Hitman with a Badass System - Chapter 694: Forming an Army I
Library

Chapter 694: Forming an Army I

Inside the castle, Michael leaned on one of the pillars. The room he was standing in was rather empty. It only had a long oak table and fireplace to warm the air. Gaya sat on the end of the table while the Zulons sat on the other end. Zulon's king Baladur was a Half-Orc. He was neither tall as an orc nor short as an average human. His skin had a tinge of jade green. Baladur inherited his facial features from his human mother and his body from his orc father. Light green, shaggy hair almost fully covered the fine, frowning face of Baladur. Expressive blue eyes set narrowly within their sockets, watching impatiently over the newcomers.

Besides Baladur, the prince of Zulon remained calm and composed. Because Prince Zorfu's mother was also an orc, he looked like any other orc with his thick green skin, tusks, and big muscular physique. Unlike his father, Corfu tied his green hair into a ponytail. His gaze swept between the girl, the dragon sitting atop her shoulder, and the Half Immortal leaning on the pillar. Silence haunted the room. The firewood crackled under the scorching flames. They all waited for General Yagnar to enter the room.

Finally, the orc general opened the room. Fear and concern were written all over Yagnar's face. He clenched his spear tight. When he saw everyone was safe, he looked relieved/ Yagnar heaved a sigh of relief.

"Your majesty, your royal highness," Yangar bowed.

"Rise," Baladur ordered Yagnar with his surprisingly soft voice.

Yagar lifted his head up. He glared at everyone. They all expected the Half Immortal to speak his mind. Finally, Michael opened his mouth.

"Before we start, let me clear things up. I am not here to negotiate. I am here to tell you what to do if you want your kingdom back and end this war once and for all," said Michael. None of them dared to talk back at Michael because of his cultivation stage.

"Do you want your kingdom back or not?" asked Gaya. Baladur and Zorfu slowly nodded. They both knew even if the Half Immortal asked for half of the kingdom, they had to give him. They were not in a position to negotiate. Without him, their own soldiers would have rebelled and opened the gates for Maddox and his men. At that time, they would have lost the entire kingdom.

Michael noticed the concern in their eyes.

"If you're worried about whether I would ask something unreasonable, don't. I am putting together an army to destroy Thusia, and I want yours to join me. Say no, and I will leave you alone. We both know what will happen next," said Michael. They could imagine what Maxim Barnes would do next when he heard his generals were cut in half. By slaughtering the army single-handedly, Michael saved Zulon and put them in danger at the same time.

"If may I ask," Baladur's words trailed. He carefully chose his next words.

"Why do you want an army, my lord? With your power, you can destroy Thusia single-handedly," said Baladur. Because Michael was a Half Immortal, even the king addressed him as 'my lord.'

"If I do that, I'll be the priority number one of the Immortal Council. It's bullying. But if you fight back, that's war. And anything is fair in war," said Michael. He was nonchalant.

"As you may or may not have heard, Zulon is not a military nation. Our army consists of commoners with no real battle experience. As much as I hate to admit it, we are weak in terms of military power," Baladur sighed.

Hearing the king, Michael just snickered.

"Dying as weak is better than living as a slave. As I said, I am not here to negotiate. Talk to your general and give me an answer. I will give you fifteen minutes," Michael flew out of the room in a blink of an eye. The dragon and the girl followed him behind, leaving Yagnar with the king and the prince.

"Your majesty," Yagnar called, looking at the king.

"There is nothing to think about this, father," said Zorfu.

"We either do what he says and stay behind him or fall when MAxim Barnes sent another battalion of soldiers to Westborough. General Yagnar," Prince Zorfu turned his gaze toward the general.

"Tell me if I am wrong"

Yagnar shook his head.

"Your majesty, permission to speak freely," asked Yagnar, bowing his head.

"Go ahead," said the king.

"This is our fight, your majesty. We cannot expect that young man to fight for us, and I don't think he will. I saw general Maddox burn villagers of Lawson village alive. Our own soldiers rebelled against our orders to open the gates. How strong or weak our soldiers are wont matter when we don't even have a kingdom,"

"I know that, General Yagnar," The king sighed.

"Maybe I am selfish, but I don't want those youngsters to lose their lives fighting a war against Thusia. They have a lot to live for,"

"Father, are you hearing yourself?" Zorfu creased his brows.

