The One Luna

As soon as Luna and Sura arrived at the scene, they immediately noticed several Mantis-Shrimps that Maxene had already subdued and tamed.

After inspecting the walls, he did indeed notice that these creatures were able to take off some of its durability. "Impressive. Scanning their current status these things range from level 50 to 56." Luna was visibly impressed with the destructive power these creatures had.

Seeing her parents, Max called out to them excitedly before explaining the situation, "Father! Mother! These Mantis-Shrimps pack one hell of a punch. Before they evolved, they were already famed for having the fastest strikes of any predatory species on Earth. Approximately 50 times faster than a normal human can blink. Now that they've evolved, if it were to hit any of our citizens, they would most likely not survive. On the plus side, nobody is actually going to stand there and wait for them to wind up their strike, hence why they were able to strike our walls."

Luna pondered for a second before patting his daughter on the head, "Good job, Max. Taming these creatures will prove to be more useful than killing them. They're not as tasty as lobsters anyway, so I'll make sure you get your favorite tonight for dinner."

"Yes! Father is the best!" She jumped up as she punched the air with her fists excitedly before sharing even more information, "Oh, and, these guys are usually lone hunters before they evolved, but they seem to have banded together today. Not that they had the smartest plan, but it shows that they have adapted. If you think they're that useful, I can have them call on more of their friends so we can catch them and tame them."

"Will you be able to do that, dear?" Sura smiled proudly at her daughter.

"Of course, Mother!" She replied as she smiled proudly.

"Mother and Father are proud of you, my love," Sura patted her on the head as well.

"Hehe!" Maxene smiled triumphantly as she rubbed her nose with her thumb.

After the Mantis-Shrimps were led to a nearby haven for mutant beasts caught within the vicinity, Sura came up to Luna as she grabbed his arm, "Battering rams, huh?"

Smiling at his wife, he replied, "Yes. The <Nation> to the south should be a good place to test them. They should almost be done fending off the first wave. We'll equip these Mantis-Shrimps with the proper armor and we'll test it out on their walls."

"Is it wise?"

"It is. Their <Agimat> will belong to us and we get rid of a potential threat. Not to mention assimilating their citizens."

"And what of the mutant beasts to our immediate south?"

"Elder Jax should have made enough progress at this point, he'll report back soon."

"Mn."

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South of the <Sovereign Nation>. The C.o.c.kroach Kingdom. A tall, burly man whose skin looked as if it was made of copper was sitting on a wooden throne.

"Lord Luna? Putangina, who is that again? Ayy shit! That's your leader, right?" The King Roach looked down on a mutant Tarsier from his throne. The lack of sleep was visible in his eyes. He was in the front lines fighting the previous wave with his soldiers. If it wasn't for their numbers and the fact that they only had to fight one front, they would have been eradicated by the small force the Void army allocated to their area.

"Freddy, it's best to be respec-- erm," Elder Jax quickly stopped himself from saying what he was going to say. He recalled what Luna and Jose Rizal told him: Elder Jax, we're aware of how proud you are of our <Nation>, and we're grateful for that. But these other mutant beasts might not be as logical nor are they completely aware of our strength. Speak to them in your own perspective as a mutant beast. Remember your struggles before and go off of that.

Looking at the Roach King, he gathered himself before he continued, "King Freddy, what you've experienced from the Void army did not even reach 1/20th of what the <Sovereign Nation> had to face and we both know how many casualties your Kingdom has suffered."

Freddy could feel a headache coming so he quickly ordered his servants to massage his temples. "Jaxie, Jaxie, Jaxie, as hard as it is to admit, you do make a good point. This new world is quite unfair to us just like it was before all of this. On the plus side, at least we actually have the option to stand as equals to humans."

"Not all."

"Of course, I know you worship Luna."

