"You're my friend, Orthar! Don't force me into this situation!" Silva shouted in rage and helplessness. Several level two Lords stood behind him. Starting at the Unity Realm, no beast could be counted as stupid anymore. As soon as Silva explained everything to them, they realized the actual danger they were in. If two level three Lords attacked, they would all get annihilated.
Yet, just as many beasts stood behind Orthar. They had seen their insane growth and noticed how the pressure had helped them. Of course, this also meant that they realized how dangerous it would be for them if so many Lords left them. They wanted to stay, but if so many Lords left, the chances of them dying would increase significantly.
"You have stopped being a friend to me after your words, Silva," Orthar said coldly. "I want to become powerful! That's my goal in life! Yet, by convincing so many Lords to leave with you, you have become a hindrance to me! You can leave by yourself if you want, but I won't allow so many Lords to leave with you!"
Meanwhile, the beasts were all in distress. The two most powerful beasts beside the Leader were about to kill each other. They didn't want to go against each other, but both sides had their own goals.
Ironically, the goals of both sides were identical. Both sides just didn't want to die. Yet, the same goal manifested in different ideologies and mindsets. Because of that, even though both sides just didn't want to die, they were about to kill each other.
"Give up, Orthar!" Silva shouted. "Even if I were to die to you, my followers will just leave! They know the truth now and will leave, even without me! Killing me won't change anything!"
Many of the onlookers, who hadn't decided on a side, felt themselves sway to Silva's camp. Yes, what could the Oracle even do? The beasts would leave either way. They might as well just join Silva in leaving.
"So?" Orthar answered. "By killing you and your followers, our Tribe will get some supreme tempering. On top of that, your deaths will give rise to several level three Lords! At that point, we won't have to fear the invasion of level three Lords anymore!"
Now, the onlookers were swayed towards Orthar's camp. If they all killed Silva's side, they would become even more powerful. If a level four Lord invaded, the Leader would get involved. They only needed to be powerful enough to resist level three Lords. They knew that their Lords were way more powerful than average Lords. One level three Lord in their Tribe might be able to take on two invading level three Lords.
Silva's body shook in rage and frustration. "That is only true if you still have enough level two Lords after this fight! Additionally, if so many level two Lords become level three Lords, you would have a shortage of level two Lords. What if lots of level two Lords invade then? Would the level three Lords care about those?"
"Your Leader won't protect you from death! Are you willing to stay in such a dangerous Tribe!?" Silva shouted at the beasts behind Orthar.
"This is nothing new, Silva," Orthar shouted back. "The Leader has never protected our Tribe from beasts that pose no danger to him. Yet, look at where we are now! The way of the Leader has proven that this is the fastest way to grow more powerful! If it were up to you, you would have directly left back then."
"And then what?" Orthar continued. "Then, we might not even have a single level two Lord now! Every beast behind you will just forever remain at their current power. Maybe their Realm increases, but then they will only count as average level three Lords without any proper danger. Are you willing to remain at your current strength forever!?"
"Don't twist the facts, Oracle!" Silva shouted with fury. "My decision today is different from my decision back then! I will still allow everyone to temper themselves to their heart's content! The only difference is that I won't make enemies with Tribes that can eradicate all of us with a wave of their claws!"
"And like that, your Tribe will feel nearly no pressure and become average like any other Tribe, Commander!" Orthar shouted back. "Your path might work if all other Tribes in this world are passive, but that isn't the reality of this world! At some point, a stronger enemy will get interested in your territories and will attack you. What then? How can you protect the Tribe like that?" Orthar answered.
"This has always been an eventuality, Oracle!" Silva shouted back. "But by deliberately angering such powerful Tribes, you transform this eventuality into certainty! Your Tribe is doomed to die, while my Tribe only has a possibility of death! What you're doing is not tempering but suicide!"
