Making Bold Moves

"Have you received any news from Old Johnson?" inquired a man with dark green eyes and short black hair.

"No, Your Highness. There has been no word from him in the past three days," responded a hooded figure, addressing the green-eyed man. It was evident that the man was the current king of a kingdom in the Porter Kingdom.

"Do you think the other families have discovered his connection to us?" he asked again, with a hint of curiosity and uncertainty.

"That's not likely. Old Johnson is smart, so I don't think he would be discovered so easily," the hooded figure replied once more.

"But that doesn't justify why, for the last three days, we haven't heard anything from him. Is he getting cold feet about his alliance with the Porter Kingdom?" the king asked again.

"I've sent people to investigate. Should he be found to have betrayed us, I would personally behead him," the hooded figure threatened in a cold voice.

Before the king could say anything again, a servant entered the room with a report.

"Sorry for intruding, Your Highness, but the delegates from the other Kingdoms are here. They appear to be in bad moods for some reason," the servant reported.

"That is to be expected since we failed to continue our plan two months ago. Go and address them about the recent developments, and tell them to relax because the invasion of Sundance Kingdom will soon begin," the king ordered. The servant and the hooded figure then left the room.

'Soon, the entire empire will be under my rule,' the king pondered silently, still seated in his grand throne room.

He reigns as the monarch of the Porter Kingdom. King Alaric Stormrider IV harbored grand ambitions, yearning to ascend to the position of emperor. His ultimate goal: command the entire human realm and exercise dominion over all. The initial step in his elaborate scheme involves plotting the demise and assault of the Sundance Kingdom. Aware of numerous hurdles that lay ahead, he believed that seizing control of Sundance would provide him the strength needed to confront other kingdoms united against him.

His initial design included the assassination of the Sundance Kingdom's monarch two months prior. However, alterations were made to the plan following the challenges faced by the prodigies within the tomb of the war deity.

Entering a pact with Old Johnson, the esteemed leader of the Johnson great family, they sought his assistance in persuading other families to form an alliance. The objective: facilitate the smooth mobilization of their troops into the Kingdom without encountering any obstacles.

Old Johnson's intention to form alliances with other kingdoms extended beyond the assistance in subduing Rasoul and his companions. He received a more enticing proposition: the King of the Porter Kingdom pledged to crown him as the ruler of the Sundance Kingdom once they achieved complete control.

Their strategy unfolded smoothly until three days ago when Rasoul enslaved all the heads of families in the Sundance Kingdom. With the initial phase of their plan unraveling, they must now devise a new strategy, one that involves the collaboration of all six kingdoms.

In a clandestine meeting chamber, located just a few kilometers from the Royal Palace, six figures were seated around a table engaged in what seemed to be a crucial discussion. The mysterious figure, previously in the company of the King moments ago, began to speak.

"I understand that you may be wondering why the Sundance Kingdom still stands, and its king remains unharmed. The explanation is quite simple: we've opted for a more subtle approach," he revealed, a sly grin playing on his lips.

"The king aims to instill fear in the hearts of every Sundance Kingdom inhabitant, shattering their morale before the battle even commences.

"We urge all of you to participate. As we've discussed before, this time, each of you should contribute at least three million soldiers to complement our forces in the invasion. The King of the Sundance Kingdom is proving more resilient than expected, but I am confident that, together, we can achieve our goal. he finished with yet another evil grin behind the hood"

"Why should we trust you, huh? You've already had one failure; what's stopping you from failing again?" a member seated around the table questioned.

"Exactly! What assurance do we have that you're not just leading our troops to their demise? In my view, if the five of us join forces, we can bring down the kingdoms of Porter and Sundance. We know your kingdom don't see eye to eye with Sundance, so there's no need to fear you allying with them," another figure asserted.

"Everyone, let's calm down. We're not adversaries here; our common goal is the downfall of the Sundance Kingdom...The hooded figure said, trying to defuse the situation.

"You may say that, but deep down, your Kingdom desires this. I'm uncertain about your end game, but be clear, my Eldoria Kingdom won't fall for your usual tactics. If you want this alliance to move forward, reveal the primary motive behind this invasion," another figure expressed skepticism.

"I second that. My Azulmar Kingdom won't adhere to the plan until we understand the full scope of what's happening here," a bald man declared, wearing a serious expression.

"Same here..."

In unanimous accord, all five individuals reached an understanding. They refused to proceed with the plan until they grasped the primary motive behind the invasion of the Sundance Kingdom. They were not naïve enough to believe that the Porter Kingdom would suddenly decide to assail the strongest kingdom in the human empire without a compelling reason. They demanded clarity before committing to the alliance.

