The Mantises' Loyalty

With no time to think further, Mortas swept his blurred gaze around him. The warriors of other races were kneeling before the bonfire.

Then Mortas sensed light, followed by heat.

Hot, so hot. What was going on with this heat? Even a bonfire couldn't possibly be this hot.

That was what Mortas thought. Stranger still, he felt his injuries improving under the firelight.

The instant he realized this, Mortas regained his awareness, as though his earlier mental haze had been nothing but an illusion.

He immediately looked down at his injuries. His shell was as good as new, and even the old wounds he had accumulated over the years had vanished without a trace.

The warriors around him paid him no attention at all. They continued kneeling devoutly before the bonfire.

That was one thing, but even Quyin was copying their actions.

Young as he was, Quyin was still a member of the mantis race. Why would he suddenly do something so strange?

Was it because I lost?

Mortas truly could not make sense of it. Too many things had happened today that all his years of experience could not explain.

Dejected, he could only turn his gaze toward the bonfire.

"Oh, hello. How is your recovery coming along?"

A friendly presence emanated from the bonfire. Lin Jin wanted to make the best possible first impression.

The flames... were speaking?

That was his first impression. Then he felt a gentle warmth.

What kind of voice was this? The instant Mortas heard it, he felt soothed, as though he were wrapped in a snug embrace.

No, this wasn't right!

Forcing himself out of that state, Mortas broke into a cold sweat. What was that?

What was that faint red figure floating in the air above the fire?

Even without any hostility, the red figure made Mortas feel the oppressive weight of a superior order of life. The being before him was greater than he was in every respect.

Before him, Mortas could only obey.

"I think there may be some misunderstanding between us."

The illusory flame began speaking. Just as before, its tone was exceedingly gentle, without a trace of malice.

Yet Mortas trembled all over. In that moment, he instinctively understood the concept of a "god."

He must not become his enemy. He must not resist.

He could only obey. He could only pledge his loyalty.

"Are you the god they spoke of?" Mortas chose his words carefully, afraid that a moment of displeasure might make the being destroy the entire Mantis Village.

"Yes. I am the Sunfire God, sovereign of heat and flame, master of Ashen City."

"Then why are you invading our home?"

"Hm?" Sensing disrespect toward his god in those words, the captain's eyes immediately turned cold.

The other clan warriors drew their weapons as well, ready to kill the insolent offender on the spot.

Noticing the stir among his followers, Lin Jin waved a hand to tell them to leave it be. Mortas clearly wanted to talk to him.

As long as they could talk, things were fine. The worst outcome would be having no room for discussion, letting a misunderstanding escalate into a fight to the death.

"Lord of the mantises, I never intended to invade this place."

"But that captain said they came here to conquer it."

"Yes, but that does not mean everyone who refuses to worship me will be branded a heretic and burned at the stake. I am not that kind of being."

"Valiant mantises, you are born hunters. Nor have I ever believed that anyone who is not a friend must be an enemy."

"But this kingdom has lain dormant for too long. My mission is to awaken it once more, and now you must make a choice."

"Pledge your loyalty to me, or... be swept away by the tide that is coming."

As he spoke, the fiery apparition grew more solid, as though its master were exerting pressure on the mortal before him, or drawing inspiration from memories of past glory.

Mortas fell silent. The ancient civilization, the former masters of this land, and the expedition this god was now undertaking.

He knew about them.

In Mantis Village, only each generation's Mantis Lord was entitled to hear this forbidden knowledge, passed down from one generation to the next, from his predecessor.

From the previous lord, he had learned that a unified civilization had once ruled this land.

Its name, symbols, and history had all been forgotten, yet no matter how much time passed, the bugs living among its ruins would occasionally rediscover its might.

Mortas understood that all too well. The jungle he ruled was nothing more than one tiny part of it.

A single map showing a rough outline of the region had been enough to frighten him into losing the will to fight.

Yet even a civilization that powerful had perished. More terrifying still, the crisis had accomplished all of this in just a few short days.

Not long after that great catastrophe, the entire Fungal Wastes had completely sealed off its passages to the outside world and formed a self-contained system.

But no detailed information about the nature of that catastrophe had been passed down. Or perhaps no one had dared speak of it at all.

The only thing Mortas knew was the warning he had heard from the previous lord: "This isn't over yet."

The civilization of the past had been incomparably powerful. Even the remnants it had left behind a thousand years ago would be enough to utterly crush everything he now cared about.

Yet that mighty civilization had still fallen silent because of an unnamed calamity. And that terrifying catastrophe was not over. It would return.

The god before him was likely a surviving being from that civilization, one of the Higher Beings spoken of in myth.

Mortas anxiously weighed the gains and losses, and for a moment, he actually felt sorry for himself.

Had his life followed its ordinary course, he should have ended it like his predecessors, outwardly imposing but ultimately accomplishing nothing.

He should not have found himself at the outset of some momentous event, suddenly given a chance to decide his future fate.

From that perspective, he was unquestionably fortunate.

At that thought, the lord of the mantises instantly calmed down, breaking free of the trap in his thinking.

That was right! He could easily destroy me, yet he was still willing to give me a choice. Seen that way, this encounter was an opportunity instead.

No matter how much that opportunity looked like a trap.

He had indeed always worried about how Mantis Village should respond if the calamity of the past returned.

But...

The Mantis Lord's eyes flashed, and his gaze toward the apparition filled with fervor. "Isn't the answer right here before me?"

The god clearly intended to launch an expedition to reunify the entire ancient civilization. And Mortas was exceptionally lucky: right now, the god was desperately short of warriors.

And mantises were the finest warriors.

As long as they could join this war effort and earn merit, the mantises' future would be assured.

"Then there is only one answer." At that thought, Mortas immediately dropped to one knee.

"Great Sunfire God! I, Mortas, swear in my name as the Mantis Lord of Mantis Village to lead all mantises in pledging our loyalty to you!"

Heh heh heh heh heh... hahahahahaha! Yes! I did it!

Lin Jin was ecstatic. He had finally won over the mantis clan. Even if he had taken quite a few shortcuts, success was success.

This clan would become the spearhead of his expedition, used to break through the toughest defenses.

After accepting Mortas's allegiance, Lin Jin instructed him that the mantis race would temporarily serve under Gron in the expedition, then departed ahead of them.

He had gained too much on this trip. He needed some time to digest it all.

First came the practical application of the Soulfire Arts and the exploration of new possibilities. Then came another expansion of his range as his followers increased.

Lin Jin had a feeling that when he next appeared, all the scattered things he had mastered would come together into a complete system.

The god's apparition vanished entirely. Once the bonfire settled back into stillness, the squad captain, faithfully obeying the divine will, began handling what remained.

He explained the things the Mantis Lord needed to know at present, along with essential information such as where they would go next.

Mortas listened carefully, asking questions from time to time.

He understood that his first meeting with that Chosen of God would certainly not end on friendly terms.

For that, he needed to make a few additional preparations.