The minister of the Kingdom of the High Humans, a tall man with silver eyes and a dark blue robe, came out to receive them. The border was heavily guarded by spears, wind mages, and elite archers.
"You have come for the girl," the minister said bluntly. "We must cross. By order of the Hero King," the human captain replied.
The minister raised his hand. "The girl is an absolute priority for both kingdoms. The kidnapping of a minor is a crime punishable by death under our shared laws. The Kingdom of the High Humans will contribute 150 more soldiers to the search."
A murmur ran through the human officers. The mission, already difficult, now became an impossible storm. The minister continued: "You may cross. But know this: if you find the girl, she will be protected by our forces. We will not allow any criminal to use her as a bargaining chip."
It was an alliance forced by law and morality, not by reward. The Paladin, from a distance, heard the drums of the gathering armies. His expression hardened. "Now there will be three hundred," said one of his men. "Three hundred elite warriors..." the Paladin whispered. "Even I could not defeat something like that."
At another point on the map, the Black Witch—still disguised as a Red Mage—approached the next town. The streets were wider than the previous one, and the walls much higher. The flags of the High Humans fluttered like white wings over the towers. But she could not focus on the architecture, because behind her, on a horse as dark as night, followed a silent, hooded man whose presence chilled the air: the S-rank adventurer.
He was relentless, like a beast that had found its prey. His horse seemed to come from a nightmare: black coat, red eyes, and steam rising from its nose like volcanic smoke. The witch understood that escaping on foot would be impossible. That man was made to pursue, hunt, and crush.
The Black Witch, disguised as a Red Mage, arrived at the town with her cart and left it at the entrance. She got down from the cart in front of an inn and began walking through the corridors of a fairly large town. Behind her, the S-rank adventurer got off his horse and began to follow her through the town. She tried to hide in the alleys, but he always found her as she tried to lose him.
He began to remember his past while pursuing the witch; he remembered that he had been betrothed to Sara, the firstborn princess of the Hero King, and selected as heir to the throne. But he felt nothing for the princess; in fact, he felt nothing for anyone. It was a great honor to have been chosen as king since he was the strongest in the kingdom. But he rejected the offer, and the king felt deeply humiliated and offended. The Hero King said: "On top of giving you the throne of our kingdom, you reject me?"
The S-rank adventurer said: "My King, I will not marry a woman I feel nothing for. And I will not take a throne that does not belong to me. My ambition is to serve the most powerful man in the world. Not to be a king or a monarch; I offer my deepest apologies."
Then the king took it very badly and told him that if he did not accept, he would banish him from the kingdom. The adventurer knelt and said: "My King, I do not reject power and it is an honor for me, my King. But I feel nothing for your daughter. In fact, I feel nothing for anyone. So I ask you, please, to understand me."
And the king said to him: "You have humiliated me. And for that, I expel you—not from the kingdom, but from my presence—and I strip you of all your titles."
The S-rank adventurer was standing next to the Paladin of the nation's hero in the throne room before the king; the Paladin took him by the arm and led him out in shame before all the other nobles. He pushed him and threw him onto the castle bridge, and everyone threw rotten fruit at him in humiliation. The Paladin said to the S-rank adventurer, who at that time was also a paladin: "You have failed me; they granted you the throne and you rejected it. And you rejected the princess! You are a disgrace to all paladins; get out of here."
In that moment, the S-rank adventurer looked at him with all the hatred he could muster. He did not understand why the people were booing him. He was not worthy, nor did he have royal blood to carry a throne he didn't even want; he only wanted to serve the most powerful man in the world. He realized those people did not deserve even a minute of his presence; he stood up covered in rotten fruit, as the king ordered his public humiliation, and left that castle. He lost himself in the lands of the human kingdom, traveling across continents one and two. In twenty kingdoms, he had been named the strongest adventurer there was, but that was of no use to him; he could not find that man, the most powerful of all.
This is what he thought as he walked, pursuing the witch: "When will my revenge come to me?" the adventurer said. And that girl... that girl was worth the path back to the power he had lost.
