"Who did you just say?" At the negotiation site, Josh looked slightly surprised as he asked Hordak.
"She-Ra—the protector of those rebels. She's extremely powerful. What, you know her?" Hordak asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
Just moments earlier, after both sides had agreed on the core terms of their alliance, Hordak began explaining the major threats to his rule on Eternia—and mentioned She-Ra's name.
"Blonde, rides a flying horse, wields a magic sword—that She-Ra?" Josh confirmed, narrowing his eyes.
Could it really be that She-Ra? And by extension… could He-Man be here too?
This didn't make sense. She-Ra and He-Man were from the Masters of the Universe series, which originally belonged to DC. Even if the rights later shifted studios, their roots were still with DC. Superman even guest-starred once!
All he did was use a star gate—Had he accidentally opened a path to the DC multiverse?
No way…
"Huh? Looks like you do know her. Don't tell me she sent you here to help them?" Hordak squinted, his tone now cautious.
Josh chuckled and replied with a grin, "Come on, Prince Hordak. If I were here on her behalf, would I really be asking you for information about her?"
"Can't be too sure…" Hordak mumbled, still unwilling to admit Josh had a point.
"As your ally, let me be honest—she and I don't get along. We've even had a few… unpleasant encounters. If I'm not mistaken, doesn't she have a brother too?" Josh asked casually, as if uninterested.
"You even know about He-Man?" Hordak looked genuinely surprised.
"What? It's weird to know the sister but not the brother? That guy's been a pain in my side for ages," Josh said with a fake scowl.
"Where and when did you see He-Man?" Hordak asked, growing tense.
"About six months ago. In a star system currently under Ouroboros control. Why? What's the big deal?" Josh answered smoothly, making up the story on the spot.
"Damn it… so he's still alive!" Hordak suddenly roared in anger, drawing the attention of subordinates from both sides nearby.
"Alive? Why do you say that?" Josh asked, and this time, his surprise was real.
"Five years ago, He-Man and my traitorous former apprentice fought to the death. That traitor destroyed the largest power source on Eternia—the Orb of Power. The explosion wiped them both out! Or so we thought… hahahaha!"
Hordak burst into delighted laughter. Losing two of his greatest enemies in one go had been a massive win for him.
But as Josh listened to Hordak's story of He-Man and Skeletor disappearing together—
He couldn't help but think: Wait a second… this sounds way too similar to when Rogers and Red Skull vanished in that cosmic cube incident.
Could it be… they were also teleported to some unknown corner of the galaxy?
Hordak's laughter faded quickly. Josh's words had sunk in.
If He-Man wasn't dead—Then what about Skeletor, his former apprentice who was even stronger?
Suddenly, the idea of teaming up with this newly emerged Ouroboros faction didn't seem so bad.
If those two troublesome foes returned, at least he wouldn't have to face them alone.
What Hordak didn't know, though—was that Josh was now beginning to rethink this alliance entirely.
No matter what, He-Man and She-Ra were both top-tier protagonists. They definitely wouldn't be easy to deal with.
Still… She-Ra—basically a magical version of Wonder Woman—Yeah, her look was absolutely stunning.
Hmm, no. Gotta calm down. I'm a married man...
Just then, Hordak turned to Josh and asked, "So, Lord Kahn, do you know where He-Man went after that? And have you ever seen a skull-faced man in blue robes? He calls himself Skeletor."
Josh shook his head and replied, "No idea. He fought with some of my men, caused me a few losses, and then disappeared. As for this Skeletor… never heard of him."
He hadn't seen either of them—he was just guessing. Where was he supposed to find them?
"I see. Well, if you do get any news about them, you must tell me at once. They're both incredibly troublesome enemies. I would be more than happy to join forces with you to get rid of them—before they get in the way of our goals," Hordak said seriously, nodding.
"Oh? So Prince Hordak no longer has doubts about our alliance?" Josh asked, smiling.
"Of course not. Working with someone like you, Lord Kahn, and your powerful Ouroboros Organization, will be a pleasure. With your help, wiping out Eternia's rebel factions should be easy!" Hordak laughed heartily.
Of course, what he really thought was: Once the rebels were gone, the very first thing he'd do would be to eliminate this so-called Ouroboros group and its mysterious leader.
Josh was thinking the same thing—except his ambitions were even greater.
For ambitious men like them, if they could take everything for themselves, why share?
"Well then, let's first take care of She-Ra and the remaining rebels together!" The two scheming villains clasped hands—both already planning to stab the other in the back.
But right then, Josh's expression shifted slightly.
"Something wrong, Lord Kahn?" Hordak asked.
"Heh, nothing serious. Just a few little mice sneaking into my house. My people have already caught them. Since we've sealed our alliance, I'll be taking my leave for now. I'll give you a proper welcome another time, Prince Hordak."
"I see, those little mice can be a real nuisance," Hordak said, instantly understanding what Josh meant—Clearly, the rebels had found their way to Ouroboros territory and probably clashed with his forces.
To Hordak, that was great news.
Let both sides wear each other down. That way, he could benefit the most when the dust settled.
After saying their goodbyes, Josh immediately activated teleportation magic and returned to the Ouroboros headquarters, built around the teleportation gate.
Though it had only been a few days, a massive military fortress had already taken shape, constructed atop a warship foundation with the help of countless engineering robots.
"Where are they?" Josh asked the high elf archmage guarding the site as soon as he stepped out of the portal.
"They're trapped in the magic array I set up. But one of them—a woman—is incredibly strong. I don't think the trap can hold her for long," the archmage answered respectfully.
"Heh… then let's go meet her." If even a high elf archmage couldn't hold her, then this was very likely the extraordinary She-Ra!
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TL/N: Some changes -
Whispering Forest Kingdom → Whispering Woods.
Hord Empire will NOT be to changed to The Evil Horde because this probably AU.
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