

"Of course, I am not going to demand that you throw away your lives without preparation."

Odir slowly raised both arms horizontally at his sides.

The divine light surrounding his body suddenly condensed, and two enormous objects began floating beside him. Their forms gradually became visible through the radiance, revealing two massive axes covered in ancient markings while an overwhelming aura spread across the battlefield.

"This is the Dual Axe of Odir, a pair of powerful artifacts forged from divine power."

The two axes slowly descended.

"The strength of these weapons is tied directly to the emotions of their wielders. Courage, determination, rage, desperation, and even fear can become fuel for their power, but you must understand that such strength comes with a price."

The axes began glowing more intensely.

"These are double-edged blades. The stronger your emotions become, the greater their power will become, but if you allow those emotions to consume your judgment, the weapons may destroy their wielder before they ever defeat their enemy."

Siar stared at the artifact descending toward him.

Cull watched the other axe approach with equal astonishment.

"I will give one axe to the Riversian and one to the Forestian. When both weapons are wielded upon the same battlefield, their powers will resonate with one another, greatly increasing the strength of both wielders."

The soldiers began murmuring among themselves.

"Those are divine weapons."

"Did Odir really create those himself?"

"If their powers truly increase when both are together, then perhaps we actually have a chance against the creature."

"Then we will fight alongside the Forestians?"

The Riversian and Forestian soldiers exchanged uncertain glances, the idea of fighting beside their former enemies still strange to them.

Odir continued before anyone could question him.

"Take these weapons, gather your strongest warriors, and travel toward the elven settlement. Use the power I have granted you to protect them, because this battle will determine whether another race continues to exist within this world."

Siar reached toward the axe. Cull did the same.

Then Odir’s attention shifted toward the Riversian army.

"There is one final matter that I shall reveal"

Siar immediately looked upward.

"Every object within this world possesses the potential to contain traces of power similar to that which once belonged to the Pantheons. During our time, we did not initially understand this phenomenon, but eventually we discovered that weapons could interact with these hidden energies."

The Riversian soldiers stared at one another.

"Objects have power within them?"

"Even ordinary objects?"

Odir continued. "By placing your weapon against certain objects, you may be able to extract the dormant power contained within them and make it your own. The world around you is filled with forces you have yet to understand, and many of the things you consider ordinary may possess far greater potential than you realize."

Siar’s eyes widened as the implications of Odir’s words began sinking into his mind.

Odir’s voice became calmer, yet the divine authority behind every word remained unmistakable.

"Do with this knowledge as you wish, descendants. I will not tell you where to search, nor will I dictate how you should use what you discover, because the purpose of knowledge is not to give you every answer, but to give you the ability to find them yourselves."

The divine light surrounding Odir began slowly fading into the stormy sky.

"Now rise, descendants."

--

Odir’s presence left the entire battlefield in a deafening silence. His revelation that a hidden power existed within him, followed by the warning of an approaching catastrophe capable of threatening them all, had completely shattered the hatred that had driven both armies into battle.

A human soldier turned toward the lizardman beside him, his expression filled with disbelief.

"Brother lizardman, may I know who just descended?"

"The great Odir. He was the one who protected the lizardman races for several centuries and developed countless technologies that even the other races continue to respect to this day. His name may have been lost to time among the other races, but among us lizardmen, his legacy has never been forgotten."

The human slowly nodded, his expression changing from confusion to astonishment as he looked toward the figure standing before them.

Nearby, Cull and Siar remained standing with their weapons still in their hands, neither willing to lower their guard completely despite the revelation that had just brought their war to an abrupt halt.

"A great being has descended for us to stop. I shall forgive what happened here, but I will never forget it."

Cull’s voice carried a bitter weight, but Siar merely looked at him for a moment before turning his back.

"Everyone, the battle is over. We shall retreat."

As his soldiers began lowering their weapons, Siar paused and spoke quietly enough that only Cull could hear him.

"We shall meet again in three days. I will send the location by letter."

Cull watched him leave before giving his own command. Almost simultaneously, both leaders ordered their armies to return home, tend to the wounded, and carry the dead from the battlefield. The lives of the warriors who had fought bravely for their people would not simply be left behind on the same battlefield where they had fallen.

Three days later, Siar stood overlooking the Riversian settlement, his eyes wandering across the homes and structures that had stood for generations.

"A great monster..." he muttered, his expression darkening. "I cannot imagine this place, with all its history, falling because of my name."

He turned toward one of his assistants. "Prepare the army once again. Only the strongest shall accompany us this time. The rest will remain here and protect the settlement in case something happens while we are gone."

Meanwhile, within the Forestian settlement, Cull stood before his remaining warriors and delivered his own command.

"Everyone, prepare the forces once again. This battle will be far more dangerous than the last, so those who do not possess the capabilities necessary to fight should remain behind."

The warriors listened in silence as Cull continued.

"As much as I hate to say this, we will be fighting alongside the Riversians. We shall swallow our pride for our people and for our future."

Not long after, a griffon descended from the sky carrying a message. Cull took the letter and unfolded it, his eyes moving across the words.

"Our forces shall meet halfway through the entrance of the forest. We shall enter the Elven Forest together."

Cull rolled the letter back up and handed it to his assistant before turning toward his warriors.

"Begin preparing."

Days passed, and both sides assembled their forces once again. The thousands of warriors who had fought only days before had now been reduced to mere hundreds, leaving behind only the strongest and most experienced warriors from various fields of combat.

They traveled for two days before the soldiers at the front finally spotted another army appearing along the horizon. The expected arrival of the creature was now only a day away, leaving them almost no time to waste.

Neither army raised its weapons.

Instead, the two forces gradually converged, their formations merging into one massive army gathered for a single purpose: stopping the creature that threatened them all.

Yet as Cull and Siar looked toward the horizon, another group slowly appeared behind them.

A group of humans.

Their unexpected arrival caused several warriors to turn around, their expressions immediately changing as they realized that they were not alone anymore.

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