The Black Witch knew he was pursuing her relentlessly. She knew he was too powerful to face. She knew that if she led him to her friends... they would all die. So she used the only advantage she had: necromancy. Inside the town, as she walked among stalls and alleys, she pressed her hand to the ground and whispered a spell. A skeleton rose from beneath the stones, trembling, obedient, soulless. She put clothes on it, an old cloak, and sent it to take the cart to the outskirts of town. All while the S-rank followed her every step, never losing a single breath of distance.
She tried to stay calm. But the man's presence was like a sword pressed against the back of her neck. When he was finally close enough, the witch felt his shadow cover her like an inevitable death. She stopped in the middle of the street. She took a deep breath. She looked forward. He halted his advance. Each of his steps sounded like a hammer blow on stone.
"What do you want?" she asked, controlling the tremor in her voice. "You know very well," he replied in a low, soft voice that was more frightening than a shout. "I want the girl. You have her. Or your friends do. I will give you an opportunity. Do not make a move... or it will be the last thing you do."
She tried to maintain the lie: "I live in one of these houses. You are confusing me."
He smiled. That sick, twisted smile that reveals a broken soul. "Do not lie. You are disguised as a Red Mage... but I can see through any illusion, Black Witch."
She stopped pretending. She relaxed her body, lifted her face, and smiled as only the race of Black Witches smiles: a beautiful, dangerous, and fatalistic smile. "What a pity," she said. "You arrived too late. They are already far away... and you will never find them."
He stepped forward, reaching out to grab her by the shoulder: "You are coming with me. And when your friends want to recover you... they will bring the girl to me."
In that instant... the hero and the half-wolf were watching from a corner. The S-rank knew it too. In reality, he had all three cornered. His plan was perfect. The Black Witch understood: they could not beat him. Not like this. Not here. She had only one option.
"Witch, no!" the half-wolf whispered, guessing what she would do.
But it was too late. She raised her hands and conjured the most dangerous magic she knew: the Poisonous Black Cloud. The street was covered in dark smoke. People began to cough, to flee, to scream. But the S-rank... laughed. He inhaled deeply, as if smelling flowers.
"Do you think this poison can affect me?" he asked, amused. "To me... it is a fine perfume."
She recoiled, horrified. The Hero and the Half-Wolf caught their breath; they knew they had no time. The three of them began to run. The S-rank raised a hand, just a single clap... and the entire cloud vanished!
The wind died down. The air felt empty. The smoke evaporated in a sigh. The people stood paralyzed. The heroes, terrified. The witch, drained of magic. And he walked behind them... at a slow pace... as if enjoying the scene.
They were about to reach the town gate, only a few steps away. But he... appeared in front of them with inhuman speed.
"You will not leave this place," the S-rank said, blocking the gate. "Not until you hand the girl over to me."
The Hero swallowed hard. The Half-Wolf growled. The Witch gritted her teeth. There was no way out. Then... a child's voice rang out:
"Let's go! Let's go!"
The girl appeared riding the farm horse. The skeleton was driving the cart behind her. The S-rank turned when he heard her. His eyes widened; it was the first time he had lost his composure. Those golden eyes shone like suns. The girl pointed at the S-rank:
"Bad man! Go away!"
And the ground trembled. The stones cracked open. Roots burst from the earth like giant serpents. They joined… they twisted… they transformed into a titanic arm of living wood. The arm grabbed the S-rank by the torso, lifted him like he was a doll, and with a brutal, indescribable motion… threw him through the air like a baseball!
People screamed. Men ran. Merchants fled. Carts collided. And the S-rank flew, piercing the sky, falling somewhere far off among the mountains and forests. As he flew, his laughter echoed like thunder:
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! A THOUSAND CHESTS! THAT GIRL IS WORTH A THOUSAND CHESTS!"
The Escape
The arm of roots vanished like green dust. The girl breathed calmly, as if she had merely thrown a stone into a lake. Our heroes were pale, speechless, their mouths agape. The Black Witch was the first to react:
"Let's go! Now! Before he comes back!"
They mounted, took the reins, gathered the girl, and escaped the town while the people remained paralyzed by terror. Because they knew one thing: that man would not fall so easily. And he would return.
