17 Lord of Death

Over the next few months, J'Zaki had managed to take over 23 of the 32 tribes that lived in the mountains and eliminate 8 more. Each time, he had managed to beat them by himself, whether it was through single combat with their champion or chief or he would wage a war on an entire tribe all on his own.

J'Zaki sat on a horse while the freezing wind blew air on him and his forces. He was wearing furs all over his body, made from countless wolves that he had slain. On his right wrist was a golden cuff that twisted around half his forearm. During this period of time, he had gone through a rapid growth spurt. Instead of looking like a normal 14-year-old, J'Zaki went through a Saiyan growth spurt and looked like he was nearing his 20s.

All of the commanders from the various tribes that he had taken over were standing behind his horse and looking at the teen with worship in their eyes. This was the king to whom they had sworn loyalty.

"My King. Please allow my Misty Stone tribe to be the vanguard in this assault," a woman stepped forward and offered. She was hoping to use this as a chance to get closer to her king. But she was destined to fail.

"No need. Since they do not wish to surrender, then it can only end in their death."

J'Zaki lifted his right hand. The hand looked like it had become made of red crystals and was glowing brightly.

"Conflagration!"

Motes of light appeared in front of his hand before they turned into a massive wave of fire that looked like they emerged from J'Zaki's hand. It began to spread out in an arc that soon grew to 50 meters across and 2 meters in depth. The heat from the flames turned all the snow around them into steam and instantly warmed the freezing mountain range.

The members of the Red Tail tribe had heard of J'Zaki's mystical prowess but they had yet to believe, thinking it was nothing more than tales. But with the flames before them, they knew that they had made a mistake.

The wave of fire soon came in contact with the fort wall and burned it to ashes without even stopping. All of the warriors that stood on the wall and were prepared to fight to the death were killed without even being able to lift their weapons. Many of the ones that had hidden behind the walls had also shared the same fate. It was only the ones that stood closest to the mountain caverns.

The tribes under J'Zaki looked at the sight in awe. No matter how many times they saw it, it was still an amazing sight to see their chief was not only a powerful warrior but also a grand mage.

J'Zaki looked at the horse beneath him and smiled. This was why this was his favorite horse. No matter what type of magic he used, it did not show a trace of fear nor cower away. A true war horse.

"Fusillade."

J'Zaki's hand became crystalized once again. Groups of red magical energy formed around him before they solidified and became swords that were blazing. Golden energy surrounded J'Zaki's horse's legs before it charged straight ahead with its rider and into the nearly destroyed fort.

Without unsheathing a weapon, J'Zaki rode into the center of the base before firing off his magic swords. Each of them landed in a different location, either someone's chest or near several individuals, before they detonated and caused massive explosions.

But while they died, there were still many opponents left that had hidden in the caverns. Over 50 men and women came out with bows in their hands, all aimed at J'Zaki.

"Kill him!"

All of the arrows were released at the same time. But before any could make contact with him, they were all blocked by a vortex of water that appeared out of nowhere around J'Zaki's body. The vortex soon disappeared to see J'Zaki's and his horse's unharmed figures within it. The men and women were about to reload but before they could, vines began crawling up their bodies and binding them.

This was the blessing of Ingcuka. This was the wrath of a god's champion. The Hyenas were scavengers. Not just for material wealth but also for knowledge. The cuff on his right arm contained all the magical knowledge that the Hyena Cult had ever collected and even those that Ingcuka had found or created on his own.

Seeing him looking at him and that they were bound, many of the warriors began to quickly beg for their lives.

"We surrender!"

"We shall yield to you!"

"Please spare my life, Lord of Death!"

And to their pleas, he only had one response.

"You have heard tales of my powers for months. You knew what happened to all of the other tribes. They either sent out a single challenger and surrendered once they lost or they rejected the initial opportunity to surrender and were extinguished. But you decided to test me and my mercy. Don't beat the drums of war unless you're ready to fight."

The night was filled with the cries of men, women, and children begging for mercy or cursing his name. But none of that mattered. J'Zaki knew better from his teachers. He had already pushed them past their limits with the initial wave of fire. He had already started the cycle of hatred. If he did not end them all there, then he was only making trouble for himself later down the line.

And so the prince walked out of the Red Tail tribe with their flag in hand, burning to ashes. By the time he reached the rest of his forces, the flag was no more. The largest tribe in the mountains with over a thousand members had been completely erased.

Once he arrived back at his throne, he looked at the thousands of men and women that he had brought under his control.

The 23 chiefs were the first to kneel, followed by the rest of the people.

"Mountain King! Lord of Death!"

J'Zaki held up his hand to signal for all of the tribes to become silent. The roars that made even the mountain quake were silenced with a single gesture. He looked up at the moon and could guess what time it was.

-- April 19th, 2012 --

"It's time to return. My brother has never liked to be kept waiting."

Next chapter