The story starts six months later.
We see Ashoka sitting in his chair, handling state business paperwork. Suddenly, the door opens, and Albert enters the room.
"Prince, as I informed you, this year's Royal Gathering will be held in the Kingdom of Rock. The problem is, who will attend the meeting this year? You and I both know that the Queen cannot handle the discussions alone."
Ashoka replied, "Don't worry, Albert. I know Mom cannot handle that meeting alone, but that's why I will go with her and take care of all the trade and political matters."
Then Ashoka asked, "Albert, how many days are left before the Royal Gathering?"
Albert replied, "Prince, the meeting starts in five days, but it will take four days to reach the Kingdom of Rock."
Ashoka nodded.
"So that means we will leave early tomorrow morning."
Albert replied, "Yes, sir. That's why I think you should select soldiers who can provide security during the journey."
Ashoka looked at him.
"What do you mean by 'I should select'? Aren't you coming with me to protect me and Mom? You can choose whichever soldiers you want."
Albert lowered his head.
"Sir, I also want to go with you, but could you grant me one week's leave?"
Ashoka frowned.
"Why?"
Albert answered, "Prince, my wife's health is not very good, and I can't leave her alone for that many days."
Ashoka thought,
I don't want to attend that meeting without Albert. I have a feeling that the Prime Minister may attack us on the way. But this is the first time Albert has ever asked me for something.
Finally, Ashoka said,
"Alright. I grant you one week's leave. But select some excellent soldiers to protect us."
Albert bowed.
"Yes, sir. I will assign some of my army's best soldiers."
[At that time, I thought granting Albert one week's leave was not a big deal, but I didn't know that decision would start a war.]
That night, Ashoka was talking with John in his room.
Ashoka said, "John, I will be leaving the palace for a few days, but I have a task for you. While I am gone, collect information about what happens behind my back."
John replied, "Yes, sir. But were you able to find the thing I requested?"
Ashoka smirked.
"You failed to kill him, and you still think I'll give that thing to you for free?"
John lowered his head.
"Sorry, sir."
Ashoka then threw a box toward John.
"Don't think I found that thing easily. It cost one hundred gold coins."
John became excited.
"Thank you, sir. I knew you weren't completely stone-hearted."
Ashoka rolled his eyes.
"Stop this nonsense and leave. I only bought it because I hate drinking."
It was then revealed that the thing John wanted was a seventy-year-old whisky.
Only seven bottles of that whisky existed in the world, and Ashoka had given one of them to John.
John left the room.
The next morning, Ashoka and Queen Victoria sat inside a carriage. One thousand soldiers accompanied them as protection.
Eli was also sitting inside the carriage.
Eli thought,
Why am I traveling with the Prince and the Queen? Why am I sitting in the same carriage as them? Doesn't he know that I am the daughter of a bandit leader? Or do they plan to kill me on the way?
While Eli was thinking, Ashoka said,
"Mom, I don't think I've properly introduced you to her. This girl's name is Eli, and she works under me."
Queen Victoria smiled warmly.
"Hello, Eli. My name is Victoria. Please protect my son and take care of him in the future."
Eli became nervous.
"Y-Yes... Yes, Your Majesty. I will protect the Prince with my life."
Ashoka sighed.
"Don't act as if I'm a little boy. And if you're wondering why I brought you here, it's because I want to see how much stronger you've become after six months of training."
Eli looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Ashoka smiled.
"You'll understand in a few days."
Four days later...
[Only five hours remained before they would enter the Kingdom of Rock.]
The soldiers were marching ahead of the carriage when suddenly a massive explosion occurred.
Three hundred to four hundred soldiers died instantly.
The scene was horrifying.
Some soldiers had lost their legs, some had lost their arms, and some had suffered severe injuries. Cries of agony filled the battlefield.
The remaining soldiers were shocked.
"How did this happen?"
"Who planted explosives on the road?"
Suddenly, a group of bandits emerged from the forest and began attacking the soldiers.
Their leader shouted,
"Kill all the soldiers and kidnap the woman inside the carriage! Move quickly!"
The soldiers tried to stop them, but it was too late.
Two bandits opened the carriage door.
However, they had unknowingly made the biggest mistake of their lives.
The next moment, both of their heads were cut off.
The bandit leader was shocked.
"Who did that?"
Then we saw Ashoka stepping out of the carriage with a sword in his hand.
"Who wants to kidnap my mother? If you have no fear of death, then come and try."
Ashoka leaped forward and killed forty to fifty bandits within seconds.
He thought,
Thanks to six months of training, I can control my magic much more efficiently. I am using Strength Magic on my legs, making my muscles stronger and faster. Now I can kill them far more efficiently.
The bandit leader narrowed his eyes.