Now they were being pursued by: a deranged S-rank, a human battalion, a High Human battalion, and very soon... the Paladin. And they hadn't even crossed all the lands of the High Humans yet. Everyone was chasing our heroes for the girl who, unwittingly, was about to turn the world upside down.
The Sword Hero, the Black Witch, the Half-Wolf, and the little girl with golden eyes were now the center of a gigantic hunt. The Black Witch understood that the S-rank knight was practically invincible; she had never seen anyone breathe poison as if it were nothing. The other two remained silent. All three were fearful. They had never felt death so close as in that town where the girl, as if playing, had launched that human monster through the air with a massive arm of roots.
Meanwhile, the Paladin rode at full speed, relentlessly urging his knights forward. He had already more or less localized the position of the Sword Hero. He had plenty of experience following trails, reading rumors, and interpreting tracks. He knew he was getting close, but he also knew he wasn't the only one. Because, among armies, heroes, and villains, the worst of all was beginning to move.
The Black Warlock had already located the girl. The rumors he had heard everywhere indicated she was in the center of the High Human country, in a great forest near the mountains. At that moment, the warlock opened a portal with demonic magic. Red and black circles drew themselves in the air, the surrounding temperature dropped, and the smell of sulfur invaded the place. He stepped through the threshold and appeared in that forest, among gigantic trees and ancient shadows. His objective was simple and terrifying: to take the girl.
A new contender was now seeking the golden-eyed child. And this time, the Sword Hero would have no way to stop him: his sword, a magic sword but of low level, had been confiscated at the hotel. He had no way to defend himself from the Paladin, the S-rank adventurer, or now the Black Warlock. And worst of all, he was still unaware that those three monsters were going after the same target.
While all this was happening in the forests of the High Humans, far away, in the land of the white warlocks, in the Peninsula of Magic Lands, Kai was preparing for something else: reinforcing his army.
Kai was getting ready to go to the Fire Empire and the Kingdom of the Axe, wanting to hire two generals for his army. Two warriors who had been highly recommended by Alequei, his governor and advisor. Alequei was very experienced and had thoroughly investigated these two individuals; they were not simple soldiers, but exceptional talents that their own kingdoms did not know how to appreciate.
On the other hand, Kai's 117 queens were preparing to leave for the Kingdom of the Amazons, where Olympics and combat competitions would be held. Many of them had been challenged based on their old titles, and despite being queens, they remained great competitors and athletes. Kai, concerned for their safety, told them that before they left, he would provide them with bodyguards.
He took his blue crystal and the blue necklace he used as magical transport and teleported directly to the palace of the Fire Empire. Once there, with his great speed, he soon arrived before the Emperor. After greeting his father-in-law—the Emperor—and the other two nobles who were also his fathers-in-law (two of the empire's most important families, a Duke and the Patriarch of another powerful house), the three sat down for a long conversation about their daughters. They were worried, but at the same time, they knew Kai was an honorable man who took good care of them. After that talk, Kai got straight to the point.
"I would like information about a warrior," he said.
He was referring to a fire mage, the second strongest in the entire Fire Empire, the arch-rival of the Flame Hero. The Flame Hero enjoyed all the benefits this mage lacked: fame, recognition, positions, honors. Alequei had researched this warrior's experience well and knew he was not well-treated in his own empire, neither by the people nor by the Emperor himself. The Emperor confirmed it:
"I wanted to promote him," he said, "but he is a man too righteous and proud. It is very difficult to give him orders. That is why he never became a champion or a full general of my troops."
Kai smiled calmly.
"If it causes you no trouble," he said, "I would like to offer him a job in my kingdom. I need an experienced general."
The Emperor, almost with relief, replied that he had no objection.
"But if you are going to do it," he added, "do it today. I don't want to continue dealing with this subject. He is not someone I enjoy dealing with."
Kai spoke a quiet sentence:
"People who are too proud are often not welcome anywhere."
The Emperor nodded, and Kai bid farewell to him and the two nobles. As he withdrew, one of them murmured:
"What did my daughters see in this individual?"
The Emperor replied:
"It's not what they saw in him… it's what he gave them."
