First, during the silence lasting for a few seconds, he watched the mercenaries on the walls of the Golden City, the public, the commanders, the generals, and the representatives of the Four Great Merchant Guilds with his arrogant gazes. He couldn't be satisfied; until he looked one by one at the faces where every shade of fear was embroidered like a motif, he made the whole area accept his presence.
Next, it was the turn of the roars rushing upwards from the swollen bellies of the orcs. The sounds made by a few tens of thousands of people going to war or the shouts crowds of people made to satisfy themselves were out of the question.
What was heard were the roars of the orcs, each possessing giant statures, clad in heavy armors from head to toe, resembling an ant colony wanting to rip the earth's crust from its place and take it to their nests. The sound wave rose from behind the giant army consisting of hundreds of thousands of orcs, grew like a wave, hit the walls belonging to the Golden City, and rose to the sky.
Everyone except the generals, who could barely hold on, had to protect themselves by either crouching to the ground or bringing their hands to their ears. The orc army could have eliminated the enemy just with the sound they made, if of course, it weren't for the walls sublime enough to compete in height with the Death Pass.
"Set up the tents, we are here until the Golden City falls!"
Alyon joined the enthusiasm of his kin. With his order, the army began to change formation; like a flawlessly operating mechanism, everyone knew where to go. Even though the three armies came from entirely different paths, the moment they united, they turned into a monolithic monster.
"Do you want to direct the siege, or did you start giving orders because you got excited?"
Upon her friend taking priority, Nafız began to speak in a half-harsh, half-mocking tone. The giant orc a step or two beside her was used to this attitude of hers, but this time he wasn't stepping back.
"Let's gather our traditional war council first. We will decide who will take this duty there!"
The siege, whose foundations were laid three years ago in a pass no one knew, was finally about to reach its goal. A giant tent was set up right in the middle of the camp; the orcs, who had displayed a modest attitude and kept a low profile up to that moment, were finally revealing their magnificence.
Blood-red ribbons extended down to the ground over the green tent, which was large enough to be thought to be made by skinning thousands of orcs. When the feast, whose height came up to knee level but its length spanned the tent from end to end, was set up, only pigeon's milk was missing from the table.
The people who had led the invasion plan up to that moment and the high-ranking figures coming from over the Orc Steppes were all in their places. Only the side of Bookworm sitting on Nafız's right was empty; that place was reserved for someone special.
While the green-skinned warriors, unable to suppress their physical hunger any longer, swallowed the food in front of them and in the areas their arms could reach, the druids continued to consume the vegetables no one approached.
There were many humans at the table too; the Orc Empire was enriching its ranks without regard to race, but when they saw the person who took his place when it got completely dark, even they were surprised.
"Miloş, is that you?"
Alyon recognized the person captured in Nikonya, to whom he gave the good news that they would return his freedom within five years, at first sight, but even those who had known him since the old days experienced a little hesitation in this regard. Fortunately, Miloş was purified of emotions in his new identity; responding to Alyon with a nod, he took his place next to Nafız.
"Miloş, along with his army that played a key role in the fall of the Death Pass, is tasked with protecting there. I specifically wanted him to be among us tonight; even if he won't take part in the Golden City siege, his presence is very valuable to us!"
The members of the Elemental Ten and those who were in the Southern Region invasion met these words with astonishment and jealousy. Even though they had been together for three years, none of them had heard such high praise; even Alis and Joshua, once Power Animals, were in this group.
After the long table was swiftly cleaned, it was removed in the blink of an eye, and the seats everyone would sit on were prepared. The place opposite the door was reserved for Alyon and Nafız; then, the people lined up on the right and left sections according to their authorities.
In place of the map that should have been spread on the floor under normal conditions, there was a carpet that was the product of orc handiwork. Those other than the Dynasty Family couldn't take their eyes off this carpet; it was obvious the reason for this wasn't out of admiration but out of fear.
"Raise your heads! This is the Orc War Council; if anyone trusts their idea, step forward!"
Alyon sensed the situation and put forth his justice. He hadn't liberated his people so they would be scared and cower, especially with the power he newly acquired, he couldn't tolerate such behaviors.
"We can't attack head-on! We don't know what kind of weapons the Machine Empire brought here!"
Master Leonardo was silent, but his apprentice Michelangelo didn't hesitate to take priority. The battle he experienced a short while ago had shown him some things, and Alyon, carrying what he saw on his body, was of the same opinion as him.
"If they brought the weapons used by the army we encountered in the Northern Region or similar ones, you are right in what you say. They have a massive power of mass destruction; an all-out attack would be no different from suicide!"
"Is the great orc chief Alyon scared, or does it just seem so to me?"
Nafız didn't miss the opportunity; upon the cautious words of her friend, she let out a laugh pushing the limits of shrillness.
"You saw with your own eyes what happened too. Are you sure you can protect the others using your Blood Dome skill?"
Knowing that the pieces of fire falling to the ground as embers eroded and passed through any kind of magical barrier, Nafız frowned. Maybe she could protect herself and many people in her immediate vicinity, but what was in question was an army consisting of hundreds of thousands of people.
"In the latest reports of our spies, it's stated that our prisoner's father is also in the Golden City. We guess he brought a considerable combat force with him too!"
When an orc warrior inside a brown leather armor broke the silence lasting for half a minute, gazes turned upon him. Even though many people couldn't make sense of the simplicity of what he wore on this day when the most magnificent clothes or armors were chosen, the Dynasty Family knew the reason for this very well.
"General Kuyag, I want to know more details!"
The person Sangre addressed with the title of General was the orc warrior who managed to get out alive by entering the first reward cave together with Nafız. This person, proving himself first in Parthenia and then in the Two Year Wars, was now a general of the Orc Empire Armies.
"Leaving his position within the Companions of Light Society, he came here. His loyal followers and all his students are following him too. We are talking about a mage force of a hundred people, and they are all top-level in Light magic."
"Well then, what is the situation of the other societies?"
Kuyag had just finished his words when Bookworm forced him to start speaking again.
"We were expecting them to retaliate for their losses, but they didn't act as we thought. They prefer to stay on their continent and protect themselves!"
The heroes of the battle taking place in front of the Death Pass could understand the reason for this choice. The power of the remnants the students of the Five Societies used couldn't fully manifest in these lands; while in such a handicap, no mage might have dared to step forward.
"Neither the support forces coming over the Lands of Light nor the mysterious weapons sent by the Machine Empire pose the most important threat right now."
Nafız knew the power of the Mercenaries retreating to defense inside the Golden City and those who came to help them. If she made such an introduction, she absolutely must have important information; this was the reason all eyes turned upon her.
"I am sure there are two apostles of the Master, heavily wounded by Draco, the founder of the Holy Blood Cult, in the Golden City. I have a clear understanding of the powers of one of them, but I don't even know what the other looks like.
Avoid shadows, and if you encounter someone you can't kill in the first move, try not to die until I get there!"