Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 518: King Torin

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?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of Anglius’s mouth. The standoff had become a test of nerves and strategic theatrics. Every gesture, every word now would resonate through both armies, shaping how the next moments unfolded. Forcing the other party to make the first diplomatic overture was the best opening for the Xaos Kingdom’s agenda.

Taking a deep breath, Grand Marshal Anglius marched forward alone, leaving his soldiers in neat, disciplined lines behind him. He advanced steadily, the ground trembling under the weight of his massive golden form. The city’s troops tensed and shifted uneasily, wary of this towering figure drawing ever nearer.

Anglius finally halted exactly one hundred and fifty meters from the base of the wall, making it clear he posed no imminent physical threat. His solemn, resonant voice carried easily across the open ground.

"I am Anglius," he declared, "Grand Marshal of the Xaos Kingdom—ruler of the Asani and Monsoon Continents."

A murmur of shock rippled through the ranks of the city’s forces. The apocalypse had not occurred so long ago that they had forgotten the geography of the world. They understood exactly how vast the Asani and Monsoon Continents were. Even before the world had plunged into chaos—back when travel between continents was routine, aided by an advanced communication network—the notion of a single power dominating an entire continent was unthinkable. Yet something in Anglius’s presence suggested that he was not exaggerating.

The dwarf leader’s eyes flicked from the golden giant to the thirty thousand Xaos soldiers standing behind him in perfect, silent order. The sheer discipline and potent aura they radiated went beyond anything he had ever witnessed.

’Could these people truly have conquered an entire continent?’ the dwarf wondered. He forced himself to remain calm, taking a steady breath to quell his racing heart. Then, with a purposeful stride, he closed the distance to just thirty meters from Anglius. Although he was physically dwarfed by the golden giant—who stood as tall as a small building—his imposing aura did not falter. He had not earned the title of World King Candidate through good fortune alone.

"I am Torin," the dwarf said sharply, his voice resonating with confidence. "King of the Strong Hammer Kingdom. Are you here in search of war?"

Grand Marshal Anglius felt the intensity of Torin’s presence like a tangible force, and he could not help but admire the dwarf’s resolve. ’This is a real leader,’ Anglius thought, choosing his words carefully.

"We come in peace," the golden giant replied. "The Xaos Kingdom does not seek to harm or subjugate human forces."

"That’s a large army to bring in the name of peace," Torin retorted with a sardonic lift of his brow.

Anglius let out a slight chuckle, appreciating the dwarf’s keen wit. He saw no point in dancing around the truth. "Our forces in Oceanis do indeed number more than a million, but their primary purpose is to eradicate the alien invaders and the monstrous creatures that roam these lands. As of this moment, we have already secured the outer ring of the continent, neutralizing all threats to humanity. Every human enclave and outpost we’ve encountered has joined the Xaos Kingdom."

The statement reverberated through Torin’s mind, and he could feel the shock rippling among the ranks behind him. Anglius had, in a mere handful of sentences, made three startling claims. First, that the Xaos Kingdom boasted an army of over one million soldiers—if they were all as well-trained and well-equipped as the thirty thousand present, their collective might was unimaginable.

Second, that these forces had supposedly cleansed the outer ring of Oceanis of all aliens and monsters, which aligned suspiciously well with the recent lull in attacks on the Strong Hammer Kingdom. And finally, that tens of millions of human survivors had already aligned themselves with Xaos, swelling its dominion.

A pensive hush settled over the battlefield, both sides grappling with the enormity of these revelations. At last, Torin voiced the question lurking in the back of every mind gathered there. "Are you truly so powerful?"

To accomplish all that Anglius claimed would require a power beyond anything Torin had witnessed. Grand Marshal Anglius offered only a cryptic smile in response, as though the question itself amused him.

Without speaking further, he tilted his head back, casting his gaze skyward. Torin followed suit. At first, he saw only a pinprick of black against the azure canvas, so high up that even his keen dwarven eyes struggled to make it out. Then, a flash caught his eye—a spark of brilliance that grew more intense by the second.

A moment later, a thunderous, high-pitched drone ripped through the air.

"ZNNNNNNNNNNNNNN—" The shriek seemed to come from all directions at once.

A bolt of concentrated energy—a laser cannon—plummeted from the heavens at hypersonic speed. Torin and his soldiers watched in numb disbelief as it slammed into a distant mountain range with a blinding flash. An instant later, that entire expanse of stone erupted in an overwhelming, fiery explosion.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM—"

The sheer force of the detonation rocked the earth beneath them, sending tremors through the ground and raising dust in the distance. Torin felt the shockwave deep in his bones. For one horrifying instant, he imagined the same energy beam striking his city. We would all be dead—gone in a single breath.

Cold dread seeped into his heart. As the cloud of debris drifted away, an imposing figure descended from the sky. Landing gracefully, he appeared to hover above the rubble, exuding an aura of boundless energy. Though the dwarf could not know the truth, Vlad had nearly exhausted his reserves of spiritual energy, Depraivta Aura, and body strength to conjure that strike. Even so, he masked his fatigue behind an unyielding regal bearing, letting the subtle pulses of his power ripple across the battlefield.

"I am the Xaos King," Vlad declared, his voice resounding with an otherworldly power. "I come to show you a path to a better world—a future where order, righteousness, and meritocracy stand above all else. If you and your people join my kingdom, you will never again fear the alien menace."