"YOU ARE BLUFFING" Gideon responded. His lips arched into a deep frown.

In another world, the assemblage of the fallen leaders to pay homage to the Miracle Queen would have been nothing more than a fanciful dream. King Ameal would have perished, taking his own life in despair, after witnessing the merciless hanging of his loyal subjects at the hands of Knight Boris, who sought revenge for the massacre of the remnants of his kingdom.

In another time, Queen Mavena would have remained ensconced in her castle, indifferent to the turmoil and petty affairs that had erupted within her kingdom. Until someday, She would emerge from her Miracle Mountain with overwhelming power by her side, quelling the chaos, forcing the fallen leaders to surrender their leadership into her control, rounding up every ascendant in the Vrymath Kingdom, and marching towards the sea to wage war on Captain Crimson eye and his fleet, in order to seize control of the Cryptic Sea and escape the terror of the Moonlight's ice.

Under other circumstances, the war would have elicited the notice of numerous external factions, both human, demi-humans, and other sentient beings, who would have observed the proceedings from a distance, lingering until a solitary conqueror arose as the victor...

In another word, in another time, under other circumstances, all of this could have been the fate of things. But, as fate would have it, things had changed.

Thus, as if reality had decided to spin a wheel of destiny, the outcome was far from desirable for those caught within its grasp.

"Do I, the king of Azuiloth Kingdom, look like I am!" King Ameal spoke in a hushed tone, yet his raw magical energy caused his voice to resound like thunder across the winds.

Gideon scrutinized King Ameal with a sceptical gaze. 'What could he be thinking?' He wondered. To be honest, Gideon had anticipated the first person to initiate such a rash act would have been the Mad King, but here was King Ameal with hundreds of his subjects standing before the Queen's Castle and issuing a declaration of war.

Such absurdity!

Such recklessness!

Despite this, Gideon sighed in disappointment. As the head servant and guardian of the castle, he was obligated to do what was necessary, and there were no exceptions.

Gideon swiftly surveyed his surroundings, ensuring that the soldiers were armed and prepared for battle. "Aim!" He commanded, raising his fist into the air. The archers around him loaded their bows and aimed their arrows.

"Fire!" At his word, a barrage of arrows was unleashed from the castle walls and descended upon the masses below.

"Begone!" King Ameal simply flicked his hand to the side, and a surge of violet wind redirected the arrows, sending them harmlessly away from himself and the 350 people standing behind him.

However, Gideon and the rest of the soldiers remained unfazed as they observed the scene unfold.

"THIS IS ONLY A WARNING TO YOU AND YOUR ARMY, KING AMEAL." Gideon's voice boomed across the icy windy mountain. Raising his hand once more, each arrow was now imbued with a deadly grey aura, capable of killing 20 to 30 individuals with a single strike.

"EVERY SOLDIER UP HERE IS AN ASCENDANT OF THE 5TH CIRCLE, 1ST RANK OR ABOVE, EACH CAPABLE OF DECIMATING HUNDREDS OF THE PEOPLE BEHIND YOU." Gideon released his tight grip and pointed his fingers upward, signalling the archers to take aim at their targets.

As moments of silence passed, with no response from King Ameal, Gideon shook his head in disappointment. "Very well" He said, bringing his hands down in a well-rehearsed motion. "Fire!".

"STOP!!!" A thunderous voice echoed across the battlefield, silencing all.

As Gideon turned, he respectfully bowed his upper body in salute. "Your Majesty, you have arrived at the perfect moment" He greeted the Queen and acknowledged the fallen leaders behind her.

"What is happening here?" Queen Mavena inquired as she approached the castle wall and surveyed the hundreds of men and women below, who appeared ready to fight to their last breath.

In simpler terms, despite facing the threat of being killed multiple times over by the arrows shot by an Ascendant, they stood steadfast and undaunted, poised to attack.

"King Ameal, explain the reason behind this madness!" The Queen fixed her gaze on the man responsible for such a foolish decision.

