Tyrant of the Ruined Sun

The men felt as though they were in an odd dream, with even Hekan blinking his eyes repeatedly in a daze, as they all questioned why would the Mercenary King be laughing at this hour. The hour of constant upheavals that even threw his own and everyone else's expectations and plans into a loop.

Yet the War Dragon cared nothing for their gazes and continued his unabashed glee.

He finally stopped several seconds later, as he said while wiping the tears threatening to fall from his eyes "Marvellously done! Absolutely marvellous!" But then he asked, a content smile on his face "So, shall we decide how to finally end our match now lord? Or do you have any more fun surprises for me?"

"I don't think I need any more surprises by this point. This battle's victor has already been crowned, don't you agree?" I smirkingly replied.

Maximillian howled in laughter again, before he suddenly stopped, his whole demeanour and air completely different now, as he said in a chilling tone of repressed rage "So what? Did you think I would just accept your victory? I don't know if you're aware lord of the Eclipse Empire, but the only thing that surpasses my joy when defeating my opponents in a battle of strategy, is my anger when I lose said battle."

"And?" I contemptuously replied "What does it matter what you feel, this battle is already lost and there is nothing more you can do to change that now."

"Incorrect." He shot back, his aura exploding out like an erupting volcano, forcing Hekan to release his own to counter it, which caused the tower to begin quaking beneath our boots, like a new born babe before winter's razor winds "Trapped I and my men may be, but you should never underestimate a cornered beast, no matter how wounded and helpless it might be." He then continued with a knowing smile "Besides, do you think I haven't noticed your glaring weakness. You could have won this battle on the very first day of battle had you been ruthless enough, but you didn't. Because you care about the survival of your army, you need your army to escape this battle in as a pristine state as possible, something I can still do with relative ease."

"You think you can threaten me with my own army?" I roared out in a furious roar of distorted depravity.

"Can't I?" He replied, gloating "You have three ninth rank pieces, and now so do I. You have one eighth rank piece, and so do I. So why not have the rest of our men settle this once and for all. Though I might still lose this battle, you would lose far more than that!"

Yet instead of a howl of vexation, a burst of anger or even a sigh of despair, I instead released a mangled torrent of mad tainted sounds that sounded to some like laughter, as my lips warped into a bastardized image of a smile, while my eyes, now fully unveiled of it's usual cloak of sanity, became two howling abyssal vortexes of muted horror, as I replied with deranged excitement, while slowly rising from my seat "Very well then Mercenary King, we'll have it your way. Let us shackle the God of Death to this accursed place, and fight this battle to it's bloody end, until only one of us stands at it's haunting end!"

Maximillian was physically taken aback by my words, his face showing his shock, before it too morphed into a bloody thirsty grin of glee, as his eyes smouldered in their sockets like two burning coals, and that previous mirage of two dragons once again returned to the petrified eyes of the gathered men, but now these two monsters were not facing each other across a chess board, but were snarling at one another, claws gleaming, fangs snapping; ready to rip each other to shreds, even at the cost of there lives.

"H-How about a draw then?!" But before our savagery could be finally released, Hekan with sweat racing down his forehead called out, his glowing eyes frantic.

Maximillian and I paused, the previous air of ripening bloodlust popping prematurely by the interruption, as we looked in bewilderment at the ancient sage, waiting for him to explain "The way I see it is that both of you are determined to win, but continuing this battle any further will only reap you more death and ruin, with both of you ultimately losing even more and achieving a hollow victory, if anything at all. So how about just cutting your losses here and simply deciding that neither of you won, but neither of you lost either." Hekan quickly spoke, firing his words faster and faster with each passing syllable, as if he was afraid to run out of time before he could finish his argument.

Maximillian and I stared at each other for a moment, before our auras began to slowly withdraw, eliciting a huge sigh of relief of not only Hekan, but from the gathered men as well, knowing that we'd silently agreed to the Archmage's proposal.

"Issue the order to cease the fighting." I commanded, as the signal corps quickly blew their horns, while Maximillian calmly raised his arm and unleashed a massive flame that brightened the skies with a blinding scarlet glow for a few seconds and as it faded it spelled the word, halt.

And with that the sounds of battle both distant and close began to slowly die out, like small candles being snuffed out one by one.

Maximillian looked around him for minute, seemingly committing this day to heart, before he focused back on me and said with a simple bow "Until next time emperor."

I returned the favour, but before he could take his leave, I called out "One moment lord, I have a question I would like an answer to before you leave."

He paused, and said in reply "Certainly. But since you've brought it up, I have a question of my own I would like your clarification."

"How did appear in my lands without us knowing about it?" I seriously asked, as this has been one of the greatest mysteries since the beginning of this whole mess.

Hearing my words, Maximillian smirked before saying "There is nothing that can not be done in the east if you satiate the Golden Glutton, and my employer this time happens to hold a great deal of his favourite snack."

The men looked at each other in confusion, not understanding his meaning, but to me they were not only as clear as they could've been, but they even shocked me, because he's just confirmed not one but two of my earlier suspicions, giving more than I'd asked for.

"So what do you want in return?" I asked, knowing that such information would not come out of his lips for cheap.

"Just answer me this question lord." His eyes narrowed at this moment "Where is the Martial Demon?"

'I knew he would ask that.' I annoyedly thought, knowing full well that Hamilcar's absence in this war has been far too apparent.

"Leave us." I commanded, not wanting my words to be heard by unwanted ears.

"But my liege..." They all spoke out, my Palace Guard especially, fearful of leaving me alone with him.

"The battle is over and with it our animosity. Besides, lord Hekan is still here, and Abraham and Isaac are also coming back so my safety is guaranteed, now leave." I coldly said.

"Very well, sire." They replied, as they shuffled away, their eyes often darting back to Maximillian warningly.

"Loyal men." He whistled, impressed.

"They are." I affirmed before answering "...South."

Like him I answered vaguely, but it was still more than enough for his eyes to brighten in understanding.

"Can I trust you to not repeat this information?" I asked, not wanting this information being leaked ahead of schedule, which would already prove difficult enough, since the entirety of the world's governments going to absolutely try and look into the reason of Hamilcar's disappearance.

"Ordinarily, no... but if you promise to not whisper my own words in others ears, then I suppose I could do so, as a small favour between the both of us." He said smirkingly.

Snorting in contempt, I say in reply "Favour? I think not. I might be inconvenienced if you spill my secret, but it was going to be known sooner or later any way. But I wonder what would happen to you if I told the vengeful masters of the east and west of your little slip of the tongue earlier? I doubt even you could handle the wrath of both those giants crashing down upon you."

Slumping his shoulders, Maximillian said in annoyance "Fine then. I must say lord, I didn't take you for a miser."

Rolling my eyes at him, I was about to respond when he vanished in a blinding burst of crimson flames, the last evidence of his presence here today being the scorch marks on the stone beneath where he stood.