"Lord Kuzon, you can't be serious!"
The deep, loud voice of the Dragon King, Z'ark, echoed within the vast golden palace. The ornaments and jewels that complimented the walls, ceilings and floors made it absolutely breathtaking, but nothing about the unbelievable beauty of the Midas Throneroom mattered at this point.
Z'ark, now donning his miniature form as a small-sized Dragon was currently appealing to the one who sat on the absolute golden throne.
His gaze contained disbelief and his clenched fist showed that he strongly disagreed with the person on the throne. It was due to this frustration that the Dragon King finally spoke up.
"You want to risk the lives of our combined forces just to carry out an immensely risky attack on Jared's domain? That's madness!"
The more Z'ark thought of the decision, the more illogical it appeared.
'We're safe within this barrier. As long as we further strengthen our defences and build our strength, we'll be safe from harm.'
Z'ark realized that this was a selfish move. His rationale condemned the rest of the world to suffer under the mighty hand of a tyrant. However, that appeared to be the most reasonable path for his people.
'Even if we were to attack, we have to build our strength now and bid our time.' Only when Jared's domain became weak and careless could they even think of striking against him.
"From the little information we were able to gather, we know that Jared has tightened security and his guard is even higher than ever. What you're suggesting… there's no worse time to carry it out than now!"
He could only hope that the emperor he was appealing to could see reason in his words. For the sake of the United Magic Beasts and also the Midas Race, war had to be avoided at all costs.
"Are you done?" The young, calm voice of the seated Emperor finally rang out, causing Z'ark to tremble a little.
His gaze was lowered, but he could still see the cocky smile of the child that sat on the throne as the ruler of his people.
"How long do you think we can rely on this barrier to shield us from the filthy reaches of those savages?" The Emperor began. "The mere fact that they have tightened their security means they are hiding something. I can tell that they are making preparations and we must not allow them to finalize it."
"B-but—"
"This is the most logical thing to do."
His golden hair danced as he spoke, and his clear skin depicted the purity of his royal lineage. As he stared at Z'ark with his golden eyes, the latter could sense something much deeper than mere logic.
'He may sound like he's doing the most rational thing, but we both know why he wants to attack!' Now that Z'ark had reached the very end of his rope, he only had one final thing he could appeal to.
"Emperor Kuzon, please reconsider!" He cried. "Please consider your people and—"
>BAM!<
The moment Z'ark uttered those words, Kuzon banged his fist on his armrest, creating a deafening echo that sent an aura of dominance surging through the whole room.
"I am considering them! This is for them! For the Midas who have perished because of that bastard, Jared. For my parents who suffered death at his hands. I will never forget. I will never cease in my consideration!"
In the end, this was what everything boiled down to…
"What would you have me do, Z'ark? Forget the tragedy Jared has wrought? Ignore the evil he brings upon the world? How can you stand here and talk like this when you know how your people were persecuted and hunted down due to that man's madness?! If it hadn't been because of the Midas Race who offered you sanctuary, you and your people would have been long dead."
Z'ark bit his lip lightly, creasing his eyes as he powerlessly listened to Kuzon's words. Most of what he said was true—no, perhaps all of it was.
'We offered our allegiance to the Midas in our time of desperation, making us a vassal state under them. We've been ordered around and we're subject to your rule as a result…' He hung his head powerlessly.
In his eyes, he could hardly see much of a difference between Kuzon and Jared. He and his people had simply picked the lesser of two evils, choosing to be subordinated to the peaceful and isolated Midas Empire than actively engage in the conquest led by Jared.
'But now, even the Midas Empire wants to court war with Jared's United Nations. My people can't bear this. But… what can we do? We are bound to serve the Midas Empire, as long as it doesn't directly mean our extermination.'
Thanks to the loophole that existed in their arrangement, the Midas Empire could always order the Magic Beasts to do anything. All they needed was a justifiable reason that proved to benefit both parties.
'You bloodthirsty, childish Emperor. You'd throw so many lives away just to satisfy your thirst for revenge.' Z'ark felt his blood boil, but what more could he do but hang his head and bow in submission?
"I am the Midas Emperor. I decide what's best for my people. I have chosen the next course of action." He rose from his throne, a charismatic smile etched on his youthful face.
"We will strike Jared and his forces at full strength, and overwhelm them with our power. Once we get to the heart of his domain, I will personally fight with that filthy monster. I will make sure he dies by my hands!"
Kuzon Midas gave a maniacal grin, already drunk on the ecstasy of his imagined outcome.
"The one who will kill Jared Leonard… is me!"
>VWUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSHHHHHH!!!<
Just as he said this, a sudden gust of wind blew into the throne room, and space warped on a particular point.
In a flash of blue light, a group of people suddenly appeared and in front of them was someone who could never be forgotten by the Midas Race.
He had the same kind of golden hair as Kuzon and his golden gaze had the same glow. Other than the difference in their age, they appeared very similar.
"I'm back, Kuzon." The man whispered. "It's good to see you are well."
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[A/N]
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