"Gawked enough? Then act! Deploy advanced magic redirection techniques!"
The first one who recovered among the sect members was one of those who had been assigned as a squad leader.
He was a Champion from the Fortress, and ordinarily, there would have been nothing strange with him being the first to speak out exactly what he was supposed to say to salvage the situation.
However, Daneel had been watching carefully, so he knew something that probably no one else did: the Champion had only acted after receiving a message from a Hero, who had been trying to act discreetly.
Looking over at the camp which had been created to oppose him, he saw that the confidence from before had almost all been crushed by everything that had happened on the battlefield so far.
This was to be expected…but what he cared about was which emotion that confidence would turn into.
Ordinarily, in the case of arrogant individuals like these, it would typically turn into anger that would bring out the full extent of arrogance that one held within themselves, which had been accumulated by years and years spent lording over everyone.
This was the kind of anger that could cause strife of the sort that Daneel definitely did not want, so without hesitation, he disappeared from where he stood, and appeared right in the middle of the gang of enemies he had made.
He had chosen a spot right beside the one who had sent the message which would soon change the situation of the battle, and after arriving, he patted the Hero's shoulder casually and said, "Good job! That was a fluke, but I'm sure our sects will turn it around…"
"Yes! Definitely! There's no way that those common scum can…YOU!!!"
The individual in question was clearly someone who had chosen one of the more common Paths to become a Hero. Belonging to the Elementary Family, his seemed to be one centered around water.
In the primary realms, this might be one that would be ridiculed by those who would find almost all other Paths flashier, but only those with experience would know that it was definitely a smart decision made by someone wise who had judged the potential of the person in question perfectly, and had selected the Path in which there was the most probability of reaching the Hero level naturally.
In other words, this was a sheltered seed who had mastered a simple-sounding Path perfectly, thereby transforming it into something terrifying, which was all the more amplified by the fact that he had reached the level of an Exalted Hero.
And hence…it was no wonder that he had been caught up in the moment and had not identified that he was speaking to the one whom everyone was hating with all of their guts right now.
With a hearty chuckle, Daneel disappeared once again and reappeared, this time, in front of the entire band, who all looked up at him with livid expressions on their faces.
He had chosen a place above them specifically so that they would have to look up, but recognizing that instantly, all of the Heroes almost moved in sync to come to eye-level with him.
This, in itself, showcased the pretty significant fact that they all saw themselves as superior to him, and of course, this was something that Daneel really, really looked forward to breaking with his own two hands as soon as possible.
For now, though…he would have to make do with breaking something else.
Sputtering with indignation due to having been made to look like a fool, it was this Hero who spoke first.
"There's nothing wrong with what I did! In fact…you're clearly helping the people! You spoke to them all! If so, we should be able to help, too! Heroes, let's go fight!"
Looking as if he had spotted something which no one else had noticed, he looked around expecting to find glances filled with praise and excitement, but alas, all he found was ridicule, and of course, more anger.
It was his father, who had been the one who had chosen his Path, who sent him a silent message.
"I always told you to think before you talk, especially in serious situations! We were all paying attention- he only spoke, the magic was cast by a team of hidden mages! And besides…you just put him on the same level as us by speaking like that! Shut up and move to the back!"
His confidence completely shattered, the Hero blushed fiercely, but controlled his face right away.
Seeing him teleport to the back, Daneel remarked to himself that the first victim had already shown himself and had even struck the blow on himself, so smiling wide, he said, "Look at you lot. Half of you are old monsters who've gotten too used to ordering Angaria, itself, around. The other half have been groomed carefully by you, with their entire life dictated by an iron hand. You dictate what they train, you dictate what they learn, you dictate when they take a sh*t. So…in the end, you created a useless bunch of automatons who have almost no free will. This has been happening for centuries, though, so typically, these dumbos would have taken your place when it was time for you to stop clinging onto your conceited lives. But in this generation, a new player entered the game: the Church! Now, you're stuck at an impasse: the Heroes you trained are not ready to take charge, and you lot are all too concerned about yourselves to even think about leading the charge. Meanwhile, the system that is present keeps depriving people of Energy, and deciding their fate with no say given to them. The sects are all haughty, the sect members are all obsessed with getting to you. Overall, this is a proper, steaming pile, isn't it?"
Hearing the condition of Angaria stated so…acutely, many of the Heroes could only blink as they realized that the King had actually struck at the core of the situation.
Sometimes, truth had the power of affecting people in profound ways which would leave them rooted to where they stood, having no option but to endure the flood of thoughts that would be born due to hearing it.
Such a thing had not begun to happen, yet, but Daneel was prepared to go all the way.
With a sigh, he continued.
"If this is a pile, then I guess I am the weed growing out of it, but I'll be damned if I'll let anyone destroy my home. Listen up, and listen well. This is how things will go. You're all angry about my actions which are changing the framework of the continent. But understand this: only united, do we stand a chance against the Church. And if the divide between the Central Continent and the Sects continues to exist, how can even a semblance of unity even form? Respect is what is required. And today…it will be earned. Watch."
As he was speaking, the sect members had barely managed to redirect their attack so that it would target the people on the other side of those who had been transported away.
Right as he said the last word, the attack had pierced through the barrier of the million-strong squad on the right, but again…they all moved.
"ARGH!"
Visible frustration appeared on the faces of thousands of sect members, and it was even mirrored on some of the Heroes.
"Your original plan was to use the people as scapegoats. Imagine them, as they are now, going up against the Church. Just imagine it."
