Rain poured down on the border between the Empress Cobra Zone and the Storm Eagle Zone.
Several True Path Stage warriors were stationed at this border. Usually, they were joking around, but today, they were not in the mood for jokes.
Two days ago, Jerald had made it public that they had declared war on the Skythunder Kingdom.
The reactions to these words were very mixed.
Some of the people were happy that they could finally fight for their freedom, while others were scared and thought Duke Whirlwind to be a suicidal maniac.
However, Jerald's following words had calmed down most of them.
He had promised that King Skythunder wouldn't get involved and that he had given his permission for the war.
Additionally, neither the Council nor he would get involved.
The reason for this decision was their united love for the Skythunder Kingdom.
Both parties wanted the Skythunder Kingdom to prosper, but they severely disagreed on the manner in which it should be run.
To not destroy the entire Skythunder Kingdom, it was decided to wage war in such a way.
Sadly, this only transformed the certain doom into a highly likely one.
What were they supposed to do against the Skythunder Kingdom?
They had over 300 High Mages!
Meanwhile, half of their True Path Stage warriors didn't even undergo the Procedure and couldn't even strengthen their bodies with beast hearts.
While half of the warriors could fight Mages on their level, the other half couldn't.
This meant that they essentially only had 50 True Path Stage warriors.
50 against 300.
Today, an emissary of the Skythunder Kingdom arrived at the border.
It was an Initial True Mage clothed in the robes that symbolized that the person wearing them was a diplomat.
The diplomat stopped a kilometer away from the border and took out a luxurious scroll with many seals.
"The traitorous Duke Whirlwind has robbed the Skythunder Kingdom of one of its territories and claimed it as his own. Two days ago, the traitorous Duke declared war on the very Kingdom that he had called home for nearly 200 years."
"Every man, woman, or child that decides to support the unjustified revolution of Duke Whirlwind will be viewed as a traitor and will be put to death under the laws of the Kingdom."
"The Council orders the warriors to leave their stations and enter the Empress Cobra Zone. You will be subject to a Mind Read, and if you are found to be innocent, you will join the Skythunder Kingdom without any punishment."
"In two days, the Skythunder Kingdom will assault Duke Whirlwind's claimed territory with its full force. Anyone that has been found to support Duke Whirlwind will be seen as an enemy and put to death."
"You have two days to decide."
The diplomat closed the scroll, put it away, and walked away again.
His words had hit the warriors hard.
It was one thing to know that they were going to war, but it was completely different when the Kingdom they had once called home threatened them with execution.
If anyone had still refused to believe that this was now their reality, the words of the diplomat now woke them up.
The words of the diplomat had been augmented by Magic, and they had been carried many kilometers into the distance.
Thousands of normal citizens had heard the words, and it would be impossible to keep them hidden from the general public.
The citizens fell into terror, while the warriors grew nervous.
"Citizens of the Storm Eagle Zone."
Suddenly, Jerald's voice echoed throughout the Storm Eagle Zone.
"Anyone below the Fourth Realm is allowed to leave without being stopped. This is not your war, and I don't want you to suffer in this war."
"While the Council believes that it is just to kill every man, woman, or child that merely lives in an enemy border, I am not of that belief."
"When we inevitably conquer the lands of the Skythunder Kingdom, we will not raze everything to the ground."
"When we enter your new home, you are allowed to join us again."
"The Skythunder Kingdom believes that we are weak, but they have not realized our true power."
"If I were not confident in winning, I wouldn't have declared this war."
That was the last sentence Jerald said.
In the following hours, the populace was split in two.
Many of them trusted their Duke.
The old people remembered how everything had been back in the good old days, and many younger people had seen how the world became worse and worse over time.
However, the fear of losing one's life was terrifyingly powerful, and the other part of the populace wanted to run away immediately.
There was no point in gambling with their lives!
Fleeing to the Skythunder Kingdom was the only correct choice because this was the only choice without a risk to their lives!
A couple of hours later, the Exodus happened.
Thousands of citizens left the Storm Eagle Zone in panic and fear.
The guards watched them leave with worried expressions.
The very few Mages that had been in the Storm Eagle Zone weren't amongst the people that left. They had already made up their mind to be here, and they would stay here.
Surprisingly enough, there were also very few Commander Stage warriors that left.
The reason for that was the power of the Commander Stage warriors. They were already powerful enough to feel the authoritarian claw of the Council, and if they hadn't been protected by Duke Whirlwind, they would have probably already died on the frontlines.
They knew how their life in the Skythunder Kingdom would look like if they decided to leave, and they were not interested in leading such a life.
The number of General Stage warriors that left was higher. They could still make a living in the Skythunder Kingdom, and they didn't need to risk their lives on the frontlines.
As long as they didn't advance to the Commander Stage, everything would be fine, and they knew that.
The amount of Soldier Stage warriors that left was terrifying.
They were so new on their path to power that they could still convert to the Mage path if they wanted.
Not everyone had the talent to become a Mage, but even if they couldn't, they could survive as stronger commoners at least.
So many people dreamed of becoming powerful, but as soon as their actual life was on the line, living in mediocrity didn't seem so awful anymore.
Only when morning arrived did the tide of emigrants stop.
The Storm Eagle Zone had lost nearly 40% of its citizens.
Shops were empty.
The Farm Line was mostly empty.
The Storm Eagle Zone looked even deader than previously.
Several hours of silence and anxious calm passed.
And then, a group of five True Path Stage warriors fled.
While the citizens were allowed to flee without repercussions, the same thing wasn't true for the True Path Stage warriors.
These five True Path Stage warriors were now official enemies of the Storm Eagle Zone.
In the evening, another group of five warriors fled.
And early on the next morning, another five left.
The Storm Eagle Zone was now only left with about 85 True Path Stage warriors.
And then, it was time.
The Skythunder Kingdom's striking squad had arrived.