The conversation at the palace ended there, and Kai headed to one of the mansions where that noble fire warrior lived. The fire mage was a man of about twenty-seven years, roughly one meter eighty-five tall, with red hair, a trained body, and one of the strongest warriors in the Fire Empire. The soldiers of that empire were not only trained in fire magic but also in strategy, discipline, diplomacy, and military intelligence. He was a perfect product of that system; an underutilized talent in his own land and a treasure for Kai.
Kai decided to go personally. When he moved without his queens, he was always "unified"; he did not use his ability to multiply himself. His presence alone commanded respect. Upon appearing in front of the mansion, the fire warrior immediately noticed who was at his door: the Warlock King. He had seen him at the coronation ceremony. The fire mage invited him into his office inside the mansion and asked him to be seated:
"Please, my King, take a seat," the fire mage said. "How can I repay the honor of your visit, my Lord?" he asked, confused.
Kai was direct:
"I want you to work for me."
The warrior froze for a moment.
"I am very honored, my Lord… but I cannot. I work for the empire. For the Emperor."
Kai raised his hand, almost calmly.
"First of all, the Lord is in heaven. I am just a king… and a warrior just like you. Second, your Emperor does not want you. He has just expelled you and taken everything you have. And third… we are leaving now. Pack your bags."
The fire mage was stunned. He was an orphan just like Kai. He had become a noble by his own merit, just like him. That had caught the Warlock King's attention from the start: they were very similar in essence. He looked out the window and saw that, indeed, there were knights from the Royal Court of the Fire Empire around. Their faces were cold. They were not there to protect him, but to ensure he did not rebel. He understood that what Kai said was true: he had been cast aside.
"Then… what do you offer me, if I lose everything here?" the fire mage asked.
Kai did not hesitate:
"I offer you the same or more than what you achieved here. And I offer you the position of Commander General of my entire army."
The fire mage was perplexed.
"Me… commander of the entire peninsula? Here, they never gave me more than a simple post as a general of a sector," he said, still incredulous.
"I know," Kai replied. "Here, you are barely a general of one of the western armies of the Fire Empire. Your talent is being wasted. In my kingdom, you will command the entire army. And while the army is not on the move, you will be the primary escort for my queens. They feel that I stifle them, that I accompany them everywhere and do not let them go out without me. They need someone experienced like you."
The warrior looked at him, not fully understanding. But he also saw the serious faces of the imperial knights. There was no place left for him in that empire. In silence, he packed his bags. He lived alone. He didn't even have servants. He was not well-liked in his homeland.
"And the wagons?" he asked.
"What wagons?" Kai replied. "You are coming with me."
Kai placed his hand on his shoulder, and both disappeared before the eyes of the Fire Empire soldiers. In a matter of seconds, they appeared in the Kingdom of the Axe, in one of the mountainous and cold areas of that country.
Another great warrior lived there: the Warrior of Rock and Ice, a soldier famous for guarding the borders for a long time. His name was known throughout the region, but his destiny had twisted when his brother died in a skirmish between the Empire of Cathay and the Kingdom of the Axe. The King of the Axe had denigrated him, indirectly blaming him for that death. His sacrifice went unrecognized. Since then, he spent his days drinking, lying in taverns, covered in mud and alcohol.
Alequei had already told Kai: "He is the best warrior in the kingdom. It is a pity that such talent is wasted."
Kai knew it. That was why he was now there with the fire mage. The two arrived at a village where the warrior of the Axe was drunk, lying practically in the mud, beaten and bruised. One was a uniformed officer, a fire mage of impeccable bearing; the other, an experienced warrior, but sunken in the depths of his misfortune. They were the two great talents Kai had come to find.
Kai laughed a little. "He's unconscious," the fire mage commented. "It doesn't matter. Let's go," Kai said.
He took him by the arm and disappeared with both of them, for he knew that this warrior had no family, no one at all. The three appeared in the Palace of the Magic Lands. One lay on the floor, covered in mud and smelling of alcohol; the other looked around, not understanding how he had been teleported to the peninsula. Kai, on the other hand, looked perfectly calm. The Warlock King walked to the throne room and sat down.
The fire mage asked: "Now what?" "Wait a moment," Kai replied.
