"I am not auditioning for your approval. You have let your continent bleed for decades while doing absolutely nothing to stop the bleeding. Tell me, exactly how much did those high system ranks help you while your followers were being systematically slaughtered? Where are the other high-ranking gods of your desert now? They are dead or hiding, leaving you struggling to hold onto a dying world."

The obsidian woman bristled at the harsh reality check, her venomous tears halting for a fraction of a second. She opened her mouth to argue, but Red raised a hand to silence her before she could even formulate a word.

"I did not summon you to beg for an alliance or ask for permission to enter your territory," Red continued ruthlessly. "I summoned you to inform you that my army is marching through your desert whether you like it or not. I am going to the Fourth Continent to butcher King Voranthar. You can either step aside and let me slaughter the human Heralds who are currently humiliating you, or you can stand in my way and get trampled alongside them."

Iron-Arbiter stiffened, suddenly sweating under his metallic collar. He had expected a diplomatic negotiation, not a blatant threat of total annihilation against their potential allies.

"My plan to defeat the Fourth Continent is already set in stone," Red continued. "I will make it a reality, with or without your assistance. But understand this clearly... if I succeed without you, I will not recognize the Third Continent as an ally when the dust settles. And that assumes you even survive the Fourth Continent’s onslaught long enough to see the end of this war."

"You dare threaten us?" the sand god growled, his voice vibrating with sudden rage.

Iron-Arbiter quickly stepped in before the fragile negotiation shattered completely. He leaned into his own feed, holding his metallic hands up in a placating gesture.

"I am offering you a free victory," Red corrected smoothly, leaning back into his chair. "I will exterminate the Vanguard’s enemies across your dunes. In exchange, you will supply my marching forces with water, geographical intelligence, and safe passage. If you refuse to pay that toll, my soldiers will simply take those resources from your temples instead."

’Let them choke on their pride,’ Red thought, watching the two older gods struggle to process the sheer audacity of his demands. ’They have absolutely no leverage, and they need to realize it.’

"Take some time to digest the reality of your situation," Red offered dismissively. He swiped his hand across his console to terminate their connections. "Do not contact me again until you are ready to be useful."

The panels displaying the desert gods vanished instantly, leaving Iron-Arbiter alone on the feed. The Second Continent’s ruler stared at Red with a mixture of profound shock and deep-seated terror.

"You just declared war on our only allies," Iron-Arbiter whispered.

"I just reminded them who holds the leash," Red replied.

"I will be back." Iron-Arbiter disconnected himself and joined the two gods. "You fools, why are you trying to act tough?!

"We can’t help it. The heralds aren’t at your borders. It would be a miracle if we can survive a month."

"Listen to reason," Iron-Arbiter pleaded with his peers. "You have absolutely nothing to lose here. If you are destined to fall to the Fourth Continent, you will fall anyway. If you are going to survive, you will survive. Even if you do not believe Rubedo can defeat the human Heralds, his army marching through your territory does not change your inevitable outcome. Let him try."

The two desert gods fell completely silent. They exchanged a long, heavy glance through their respective screens. A moment later, their holographic feeds blurred slightly as they established a private, encrypted link to discuss the ultimatum internally.

Meanwhile, Red waited patiently, drumming his fingers against his armrest. He knew exactly how desperate they were.

’I am going to take the free candies before enjoying the main dish.’ he said to himself.

A few minutes passed before their visual feeds appeared again. The obsidian woman let out a weary sigh, her shoulders dropping in defeat. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Fine," she conceded reluctantly. "We will allow your vanguard safe passage through the dunes, and we will coordinate our remaining forces with yours."

Red didn’t even offer a smile. He simply swiped a hand across his Sovereign console.

Instantly, a glowing system contract materialized on all three of their screens. The digital parchment hovered in the air, displaying three very specific, highly restrictive clauses.

"Obviously, I am not doing this for free," Red noted smoothly, gesturing toward the hovering document. "Sign the contract. Once the ink dries, we have an alliance, and my Vanguard will handle the rest."

The glowing text of the system contract hovered in the dark void of Red’s sanctuary, reflecting across the digital displays of the three connected deities. The two desert rulers read over the floating parchment, their expressions shifting from weary resignation to outright shock.

"You look surprised," Red noted smoothly, leaning back in his chair. "Did you genuinely think I would bleed my army dry for free? This is a simple give and take. You get your survival, and I get my compensation."

The sand god glared through the feed. "This is extortion."

"It is an investment," Red corrected. "And you do not even need to worry about the cost right now. Read the fine print at the bottom. This contract only activates the moment the Fourth Continent officially falls. If we lose the war and die, the agreement is completely void."

He gestured lazily toward the Second Continent’s ruler. "Iron-Arbiter has already signed his own agreement. Is that not right?"

Iron-Arbiter avoided looking directly at the desert gods, offering a stiff, grim nod to confirm his submission.

"Indeed. I had nothing to lose, and your conditions were... acceptable. But I can’t say the same for these two because I alone am the ruler of the second continent, while it’s different for them."

"Let’s not haste. They are ’high’ ranking deities. They can read and decide on their own." Red shot a slight smirk.