Word of Lord Karai's and Lord Rishil's deaths swept the lands, and in literally less than a day, nations across the continents became aware of the deaths of two Eistorian warlords.
Needless to say, this news caused devastating grief amongst the Eistorians, leading many to gather to mourn the dead warriors. Untold confusion ravaged Eistoriel's forces too, but the other Warlords did their best to handle the matter.
Therefore, the fifth day of the war was highlighted by those incredible events, and although the Eistorians wouldn't know this, their enemies actually mourned the death of Lord Rishil's opponent.
Well, "mourn" wouldn't be the right term, since the leaders of the union voiced complaints to no end as to why they had allowed one of their greatest assets to have her way and engage the warlord.
Sure, they had sent her as a response to what Lord Karai did, but they had not expected her to actually die. After all, unlike most of their stronger warriors, she happened to be one of eight strongest.
The union batted not ant an eye at at the deaths of literally tens of thousands of foot soldiers, but her death shook its forces, as they realized that the Warlords were much stronger than they appeared.
Moreover, even within the ranks of Warlords, there were individuals greater in strength than the two. Plus, Lord Karai had only died because they had been prepared for his arrival, thanks to their 'help.'
Needless to say, hesitation ravaged the union's army at that point, and for the first time since the war began, they showed signs of uncertainty.
A wonder how they would have reacted if they had seen just how overwhelming Lord Rishil had been. Unfortunately, there were no other witnesses to the battle apart from the golden Generals who had barely been able to follow the fight.
Ishnal connected with the rest of the warlords and explained the situation to them. With only eighteen of them left, it became clear that even for their level, caution was required since they had no information as to how many of such experts their enemies possessed. Still, the hesitation the union expressed gladdened their hearts.
Word traveled, and of course the news reached the king—Ishnal had sent a message through a means only he and the warlords knew of, even if the message hadn't been necessary.
The nobles within Lorshdel mourned, causing a somber atmosphere to settle on the central city all through the evening and night of the fifth day.
The dawn of the sixth day arrived, and it was a sad day for both parties, but that didn't stop battles from unfolding.
The enemy had relented in sending any major force after the warlords and the golden generals. There were only four hundred and thirty of such generals, and over ninety had fallen by this point.
The sixth day came and ended seemingly quickly; many hoped the enemy would retain their lessened barrage on the seventh day, but unfortunately, it would not be so.
The dawn of the seventh day arrived, and a wave of terror originating from the enemy camp swept the lands of Eistoriel.
News reached every major city through scouts that the forces of the enemy had doubled, and more measures had been employed. It appeared that the Union was no longer willing to play. It actually considered Eistoriel a threat now.
The hearts of every Eistorian could only sink into doom at that discovery. At this juncture the warlords began to assure their knights of their Kings intervention, which would occur the next day, but all their words fell on deaf ears.
What could their slothful king do against an army of that size? A question that had its foundations grounded in brutal reality. What could any nation hope to do against such a force?
Every knight was extremely exhausted now; they were practically fodder at that point, and indeed, when the battles of the seventh day commenced, the Eistorians fell in great numbers. It was a great slaughter.
However, when the sun peaked in the sky, signifying noon, the enemy suddenly halted their overwhelming advances to initiate a shocking announcement.
"PRESENT THE HEAD OF YOUR KING!" This, the enemy did chant across the various battlefields, causing Eistoriel to fall into an uproar. What?
The Warlords, Golden Generals, and Silver Commanders winced at the idea, knowing how physically impossible that request was, but the people, on the other hand… they had different opinions about it—due to their lack of knowledge, of course.
Dark and severe expressions appeared on the faces of each warlord when the elites of each city began to whisper suggestions… In mere hours those suggestions turned into demands.
The people began to demand answers as to why the king had never presented himself publicly. If there was even a king at all. Doubtful statements began to fly towards the image of the warlords. Their integrity appeared to be questionable now.
Murmurs traveled around too quickly, such that the matter became big enough that the warlords had to gather. And the sixth day hadn't even ended!
Nonetheless, although they gathered, they actually discussed nothing about the issue of the King appearing or not. There was nothing to discuss, after all. Their only confusion was why the enemy had demanded such a thing.
The Union declared that they would end the war if the king's head were presented, so it probably meant they wouldn't actually stop. So why?
They soon concluded that the goal of their enemies was to overwhelm the warlords from the inside by turning the people against them. If a house stood against itself, it would only crumble.
It was no secret that Eistorians disregarded their mysterious king. In fact, they only respected the title because the warlords ensured they mentioned the King as often as possible. Still, it was exhausting. Many times, they had also tried compelling their leader into revealing himself, but he had always dismissed their suggestions, saying it wasn't necessary.
"The people have you, and they are content with that." He often remarked before leaving.
"If the people refuse to relent on their shameful demands, we will have no choice but to forcefully subdue them," Ishnal stated, properly assuming his role as leader. To the Warlord, the demands of the enemy nation were literally impossible to carry out. Even if they tried, the only possible end was death… a meaningless death.
Their meeting ended on the night of the seventh day, and they prepared to return to their various regions when something appeared in their consciousness, something that caused all eighteen warlords to shudder.
Albeit only known to the warlords, the King actually possessed a strange connection with their souls. Such that in reality, he didn't need any external measures to know when any of them had died, and they didn't need any to announce to them whenever he had stepped out of his castle.
It was a technique he had enacted on each of them when they stepped into those ranks. No one really understood how he could achieve that, but he could anyway.
The evidence of their connection always manifested as a 'knowing' that felt more tangible than the breath in their lungs.
Hence, when that 'knowing' alerted them of their Kings desire to battle, they could only shoot out of their gathering point—flying towards his location with as much swiftness their superior bodies could muster.
TIME WAS OF THE ESSENCE.