At that instant, the doors opened and the 117 queens entered, each more beautiful than the last. To Kai, they were all equally valuable, not only for their physical beauty—which was also important for the kingdom's image—but for the heart and strength of each one. The queens analyzed the two warriors from head to toe. The White Mage and the Black Mage used their spells to clean the Warrior of the Axe, removing the mud, filth, and the smell of alcohol; in a matter of seconds, he was presentable. One of the warrior nuns, also a queen of Kai, healed his bruises, as he had been attacked previously.
The fire mage looked at him with some disdain at first; it was hard for him to take a drunkard seriously. But Kai knew very well who this man was. When both were presentable, Kai said: "You two stay right there... Bring me Alequei, please."
In that moment, the vampire entered: Alequei, a fifteen-hundred-year-old being, a living legend across the planet. He bowed with respect. "Yes, my King. What do you need?"
Kai looked at him and the two warriors. "The three of you," he corrected. "The three of you will be in charge of protecting my queens. The Amazon Olympics have begun. I will not go; I have other matters to attend to."
The truth was that Kai wanted to go, but the queens always told him that he hovered over them too much, that he didn't let them breathe. He didn't want to stifle them, so he decided to stay. Kai became serious. The Warrior of the Axe understood nothing.
"Why am I here?" he asked, confused. "You work for me now," Kai said. "And don't drink anymore."
It sounded funny, but Kai's blue eyes meant it. The Warrior of the Axe understood that, somehow, he had been "kidnapped" by a vampire and a Warlock King at the same time... and that he now had duties.
"Give them food, give them quarters," Kai ordered. "To you, Alequei, I want you to give each of them a mansion with servants and secretaries." He leaned toward the vampire's ear and added, in a low voice: "And make sure they are very beautiful, because these men are alone."
Alequei laughed. He himself had been a very lonely man until Kai gave him everything: a mansion, wealth, company. He understood the King's intention perfectly. Kai finished giving his orders:
"You"—he pointed to the fire mage—"will be in charge of the entire peninsula's army. You"—he looked at the Warrior of the Axe—"will guard the borders. I will divide the army like this: you, fire mage, will command everything; and you, warrior, will take care of the north and the east. Is that clear?"
The Warrior of the Axe didn't fully understand, but Alequei took him by the shoulder. "Follow me. The King doesn't have much patience," he said. "I'll explain it on the way."
Alequei led them both away. The queens approached Kai, smiling. "So... are you going to trust us?" one said, mockingly. "So you're finally letting us go alone," another commented.
The Black Witch, the primary princess and daughter of the Black Warlock King, was the most provocative; she was one of the queens who liked to pick fights with Kai the most. "You will go alone," Kai said. "Since you say I stifle you, that I haunt you, that I harass you... you will go alone. And I will not move from here, nor will I defend you if anything happens."
The queens laughed. "We don't need you to be defending us all the time," the Dragon Queens said. "We are grown, responsible women. We have strength and power."
Even the Princess of the Human Kingdom, one of his queens, said: "I have my sword and I know how to handle it well, you know, Warlock King? Or do you underestimate us?"
Kai preferred not to continue the argument. He smiled with a bit of resignation. "Let's go home," he said.
At that moment, he and the 117 queens teleported to the beach house, and Kai once again used his multiplication ability to accompany and organize everything. While Kai was in comical discussions with his queens, Alequei was busy organizing the lives of the two new warriors. Each was sent to a massive mansion in the peninsula's capital. The mansions were gigantic, with about forty servants between maids and butlers, and about twenty secretaries each.
The Warrior of the Axe thought he had won the lottery. The fire mage felt that, at last, fate recognized his worth. Preparations for the journey began. The next day, the 117 queens would leave the secure borders of their King for the Amazon Olympics, alongside their three bodyguards: Alequei, the Fire Mage, and the Warrior of the Axe.
Meanwhile, far from the peninsula, in the forests of the High Humans... our heroes continued escaping from their pursuers.
The Church and Its Laws
Our heroes continued to move at a rapid pace. They were being pursued from all directions: the S-rank adventurer, the Paladin and his knights, the Black Warlock, and the combined army of the Human Kingdom and the High Humans. The group's hopes dwindled as the border drew near.
