Aris was now walking faster than anyone else. The north of his country was under threat. If it was there, then it had to be the King of Koran.
Why would Koran attack us? Are the Branya agreements no longer in force? What will happen to the rest of the north?'
"Prepare me a horse quickly?"
"Majesty, we don't know if this is an ambush or a simple attack. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, we should..."
"I have excellent soldiers to guard the city and its surroundings and my army is scattered for each region. the fact that I'm moving won't be a problem for the rest."
"But majesty, if you fall, everyone falls."
"Don't talk nonsense, Demitrus. Fight until you die and elect a king in my absence. My loss must not stop Arkis, in the meantime, I must save my people. Put the city on guard 3."
Demitrus was the soldier in charge of accompanying the king to the city of Eleena. His primary role was to ensure the safety and comfort of his majesty. But in truth, he accompanied Aris throughout the central region of the kingdom.
Suddenly, another soldier appeared. Arkis' army chief, the most powerful soldier in the kingdom. He was known as one of the ten strongest men in the world: Ren Gladiot, the army killer.
"Ren."
"Your Majesty."
"You take the reins of the center. Listen Ana, while I'm gone. Protect this city."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Aris didn't say another word. His black horse raced towards the drawbridge. The guards at the gate saw the king arrive in a hurry.
"Lower the drawbridge."
The order was simple. It echoed in their heads and they hurried to comply. The drawbridge narrowly lowered as he arrived, forcing the horse to jump to avoid falling.
"Let's go, Rodius".
The horse landed gracefully, then suddenly accelerated. Heading north, it would take them several days to get there, so he didn't have a minute to lose.
Ren Gladiot stood at the top of the palace, facing a large courtyard where the knights gathered. He shouted at his soldiers.
"
Soldiers, brothers in arms, it's not yet time for war, but the winds of danger are blowing. We don't know when it will strike, or in what form. But what we do know is that we must be ready.
Ready to defend our lands, our homes, our families. Ready to show anyone who dares raise a hand against us that we are neither weak nor divided. You are men of courage, discipline and honor. What you have learned, what you have endured, what you carry within you - this is what makes us strong. I'm not asking you for fear, I'm not promising you ease.
I'm asking for vigilance. Unity. Determination.
If the enemy comes, let him find us on our feet, united, our eyes firm, our weapons drawn. Let him know that he will pay for every step he takes on our soil. We do not seek war. But we will never abandon what we love to those who would destroy it. Be prepared. Stand firm. And if the time comes, fight like the guardians of the homeland that you are."
Farther away, Aris was mourning. He had no idea what the people of the north of his country were like, or even where the enemy was, but he had to keep moving. He passed many villages on his way, with many people ready to come to his aid. Some were worried because he had family in the north, while others were already crying. Aris could only look on, but he wasn't about to do nothing.
What was supposed to be a 2-month trip turned into three weeks. Arriving there, Aris had a total of 1 men gathered along the way. They weren't all soldiers, but they knew how to fight. However, the vision of the miles was the same for all. The north was in flames. Some inhabitants were crawling along the ground to escape the fire. Others lay lifeless on the ground. They helped each other to escape an almost certain death. Still, they could look up. Some saw the king on his black horse and thought they'd been saved.
Unfortunately, a Koran soldier came up behind them. Sword in hand, bloodstained, a devilish grin could be seen beneath his helmet. In one fell swoop, the heads of those who had seen the hope embodied by the king could now see the ground. Aris was seething with anger.
"You, how dare you... ? Who sent you?"
"I think you already know, King of Arkis. Your reign ends here. Koran goes north and you come out..."
The soldier didn't have time to finish his sentence. Aris had thrown his spear at the soldier in such a way that his face was pierced from top to bottom.
"Let's protect the nation first and save those who can still be saved. My people, my friends, it's no longer a question of honor. It's about revenge...
Let's kill them all."
The miles Aris had on hand charged at the Koran soldiers present, but Aris went ahead of them.
"The first 500 with me, the rest evacuate the wounded."
Arsi retrieved his spear from the ground and skewered a second soldier with it. Aris Ronegard may have been one of the ten strongest men in the world, but he was no weaker for it. In fact, Aris was...
"Your Majesty, you should be fine after all you are....
the strongest"
The strongest.
In Eleena, Ana saw a bird coming at full speed. It was a special bird known as the fastest bird in the world. It had been trained to be the international messenger. However, the message it brought was not good news. She looked at Ren in fear.
"Ren, the south is under attack."
Ren stood there in silence. He didn't say a word. In truth, he too had a message in hand. He too turned in terror.
"East too."
Aris cut off the head of the last soldier of the Rekiev city. Of the thousands who had attacked, only 300 remained. Aris realized that this was no simple attack. It was a conquest.
Aris had divided his army in every corner of the country to have a chance of getting reinforcements until the rest of the army arrived. However, this was only to happen in the event of a minor force being deployed by the enemy. In this case, Koran had sent her entire army. The northern army didn't even have time to resist. Aris thought. A pure massacre aimed not at dissolving but at extinguishing. As if they had nothing left to lose. As if they were sure to win. In total war, Koran shouldn't have the upper hand. It was impossible. Aris Ronegard was single-handedly creating the greatest threat on earth. The only way they could win was to isolate Aris from Ren and launch one of the biggest offensives of all time. However, this was only possible if...
'They made an alliance.'
Aris understood, but it was already far too late. Koran's attack was aimed solely at getting the King to face the North in a hurry. However, the enemy knew that an all-out war for a single nation was a lost cause, because once the army was assembled, it would be impossible to win. So they launched the offensive in the south, to avoid having to call on reinforcements. The divided army had no chance of winning. However, there was still some doubt as to whether Arkis' army was one of the best. They needed more support than Arkis herself.
'The East'