Chapter 518: King Torin
As Vlad pondered the significance of encountering a new World King Candidate, he kept his gaze fixed upon the city in the distance. His soul force was more than strong enough to hide his presence as his eyes began to glow with more and more power, preparing himself for the right time.
Far below the Depravita of Wrath, spread across the fortified walls and sprawling plain around the urban stronghold, a formidable army was taking up positions. Tens of thousands of men and women stood guard on the ramparts, each equipped with a magical bow ready to unleash deadly volleys of arrows at a moment’s notice.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of additional troops ventured beyond the shelter of the high walls, forming orderly ranks that extended around the perimeter of the city. At the vanguard of this force was a small man with the build of an ancient dwarf, his arms larger than a tree’s trunk.
From a conventional standpoint, leaving the protection of those enormous walls would have seemed like a tactical blunder. Yet Grand Marshal Anglius—watching from his vantage point with the main Xaos army—knew better than to dismiss the enemy’s move as a simple mistake.
’Smart,’ the golden giant mused, studying the city’s formation. ’They are preparing for an open-field engagement. If we move forward blindly, our forces will be hit by a barrage of arrows before we even make contact, forcing us into a melee fight under disadvantageous conditions.’
Military tactics flowed through the middle-aged Grand Marshal’s mind, each potential scenario rising and falling in rapid succession. ’If we hold our position, they can wait us out and eventually retreat behind their walls with morale intact. Even without actual combat, they’ll claim a psychological victory. They’ll prove that their defenses are too daunting for us to attack outright.’
From his place at the head of the Xaos soldiers—thirty thousand of them, each bristling with polished weaponry and wearing finely crafted armor—the golden giant nodded in respect at the dwarf commanding the opposing force. The ratio of ten to one, in favor of the Strong Hammer Kingdom’s troops, did not trouble him in the slightest. After all, the Xaos soldiers were of higher levels, better trained, and far better equipped than any conventional army. In his mind, those numbers simply offered a semblance of fairness to whatever conflict might arise.
Of course, Grand Marshal Anglius understood one crucial detail: any real, extended battle between the two sides would never happen. If diplomacy failed, Vlad alone could descend from the skies, strike down the city’s leader, and end the conflict abruptly. No known force in Oceanis could prevent him from doing so.
For a tense, silent interval, neither side made a move. The humans stood on the walls with bows drawn, and the massive Xaos battalion waited. Finally, the dwarf in charge of the city’s army stepped forward, his gruff voice echoing across the battlefield. "Who are you, and what are your intentions?"