Chapter 182: Mercenary King and Queen
Serena’s POV:
As we arrived before the imposing gates of Fort Drakenfort, I ordered my soldiers to raise a white flag — a universal signal of truce and an invitation to negotiate. The battlefield, which moments ago was filled with the clamor of preparation, fell into a tense silence as all eyes turned toward the enemy fortress.
In response, the Mercenary King and Queen emerged from the towering stronghold. With a single leap, they descended from the battlements, landing with such force that the earth beneath them cracked and trembled. The sheer weight of their presence was overwhelming — an invisible pressure that bore down on everyone, even the most seasoned warriors. It was as if the battlefield itself held its breath.
Slowly and with purpose, they strode toward the center of the field, where we were to meet. I stepped forward alongside Theresa, chosen as my partner for this negotiation. Yet in truth, I did not completely trust her. There lingered the suspicion in my heart — that she could be one of the heroes who had once betrayed Naoki. Part of my reason for involving her in this meeting was to test her loyalty under pressure.
As we stood face to face with the Mercenary King and Queen, I could immediately sense it — their power was far beyond that of ordinary warriors. It wasn’t just their physical strength; their very aura radiated an intensity that threatened to suffocate. Even though they were suppressing their energy, it still leaked out like steam from a pressurized furnace, thick and crushing.
In my heart, I knew — these two were the strongest figures within the Mercenary Kingdom of Gildoria. Unlike our kingdom, which emphasizes balance between swordsmanship, magic, and strategy, Gildoria was built entirely around the mastery of battle aura. Their elite mercenaries, especially those of high rank, had long mastered what we call Forced Aura — a manifestation of fighting spirit that enhances physical capabilities to extreme levels.
I remembered clearly the warning I had once received from King Aslan when I was first dispatched to this region.
"Never underestimate the power of Gildoria," he had said gravely. "Especially the Mercenary King and Queen. Their Forced Aura isn’t just high — it surpasses what we understand as the supreme level."
I had been stunned at the time.
"Is there truly a level beyond Supreme Forced Aura?" I had asked. "We, the heroes of Braveheart, have trained our entire lives to reach the supreme class... we didn’t even know such a thing existed."
King Aslan had nodded solemnly and explained that Gildoria had evolved differently. While other kingdoms pursued diverse branches of magic or technology, Gildoria focused solely on refining aura — their battle instincts honed like blades, their physical enhancements pushed beyond natural limits. Somehow, through intense and ancient training methods, they had broken past the barriers known to us.