Among all the flashing red light and the pressure that rolled across the room, Ragna stood in the middle of it all, and none of it seemed to touch him. "Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this? You think I don’t know something like that can happen when I poison you with something that will make you waste away?
"Don’t make me laugh! I’ve been changing these constructs for a long time now. Since I know the world is cruel, I can only prepare for it!"
The High Chief nodded without speaking, but his eyes began to flicker with a red glow as well. He floated up into the air, his face severe. "Very well. You have insulted the Warbines enough. It is time to make you pay!"
The High Chief might not be as powerful as the First General, but he was powerful, and of everyone gathered, he was the second strongest. He raised his hand and red light gathered into a beam that tore through the air and rammed into one of the constructs with a rumbling force.
The construct was thrown back, but its mouth opened and a strong sucking force converged, seemingly focused on the High Chief, and yanked him toward it.
Meanwhile, the First General made a grasping motion toward one of the constructs, the strongest one. Red light gathered around both the construct and the First General, and the two shot upward, blasting through the roof and into the open air.
The sound of clashing rang from above, sending energy pressure across the room.
The last construct hovered in front of Ragna, but the four Elders leaped at it, their bodies covered in the red light of Orc bloodline power.
Ragna immediately turned to stare at Vacuse. "You are more crafty than I expected, Vacuse. So you know about my secret and have been planning to turn against me since. Vacuse Vorrakyn, I have underestimated you!"
Vacuse sneered at him. "What? If you hadn’t turned against me, then why would I turn against you? But you already tried to split my Vorrakyn territory.
"Ragna. If you hadn’t betrayed me, then I would have even given you something to disguise your blood. But I guess what’s done is done."
Ragna stared at him without expression and then turned to face Valka. "I don’t hate you because you know nothing about any of this. But I would have killed you anyway, so for that, I apologize."
Valka looked as if he still couldn’t believe his ears. He could only stare blankly at everyone.
Flashes of red light flew across the room as the High Chief and the Elders fought their ancestral constructs.
Vacuse smiled and raised his hand at Lyra and the traitors. "Hear me! Kill all of them, but bring me Lyra alive and unhurt. I have a promise to keep with her!"
Immediately, everyone except Captain Mera and Harkon flew forward to do as their lord commanded.
Ragna smiled mysteriously and his rings shone again. Another beam of light appeared, turning into a flag. The flag was pure white except for a deep black dot in the middle.
The black dot seemed to have some kind of magical effect, because as Vacuse looked at it, he could feel himself drawn in as if it were a black hole.
But that wasn’t what made his eyes go wide. It was because he knew what the flag was. "The Black Accord!"
Vacuse was absolutely shocked, and he wasn’t the only one. Even Lyra, who had somehow gotten her hands on an artifact she was using to hold her own, looked back briefly at Ragna, and she felt herself tremble.
Ragna had been fooling everyone! He was already a member of the Black Accord. No wonder he was so confident and able to manipulate the constructs!
Ragna laughed. "I am not an official member of the Black Accord, but I am going to be — and important enough to use this flag!"
He raised the flag and slammed it down. The butt of the rod struck the ground with a thumping sound that filled the whole hall like the echo of a giant’s steps.
With each thumping sound, a shockwave rippled gently through the air, but they carried the sensation of danger. "We must not allow him to continue!"
Vacuse raised his hand and pointed.
The air beneath Ragna shuddered with darkness as a snout began to ascend, but it was stopped cold by a translucent shield that now covered him like a bubble.
No matter how hard he tried, the snout couldn’t chew through!
Vacuse immediately changed his technique, and five void spears of incredible power appeared above Ragna, stabbing down and exploding.
Even then, nothing happened!
The thumping sound from Ragna grew faster and more intense. The air itself seemed alive with sparks of lightning tension.
Ragna nodded. "This is as good as they said!"
Then he raised his voice. "This is my bloody performance, Black Accord! Witness my test to join your glorious organization! Please accept this!"
Immediately, the flag shuddered. The black on it flowed upward and then out of the flag entirely. It turned into a black-red eye that looked coldly at everything. The eye settled on Vacuse, and a snort echoed out. "So this is the Dragon, eh!"
The voice that came from the eye was so strong that it made the ears of everyone who heard it feel as if they would burst. Their blood trembled, and it happened to all of them no matter their rank.
A presence with incredible power was among them!
Everyone felt shaken to the core as they felt incredible fear, but it seemed the presence wasn’t interested in doing anything beyond watching.
Vacuse took a shuddering breath. "Is this... the leader of the Black Accord?"
"No," the voice snorted. "I am only a member. A part of the number of the Accord. Nice to meet you, Vacuse Vorrakyn. Dragon of the Vorrakyn!"
Vacuse didn’t say anything.
The voice then turned to Ragna. "Now. You can borrow the power of the Black Accord to begin!"