[Outskirts of Bitter Maja, 500 km from the South Gate of the Wilwatikta Kingdom]
ƥαṇdαsηθνε|·ƈθm Moku and his elite forces flew low beneath the canopy of the Bog forest. There was no conversation among them, as any communication that needed to be conveyed would be done through their inner eye telepathy.
Every monster here understood that a battle awaited them ahead, one they had to win no matter what. Their children and families were waiting behind them, and if they were to lose, dire consequences would befall their livelihoods.
For the first-generation asuras, memories of their initial battles against mages resurfaced. Back then, they were still orcs, working together with goblins to hold off two mages. The number of casualties on their side was significant, and they lost Laya, Moku and Swa's blood brother.
But this time, they were not as weak as before. For them, Level 1 Constellation Mages were like ants, and Level 2 Constellation Mages were merely larger ants. Unfortunately, the enemies they faced now were not as weak as their previous foes.
Their opponents were the elite forces of the Water Elf Kingdom. Those who joined Nezena's Raid Army were aware that there was a Level 4 Constellation Mage among the enemy ranks. A power far stronger than Deak, who was only a Pseudo Mana God.
This time, the Asuras were challenged to confront the Mana God who once ruled the world.
And let's not forget the enemy's army commander, a Level 5 Constellation Mage. The only option they had was to deliver the enemy commander to Moku, as they had always done in the past. Among some asuras, there was a thought that they had not truly developed because no matter how strong they became, they would always rely on Moku to protect them from the forces of this world.
As they gazed upon their broad and sturdy "Ku" backs, a sense of regret filled the hearts of the monsters. They still couldn't prove their worth and had to once again ask Moku to protect them.
"They're getting close!"
Their reverie was interrupted by Moku's voice. With the wider range of his inner eye, Moku could perceive the enemy mage forces ahead of them before any other asura.
"Should we set up traps?" Mige asked, already devising ambush tactics in his mind.
However, Moku shook his head. "No need. It's time for you to have a little faith in your own powers. Perhaps you haven't realized it yet, but we are much stronger now than when we faced Deak and his disciples. We no longer need to resort to deceitful tactics. I want us to confront them head-on, like true warriors!"
Moku's words dispelled all doubts and anxieties from the hearts of the monsters. With fiery eyes, eagerly awaiting the impending battle, they responded in unison, "YES, KU!"
And not even a minute later, the entire group of monsters could sense the presence of the mages ahead of them. Moku stopped and perched on a large tree branch. Nevare, Nerphyl, Nedira, and Gupita landed on the same tree, positioning themselves beside Moku.
Meanwhile, the other monsters landed on nearby branches, forming a formation resembling spread wings. Moku and his three wives stood at the center of this formation.
Emerging from behind the dense foliage of the trees, twenty humanoid figures appeared and stopped on branches twenty meters away from where Moku was positioned. They all wore blue robes with cloaks covering the upper half of their faces.
However, the blue scales adorning their cheeks revealed their true identity: the elite forces of the Water Elf Kingdom.
One mage, standing at the front and center of the Water Elf Kingdom's elite forces, opened the cloak covering his head, revealing his handsome face and clear blue eyes resembling the ocean.
Although his face appeared feminine, the strength of his sturdy jawline and closed lips displayed masculinity. He looked at the formation of monsters resembling spread wings before him. He was Raiden The Necromancer.
Without the need to investigate further, Raiden already knew that the leader of the peculiar creatures before him was a green-skinned man. He was surrounded by three women whose green skin only enhanced their beauty.
"My name is Raiden. The elven species calls me The Necromancer! With whom am I speaking?" Raiden replied, his eyes fixed straight at Moku.ραпdαs `nᴏνɐ| сom
"My name is Moku, I am a Ku of my species! Raiden The Necromancer, I acknowledge your name as someone on par with me!" Moku responded, his hands clasped together.
"Are you the leader of the green creatures that have been attacking our villages? What is your intention in attacking our villages?" Raiden asked.
"The green creatures?" Moku grinned. "It seems you don't recognize who we are," he said.
If that's the case, even if Raiden had reported to the elven alliance, they wouldn't suspect that the forces attacking their villages were evolved monsters. At least that way, the other mana species wouldn't interfere in this matter and would consider it solely an issue among the elf species.
Raiden furrowed his brow upon hearing the sarcasm in Moku's tone. What was even stranger was that Moku and himself were speaking in their respective languages, yet they could understand each other.
Raiden didn't sense any mana movements in Moku's body, so he hadn't used the translation spell recently. However, it could be that he had been using the translation spell since the beginning before they even met. Just like himself, who immediately used the translation spell upon sensing the presence of the opposing forces blocking his way from a distance.
"Moku The Ku, what do you mean? Was there any previous connection between your species and ours? And you haven't answered my question, what is your intention in attacking our villages?"
After the first mana species war, an unspoken consensus emerged among the three mana species: they were not alone in this world.
They could no longer arrogantly assume that only one mana species existed in the world. Therefore, when encountering another mana species, a battle would not immediately ensue. They all understood that each mana species possessed equal intelligence and the ability to communicate.
Thus, if a problem could be resolved through dialogue, why engage in warfare? Unfortunately, the relationships between the three mana species were currently strained. They had a history of animosity that time had been unable to resolve. If they had initially respected one another, perhaps cooperation would have occurred, leading to the advancement of civilization on the continent of Meer.
However, what's done is done, and the same cannot be repeated. They only hoped that if they were to encounter another mana species in the future, they could establish a mutually beneficial and positive relationship.
Hence, when the demon species arrived on the continent of Meer, the elven alliance did not immediately attack but instead initiated communication. However, all they encountered was a species with the intention to consume them all, and their delegation team ended up as demon food.
However, the presence of the demon species reopened the possibility of other mana species existing out there. So when Raiden reported the battles against the green creatures that were destroying their villages, the leaders of the elven alliance requested that Raiden initiate communication before deciding to wage war.
Currently, they were already struggling with the war against the demon species, making it highly unwise to engage in another war against a different mana species.
Moku answered the question with a flat tone, "We did it because we were hungry. The Bog Forest is our home, and we depend on it for survival. However, the ongoing war in the Bog Forest has terrified the animals, causing us to lose our food source. That's why my troops ventured out of the Bog Forest to search for new food supplies."
Murmurs could be heard among the mages around Raiden, who understood the situation. In the past, the elven species also lived mostly as nomads, relying on hunting and gathering.
During those times, if there was a major war among the elven races, their prey animals would often migrate to safer areas. As a result, many tribes would suffer from hunger, and in order to feed themselves and their children, they had no choice but to attack other tribes and compete for resources.
The Bog Forest was an immense forest, covering nearly 1/9 of the Meer continent, second only to the Lawsii Forest, the home of the warbeast species. However, the Bog Forest was a mana field, so despite its vastness, the inhabitable areas were limited. Otherwise, they would have to contend with powerful mutated animals for territory.
These limited territories also meant limited food supplies. Typically, fertile areas were already claimed by strong mutated animals and turned into their nests. In this context, they became King's Territories.
Thus, in the event of a major war within the Bog Forest, the animals would quickly migrate to safer places. And the safest place for these animals was within the King's Territories. Although they would eventually become prey for the mutated animals that ruled those territories, most high-tier dangerous mutated animals lived solitarily. Therefore, even though their bodies were large, they wouldn't be able to devour all the animals at once.