Chapter 814: War flames impossible to extinguish

With the surrender of the king and his capture, the soldiers of the Krap Kingdom did not continue to fight in vain.

They knew better than anyone that the gap with a Third Order soul evolver was difficult to close with numbers even if there were around 20 Second Order soul evolvers in the army not to mention the fact that there was an even more terrifying existence that had not only managed to defeat King Jeremy in less than 1 hour but also managed to capture him alive.

Bai Zemin approached King Philip and noticed that his armor was fine but there were small cracks on the surface. In addition, a thin trickle of blood was sliding from inside the armor of the left arm to the bare hand and subsequently over the body of the golden spear.

"Are you okay?"

"Hahaha!" King Philip laughed nonchalantly and said with a happy smile, "These small injuries can be cured by a healer easily, they are nothing compared to the spoils of war we just obtained!"

Bai Zemin looked at the "spoils of war" and subconsciously nodded: "An army of over 700,000 men among which there are at least 200,000 First Order soul evolvers and about a twenty who have already managed to advance to the Second Order... This is without mentioning the fact of all the treasures and pieces of equipment along with the territory of the Krap Kingdom and its citizens."

King Philip took a deep breath before turning to look at Bai Zemin. His emerald eyes flashed with honesty as he said in a serious voice, "Zemin, what you did today is already enough for me to be willing to give you a copy of everything you asked for earlier. Are you sure that's all you want to ask for?"

What Bai Zemin had proposed to King Philip a few days ago had been something that no one had ever thought of since the 50 established kingdoms of mankind managed to repel the demon race with the loss of just one kingdom, thus demonstrating the power of mankind united as well as the power of each individual kingdom.

The wars between two kingdoms were bloody, and the clash between two Third Order soul evolvers disastrous, because unless both sides were willing to throw their lives away with each attack, such clashes could last up to a whole day or two in the worst case. Moreover, because the death of a kingdom king meant the disappearance of the kingdom after the loss of its protector, no one was willing to step to the supremacy even though everyone once thought it in their hearts.

However, with the appearance of an irregular monster like Bai Zemin who should not be in this world, the bloody wars and long battles that put the kingdoms at risk could be avoided. At the end of the day, when the power of a soul evolver was too overwhelming over the other what happened was not a clash between two sides but total crushing.

"You are partying too early, Your Majesty." Bai Zemin shook his head. He looked at the soldiers who had just surrendered and slowly said, "This is a defeated but not crushed troop; the Krap Kingdom is still capable of getting back on its feet and they only need an opportunity to do that."

King Philip looked at the unwell expressions on the faces of the Krap Kingdom soldiers and could not help but nod after hearing Bai Zemin's words.

Controlling such a powerful army composed of hundreds of thousands of men was not at all easy not to mention the fact that in the territory of the Krap Kingdom there should still be at least 200,000 soul evolvers stationed in the cities and towns destined to protect the kingdom from the mutant beasts and other races.

"It's a bit embarrassing to say this, but I'm afraid I have no experience in this kind of matters." King Philip said as he rubbed his forehead feeling an impending headache coming on.

Bai Zemin gave him a sidelong glance and couldn't help but chuckle: "Of course, Your Majesty doesn't know how to handle this kind of circumstance. After all, when you took the throne as king, Gales was already an established kingdom with many centuries of history."

King Philip nodded as he sighed, "It is just as you say.... Ruling over established people is far simpler than establishing a people to rule over."

"Well, leave this to me for now." Bai Zemin said.

Under King Philip's surprised eyes, he walked several steps before stopping and turning around, "I almost forgot. Your Majesty, you should head to the battlefield in the west and I will head to the battlefield in the east. I will take this army with me and use it to charge directly into the neighboring kingdom while leaving the troops of Gales at the border to stop the advance of any other kingdom that wants to break through. Is that all right with you?"

The King of Gales didn't even have to stop and think about it before nodding, "Of course, let's do as you say."