"Is not every fight a gamble with death?" Orthar answered. "The best fights are the ones where we don't see a chance of victory but still win. We have fought together against two level three Lords. Right now, we are close to being able to jump an entire level. Yet, have these fights appeared winnable in the beginning? Of course not!"
"Yes, you're right on that point, but to commit to such a fight should be a choice for the individual!" Silva shouted back. "Not every beast wants to go through such insane fights as you and I! Yet, by angering such powerful Tribes, you don't give the individual a choice! They will be forced into fights that are beyond their current level!"
Despair, helplessness, and uncertainty tore the beasts apart. Both sides sounded incredibly convincing, and the beasts that had chosen their side had also begun to sway. Now, they were no longer so sure about the side they had chosen.
Slowly, one beast after the other left Silva and Orthar. The beasts weren't able to decide which side to join, which made them join the onlookers. This decision was just too hard to make.
Orthar and Silva noticed that their sides were growing smaller, but they both reacted in different ways. Silva grew more frustrated. He had expected that his followers were ready to join him. Yet, the beasts that he had seen as companions were leaving him.
Meanwhile, Orthar took the development in stride. The beasts that stood neutrally at the sidelines would follow the victor. Orthar only needed to kill Silva. Then, no beast would leave the Tribe!
As the beasts behind Orthar and Silva saw their companions leaving, they felt more pressure and also left. In a minute, Orthar and Silva stood alone.
Silva felt incredibly betrayed and infuriated, while Orthar felt smug about his victory. Silva and Orthar were in different positions. Silva was the active one, while Orthar was the passive one. By remaining undecided, the beasts had shown that they wouldn't leave together with Silva.
"No one is willing to follow you, viper," Orthar said. "I have said that you can leave by yourself. So, I won't stand in your way any longer." Then, Orthar moved to the side. "Leave," Orthar said.
Silva was incredibly infuriated, but after some time, he seemed to calm down. Then, a sneaky sparkle appeared inside his eyes. "Sure, I will leave, octopus," he said with a calm voice.
Then, he turned to the onlookers with a smile. "If you want to leave the River Tribe, just travel to the east from here. I will welcome you," he said.
Then, Silva looked at Orthar again. "By not killing anyone today, you have weakened the Tribe. No level three Lords will appear while your most powerful level two Lord will leave. You think you might have won, but that's not the case."
Then, Silva narrowed his eyes. "Now, it doesn't even need two level three lords to endanger the Tribe. With only you, one level three Lord is plenty enough."
Then, Silva laughed as he passed Orthar. "I wonder when the next level three Lord will invade. Because without the Leader intervening, that day will be the last day of the River Tribe."
Orthar realized Silva's scheme and grew angry for a second. Yet, he quickly calmed down.
"That won't be an issue," Orthar said. "I will become a level three Lord today, and I will protect us from other level three Lords. Your scheme has fallen flat, viper," Orthar said with a laugh.
All of Silva's rage returned. Nearly all beasts would have left after him if the power dynamic stayed like this. Yet, Orthar had sacrificed a tempering opportunity to save the Tribe. Like this, no one would leave but him!
"So, you are prepared to fight me to the bitter end," Silva said as he looked at Orthar. "Without killing you, I won't be able to save my comrades, is that it?" he asked icily.
Orthar laughed a bit. "That's true. Without killing me, you won't be able to convince anyone to leave. The beasts like it here. You should finally accept that fact!"
"Fine," Silva said with a vicious tone. "Then, let's have a duel to determine the winner."
Orthar laughed some more. "You are not part of the River Tribe anymore. You don't get to decide who fights whom. This is not a duel, but a war. It's my side against your side."
"This won't make a difference since only we two will fight," Silva said. "Let's go to the arena."
"The arenas are only for members of the Tribe. We don't need one," Orthar said, and then, he charged at Silva.
Silva only sneered and also attacked Orthar.
Gravis was watching this from a distance and felt like his heart was being torn apart. His two closest friends in this world were about to kill each other.
Yet, Gravis had decided on his path.
If his path required his companions to kill each other, then so be it!