"Queen Mavena!" King Ameal declared. "Before I address you, I would like to request an audience with King Bor!".

King Bor was taken aback. He blinked in surprise. "Me?" he repeated, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what was happening. 'What happened? Did he find out?'. Despite his confusion, he couldn't help but wonder, 'Even if he did, why would he act so foolishly?'.

"King Bor?" Queen Mavena turned her gaze towards the Mad King, her suspicion was evident. "What have you done?"

King Bor chuckled, his eyes scanning the faces of the assembled leaders. He stole a quick glance at King Ameal's furious expression before redirecting his gaze back to Queen Mavena.

"As far as I am concerned, I have committed no wrongs against King Ameal and the remnants of Azuiloth kingdom" He declared with confidence. "To the best of my knowledge, I have not done anything that would warrant such an army being sent after me".

Truthfully, as far as he knows he had not done anything that would require King Ameal with the full force of his kingdom, except the petty trifles and scruples here and there.

'But, surely he isn't here with all of these people armed for war for such a ridiculous reason right?' He thought.

King Bor strode forward and placed his hands on the castle walls, his piercing gaze fixed solely on King Ameal. "KiING AMEAL, ARE YOU DERANGED? HAS THE BURDEN OF BEING ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING KING IN THIS LAND FINALLY DRIVEN YOU MAD" He questioned. His voice echoed along with the windy chill and reached the ears of everyone close by.

…....…..

He was angry, really angry!

Even when faced with the truth, the Mad King remained aloof. And the Miracle Queen... The Miracle Queen.....

At this point, he began to wonder if all this was a plot set by Queen Mavena in order to reduce the number of pests -them, in her Kingdom, and then conquer the remaining fallen Kingdoms.

He chortled. Of course, that was the reason. Among all the fallen kingdoms, his and the Eser Kingdom were considered the weakest. So instead of attacking the Eser Kingdom, which was still led competently by Knight Boris, they chose to target his kingdom. All because they believed he was an incompetent leader.

King Ameal chortled again for the second time.

Well, they were wrong!

They thought they could easily overpower him and his kingdom, just because they deemed him incompetent. They were wrong!

Because, here he was, ready and willing to prove them wrong.

"Am I mad?!" He said, with a hint of amusement in his tone. His eyes fixed on King Bor through the misty, snowy winds. "Last I recall, you hold the title of the Mad King. So, isn't that a rhetorical question?!" he smirked. The Mad King's expression shifted from annoyance to displeasure as King Ameal watched, his gaze becoming increasingly intense.

"King Ameal! I indeed respect you as one of the few remaining kings. However, it seems that you have gone..."

King Ameal let out a resounding "ENOUGH!" His voice was accompanied by a surge of magical pressure, causing the archers to release their bows and arrows and fall to their knees with baited breaths. The energy also flowed across the leaders and the Queen, conveying the message that he was not there to engage in fruitless discussions.

"WHAT ARE Y --" King Bor opened his mouth to speak, but was immediately cut off by King Ameal's powerful outburst.

"That's two strikes, He declared. With his magical energy permeating the area, he didn't need to raise his voice. Instead, he used his mana to amplify it. "Two strikes..... That was my limit".

"Sending your forces to spy and invade my city, engaging in a battle amidst the homes of ordinary mortals, endangering their lives, and destroying a portion of the city, putting my citizens in harm's way by threatening them, deceiving them, and involving them in an illegal portion trade" He said. "Six strikes… Two are my limits".

He heard a voice ask, "Are all these true?" He didn't even need to think twice to know that it was Queen Mavena who posed the question.

That bitch!!

He was pissed at her indifference!! Regardless, he might have predicted some of her actions, but he had something special in store for her.

He watched as King Bor hesitated. The Mad King's mouth twitched before a tired sigh escaped his lips.

Mad King Bor released his own magical energy. "What gives you the right to question me?" His voice echoed as a bloody crimson aura rose from nothingness and surrounded him, pushing back King Ameal's magical energy.