The Gales Kingdom was located to the southwest of Eventide World and there were no kingdoms that could attack from behind. Leaving aside the southeast, there were only three kingdoms that could attack Gales from the southwest, therefore, it was obvious which battlefield would be the fiercest and bloodiest.

However, King Philip was still confused as to how he would make the troops of the Krap Kingdom listen to him. After all, surrendering and listening were two different matters... But what the King of Gales did not know was that the journey of Bai Zemin and all the inhabitants of Earth had been countless times bloodier and harder than he could ever have imagined.

Unlike Philip who was born and raised in an established place, Bai Zemin had to first adapt and then fight to build a small, relatively safe place for himself and his people.

'People learn many things about the human heart when they find themselves in a difficult situation.... But a kingdom king would never be able to understand something like this.' Bai Zemin looked at the hate-filled faces of the soldiers of the Krap Kingdom and his eyes soon flashed with murderous intent.

"I want everyone to listen to me because I will not repeat myself twice!"

His voice rang out, and at the same time as he released his killing intent, the Lonely Wolf Aura skill triggered. The Krap Kingdom soldiers froze as they saw the image of the crimson wolf appearing behind him and their hearts grew fearful as they felt the reaper's scythe dangling above their heads.

"All those who do not cooperate in the war against the demons will be labeled as traitors of the human race. The families of those traitors will be treated as traitors, turned into slaves who will serve the families of the victors once mankind emerges victorious."

Bai Zemin did not shout but his voice was clear enough that the approximately 500,000 men still on their feet could hear him loud and clear.

"What?!"

"Slaves?!"

"Bastard!"

"You've all gone mad, you Gales dogs!"

"Don't you dare touch my family!"

"..."

Anger managed to overcome fear after hearing that not only would they be labeled as traitors but even their families would suffer unimaginable consequences for something they didn't do. Unfortunately, fear could often be too overwhelming when the difference between two sides was absurdly wide.

Rumble!!!

The silhouette of the crimson wolf became much clearer as Bai Zemin released over 80% of all his murderous intent. The surroundings seemed to be dyed crimson for a moment and the Krap Kingdom soldiers felt as if their bodies had been thrown into a sea of blood and bones.

Even King Philip's face changed slightly and the way he looked at Bai Zemin changed immensely. Not only was he surprised by how powerful his murderous intent was but the king was also taken by surprise as he did not expect Bai Zemin to make threats of slavery because in Eventide World such a thing was completely forbidden and frowned upon.

"Who said you can speak?" Bai Zemin said in a cold voice. A chill shone fiercely in his eyes and his voice brimmed with murderous intent as he said word for word, "Disobey and die, your families will be enslaved. Obey and live, you and your loved ones will receive honor and glory. As simple as that, there is no third option for you."

Not to Bai Zemin's surprise, the anger in the soldiers' expressions was replaced by fear that was born not only from the overwhelming aura but also came from his words. One might not fear death but would definitely fear what might happen to their loved ones left behind.

"Demon... Only a demon would be capable of such cruelty." Murmured General Lacosta belonging to the Krap Kingdom, a level 97 Second Order soul evolver.

Bai Zemin looked at that general whose face was pale and said with a faint smile, "Demon? I have been called that many times and even received more offensive titles. But I am fine with it... After all, I am still alive and my enemies are dead. If to survive I must become a demon, then so be it."

He was no saint, and Bai Zemin knew it; he had done some things that were not ethically or morally correct. However, in the apocalypse perhaps only true gods could afford to think of the good of their fellow man while a human like him could only bite and claw to protect his life, his interests, and the lives of those fighting alongside him.

"We will head east to have a chat with the King of the Maiston Kingdom. If he does not agree to cooperate with the human race and still decide to continue supporting the demons, then we will have no choice but to kill as many of them as necessary to bring them to their senses." Bai Zemin's eyes roamed the crowd and his cold voice stretched out as he calmly asked, "Any objections?"

Several seconds passed but no one said anything, and seeing this, Bai Zemin nodded in satisfaction. He looked at King Philip and said loudly, "Your Majesty, we'll see you in Bearcrest City in a few days!"