The next border was that of the Kingdom of the Church, and that realm had an unbreakable law: no army could cross its territory. It was a neutral, sacred, impenetrable country. A sanctuary. A place where no troops could set foot without declaring war on God Himself.
For our heroes, this was an opportunity. They knew that if they managed to cross into the Kingdom of the Church, the S-rank adventurer would not be allowed to enter. Neither would the joint army. The only one who could follow them would be the Paladin. But they did not know that the Paladin was pursuing them to save them, not to catch them.
They only knew one thing: a human monster of S-rank was chasing them, an army of six hundred men wanted to capture them, and a demonic warlock sought the girl for an unknown purpose. It was impossible to resist so many combined forces. Their only path to survival was to reach the border of the Church… and cross it.
The following days were a hell of exhaustion and fear. For three consecutive nights, they camped hidden in the forest, but they felt the presence of a black shadow: the Black Warlock was sending phantom demons to track the girl. However, every time they drew close, something drove them away. The girl's essence—a warm, ancient, protective aura—repelled the evil beings. It seemed as if a holy spirit protected her permanently.
On the last morning before reaching the border, something even stranger happened. The army, the Paladin, the S-rank adventurer, and the Black Warlock got lost in the forest. They returned to the same path several times; streams seemed to change location, routes diverted on their own, and the trees shifted as if forming a living labyrinth.
Shouts of rage from the Black Warlock echoed through the forest. The S-rank adventurer laughed, for he sensed that this magic was similar to the girl's. The Paladin did not understand what was happening. The soldiers were terrified. But our heroes advanced without obstacles.
Because the truth was simple: the forest itself was protecting the girl.
She was the daughter of the King of the Abyss, Lord of Chaos. The forest shifted its paths to hide her; she was a Princess of Darkness, and nature itself feared the Legionnaire. Thanks to that fear, our heroes managed to reach the border of the Church and crossed it.
But another problem awaited them there. The Holy Knights guarding the border crossing asked for the girl's documentation. The little one turned invisible, but the Holy Knights could see her regardless. A murmur of concern ran through the ranks of the guardians.
The Holy Knights were famous for their absolute intolerance toward child kidnappers. The laws of the Church were the severest in the world; there, a single crime against a minor was punished by death without the possibility of appeal. But before any sword could be drawn, the girl stepped forward.
"They are my friends," she said in a sweet voice. "I got lost, and they are coming with me to see my brother."
The sincerity of her smile, her purity, and her spiritual power made the Holy Knights hesitate. Following protocol, they administered the test of the Orb of Truth. The adventurers spoke the truth; the girl did as well. They said that a very bad man was chasing her and that they were fleeing. The Holy Knights responded firmly:
"No bad man will harm you here."
The rumor of the two chests of gold meant nothing in that territory. In the Kingdom of the Church, gold held no power; there were no guilds or bounty hunters. There was only divine law, and the rumor had not even reached that country. Furthermore, any race was welcome there: all 37 races were accepted as children of creation. Even Kai was a Holy One; he was a Cardinal of the Church.
Seeing that the adventurers were exhausted, the Holy Knights offered them a free inn for two or three days to recover. The inn was austere: hard bread, watery soup, clean but simple rooms. A sterile country, dedicated to the spirit rather than wealth. Many nuns, priests, cardinals, warrior nuns, and Holy Knights walked the streets. It was a country militarized in discipline, but devout in soul.
Despite the temporary peace, they knew they could not stay for long. They tried to pay for transport to cross the entire country. The land portals in the capital could take them directly to the border with the White Mages, but the price was extremely high. They did not have that kind of money. And so, they moved forward by wagon, slowly, but safe.
Meanwhile, her pursuers finally emerged from the forest once the girl was no longer within it. Without the presence of the Legionnaire's daughter, the forest's magic vanished. The S-rank adventurer attempted to enter the Kingdom of the Church directly… but they did not let him pass.
The Holy Knights blocked the S-rank to prevent him from crossing the border. His reputation was abysmal, and no one trusted him. The Black Warlock also tried to pass… and was likewise rejected; his evil was impossible to hide. Both had to bypass the Church by traveling through the territory of the Black Warlocks, a much longer and more dangerous route. The combined army also had to circle the country, requesting permission from the black warlocks to pass.