Strolling forward, Daneel said this.
Each of the Heroes was watching the battlefield clearly, and as Daneel's words entered their ears, it was as if they had a mesmerizing quality to them.
"Berserker King. You came from the Fortress. You were rearing to go against the Church, confident that you would crush Hero after Hero under your feet. Now, see how the force you were going to depend on is helpless in front of those they thought to be worthless."
"Griffin Princess. You were sure the Goddesses would rend the forces of the Church in two. Watch as they blunder and bluster aimlessly."
"Skeleton Emperor…"
Appearing beside Hero after Hero, Daneel rooted out their deep beliefs and crushed them, one by one.
Many of these individuals had arrived to go against him because of their confidence in the sects, too. After all, not all Heroes were from the Order, and even if they were, those from the Order would often bond with some sect or the other when they went for periods of training to those places.
Each Hero's face would burn with shame and look like it had been slapped as they saw the sect members fruitlessly try to stop the meteor that was well on its way to completely forming. If they moved individually, they stood no chance against the barriers, but combined together, attacks that focused on speed would not be strong enough.
What they were unaware of…was that Daneel had identified this weakness, and in fact, it only existed because the Heroes were supposed to be the force that would bridge it and create a unified force.
With them out of the picture, this was the sorry fate of the sect members who all began to get more and more desperate with each second, and just as it seemed that the meteor would strike and end it all…Daneel appeared in front of it.
He had already spoken to most of the Heroes. He had broken all of their beliefs, and now, it was time for the final stroke.
Addressing the sect members, but also the Heroes, he opened his mouth for one more time.
"Members of the Big Four. This war was to show you one thing, and one thing alone. It was not to demean you using your defeat. It was not to crush you into submission, either. It was only to let you know this: the Central Continent…exists. And it is a vital part of the continent which will play a key role in the war. If you wish to survive and have a place to call home, uniting and working together after putting aside all notions of superiority is the only way forward."
Daneel's words were like the last of the heat which would make a kettle boil over.
Right away, protesting noises began to be heard from both the Sect members, and the Heroes.
"SCREW YOU! We have one final method, but we didn't want to end up killing our scapegoats! Everyone, let us detonate the attack! It'll wipe them all out and show them who's boss! We will be injured, but it's on him!"
"Let's do it! He's goading us! He could have said this in many ways, but he did it by stamping us under his feet!"
"We didn't even hurt one man until now, but with this, we can get them all! That'll show everyone!"
As the sect members all prepared to take this step, the Heroes' response was on a different vein.
"We know they're right. Your tricks have all been exposed! This was all a sham from the start! There's a formation which will teleport away anyone who is at risk of dying!"
"All along, it was just a mock battle! Things went well for you, but even if they didn't, I bet you would have pulled something out of your ass to make them win! You just want to put down the sects!"
"You will only end up fracturing the continent even more! King, you've gotten too ambitious! THIS WAS ALL USELESS!"
"EXACTLY! You're wasting everyone's time! If you could have come to us with this normally, we might have changed the plan, too!"
Hearing all of these statements, Daneel couldn't help but let out a sigh.
He knew that it had been a long shot to aim to change something that had existed for generations with one plan.
It had looked like it was working, but this was how it had ended up.
However…he had one final arrow up his sleeve, and he hoped that it would be as effective as he imagined.
Raising his hands to quell the crowd, he announced, "So you have chosen…death. Well…remember why this is happening."
With another flick of his fingers, the meteor, that had now completely formed, started to move slowly, and all over the area, millions of people began to fall to the ground, exhausted.
It had taken their all to make this happen, and with pride, they watched as their handiwork moved to strike those who had trodden on them for all these years.
They were oblivious to everything that had been happening until now. All they knew was that it was time for a change, and for them, the meteor would bring it about.
Meanwhile, the sect members gritted their teeth, and acted to make their attack return to them.
They were truly desperate now. No one had thought that it would come to this stage, but now that it had, it looked like they would rather let it go in this way, than be defeated and forever live under the shadow of this defeat.
This would result in almost everyone suffering from all kinds of injuries, but in the eyes of most of the sect members who were being controlled by their emotions, it was worth it.
The meteor began to pick up speed, and at the same time, the globe of light looked like it would implode at any moment.
Destructive energies began to be felt all over the battlefield which looked like it would soon erupt into chaos, and even the Heroes braced themselves for the aftershocks, which they would act to block from destroying vast swathes of land.
Inch by inch, the attacks moved closer together, and the sovereigns who were unaware of the King's plan even held their breath, convinced that this was taking a route that had not been planned for.
Finally, after a few seconds which felt as if they stretched on forever, the meteor and the globe of light met.
BOOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!!
With a sound that would reverberate over the Endless Sea for days, the Energies collided, but somehow…there was no destruction.
All that came from it was a bright flash of light which served to make all of the people, the Heroes and the Sect members close their eyes reflexively, and at that moment…a voice spoke out.
"Angarians. I was not going to take this step before…but you leave me no choice. Years ago, when I took the throne, I was shown something which changed my life. Every action of mine from then on was made to ensure that what I saw would not come to be, Now…I grant you the same, in the hope that the same change occurs in all of you. At the end of the day, sect member or Central Continent commander, Human or Hero, King or commoner- this is what we are fighting against. Watch."
Along with his last word, the vision that was shown to him by his Master began playing, and just like him all those years ago…Angaria was thrust into an abyss of terror.