[Hall of Fallen Heroes]
The meeting place of the Council of Nine and one was filled with activity. Multiple creatures from many different worlds in the Primordial Expanse were standing around the hall and speaking in hushed voices as they waited for the council meeting to begin. Most of the creatures here were from the sixth domain and had once been under the rule of Overlord Rubik. This meeting was not just a trial to determine the punishment Jason would receive for his actions, but the council would also decide on the future of the Machina race in this meeting, as well as who would replace Rubik as the next Overlord of the Sixth Domain.
"Hey, look over there. Isn’t that a Machina?"
"Yeah, it is. I guess they sent a representative to listen to the trial."
"That’s terrible. From what I hear, the Machian are now an endangered race. There’s barely ten percent of them remaining in the entire Primordial Expanse. I wouldn’t want to even be in the same room as someone who killed my entire race."
"I heard the Machina actually killed themselves. There was a Doomsday orb floating over the world when reinforcements arrived. Most of the damage done to their world was because of the Orb."
"So they were that desperate."
"They just didn’t want it to look like one person massacred them all."
The group of gathered creatures all spoke in hushed whispers as they looked towards two men sitting alone on the stands. One of the men had on only a large robe that covered his body, and he had a hood over his head as well, but the robotic features on his face, as well as the robotic arm that was visible through the robe, allowed everyone to figure out that this man was a Machina! The man’s name was Sexes, and he did not wish to be here. Sexes was one of the guards who had been put in charge of ensuring the Machina children made it to the bunkers on the day of the Machina Massacre, and Sexes hadn’t been able to get the memories of the screams and cries for help out of his head all this time! There wasn’t a single Machina who hadn’t suffered some form of nightmare or PTSD from what happened in that Massacre, and Sexes could feel the anger in his heart raging like an inferno the longer he listened to the whispers and comments from the other races around! These fools were talking like they knew anything! None of them knew the sheer monstrosity that the Machina had faced on that day! They were talking about the Machina like the Machina were some weak race, but at least the Machina managed to save the children and secure their future! If it had been any other race, Sexes knew that they would have been completely wiped out by Jason and Gillian!
"Calm yourself, Sexes. Do not let their words get to you."
A hand suddenly landed on Sexes’ shoulder, and Sexes turned to his left to see his superior giving him a knowing look. The man sitting beside Sexes was a younger Machina with a youthful face. This man was also wearing a long robe and hood that hid his features, but the left side of his face, as well as his arms and legs, were all robotic. This man’s name was Varon, and he was the Machina who had been in charge of ensuring no enemies could enter the bunker where the children had been hidden. Varon pat Sexes on the shoulder and told him to calm down once again, and Sexes let out a breath as he finally slouched forward. The once great Machina pride that had filled the two men was nowhere to be found anymore, and now they simply had to listen to the ridicule and pity from the races around them as they waited to see the fate of their world.
Varon let out a sigh as he turned forward again. Varon could understand Sexes’ anger, and in truth, Varon also felt a great anger in his heart as he remembered what had been done to his race, and the comments from those around him were only making his anger grow. But along with the memories of the massacre, Varon could also remember something that happened during the battle. There was a moment when Varon came face-to-face with a monster from Jason’s Legion. The beast was a dragon of unimaginable size that had already laid waste to hundreds of Machina, and the dragon had prepared itself to attack the bunker where the children were being held. Varon knew without a doubt that he and the other soldiers wouldn’t be able to stop the dragon! It was far too powerful, and once the dragon killed them, there would be nothing stopping it from getting to the children! But for some reason that Varon couldn’t even begin to explain, the dragon had stopped before releasing its fire, and Varon could only watch with a rapidly racing heart as the dragon simply flew away without attacking.
After that moment, none of the other undead monsters attacked the bunkers, and Varon and the other soldiers were able to protect the children until everything had calmed down. Varon didn’t really understand what had happened in that moment, but Varon was certain that the dragon’s action was an act of mercy from Jason. Jason did not mind killing off all the adult Machina, but Jason had spared the children, and even though Varon held an immeasurable amount of hatred in his heart for what Jason had done, that one act of kindness had given Varon a shred of respect for Jason. So Varon endured the comments from those around him, and he made sure that Sexes wouldn’t lash out as well. Right now, they were no longer the mighty race they had once been, and all their focus had to be on securing a bright future for the next generation of Machina.
"!"
But Varon suddenly felt a shiver go up his spine as a terrifying sensation came over him! It felt like a predator was looking at him with the intent to kill, and Varon quickly looked around the Hall with narrowed eyes to figure out who was directing so much killing intent at him! And it didn’t take long for Varon to find out exactly who it was! A small distance away from Varon and Sexes, there was a group of female warriors that looked like demi-giants. The females were all extremely beautiful, and their bodies were muscular and ripped! Even while sitting, Varon could tell that the women would all tower over him by a few feet, and from the way they dressed, Varon didn’t need to be a genius to know exactly who these women were. These were the Warrior Women of the Bengari! There wasn’t a single Machina that didn’t know about the bad blood between the Bengari and the Machina! The Bengari warriors had been one of the worlds in contention to become the Prime World of the sixth Primordial domain, and if the Bengari had won, then their leader would have become the Overlord of the sixth domain, but Overlord Rubik managed to defeat the Bengari and gain the seat himself! Rather than accepting their loss, the Bengari swore to never involve themselves with anything regarding this domain unless their leader was sworn in as the Overlord! The Bengari were an extremely prideful race led by female warriors who were quick to draw their swords for every minor issue! But even though they were short-tempered, Varon couldn’t deny that they were strong, and he knew that as things were now, the Machina couldn’t even hold a candle to the Bengari!