Ancient Imperial Calendar Year 1814
The Sovereign of the North, Jarl III Kayra Khan, and his 2,500,000 soldiers had entered the Western Territories, destroying all settlements in their path and slaughtering their populations. The attacks, which began in January 1814, continued until the last day of February, resulting in the massacre of 1,500,000 people.
Ricardo was closely monitoring the attacks through his intelligence chief, Rodwel Karluk, trying to lure the enemy forces to the desired area using traps, guerrillas, and bait. And finally, he succeeded.
Jarl III Kayra Khan and Kislavein Dynasty Heir Ricardo Kislavein faced each other in the Vergilon Mountains.
Kayra Khan rode his horse alone to the very center of the battlefield. Seeing this, Ricardo was about to do the same when Marco stopped him.
"Dynasty Heir, wait. What if this is a trap?"
In response to Marco's anxious call, Ricardo maintained his calm demeanor. "Kayra Khan is alone.Furthermore, the Northern Peoples, known for their warrior identities, don't resort to such cheap tricks."
Marco moved out of Ricardo's way, but he was not at ease inside.
Ricardo spurred his horse and came face to face with Kayra Khan in the very center of the battlefield.
Jarl III Kayra Khan, with a smiling face, held his horse's reins and looked into Ricardo's eyes as if he were an admirer. "I heard you crushed the rebellion with overwhelming superiority,Heir Ricardo. You've truly earned my respect. Such an achievement at just 18 years old is truly admirable."
Ricardo replied without breaking his serious and respectful attitude. "I offer my thanks for your praise,Jarl Kayra Khan. I would have liked to host you in my palace, but you've come with quite a crowd."
Jarl III Kayra Khan continued speaking without losing his smile. "How kind.I will host you in that palace, don't worry, hahaha!"
Jarl III Kayra Khan openly declared that he would conquer all the Western Territories, including the Kislavein capital, Kislathor. This angered Ricardo, but he controlled his rage and remained calm. "If you live long enough to see my palace,why not, hahaha!"
Ricardo was clearly telling Kayra he would die here. Kayra didn't respond to the retort, just laughed. "Just as I expected from you,hahaha! You're funny. Well, I have a question for you. You destroyed Pleven, the seat of the Pleyciys Dynasty. So what did you do to Wilheim's son?"
Wilheim's son, II Oscar. II Oscar had been briefly placed on the throne as the last Dynasty Lord of the Pleyciys after his father's death.
"When my soldiers were committing genocide in Pleven, I gave the order for the son of the traitor, my nephew II Oscar, to be 'folded' as well. Why do you ask? Did you think I would spare the traitor's son just because he's my nephew?"
Kayra Khan took a deep breath. "You are truly a ruthless leader,Ricardo Kislavein. Just as every Ancient Dynasty Lord should be. But being this cruel at such a young age is truly impressive. As for why I asked... if Wilheim had been successful in the rebellion and captured the Western Lands, I was going to marry his son, II Oscar, to one of my grandchildren."
Ricardo grinned as if he were a villain. "Hahah,maybe after I conquer the North, I'll marry one of those grandchildren myself."
Kayra's veins bulged with anger. The arrogance of the young man before him, who had a very high chance of losing the war, was getting on his nerves. "If you're just a smooth talker,you will pay a very heavy price for it, Ricardo Kislavein."
Kayra Khan turned his back and returned to the head of his army. Ricardo also spurred his horse and returned to his army.
Kayra Khan rode his horse left and right, using mana to strengthen his vocal cords so his words would be heard by the entire army. "Wolves of the North!Crows overflowing with fury! I, Jarl Kayra Khan, offer you only one thing: VICTORY!"
The Northern soldiers shouted Kayra's name. "For the North!For Conquest! For Tengrodin, the King of the Gods in Heaven! ATTACK!"
Seeing the enemy attack, Ricardo drew his sword and used mana to amplify his voice. "My soldiers!Let us honor the spirits of our ancestors! Let us cleanse our lands of the Northern invaders! Attack WITH ME!"