"So the information was true. The Prince really possesses magical power."
Then he shouted,
"Brogy! Come and kill that bastard!"
A giant figure emerged from the forest.
He was over eight feet tall, extremely fat, and carried a massive metal hammer.
Ashoka thought,
What is that thing? He's as tall as Atlas, and that hammer is made entirely of metal. This is no ordinary man.
Meanwhile, the soldiers continued fighting the bandits.
Eli jumped out of the carriage and immediately joined the battle.
She drew four arrows at once and released them.
All four arrows hit their targets, killing four bandits instantly.
She continued fighting as if it were effortless.
At the same time, Ashoka faced Brogy.
Brogy swung his massive hammer.
Ashoka dodged, but a cut appeared on his face.
I barely dodged that attack. If it had connected, my head would have been separated from my body.
Brogy continued attacking relentlessly.
Finally, Ashoka released his magical power and sliced Brogy's hammer in half.
Ashoka smirked.
"What will you do now?"
Brogy laughed.
"You should look at your sword too, boy."
Ashoka looked down.
His sword had shattered as well.
The two continued fighting with their bare hands.
Meanwhile, the bandit leader thought,
We're not here to fight. We're here to kidnap the Queen.
The bandit leader rushed toward the carriage.
However, Eli fired an arrow at him.
"You can't. Protecting this carriage is my responsibility."
The bandit leader blocked the arrow and attacked Eli with his sword.
The scene then shifted to the Royal Gathering.
All the kings had arrived in the Kingdom of Rock and were seated in the meeting hall.
Griffin turned to Mark.
"Have the Prince and that woman arrived yet?"
Mark replied,
"No, sir. We hired those bandits to kidnap Queen Victoria. That way they won't reach the meeting."
"If we submit that letter during the Royal Gathering, then the Kingdom of Power will officially be accused of breaking the agreement. The letter bears the signatures of all ten ministers, the Prime Minister, and even the late King himself."
"I believe those bandits are fighting them right now."
Griffin smiled.
"I didn't expect Shakuni to forge Rajendra's signature on that letter. I still don't know how he managed to copy it so perfectly."
On the battlefield, the bandit leader defeated Eli.
He cut her bow in half with his sword.
Without her bow, Eli could do very little.
The bandit leader grabbed Queen Victoria from the carriage and escaped toward the forest.
Ashoka saw what happened but couldn't stop him because he was still fighting Brogy.
The moment Ashoka realized his mother had been kidnapped, his expression changed.
"Enough games."
With a roar, he released all of his magical power.
A golden aura surrounded his body.
Ashoka punched Brogy.
Then he struck him again and again.
After five devastating blows, Brogy dropped to his knees from the pain.
Ashoka grabbed his head with both hands and crushed it.
Brogy died instantly.
Ashoka immediately mounted a horse and chased after the bandit leader at full speed.
The scene shifted back to the Royal Gathering.
Several hours later, as the meeting was about to end, Griffin stood up.
"I have some information. As we all know, the King of the Kingdom of Power could not attend this year's gathering, but they sent a letter."
Griffin handed the letter to the most powerful king among the Ten Kingdoms.
King Keiro of the Kingdom of Time
Appearance: He is a very calm and cool-minded man. He has green eyes, green hair, and stands six feet tall.
Keiro read the letter.
"It says that the Kingdom of Power wishes to withdraw from the agreement that ended the wars between our kingdoms."
One of the kings immediately spoke.
It was King Sorin of the Kingdom of Wind.
"Are you sure this letter is genuine?"
Keiro nodded.
"Yes. Every minister, the Prime Minister, and even the King signed it."
Sorin frowned.
"But didn't King Rajendra die from illness this year? Why would he sign such a letter before his death?"
Keiro calmly replied,
"Sit down, King Sorin. You are the King of Wind. Conduct yourself properly."
"We don't know why King Rajendra signed this letter, but the signature is genuine."
"It appears he wished to break the agreement before his death. I do not want his final wish to remain unfulfilled."
"Does anyone disagree with me?"
Only Sorin opposed the decision.
The remaining seven kings agreed.
Keiro nodded.
"Very well. The majority supports my proposal."
"The decision is final."
"With the approval of the gathered kings, I officially declare that the Kingdom of Power is removed from the agreement."
"If the Kingdom of Power starts a war against any kingdom, it will be considered a war against all nine kingdoms."
"However, if one of the nine kingdoms attacks the Kingdom of Power, we have no obligation to interfere."
Griffin smiled.
The plan succeeded.
Now the real game begins.
Meanwhile, Ashoka continued chasing the bandit leader.
Finally, he threw his sword.
The sword struck the horse's legs.
The horse lost its balance and crashed to the ground.
Ashoka dismounted and grabbed the bandit leader by the hair.
