In the end, everyone was certain that this war was decided in Zirafin's favor. It wasn't blind confidence or empty arrogance—it was a solid truth. Zirafin, face to face, does not lose. Like all previous wars, this one would be no exception.
There would be no hit-and-run tactics, no tricks or deceit—just a direct, straightforward confrontation, clear and undeniable.
A clash that would not be erased from the world's memory, as Zirafin's name would once again be etched into the annals of history, not just as a great power, but as an undefeatable kingdom.
On the other side, the side that never rests...
A stomp shook the earth, trembling as if an entire continent had awakened from its deep slumber. Another stomp—not just an ordinary tremor, but a deafening roar that shook the heavens and struck terror into the hearts of all who heard it.
Nature itself seemed unprepared for this sight, as if caught off guard by an unbelievable force.
The ground cracked under the weight of colossal steps, steps unlike any other... The scene was like an island walking on two legs. A monstrous behemoth, the size of a capital city—perhaps even larger—advanced steadily, crushing everything in its path. Its dark gray skin shimmered with faint blue crystalline patches, and its wide jaw revealed rows of long, jagged teeth. Its eyes were like abysses, reflecting nothing but insatiable hunger.
This creature, stretching endlessly, didn't swim in the oceans—it walked on two massive legs, like a moving mountain. Each of its steps created sweeping waves that swallowed everything in their path. On its back, it carried the fleet of Vardisia, a vast army that filled the horizon, composed of giant creatures and scales as hard as stone slabs, each the size of a ship.
At the peak of this moving hell stood the great king. His throne wasn't made of gold but of fossilized bones that had accumulated on the beast over centuries. His crown was carved from the tusks of his ancestors, and his fish-like lips bore a devilish grin, revealing teeth as sharp as poisoned daggers. His face was a blend of grandeur and grotesqueness, his silver-gray skin resembling a fossilized oceanic crust, cracking to reveal a dark blue tissue pulsating like the heart of the ocean itself.
His long arms ended in transparent glass claws, and every breath from his nostrils carried the scent of the ancient Ocean—the ocean that never forgets, the sea that never forgives. The king stood atop his living throne, surrounded by colossal creatures moving like guardians of an unstoppable era:
- [The Kardal]: Creatures unleashed from the depths of the ocean, their thick rocky armor and sharp limbs carving deep trenches wherever they crawled.
- [The Voltaspira]: Giant serpents writhing like living lightning storms, their shimmering skin crackling with electricity, burning everything they touched to ash.
- [The Zermogra]: A flying ocean tank, the largest of the creatures, its power unmatched.
- [The Amphibious Ghelan]: Mammoth-sized beings with living metal skin and horns like towers crashing against the horizon.
From atop his throne, the king raised his hardened arm, and his voice roared like a raging wave:
"I heard how they think the waves will bow to their rusty kingdoms...
I heard the one who declared war, as if the ocean would bend to his cheap words...
But they forgot.
They forgot that the ocean was here before they knew what land was.
They forgot that the sea doesn't need walls to be a kingdom.
They forgot that the sea is the end for those who think themselves immortal.
Warriors, you are not mere soldiers, not followers, not fuel for a false war...
You are the ocean itself, its angry hand, the fury of the tides, the voice that speaks when the universe falls silent.
They build their castles on sand, fortresses to protect them, and delude themselves that crowns grant them immortality...
But what does sand do against the wave?
They declared war? Fine... so they say.
But the ocean does not declare war.
The Ocean... devours.
Today, the waves will speak for me.
Let the tide rise... and let the earth fall!"
"ROOOOOAR!"
The earth trembled under the roar of Vardisia's army. The colossal creatures unleashed their deep growls, and the fleet began pounding their feet on the surface of the massive beast, as if everything had decided to roar together.
They truly erred when they challenged the ocean.