The Kislavein army attacked under Ricardo's lead. Both sides engaged in a bloody fight. Severed heads and limbs flew through the air; the black soil was saturated with blood.
In the first clash, Ricardo used the strongest attack he could muster with his aura. With a single swing, he cut down five thousand men. Then he shaped his aura into a massive hammer. A single swing killed ten thousand men.
Jarl III Kayra was not content to just watch all this. He placed one hand on the ground and performed earth magic. Thousands of sharp earthen spears emerged from the ground, impaling twenty thousand Kislavein soldiers.
Jarl Kayra Khan and Ricardo soon saw each other. Ignoring the soldiers who were no different than ants to them, they focused on each other. "I think we should fight the only enemy worthy of ourselves,Ricardo Kislavein," said Kayra arrogantly.
"You're right, Kayra Turvig. This trash doesn't interest me."
The duo's conversation didn't last long. They attacked. When their aura-charged swords clashed, a massive sound wave burst the eardrums of the soldiers around them. Thousands of soldiers from both sides died.
With each clash of their swords, thousands more soldiers fell. Finally, both sides withdrew so as not to get lost in the duel.
For a few minutes, Kayra gauged Ricardo's power. "You have unparalleled power,but you haven't reached your full potential; you're even far from it. Yet, you are this powerful, Ricardo Kislavein."
Just as Kayra began to gain the upper hand over Ricardo, Ricardo made a surprise move and used the Light Element.
Kayra was not expecting this move. "Ahhh!The Light Element! You're not even in your twenties! How did you obtain this power?!"
Kayra began to rage with anger. He rarely lost his composure, but the child before him had obtained a power he himself had only gained in his thirties, and he was just 18 years old. "I obtained it while fighting the Tyrant in the Kerbel Forest,Jarl Kayra Khan."
Kayra began to laugh. "Kerbel!Yes, I heard of it. That forest is a place where you are always face to face with death. But that's not enough! To obtain the Light Element, you need unparalleled mental maturity. That's why the chance of success isn't even one in a hundred million! HOW DID YOU WIN THIS POWER?!"
Kayra attacked in anger. He was faster than light. His body shimmered with the pure white light of the Light Element. "So strong,so fast. What kind of power is this? It's powerful enough to rival my father's power."
Putting these thoughts aside, Ricardo enveloped his entire body with his aura to avoid taking damage from the attacks, then used his mana and light element to the fullest, but he couldn't avoid taking damage. "Ahhhhhh ah ugh!"
Lying on the ground in pain and blood, Ricardo felt death was near. "You should not live,Ricardo Kislavein. You will die here."
He swung his sword hard. Just as it seemed the story was over for Ricardo, Edward Rodwel and Argilac Kislavein threw themselves in front of the swords. If Ricardo died, the Kislavein Dynasty would have no other male heir.
Furthermore, Edward and Argilac had heirs to continue their own bloodlines and Dynasties, so they had no regrets.
The sword swung by Kayra led to the death of two important members of the Kislavein Dynasty.
Ricardo did not miss this opportunity. He began to flee with his last strength. "RETREAT!"
As the Kislavein soldiers fled in fear, Kayra pointed his sword forward. "KILL THEM ALL!"
The Northern soldiers, upon receiving Jarl III Kayra Khan's order for a full-scale attack, charged. There wasn't much distance between the two armies. Just as the Northerners were about to catch the Western soldiers, a massive wall of ice emerged from the ground.
Jarl Kayra Khan wondered who had cast this spell and examined the mana around him. Then he saw two people: Arnheid and Arlek from the Payrist Dynasty. "Hmph.Impressive. But it will take more than this to stop me."
When Kayra swung his sword, he couldn't cut the wall. He was surprised. "How can a simple ice wall withstand my sword?"
He placed his hand on the wall and felt the Light Element within it. "Ricardo..."
