Jax brought out his shirt, armor and black trench coat from his inventory and slipped them on with practiced ease.
Next came his weapons.
Infernal Requiem materialized in his hands and were holstered inverted at his waist.
Then came Peacemaker.
The massive double-bladed sword appeared in his grasp like an extension of his will.
With one smooth motion, Jax drove the weapon point-first into the ground beside him.
The impact sent a deep metallic THOOM across the plain.
He stood alone on the road between the Empire and Solmere.
One man.
One sword.
One black coat rippling in the breeze.
And behind him—
Everything he loved.
The Empire's vast host continued marching at first.
Rows upon rows of infantry.
Cavalry banners snapping in the wind.
Mages in disciplined ranks.
Siege engines rumbling forward.
A sea of soldiers stretching so far that the rear ranks were little more than moving specks on the horizon.
But as the front lines closed to within two hundred yards, the advance began to slow.
Then it stopped.
The soldiers in the first ranks stared.
Some frowned.
Some laughed.
Some exchanged confused looks.
To many of them, the scene seemed absurd.
A single shirtless—now partially dressed—man standing alone in the middle of the road.
No walls.
No army.
No visible defenses.
Just one man with a sword.
Many of the rank and file had never even heard the name Jax Darquebane.
Others had heard the stories and dismissed them as exaggerated rebel propaganda.
They saw no legend.
Only a lone warrior standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Farther back, the royal command caravan received the report.
A nervous messenger bowed low.
"Solmere is in visual sight, Your Majesty."
The king smiled.
"And?"
"There is... one man standing on the road. He appears armed and hostile."
The king waved dismissively.
"Have the scouts deal with him."
The messenger hesitated.
"We've lost contact with the scouts."
The room went silent.
The queen's expression hardened.
The Spy Master looked up immediately.
The other generals exchanged uneasy glances.
Everyone in that room had heard some version of this story before.
One man.
Unexpected.
Calm.
Dangerous.
The Spy Master rose to his feet.
"Get me a description."
Outside, mounted observers focused their enchanted lenses.
The reply came a moment later.
"Blond hair."
A pause.
"Black trench coat."
Another pause.
"Large double-bladed sword."
No one spoke.
For a heartbeat, the world itself seemed to stop.
Then the room erupted.
"Spread the formations!"
"Deploy the artillery!"
"Get the mages into position!"
"Activate anti-summoning protocols!"
The royal caravan transformed from celebration to panic in seconds.
Generals barked orders.
Messengers ran.
Tele-stones crackled with frantic instructions.
The columns that had been marching in orderly ranks spread outward until they covered the plain like an iron tide.
Archers formed firing lines.
Mages began chanting.
Cavalry units repositioned.
Siege crews loaded ammunition.
What had been a triumphant march became a full battle deployment.
All because of one man.
In the center of the command chamber, the mage who had overseen the curse ritual stood frozen.
Her face had gone completely pale.
"No..."
She shook her head.
"No, that's impossible."
She backed away from the table.
"He can't be alive."
No one responded.
The accusing stares were worse than any words.
The general who had mocked the Spy Master now glared openly.
Another rested a hand on his sword.
The queen's expression was one of cold fury.
The king's confidence had evaporated.
Only the Spy Master remained outwardly calm.
Though inwardly, his respect for Jax Darquebane rose to an entirely new level.
Not only had the man survived.
He had manipulated them into believing he was dead.
He had lured them all the way to Solmere.
And now he stood in plain sight.
Waiting.
The curse mage kept speaking, her voice increasingly shrill.
"It should have worked."
"We used the full ritual."
"The sacrifice was accepted."
"The spell was perfect."
No one defended her.
No one comforted her.
She had staked her reputation on Jax's death.
Now Jax stood alive and very much in control.
Her triumph had become humiliation.
Outside, soldiers whispered nervously.
"That's him."
"The Shadow King."
"The Human Hero."
"The One-Man Army."
Stories spread through the ranks faster than commands.
Some remembered rumors of an entire army defeated by one man.
Others recalled tales of shadow dragons and living nightmares.
Many had dismissed such stories as fantasy.
But legends were always easier to ignore from a distance.
Much harder when the legend was standing in front of you.
Jax remained perfectly still.
One hand rested on the hilt of Peacemaker.
His coat fluttered in the wind.
His expression was calm.
Patient.
Almost amused.
As though he were merely waiting for a late dinner reservation.
At last, a booming voice echoed across the battlefield.
Magic amplified the king's words until they rolled over the plain.
"This is impossible!"
His voice cracked with panic and anger.
"You are dead! We read the obituary! You aren't supposed to be here!"
Thousands of soldiers heard the fear in his tone.
Jax activated his own voice amplification.
When he spoke, his voice was natural.
Steady.
Clear enough for everyone to hear.
"I'm afraid the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
Confused murmurs spread through the Empire's ranks.
The king snarled.
"I don't care whether you died then or die now!"
His voice rose to a near scream.
"I will see your body burned! You will rot, dismembered and broken! I will spit on your corpse!"
He pointed from within the command caravan, even though Jax could not see the gesture.
"You are one man! You are alone! And we have an army dedicated to eradicating you!"
As if on cue, the Empire's mages completed their ritual.
Hundreds of robed figures thrust their staffs skyward.
Dark clouds boiled into existence.
Sunlight vanished.
The battlefield dimmed as a massive anti-summoning spell spread across the plain.
The Empire had prepared specifically for Jax's shadow army.
They believed they had cut him off from his greatest strength.
A triumphant murmur passed through the command caravan.
The king smiled.
The queen's lips curled upward.
Even the disgraced curse mage managed a hopeful breath.
Surely now, they had him.
Jax looked up at the newly darkened sky.
Then he smiled.
A slow, confident smile that sent a chill through every person who saw it.
He tightened his grip on Peacemaker.
His dark blue eyes gleamed beneath the shadowed heavens.
Then he spoke.
"There's something you should know about me."
He paused just long enough for the silence to become unbearable.
Then his smile widened.
"I'm never alone."