"No, it's not just that. Lord Luna is not just worshipped as a God in the <Sovereign Nation> by mutant beasts such as ourselves, but he is worshipped by humans and other races as well. Don't misunderstand, he is not worshipped because he is human, everyone does so because of his capabilities and what he has done so far. Whether you are an Elf, a Human, a Beast, an Angel, you are treated and given equal rights and punishment. All of this is kept under tight watch thanks to the <Nation> system so it completely negates any thoughts corrupt officials may have," Elder Jax expressed his honest opinion.

"Oh? It makes me want to meet this man even more," Freddy rubbed his chin as he continued. "Very well. It'll take time for us to prepare. In the meantime, I'll have my sons and my only daughter accompany you back to the <Sovereign Nation> to join in advance. But, if they ever see something unappealing, we won't hesitate backing out of this deal."

"Of course." Elder Jax agreed. He was confident of his <Nation>'s treatment towards every race. Besides, it wasn't as if the C.o.c.kroaches had much of a choice anyway, it was either they joined or they would be annihilated by the Void army sooner or later. Not to mention the constant harassment from the Sea Mutant Beasts and the looming threat of the Arachnids.

Soon, five individuals appeared. Four males and 1 female. They were the four Princes and the sole Princess of the Roach Kingdom.

The Princes resembled their father. They were very much the same as humans if it weren't for their wings and their feelers. The Princess, however, was indistinguishable from a human. Her healthy wheat brown skin made her look like a classic morena Filipina beauty. These were what was left of Freddy's children.

It was evident that the casualties they suffered were not only limited to the regular roaches. Reproduction wasn't as easy as it used to be for the roaches the stronger they got, hence Freddy's decision to send his children to the <Sovereign Nation> first. Of all the Princes, only the first, third, fourth, and fifth remained.

"The first Prince, Freddy II, greets Elder Jax."

"The third Prince, Freddy III, greets Elder Jax."

"The fourth Prince, Freddy IV, greets Elder Jax."

"The fifth Prince, Freddy V, greets Elder Jax."

"What the hell? Did he name all his children after himself? Must have gotten lazy after having all those kids," Elder Jax thought to himself as he bowed towards the four before looking towards the one and only Princess of the Kingdom.

"M-my name is.. I mean, The first Princess, Frey, greets Elder Jax. It is nice to meet you again!" The Princess stumbled her words at first. It wasn't that she was lacking in confidence, it was mostly because she of all people was most aware of what the <Sovereign Nation> meant since she had done her research, not to mention that she got the chance to learn more about Luna after conversing with Elder Jax when he first arrived, unlike her brothers.

"It is my honor to meet you all as well. Princess Frey, it's good to see you well," the Elder responded in kind.

"Elder Jax, what about the other Mutant Beasts directly south of your-- I mean, our Nation?" The King who had now considered himself as under Luna's flag asked.

Elder Jax, noticing this, smiled and replied honestly, "Those guys are too prideful especially after beating the measly amount of the Void army they faced. They've occupied the mountainous areas and have tried to fortify it as best as they could, I'll give them that. But Lord Luna didn't want them to join anyway. After all, they're still good training for our soldiers, not to mention, a steady source of food."

A bitter smile was visible on Freddy's face that he didn't even bother hiding. The Princes and the Princess shared the same sentiment. "I'm glad we decided to join them. Else we would probably have been reduced to training tools. This Lord Luna cares for his own regardless of race but is ruthless to those who he deems as a threat. A thorough and merciless man. Not the type of person you would want as an enemy," he thought to himself.

The transition smoothly took place in a span of a week. Freddy was given an official post within the <Sovereign Nation> and was already feeling the advantages of being under Luna's wing. Not only was his family baptized by the <Tree of Life> and thus became stronger. They also felt more secure.

A feast was held in honor of this transition.

Meanwhile, changes were happening in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Pangea's core had begun its slow return to the world as the bones of the Guardian that lay beneath the Philippine islands as well as the power sources underneath began to glow unbeknownst to the rest of the world.