Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!
More and more of the robots began to turn on their semicircular domes as well, and multiple rays of blinding white light beamed down on the battlefield! The array of light was so bright and continuous that there wasn’t a single shadow to be found anywhere in the middle of that Valley, and Jason found himself standing in what was literally the brightest patch of land he had ever been in! At that moment, Jason realised exactly what the Machina had just done, and even though the situation didn’t call for it, Jason put his hand up to his face and laughed! Jason couldn’t believe this! They were trying to trap him in here! The Machina had somehow learned that his shadow abilities were an Arcane Art, and they knew they couldn’t do anything against it since it wasn’t magic-related, so they decided to just cancel out the Arcane Art altogether by drowning Jason in so much light that he wouldn’t be able to use it! This was the same tactic that Jason had used to fight against Alpha and her Phantasm a long time ago, and Jason couldn’t help but find this entire situation fucking hilarious!
A loud voice suddenly echoed over the battlefield!
"Varigans, you currently stand in the presence of the Machina. The rulers and enforcers of the Primordial Law in this Domain. That man named Jason Marc has been branded as a fugitive and a criminal by the Overlord for crimes against this Domain, and it is within our right to bring him in for his actions. For the sake of your ignorance, we will give you a chance to renounce your association with him and hand him over to us, and in exchange, we will ensure your world is left unharmed."
The man who spoke was standing inside one of the air carriers that the Machina had come with, and he was looking down at the battlefield through the large front glass panel. He was dressed in a black military outfit similar to the other Machina, but his trousers had been cut short to reveal his mechanical legs, and he also had mechanical parts attached to half his face. He had a stern glare that would put even the most grumpy people to shame, and there was a part of him that felt irritated that they even had to come to a backwater world like this in the first place! The man swore that when they were done here, he would add a bit of extra torture to Jason’s punishment for forcing them to come to this place!
Behind the man, a tall, muscular soldier was seated in the captain’s seat of the air carrier. He also had a stern look on his face, but his attention was solely focused on Jason Marc to see what he would do next. This man was named Braga, and he was a general in the Machina army and the leader of this mission. After the last battle that Jason had against Commander Yelena, the Machina had received a message from her that told them everything she had learned about Jason’s abilities and the power he held. Jason was a very versatile mage. In fact, the Machina had never seen any other mage who had so many powers in his arsenal! But that doesn’t matter, because Jason was still just a single man against the might of an entire world! Even if Jason had an army at his disposal, all they had to do was kill Jason, and the army would vanish. And if Jason refused to come quietly, then that is exactly what they would do!
Braga let out a huff as he finally stood from the captain’s chair! He stood at well over eight feet tall and almost all of his body had been replaced with mechanical parts, and as he walked towards the glass viewing panel at the front of the air carrier, he watched to see what Jason was going to do next. By Primordial Law, Braga was mandated to bring Jason back alive so he could face judgment for his crimes, but Jason had taken the lives of too many Machina soldiers already, and according to the Emissary, if Jason somehow ended up dying here, then the Overlord would be very pleased. Braga felt his eyes narrow as he watched Jason more closely.
Down on the ground, the Varigans were in shock. Many of them were looking at each other and at Jason as they tried to wrap their heads around the announcement that they had just heard! Machina? Primordial Domain? Primordial Law? What the hell did these things mean?
"Are we being tricked? Is this some sort of hallucination?"
"You think we’re all hallucinating those giant robots at the same time? Is something like that even possible?"
"But what the fuck is a Primordial Domain? I’ve never even heard about that before!"
"Hey, did you hear them say Jason was a criminal?"
"Yeah, you heard it too, right? What the hell did he do?"
"Did he kill someone? If they brought this many people just to capture him, it has to be a pretty big deal, right?"
Jason could hear all the voices echoing around him, and he could only smile at the situation. Jason already knew that he couldn’t expect much from strangers. These people had no idea who he was, so he couldn’t expect them to want to stand up for him! But Jason didn’t really care for the Varigans’ support either way. The Varigans were only regular humans with very advanced technology, and Jason was certain that they would be useless in a battle against the Machina, who were not only far more powerful physically, but also had more advanced technology on their side!
’There are ten giant robots, thirty air carriers, a hundred tanks, and more than a thousand soldiers from what I can see. I don’t know how many more soldiers are inside the carriers or the tanks, but I should say there are about a thousand soldiers just to be safe. Alright, the numbers aren’t bad. If I can’t defeat them, then I’ll find a way out and pass through a Dimensional Tear to leave.’
Jason began thinking of a plan quickly, but he was surprised when he saw someone step forward and stand in front of him. Jason recognised the man as the same one who had been driving the car that brought them here. Was his name James, right? Yes, Jason remembered it. James had his back to Jason, and he shouted back to the Machina in a loud voice.
"THIS MAN SAVED OUR PEOPLE, AND OUR WORLD! SO IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH HIM, THEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ALL OF VARIGAN! IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO US, THEN COME DOWN HERE AND TALK, BUT YOU WILL NOT HAVE OUR COOPERATION!"
It was a declaration that was met with silence from the Machina, but the Varigans felt their resolve strengthening when they heard it! Multiple soldiers began to come closer to Jason as well and stand around him in a protective shield! They held their guns at the ready and glared up at the Machina in anger! Even the Zen Mechas moved towards Jason as well and formed a wall to try and protect him, and Jason couldn’t stop the amused scoff that escaped from his mouth. Maybe he was a bit too quick to judge these guys.
The voice of the Machina echoed back in a disappointed tone.
"Very well then, it appears you have chosen your side. But remember this, you were granted an opportunity to choose differently, but you refused it. Whatever happens to you or your world from this moment forward is of your own doing."