The reborn Ursine Captain led the way, a handful of his most loyal—and utterly terrified—warriors following behind us. The walk to the Shungmo territory was tense. My new subjects were a ball of nervous energy, torn between their ingrained fear of their ancient enemies and their new, fanatical devotion to me.
We found their village nestled in a bamboo forest. It was sturdier than the Ursine's, with a higher wooden palisade.
A group of them were already waiting outside their gate. They were definitely bear-folk, but different. Stockier, built lower to the ground for power. Their fur was a shock—mostly a clean, snowy white, broken up by patches of jet-black around their eyes, on their ears, and across their shoulders. They looked like living shadows and snow. Their eyes, dark and stubborn, were fixed on us with pure contempt.
The one at the front, their chief, was a barrel of a man with a black patch over one eye. He sneered, his gaze locking onto the Ursine Captain.
"Well, well," the Shungmo Chief's voice was a gravelly rumble of disdain. "The Ursine mutts crawl out of their den. Come to lose another fight? And what's this? You found a lost human to polish your fur for you? Have you fallen so low?"
The Ursine Captain took a step forward, a low, dangerous growl erupting from his chest. "You will watch your tongue, you patch-eyed fool!" he snarled, his claws unsheathing. "You are in the presence of—!"
A younger Shungmo warrior from atop the wall laughed, cutting him off. "In the presence of what? A pet? A snack? You come to our lands with a soft-skin and expect us to tremble? You and your human can turn around and get lost!"
The Ursine Captain's fury was a physical thing. His muscles coiled. "You insolent—! I will tear your tongue from your skull for that disrespect!"
This was getting tedious. My own subjects were about to start the very war I came to end over a simple misunderstanding.
"Enough."
My voice was quiet. It wasn't a shout. It was a command that hit the air like a physical force. The Ursine Captain froze mid-step. All his rage vanished, replaced by instant, perfect obedience. He bowed his head. "Forgive me, my Lord," he muttered, and took a respectful step back.
The Shungmo fell silent for a moment, confused by the sudden show of deference from their furious rival. The Chief's one good eye narrowed, looking at me with a flicker of new suspicion, but his pride quickly smothered it.
"I am Hades Azrathor," I stated, my voice cutting through the tension. "The conflict between your people ends today. Swear loyalty to me, and your tribe will know strength and prosperity you cannot imagine."
The Shungmo Chief stared for a second, then let out a harsh, barking laugh. His warriors joined in, the sound full of mockery.
"You? A human? Give us orders?" he spat, his arrogance returning in full force. "Our pride is our strength, outsider! We do not bow to strangers! We do not bow to anyone! Now take your foolish offer and your beaten dogs and leave our lands!"
I looked at them. At their smug, prideful faces. They weren't just rejecting an offer. They were refusing to even listen. They were so buried in their own narrow world they couldn't see the earthquake standing right in front of them.
"Pride," I said, the word flat and cold. "You think it makes you strong. It only makes you blind."
I took a single step forward. But my foot didn't hit the dirt. It landed on empty air as if there was an invisible step. Then another. I walked up into the sky, rising higher until I was looking down on their entire village. The wind I created whipped my long coat and hair around me.
Gasps came from below. Both from the Shungmo and my own Ursine.
The Shungmo Chief's bluster finally broke. "W-What is this? Some kind of trick?!"
"You called my offer foolish," my voice boomed, echoing across the land without me raising it. It was the voice of the sky itself. "You called my strength into question. Your eyes are too clouded by pride to see reason. So I will simply have to adjust your vision."
I raised my right hand, palm open towards the heavens.
"Light Magic: [Judgement]."
The effect was instant. The clear blue sky above the Shungmo village began to darken. Thick, roiling clouds the color of bruises materialized from nothing, swirling into a vortex directly above them. In less than ten seconds, the bright afternoon was snuffed out, plunged into a deep, oppressive twilight. The Shungmo villagers cried out in terror, pointing at the unnatural night above their homes.
Then, within the dark clouds, points of searing white light began to form. One, then ten, then a hundred, then a thousand. They solidified, becoming countless enormous, gleaming swords of pure, destructive light energy. Each blade was longer than a man was tall, and every single one was aimed directly downward, at the heart of every home, every street, every person in the village.
The air began to hum, a low, terrifying frequency that vibrated in their bones. It was the sound of imminent annihilation.
All defiance was gone. The Shungmo Chief was on his knees, his one good eye wide with a horror he could never have imagined. His people were screaming, crying, prostrating themselves. My Ursine warriors were also on their knees, but theirs was in worship, their faces turned up to me in awe.
I looked down at the broken chief. My voice was calm, absolute, and final.
"This is your last chance. Your pride, or your lives. Choose."
The chief didn't even hesitate. He threw his arms out, pressing his face into the dirt.
"WE SUBMIT! WE SURRENDER! PLEASE, GREAT ONE! SPARE US! OUR LIVES ARE YOURS! EVERYTHING IS YOURS!" he screamed, his voice cracking with pure, undiluted terror.
With a thought, I dismissed the magic.
The thousand swords of light shattered into harmless motes that faded away. The dark clouds scattered in an instant, as if they had never been there. The sun shone down brightly on the terrified, weeping village once more.
I descended slowly, my feet touching the ground softly in front of the prostrate Shungmo Chief.
He didn't look up. He trembled at my feet.
"A wise choice," I said, my voice back to its normal, conversational tone. "Your tribe now belongs to me. Your first order is to cease all hostilities with the Ursine. Permanently."
I looked at the Ursine Captain, who was staring with religious fervor.
"Oi! The conflict is over. See that it stays that way."
He slammed a fist to his chest. "At once, my Lord!"
I looked down at the chief. "Get up. You have work to do."
I had done it. In under a day, I had ended a generations-old war. Not through slow diplomacy, but by becoming a force of nature they couldn't possibly deny.
I now had two tribes under my command. The foundation of my kingdom was laid.