Just as Josh expected, the envoy he sent to the Hord Empire soon returned with news—Hordak, the leader of the Hord Empire, was willing to meet with him.
The name Hordak sounded slightly familiar to Josh, but he didn't think much of it. After all, names could easily overlap, even across different languages.
Still, he took this meeting very seriously.
First of all, he had to attend in person. Otherwise, his subordinates might not be strong enough to handle the Hord Empire's leader.
From the dark power used in their first encounter, Josh could tell that even if Hordak wasn't stronger than him, he was definitely more powerful than people like Thor or Starhawk, whom Josh had faced before.
But if Josh left in person, that created a serious problem—home security.
He couldn't be sure that there weren't other high-level enemies on this planet besides the dark-powered warrior he had already fought.
If someone attacked while he was away negotiating with Hordak, it would be a disaster.
To prevent such a situation, Josh carefully gathered almost all of his top fighters.
Two high elf archmages were placed to guard the two ends of the teleportation gates between Origin Star and Eternia, with Vereesa and Thalorien assisting each of them.
Even his wife Margaret, who had been busy studying jewelcrafting at home, was called in to personally watch over the Space Stone.
In addition to that, Josh summoned his newly appointed Sea Queen, Narathas, along with Xu Wenwu, Vito, and many other powerful fighters—Including a large number of "Jedi Knights," all of whom were brought to Eternia.
He even arranged for the protection of Sulawesi on Earth by asking the Ancient One to keep an eye on it—Although he would have preferred the Ancient One to come to Eternia herself, she obviously couldn't just leave Earth, being the guardian of its dimensions.
After making all the necessary arrangements, Josh finally set out at the agreed time—bringing along Bresta and his personal guard—to attend the meeting.
On a barren, scorched wasteland, two forces stood facing each other.
One side was led by Josh and his Ouroboros Legion.
The other side was the upper ranks of the Hord Empire.
Their leader was an alien with a skull-like head and a fully mechanical body—none other than Hordak.
Beside him stood a figure completely hidden beneath a crimson cloak, emanating a heavy and overwhelming darkness. Josh couldn't help but glance at him more than once—He seemed to be the one who fought him during their previous encounter.
Also present were the three female generals Josh had seen before, along with three unfamiliar aliens:
One was a bizarre creature with four legs, big eyes, and huge ears—almost comical in appearance.
Another looked like a burly warrior covered in thick fur, resembling a Vrykul.
The last was a red-skinned lizardman with sharp, cold eyes.
Both sides stopped their followers at a safe distance. Only Josh and Hordak stepped forward to speak face-to-face.
"I am Hordak, Emperor of the Hord Empire of Eternia, and Prince of the Greater Hord Empire. State your purpose, outsider from another world," Hordak said, staring at Josh.
"Greetings, Prince Hordak. I am Josh Kahn, leader of the Ouroboros Organization. I'm glad to meet you. As you can see, we are indeed outsiders. Although we had a small… misunderstanding earlier, I believe it was just that—a misunderstanding. In truth, I think we can work together very well," Josh replied with a calm smile.
"Cooperate? Hahahahahaha!"
Hordak burst into laughter as if Josh had just told the funniest joke in the galaxy. His expression then turned cold as he spoke sharply, "You invaded my territory, killed my people, and now you're talking about cooperation? Do you think the Hord Empire is made of clay?"
"Your Highness Hordak, I think that's a bit much," Josh replied, still smiling as if unaffected. "It was your side that launched the first attack. And frankly, our losses weren't any less than yours. But if you truly believe this is an irreconcilable conflict, then so be it. Let's part ways here and settle it properly on the battlefield."
"…Hmph, are you threatening me?" Hordak's tone darkened. "Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you showed off a little strength on the battlefield. The forces on Eternia are just a small part of the Greater Hord Empire. All I have to do is report this to my brother, and wiping you out would be as easy as lifting a finger!"
"Oh no, not a threat at all," Josh said lightly. "I'm just stating facts. But aren't you the one using the power behind you as a threat? And if the so-called Greater Hord Empire truly supports you as much as you claim… then why is a single planet like Eternia still beyond your grasp?"
Josh's words made Hordak's face even darker.
Because he had hit a nerve.
Hordak had come to Eternia in the name of a prince of the Greater Hord Empire, supposedly to take over the planet with his forces. But in truth, it was a form of exile.
The real Greater Hord Empire spanned dozens of star systems, ruled by Hordak's elder brother—Emperor King Hord.
If Hordak truly held that much power within the empire, would he really still be stuck on this one planet, unable to even defeat a few local resistance groups?
"…What kind of cooperation are you proposing?" Still, Hordak was no fool. Despite being provoked, he didn't let anger cloud his judgment. As a ruler, he calmly shifted back to discussing cooperation.
"Adora, do you really think the master of this mysterious faction will help us fight against the Horde?" While Josh and Hordak were having their meeting, in a reception room at one of the Ouroboros Legion's outposts, four people were deep in discussion. A woman with icy-blue hair turned to a golden-haired woman named Adora.
"I don't know, Frosta," Adora sighed, "but they're our only hope now. We can't beat Hordak on our own."
Adora was the princess of the Kingdom of Hyria—and one of the leaders of the allied forces resisting the Horde.
The blue-haired woman was Frosta, a court mage and military commander from Hyria's allied nation, Moonlight City.
"Don't worry, Adora. We'll be fine. They just fought a big battle with the Horde. The enemy of our enemy is our friend. They'll definitely take our proposal," said an orange-haired man with short hair. He was the former marshal of the fallen Kingdom of Essalia and now served as Adora's deputy and a top advisor to the alliance.
"That sounds nice, but if they keep ignoring us like this, we're going to have a problem," added the last person—a red-haired young man who was a fleet commander in the allied forces.
"Just wait a little longer… one more day," Adora said with another sigh.
Suddenly, a flash of magical light burst through the air.
A tiny figure, no bigger than a palm, with butterfly wings and the face of a human, appeared in the room shouting urgently, "Adora! Something big just happened!"
"What is it, Loo-Kee?!" Adora quickly asked.
"The leader of that faction… he's in talks with Hordak right now!" the little fairy-like creature named Loo-Kee cried out.
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