"Just think what would happen if the Half Immortal left us. The next battalion will break the city walls in a few days. Do you think Thusians will show us any mercy? They will slaughter everyone in the city. Zulon will fall. Like it or not, this is war. Those youngsters and soldiers will die whether you agree or not. The difference is, if we listen to the Half Immortal, their deaths would mean a future for Zulon,"

"His royal highness is right, your majesty," said Yagnar.

"You are both right. It's time we fight back. With a Half Immortal on our side, we have a chance to unify all the other kingdoms against Thusia," After a long pondering moment, Baladur rose with a new resolute in his eyes. He was not trained or had experience in making wartime decisions. Zulon was a peaceful kingdom that focused on education and science. Therefore, Baladur took a few moments to make an obvious decision. Following Baladur's resolve, they waited for Michael to arrive again.

Just like before, Michael flew through the window and landed in the room.

"We will follow you, my lord," King Baladur and Prince Zorfu bowed their heads.

"I would have been shocked if you didn't come to this decision. From now on, she is your wartime general. You will obey every command she gives you," Michael turned his gaze toward Yagnar.

"Listen to her, and you will get your two cities back in no time," Michael disappeared from the room after pointing at Gaya. He was on his way to Kingdom Suven, another kingdom that was at war with Thusia. After Michael left, Gaya turned her cold gaze toward Yagnar.

"I put the bodies of Maddox and his men outside on the ice. Take them, put them in a pike and parade them throughout your conquered cities. Make sure Thusians see the bodies crystal clear,"

Gaya's order stunned Yagnar. He couldn't believe a delicate young woman like her was capable of giving such gruesome orders. But she shocked them further with her following order.

"Maddox is still alive. He cannot do anything, but he is somewhat alive. So take his body and put them in the front. He is our main piece to break the thusian spirit," Gaya spoke as she slowly walked toward Yagnar.

"Let's do this huh," She patted Yagnar's back.

"My lady," Prince Zorfu called for her.

"Stop calling as My lady and my lord. I am Miss Aelia, and he is Master Ghost, got it?"

As soon as they heard the names, they were stunned. Zorfu immediately recognized the names.

"He is Ghost? The five-star alchemist of Elon?"

"In the flesh," said Gaya.

The King and Prince Zorfu were speechless. They heard Ghost was the guild leader of the Thusian Alchemy Guild. So they wondered what had happened between them.

"What do we do next, Miss Aelia?" asked Yagnar while the king and prince were silent.

"Just tell the thusians you are prepared to let them head back to thusia if they give the city back without violence,"

"Will they do that?" asked Prince Zorfu.

"Of course, they won't. That's where this little fella comes into the picture," Gaya rubbed Nightmare's chin.

"I assume you have a portal connecting your cities," asked Gaya as Yagnar nodded.

"Wonderful. There is no perfect time like the present. Let's go,"

*************************************

Erected in the southern part of Zulon, the city of Coalfell was home to the majority of the dwarves in Zulon. These dwarves hailed from their ancestor kingdom in Awor and settled down in Coalfell because of the abundance of mines and ores. The town itself looked delightful with its spruce wood rooftops, copper walls, and huge, majestic geyser. Simply put, Coalfell had a heavenly atmosphere.

Maxim Barnes targeted Coalfell first due to its mines. He planned to use these ores and metals to arm his soldiers. General Maddox let one of his captains, Captain Hanshaw, control Coalfell in his stead. The man treated the miners and every single citizen in Coalfell like his slaves. It was midnight in Coalfell, yet the black smoke fumed from the long chimneys attached to forges. Screams of women resonated continuously within the city gates.

The portal connecting Westborough to Coalfell was located in an open ground. It was an arena with hundreds of seats built around it. The citizens of Coalfell came to this arena to watch dramas put on by various drama groups that visited Coalfell often. Currently, the thusians used the arena as an execution site. When Yagnar, Sarrin, and a group of soldiers appeared on the open ground, their senses were overwhelmed with the smell of blood. Body parts and blood-steined clothes littered the ground. Patches of blood turned the snow on the ground red.

"INTRUDERS!"

As soon as the thusian soldiers patrolling the site saw the group, they shouted.

"Be calm," Gaya personally led the group to Coalfell. She told them to remain calm. Because of the darkness, the thusians still hadn't seen the bodies on pikes.

"Tell your captain that a Fusion Stage warrior is here for his head," Gaya's shout echoed through the arena.

"Let every single soldier in Coalfell come here," Gaya grinned devilishly.