Only one was able to enter the Kingdom of the Church: The Paladin.
It was a race against time. The heroes, without knowing it, were very close to reaching their destination: the home of the girl's brother. They believed the brother was a commoner or a nobleman from some village; they could never imagine who he truly was.
Thanks to their rest in the Church, they traveled with a great advantage toward the border of the White Mages—the last country before the Peninsula. Once they reached the Peninsula, they would be safe. The Peninsula possessed legendary magical walls, and its Shadow Knight Guard was famous for repelling any threat. It was one of the safest places in all of Jetris.
But the final challenge remained: crossing the Land of the White Mages.
A beautiful, peaceful country, full of morality and honesty. A kingdom where wars almost never happened. But this time… in that land, one of the greatest battles would be fought for a pair of golden eyes.
After crossing the portal, the light tossed them almost into the heart of the capital of the White Mages. Unlike the previous kingdoms, this was a vast, open, calm, and luminous land. However, it was also very far from the peninsula. To reach the legendary walls of the Magic Lands, the three heroes would have to cross half the country by wagon.
They knew very well that once inside the walls, they would be safe; no army, adventurer, or warlock entered without the permission of the White Warlock King. But they also knew they were still in open territory… and that anyone could intercept them. The portal had left them without a strategic advantage, right in the center of the country. And to make matters worse, they did not have enough money for the journey.
In the central plaza, while looking for lodging, the Hero looked at the little girl: "Is it alright if we exchange your gold award?" he asked. "With that, we could buy a wagon, weapons… everything necessary to get you to the peninsula." "Yes, spend it," the girl replied with total innocence. "When we get there, my brother will give you more."
The three of them froze. "Your brother?" the Black Witch asked, frowning. "Yes," the girl smiled. "My little brother has a lot. Mommy told me he has a cave full of these coins."
The Half-Wolf nearly choked. "Who… who is your brother?" "The Warlock King," the girl replied matter-of-factly.
The silence was absolute. "The Black Warlock King or the White one?" the Half-Wolf managed to ask. "The White one," she replied, smiling. "Where did you think we were going, little wolf? To the peninsula!"
The three of them turned pale. They had been carrying her, without knowing it, to the home of the most powerful king in the world. And now they understood something terrible: if anyone accused them of kidnapping the White Warlock King's sister, they could be executed without trial in any country. The girl looked at them confused, seeing their terrified faces.
"Don't be afraid," she told them, hugging the Black Witch's arm. "My brother is very, very good. You take care of me, so I will take care of you. Take me home."
Her sweet voice eased their anguish only slightly. The award was exchanged for fifty gold coins. They bought: a sturdy wagon, tools, food, a simple sword for the Hero, and basic supplies. They did not hire an escort; they no longer trusted anyone.
Meanwhile, three titanic forces were moving in the distance:
The Black Warlock, traveling through demonic portals.
The S-rank adventurer, advancing through alternate paths to arrive first.
The Paladin, heading toward the capital of the White Mages following the Hero's trail.
The armies, on the other hand, could not even enter the kingdom. The White Mages did not allow foreign forces to pass and forced the six hundred soldiers to go around through the lands of the black warlocks. Although the border was blocked for the armies, that did not mean safety for the heroes. Everyone was racing toward a single point: the walls of the peninsula.
Hundreds of miles away, on the peninsula, the ancestral walls were opening. The White Warlock King's 117 queens were preparing to travel to the Amazon Olympics. The escort was massive: 600 elite soldiers and 900 shadows led by Voraghún, the Demonic Shield; the Fire Mage, newly appointed commander; the Axe Warrior, now general of borders; and Alequei, the vampire governor.
More than 40% of the peninsula's military power accompanied the queens. The other 60% was a single man: Kai Killerman. Before saying goodbye to the queens, Kai warned Alequei: "If you see that something is about to go wrong… call me. No matter where I am."
Alequei smiled with serenity. "My King, do not worry. Nothing will happen to them."
But the vampire had no idea that fate was about to gather all the protagonists of this story at a single point.