"Your death is near, bastard. How dare you lay a hand on my mother?"
The bandit leader laughed.
"Our job is already done, boy. I don't think you'll reach that meeting in time."
Ashoka was shocked.
"What do you mean? Tell me! What is your real plan? Who sent you here?"
The bandit leader shook his head.
"I can't tell you. If I do, that bastard will kill my wife and son."
Suddenly, foam appeared around his mouth.
He had already taken poison.
Within moments, he died.
Ashoka released him.
He poisoned himself before falling from the horse.
He said someone would kill his family.
The person behind this isn't ordinary.
And I don't think it's the Prime Minister... but then who is it?
Ashoka reunited with his mother and returned to the carriage.
The remaining soldiers killed the rest of the bandits.
Only three hundred soldiers remained alive.
The group continued traveling.
When they finally reached the gates of the Kingdom of Rock, the gates remained closed.
Ashoka stepped forward.
"We have come for the Royal Gathering. Open the gates."
The guards replied,
"The Royal Gathering is over. All the kings have already returned to their kingdoms."
"We have also received orders from our king. You are not allowed to enter because your kingdom has broken the agreement."
"From this day forward, your soldiers are considered enemies."
Ashoka was shocked.
"What nonsense are you talking about? How did our kingdom break the agreement?"
The guard replied,
"We don't know, sir. We are only following orders."
Ashoka began thinking calmly.
So this was the Prime Minister's plan.
But how did he execute it?
There were only two ways to break the agreement.
The first was to start a war, but he couldn't do that because he didn't control the army.
The second was to submit an official request...
Then Ashoka suddenly realized.
Submit!
He used the second method.
But how did he get my father's signature?
And most importantly, I have no evidence proving Shakuni did all of this.
Ashoka turned to the soldiers.
"We are returning home."
Four days later, they arrived back at the Kingdom of Power.
Ashoka said,
"Eli, come with me."
Then he turned to his mother.
"Mom, go and rest in your room."
Ashoka and Eli went to meet Albert in the General's office.
Albert was busy handling military paperwork.
As soon as Ashoka entered, Albert smiled.
"Welcome back, Prince."
Ashoka replied,
"This is not the time for welcomes. Gather all five commanders and meet me at the military training grounds."
Albert looked confused.
"Prince, is something important happening?"
"Don't ask questions. Just follow my orders."
Albert immediately saluted.
"Yes, sir."
Then he hesitated.
"However, only two commanders are currently in the kingdom."
Ashoka frowned.
"What do you mean? Where are the other three?"
Albert replied,
"They went with the Prime Minister to the Kingdom of Wind. He said he wanted to meet merchants who supply alcohol to our kingdom."
Ashoka stared at him.
"And why did you send three commanders to protect him?"
Albert answered,
"Because neither you nor the Queen was here. His authority was the highest in the kingdom, and he demanded three commanders for protection. I couldn't refuse."
Ashoka clenched his fists.
That bastard.
"Please tell me you didn't send their armies too."
Albert replied,
"No, sir. We only assigned one thousand soldiers to him, but..."
Ashoka interrupted.
"But what?"
Albert continued,
"The commanders brought their personal armies with them."
"They took an additional ten thousand soldiers each."
Ashoka's eyes widened.
"So they took thirty thousand soldiers to protect one man? What a waste."
Then he took a deep breath.
"Forget it."
"Prepare the army."
"War is about to begin."
"I believe another kingdom is preparing to attack us."
Albert was shocked.
"What do you mean, Prince? What happened at the Royal Gathering?"
Ashoka replied,
"I'll explain after we win the war."
"We are already four days too late."
The scene then shifted to the border of the Kingdom of Power.
Standing atop a hill, Griffin looked down at the massive kingdom.
"So this is the border of the Kingdom of Power."
"Those walls are indeed enormous."
"Can we really defeat this kingdom?"
One of his commanders replied,
"We can defeat them without risking your life, Your Majesty. Why come here personally?"
Griffin smiled.
"I know you are strong."
"And I know three of their commanders are absent."
"But don't forget that our kingdom only has two commanders."
"And don't forget that the Prince possesses magical power."
"That is exactly why I came."
"The one who kills that prince will be me."
"If he thinks he is the only one with magic, then he is mistaken."
"Hahaha."
The commander replied,
"But isn't it dangerous for us to bring the entire army here? This battle is truly a do-or-die gamble."
Griffin nodded.
"I know."
"It is an extremely risky bet."
"But I spent two years preparing for it."
"If I don't succeed, my people will continue starving."
Finally, we see the battlefield.
Total Army Strength: 1,500,000 Soldiers
Cavalry: 500,000
Archers: 200,000
Foot Soldiers: 800,000