Kayra channeled the Light Element into his sword, then shaped his aura into a straight blade and swung. The ice wall shattered into pieces. Kayra shouted in anger. "KILL THEM ALL!"
The Northern soldiers attacked furiously. After a while, they caught up to the Western soldiers, but something was strange. Mountains surrounded them. Kayra realized something. "We've fallen into a trap."
At that moment, the Western soldiers waiting in ambush attacked and surrounded the Northerners. The Turvig soldiers panicked. They were about to be hunted by the Wolf's Trap tactic, which they had used for centuries to defeat larger armies. "Whatever.No problem. I can break this siege alone."
Jarl III Kayra Khan was confident, but the trap was not just the Wolf's Trap.
Jacop and three legions of Dark Mages under his command appeared on the mountain peak. Then, a massive dark mist descended from the mountain onto the Turvig soldiers. The black mist entered the soldiers' mouths, noses, and ears, clotting their blood within seconds and causing vital organs like the heart to stop. Their veins swelled, black foam poured from their mouths, and they faced a painful death within seconds.
Kayra was affected by the black mist, but he protected himself from its effects using his Aura, Mana, and Light powers. However, the mist seemed to target him specifically. "If I stay here,my power will eventually run out. Where is that Ricardo? Where?"
Ricardo was healing his wounds at the very rear of his soldiers. When Kayra spotted him, he attacked in fury. "RICARDOOO!"
Kayra used all his power recklessly, casting multiple spells simultaneously.
He created hundreds of fireballs in the air. Kislavein soldiers were dying in agony amidst the flames.
Thousands of stone and earthen spears emerged from the ground, skewering Kislavein soldiers.
Lightning bolts falling from the sky caused sudden and agonizing deaths, rendering the corpses unrecognizable.
Soldiers whose bodies froze solid were torn to pieces by the aura lines Kayra shaped and hurled.
Alongside his magical power, Kayra spent his aura power uncontrollably. He shaped his aura into swords large enough to cut mountains, tearing soldiers apart. The arrows and spears he made from aura had killed soldiers kilometers away.
Kayra, breaking through the lines, had killed a full 200,000 soldiers, but his own power was also depleted. Just then, he felt a cut on his waist. A poison from this cut spread throughout his entire body. He looked down and saw a girl. "Bitch!Whore!"
This girl was Luna Eduvali. Despite her young age, she was considered the most skilled assassin of the Kislavein Dynasty. "I couldn't even sense your presence."
With a punch, Luna was sent flying a kilometer away. She lay on the ground, wounded and in pain. "Ricardo...you sacrificed hundreds of thousands of your soldiers for yourself."
Ricardo laughed as if he were a villain. "My ancestor,the first Emperor of the Ancient Empire, I Harloumen, had a saying: 'All paths are justified on the road to victory.'"
Kayra, in anger, grabbed Ricardo by the throat and lifted him into the air. "Die,bastard! Hah!"
Ricardo stabbed his dagger into Kayra's wrist. Immediately, ice began to spread from his wrist at great speed, encasing Kayra's body. "Wh...at is...this?"
Ricardo smiled. "The Ice Dagger,Silvarist. Even a mere touch transforms the entire body into an ice statue within seconds. I won, Jarl Kayra Khan."
Kayra was in shock. He wasn't afraid of death. Only one thought was on his mind. "How did I lose with an army five times larger?You are truly an impressive young man, Ricardo Kislavein. It was a great pleasure to fight you, hahaha."
Kayra was dead. His icy body shattered, and Ricardo fell to the ground.
In this battle, Kayra and his 2,500,000 soldiers had died. Kislavein casualties were around 360,000, and over 200,000 of them had been killed by Kayra's own hands.
Ricardo had defeated a much larger and more powerful army. Now he had the right to rest a little. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Ancient Imperial Calendar Year 1814
A few months after the war, VI Hasan Arfas, Lord of the Arfas Dynasty ruling the Southern Territories, entered the Western Territories with 4,000,000 soldiers.