This alliance, however, left the hooded figure, representing the Porter Kingdom, in a challenging position. Still, being the king's right-hand man, he was determined not to let something as trivial as this ruffle his composure.

"Yes, there is a rationale behind our strategy to invade the Sundance Kingdom. However, before I divulge this information to all of you, you must first commit to signing the Hereditary Hex contract. Rest assured, what I am about to reveal is something none of you can afford to overlook. he said with a calm yet annoyed tone"

[****[Hereditary Hex]

>>Once signed, Family generations are bound by a contract, carrying the burden of their ancestors' commitments.

Should the contract be broken by the one who signed it, a curse is triggered that afflicts the entire bloodline, causing members to suffer gruesome deaths until the lineage is extinguished.****]

"This is utter madness! Must we go to such extremes?" the Azulmar kingdom representative exclaimed loudly.

"This is the only way I can trust all of you as well," the hooded figure shrugged.

"What's stopping us from investigating it ourselves?" he asked again.

"You can try, but I doubt you'll find anything since you don't know what you'll be looking for."

This revelation naturally led the five figures into profound contemplation. Signing a Hereditary Hex contract seemed excessive, as they were reluctant to entangle their entire families in a situation from which they couldn't extricate themselves.

They were well aware that failing to uncover the primary reason behind the Porter Kingdom's desire to invade the Sundance Kingdom could lead to their king's deep disappointment in them, possibly even resulting in the loss of their positions.

After a thoughtful pause, the bald figure spoke, "I have a condition before signing the contract..."

"Go ahead," the hooded figure said.

"This contract will only be effective until we successfully take over the Sundance Kingdom. After that, I want it null and void; I don't want my entire lineage to suffer from this madness."

"I second that," the Azulmar representative added.

"Me too," another figure joined in, and just like that, they all signed the contract after the hooded figure accepted their condition. He knew this contract wouldn't matter because they never planned to share anything with the other kingdoms. They wanted everything for themselves.

"I believe you all know the Protector died many years ago, but what you don't know is that the Protector was known to possess rare resources that made him the strongest back then. It was rumored that he shielded Nino, also known as the Deity of War, back in those times.

Five years ago, a spy we planted in the Sundance Kingdom overheard a conversation between the King of Sundance and a mysterious figure. In their discussion, the King revealed their recent discovery and sought the figure's assistance in breaking the protective formation around it. He mentioned some rare items he desired from the resources left behind by the Protector.

He even disclosed that an Astral Phoenix Feather is among the items sealed away. I hope I don't have to tell you how valuable an Astral Phoenix Feather is."

"There are other resources in this sealed place, but before we can lay claim to them, we must first seize control of the kingdom. Rest assured, we have a method to break the formation, so you all don't have to worry about that. We require your collective assistance in dealing with the Sundance Kingdom, and once we unlock this mysterious area, you will all receive rewards beyond your wildest imaginations."

"This is indeed a compelling reason to invade a kingdom. I can't even imagine the value of what's stored away; after all, the Protector was a Demi-god," the bald man remarked, with a hint of greed in his eyes.

"This is truly remarkable. My Everglade Kingdom will dispatch 3,000,000 soldiers to support your campaign," the representative from Everglade Kingdom declared. He understood the worth of a phoenix feather, and the potential benefits of obtaining it outweighed the associated risks.

"My Valenciennes Kingdom will also join in," a bulky man with long dark hair stated, seemingly the representative from the Valenciennes Kingdom.

[4th Wall: This name is undoubtedly creative of you, Mr. Author. Keep going]

"My Rainy Kingdom will join in as well; expect the arrival of 300,000 soldiers by the end of this week," the representative of the Rainy Kingdom also chimed in.

With that, all five kingdoms pledged their soldiers and concluded the meeting. The hooded figure burst into laughter once they all teleported back to their respective kingdoms.

'You will all wish you never signed a hex contract with me,' he said inwardly.

********

While this unfolded, 63 miles away, Rasoul and his friends finally arrived in the Dark Forest, prepared to initiate the process of creating his subordinates. He sought to amass more Subordinates to assist him in conquering all the great families in the human empire.

His strategy was straightforward: enslave all the family heads and command them to support the Princess with unwavering dedication once he departed the human empire.

Little did Rasoul know, that unforeseen circumstances were about to unfold, compelling him to adapt his plan to address the impending changes.

*********

[Astral Phoenix Feather]

>>The Astral Phoenix Feather can revive life and heal injuries, symbolizing resilience and renewal.