The Children of Lava Have No Choice

"Great Father God! Your greatness is like the shining star blessing all things, your mercy like the earth bearing countless lives; every land illuminated by the shining star, beneath your majesty, the enemy's blood shall drench the battlefield, just as your lava fills every inch beneath the earth; for Lava and Earth, for the ancient sacred covenant and glory, today, your children march to war once more!"

"Ah! Great Father God, we beseech you to continue watching over your brave children."

Beneath the statue, a blazing fire roared to life. Led by the Dinosaur Elder, hundreds of priests chanted their prayers in fervent unison.

After the hundreds of priests finished their prayers, tens of thousands of dinosaur warriors below joined in a collective roar.

That sound overwhelmed everything, surging like ocean waves.

Even in Black Stone City, dozens of miles away, every resident of every race could hear it.

With the prayers concluded, the next step was to offer Blood Food.

Several Supernatural Creatures, over tens of meters tall, were bound and carried onto the high platform.

These Supernatural Creatures had their mouths gagged; though they struggled, they could not move an inch.

Gazing at these massive beings, the hundreds of priests showed no emotional fluctuation.

Finally, they formed a circle around them.

They extended their hands, and flames of light blazed forth from the dinosaur priests' palms.

The next moment, the flames left the priests' hands and flew directly toward the bound Giant Beasts.

The flames did not explode upon contact with the Giant Beasts but instead poured down like water.

Instantly, roaring fire engulfed the Giant Beasts—a flame that could never be extinguished.

To prevent the searing heat from burning the bindings and allowing the Giant Beasts to break free and cause chaos, the warriors behind the priests stepped forward to deliver finishing blows.

Amidst spurting blood, these dozens of Giant Beasts were quickly consumed by the flames.

But this was not all, for soon more Giant Beasts were pushed beneath the statue by the dinosaur priests.

Round after round, the sacrificial scene continued until the sun set in the west, and only then was the ritual deemed complete.

At that moment, bathed in the sunset's glow, the Dinosaur Elder on the high platform stepped to the forefront and gazed upon the tens of thousands of silent children on the plains.

"For the ancient sacred covenant! To uphold Father God's glory, warriors of Lava! Set forth!"

Trembling, the Dinosaur Elder's voice pierced the plains.

Though aged and quavering, it was full of vigor and resounding!

At this, the warriors of Lava immediately roared in unison!

"For the sacred covenant!"

"To uphold Father God's glory!"

"For the Order created by the Four Gods!"

"Victory! Victory to the Children of Lava!"

The dinosaur people, bursting with battle spirit, roared, venting, and driving away the faint unease within their hearts.

Their voices pierced the clouds, instilling terror in countless weaker beings.

The next moment, tens of thousands of dinosaur people moved!

Led by one priest after another, the tens of thousands of dinosaur warriors split into dozens of columns and began marching in orderly running formation toward the battlefield near the coast!

Tens of thousands of dinosaur people, each three to five stories tall, caused a powerful ground rumble with their trotting.

That sight drew cheers from the Four Races watching from the outskirts of Black Stone City!

"Order shall prevail!"

"For the glory of the Four Gods, victory!"

"For sacred Black Stone City, the Alliance shall triumph!!!"

"..."

Black Stone City housed hundreds of thousands of residents, but all were ordinary warriors of the Four Races, the younger generation, and even many children.

They had no need yet to join this war—unless the Four Races' first joint battle ended in defeat.

If it came to that, these remaining residents might not be able to salvage anything.

By then, the civilization and Order the Four Races had painstakingly built over nearly six thousand years might all return to chaos!

This battle could not be lost; it could only be won! That was the consensus of the Four Races!

Thus, this time, the Four Races deployed all their elites.

Even the three gods stood ready to confront the Evil God behind the Deep Sea Populace.

As the dinosaur elite troops passed the edge of Black Stone City, dense swarms of Mosquito People immediately took flight from above the city.

These Mosquito People were elites stationed permanently in Black Stone City, while at the Mosquito People's main base overseas, more elite Mosquito People would join the battlefield.

Though Mosquito People stood less than three meters tall and seemed frail, blessed by the wind, they could easily scout enemy positions from high altitudes while also being ready to airlift warriors of the other three races.

On the battlefield, such a unit—capable of both combat and rescue—was invaluable.

Although the Mosquito People could not enter the water, they could cast their spears from the sky above, striking the enemy's living forces with as much precision as possible.

With the Mosquito People appearing, the Serpent People were naturally not far behind.

The Serpent People emerged from the other side of Black Stone City and quickly converged with the Dinosaur People.

In an instant, the three tribes gathered, and an extraordinary army of over a hundred thousand surged forth with overwhelming momentum.

The sky and the ground alike were filled with rumbling and trembling. The younger generation in Black Stone City looked on with admiration, their emotions running high.

Cheers and shouts of encouragement converged into a sea of sound.

For a moment, it seemed as if this war had already been won before it even began.

Beneath the divine statue, the trembling Dinosaur Elder watched the retreating backs of his kin. His gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, as if returning to a scene thousands of years ago when his people had defeated the Serpent People.

Only, back then, they still had the Father God.

But now?

Where was the Father God? Why could they never find Him?

'Great Father God! If You, as majestic as You are, can once again sense the crisis facing Your children, please look upon Your devout children once more!'

The Elder, silently grieving in his heart, prayed again.

But at that moment, a familiar and worried, low voice reached his ears.

"Elder, is it truly right to shed the blood of our people to aid the Water's Children? And is it truly worth it?"

The speaker was a young priest, who had been standing behind the Dinosaur Elder all along. He was also the one the Dinosaur Elder had designated as the next High Priest of the Dinosaur People.

The Dinosaur Elder looked at the young priest, his thoughts returning to the present as he slowly shook his head.

"Right or wrong is not important. What matters is that we have no choice. As for whether it is worth it, it is certainly worth it."

The Dinosaur Elder spoke earnestly, and the young priest was momentarily stunned.

Having been chosen by the Dinosaur Elder as his successor, he was naturally not foolish.

He quickly grasped the key point.

Yes, the Dinosaur People had no right to choose.

In the era when the Father God had vanished, how had they managed to thrive and multiply so prosperously?

Was it not because of the favor of the Lord of the Near Sea and the God of Wind?

If not for Their protection over these thousands of years, the God of Snakes would have settled old scores with the Dinosaur People countless times by now, wouldn't He?

After all, who could have guessed? Their own Father God had slept for so long, and His children could not find Him at all.

So, even if only to repay the kindness of the Lord of the Near Sea, the Dinosaur People had to join this war and give it their all.

If they allowed the Lord of the Near Sea and His children to be destroyed by the Deep Sea Aliens, the stability of Black Stone City would cease to exist.

Thus, in this war, the Dinosaur People had no other choice.

But the young priest was deeply worried!

Why was their Father God so unique?

The other three gods woke every few hundred years, and Their children could rouse Them quickly with a call. But their own Father God was so...

Well, thinking any further would border on blasphemy against the divine.

The young priest dared not continue thinking, nor did he wish to.

So, he could only begin to pray silently, crying out in his heart to the great God of Lava and Earth.

PS: Thanks to the book friend 'Only Ask the Beginning' for the 500 starting point coin tip, and thanks to all the book friends for their votes. Thank you, everyone.

Also, since this is the new book period, to make the data look better, I'm once again begging for tips, votes, and everything. Rolling on the ground begging.