Without waiting for a reply, Bai Zemin turned in an easterly direction and ordered in a deep voice, "Move!"

* * *

It only took 1 day for the news to spread throughout the kingdom.

The nobles of Weamor City did not hesitate to consume Soul Stones to activate some long-distance communication devices and soon the news about the defeat of the Krap Kingdom 40 kilometers north of the city was known not only by the other four major cities but also by the minor towns.

King Jeremy Krap, a Third Order soul evolver above level 150 and whose prestige was well known, had been defeated in combat by an unknown soul evolver!

The 700,000-man army was stopped and defeated by King Philip alone!

"What?! The king of the Krap Kingdom surrendered and handed over his power to our king?!"

"Are you saying that the enemy troops immediately headed east to counter the assault of the Maiston Kingdom who mobilized its troops to attack our kingdom after princess Ernesta was captured for collaborating with the demons?!

"Who is the person who defeated King Jeremy? It's a high-level soul evolver we're talking about here! A kingdom king!"

"Hmph, it fits them well. How dare those scumbags from the Krap Kingdom attack us and collude with demons?"

"Fight! Show them the strength of our kingdom!"

"After conquering Krap, His Majesty the king will surely conquer Maiston as well. That's what happens when our former allies decide to try to stab us in the back!"

"Did they think that our Gales Kingdom got weaker after fighting the demons? A bunch of stupids! Now you are paying the price for your ignorance!"

Similar conversations were taking place all over the kingdom and the taverns were full as all sorts of rumors spread everywhere. Some even said that they had heard rumors about King Philip even planning to attack the three parent kingdoms.

Regardless of whether the rumors were just rumors or whether they had some legitimacy, what was certain was that the spirits and pride of the citizens of the Gales Kingdom soared skyward after learning the news of how the main force of the Krap Kingdom, which was always of equal power to the main force of Gales, had been crushed and subdued with no possibility of return.

In Bearcrest City, Seraphina and Ellis who stood on the balcony attached to the throne room, looked with pallid faces at the crowd of citizens who had gathered outside the castle.

"Long live the king!"

"Long live the princesses!"

"Glory to Queen Helena!"

"Long live the Royal Family of Gales!"

"Long live Gales!"

"Kill the demons!"

"Kill the traitors!"

"Revenge for the death of Her Majesty the queen!"

The citizens of the kingdom roared until their faces turned red as they raised their hands and gazed at the castle with adoration and reliance.

"What... Why..." Seraphina covered her mouth and found it hard to associate these people with the warm citizens she had known all her life.

All she could see in the eyes of the citizens of Gales now was fighting desire, thirst for war and revenge.

She, just like Ellis, knew nothing regarding the movement of Bai Zemin and his father King Philip. It was not until recently when the news of what had happened in Weamor City spread that both princesses learned that without their knowledge the flames of war had already erupted.

Seraphina turned to look at her older sister and nervously asked, "W-Why didn't dad tell us about this?!"

Ellis said nothing, and as she looked at the crowd of agitated people outside the castle, she couldn't help but clench her fists with her face growing paler and paler.

Regardless of whatever conversation Bai Zemin and King Philip had held that day in the throne room behind closed doors was definitely a secret they didn't want to spread. Now, Ellis understood the reason why both of them didn't say anything.

No matter what the two men had agreed upon to carry out such a bold and fierce move, the two princesses were clear about one thing.

Now that Gales had attacked using force to subdue a formerly allied kingdom and was probably in war with the Maiston Kingdom now, which had also been allied under the care of the same parent kingdom, there was no turning back.

The flames of war had reached the powder keg and it had exploded completely.

Now they could only fight.

* * *

The distance between Weamor City and Khedia City was large enough that any normal soul evolver below level 50 would need at least 1 full day to get there. Even a Second Order soul evolver would need several hours to close that distance.

Because Bai Zemin was leading a large army that despite all the cooperation they were giving he could not forget that they were untamed hyenas, the speed was slowed down even more. Therefore, by the time he reached Khedia City it had already been two days since the war between Gales and Maiston had broken out.