The Deal was done. The Granians got what they came for. At last, the new Lord Gravax had proved himself as a worthy Lord, managing to do something that the others before him hadn’t done in a very long time; acquiring allies.
Given the Granians’ blood-soaked path marked by millions of raids, attacks, deaths, extinctions, and the generations of bodies piled up in their count, it wasn’t specifically easy for them to acquire allies who shared the same goals as they did.
However, Lord Gravax, being the only one daring enough to take such an approach, managed to find a common standing ground with the Cyclitharans, a feat that none before him had managed to do successfully.
Exploiting this common ground led the new Lod to strike a deal where he and the Cyclitharans would exchange services for territory, land, colonies, and vast mineral resources. Not only that, the Granians were also given a council of some of the best strategists, and scientific, and engineering minds that the Cyclitharans held proud and dear.
With them working together, there were so many possibilities to how the War would turn out in their favor.
"Pleasure forming an alliance with you, Grand Duke," the two Granians responsible for striking the deal—Lord Gravax and the former Lord, Grim—stood from their seats in anticipation to begin as quickly as possible with their advancements.
Interestingly, just as they were about to leave, the Grand Duke rose from his seat as well quicker than they did with his one eye glinting with anticipation as he asked, "Before you leave, I would like to see what else that species you brought along with you can do. I’m very fascinated by how it was able to drain all of its blood."
Grim and Gravax, shocked by this sudden behavior from a proud being, looked at each other almost as if to ask each other *Seriously?*
"If I may ask," Gravax approached, both hands on his back while staring at the Cyclitharan with a puzzled look, "why are you showing this interest? Aren’t you afraid of..."
"It’s in my nature, Gravax," the proud, slightly arrogant character of the Grand Duke returned at full vigor which was visualized through the way he began carrying himself; as though he hadn’t a care in the world. "I’m a curious being and that thing you brought along is something that has sparked my interest the most.
"I ask to see what it can do."
"When?" Grim asked, thinking the Grand Duke was meaning to see the Crimson Knight live in action during the war.
Of course, the Cyclitharan’s curiosity caused him to look at Grim weirdly, followed by him frowning a little while saying, "Now, of course. Do you think I want to wait too long to see? In fact, follow me. I already have something in mind. Please, walk me through what exactly it can do and I’ll take care of the rest."
With this sudden curiosity sprouting all of a sudden, the two Granians simultaneously had an idea planted in their minds. Instead of just having a simple "demonstration" of what the Crimson Knight could do, they opted to show the Grand Duke and every other important figure in the Cyclitharan empire how dangerous their most valuable assets were.
If these beings got to know how strong Blood Mutants were, what they were capable of, and how far they could climb in terms of strength, it would send a message, a testament to how powerful they, the Granians, were.
Lily and Cherry, surrounded by a few Cyclitharan officials and Atris, were having a fun time trolling the officials using the Crimson Knight’s abilities.
Conjuring balls of blood from thin air and turning them into tiny spikes frightened the officials but that was nothing compared to what the Crimson Knight wanted to do next—transforming into her new Blood Mutant form.
Sadly, for Cherry, she was interrupted immediately by over fifty soldiers who were sent to escort her, Lily, and the Cyclitharan officials to a location as per the Grand Duke’s orders.
Obediently, Cherry followed them and found herself being led to an arena-like stadium that was eighty times larger than what her city, ArkVille had on Earth.
The young woman was astounded; shocked and amazed by the sheer power that the engineers and architects of this great planet housing this great species possessed. A building of this colossal size, weight, and build was nothing to overlook and yet for some reason, everyone else, including the Granians themselves and Lilly, did not show any bit of shock, surprise, or awe the same way Cherry did.
"Look at the size of this thing!!" the young woman, standing by the entrance of the Coliseum, couldn’t help but stare at the wall of the building alone which stretched higher than her eyes could see. "How is it structurally possible for this thing to stand?"
"You’ve never seen a Coliseum before?" Lily asked while the Cyclitharan soldiers nudged her inside. While walking through the long, almost mile-long halls, more and more wonders were revealed to the young woman who couldn’t help but remain amazed by them. "This building’s not that impressive."
"Are there others that are better?" Cherry asked, thinking the reason for Lilly’s lack of enthusiasm was due to her having seen others probably bigger. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝓷𝓮𝓽
"Our people have designed colossal buildings, structures, and ships before," Lilly began to brag loud enough for the soldiers to hear and scoff. "This is nothing compared to what I myself have seen."
"Has this thing seen Akrina herself?" one of the soldiers asked. Even though it couldn’t understand what Cherry was saying, it gained a faint understanding from her reactions and Lilly’s condescending responses.
"Yes she has,’ Lilly answered and then translated for Cherry. "A building is nothing compared to the millions of things we have."
’I’m shocked that a small building has her this mezmerised yet the Citadels are collectively larger.
"WELCOME, HUMAN," Cherry, Lilly, and the soldiers, after walking for what felt like hours, made it to the entrance of the Coliseum’s field where they were welcomed to the sight of a horribly large field covered in nothing but bones, dried blood, old, shattered pieces of metal, armor, and clothing while also having lights and camera-like apparatus stationed at almost every corner.
Due to the field’s size and the building’s structure, not everyone could see the full portion of the field which justified the use of cameras and large screens.
"SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU HERE," the Grand Duke shouted into the audio amplifying machines, the sounds of his cheerful voice were amplified and boomed loudly across the building, drawing the attention and focus to Cherry. "WHOEVER IS NEXT TO THE HUMAN KNOWN AS CHERRY, PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM HER AND FIND YOURSELF A SEAT IMMEDIATELY. WOULDN’T WANT YOU TO GET CAUGHT IN WHAT SHE’S ABOUT TO FIND OUT IN THE NEXT MINUTE."