A massive army marched from the Sumatran Kingdom and crossed the strait that divided the territory of the Tigerkins and Barbarians.
Simultaneously, the Barbarian and Orc Armies made their way to the battlefield where the Tigerkin Army had stationed themselves.
The one who chose this place was none other than General Stark, in accordance with Thirteen's recommendation.
The battlefield was a wide plain, allowing both sides to fight on even ground and giving both sides a fair advantage in the war.
General Stark gazed in the distance as the Tigerkins played their drums of war.
Replying to the thunderous booming sounds of their challenge were the war drums of the Barbarians and the Orcs, who had been allies for a very long time.
Both armies were a mile away from each other, sizing each other up.
Countless flags fluttered in the wind, representing the different factions of both armies.
Thirteen and his group positioned themselves two miles away from the battlefield. The seven-year-old stood on top of a hill as he peeked through a telescope empowered with rune magic, observing the two armies from a distance.
"Vassago, Poca, you already know what to do," Thirteen said to the two Pocopocos that were perched on Giga Chad's back. "Both of your roles are important, so keep yourselves safe no matter what."
The two Pocopocos chirped in acknowledgement before flying toward the sky.
Vassago flew toward the Barbarian Army, while Poca flew toward the Tigerkin Army.
"Zion, what if they start to engage each other?" Adira inquired. "What will we do then?"
"We won't let that happen, Lady Adira," Thirteen replied. "The moment these two armies clash, our mission will fail. No matter what happens, they must not fight each other unless Arundel makes his appearance."
Vassago and Poca had confirmed that Arundel's forces had already reached the island and were currently masking their presence, preventing anyone from detecting them.
This was made possible with the artifact that Arundel was carrying. He wanted the two armies to weaken each other first before he sent his army for the kill, causing both sides to suffer countless casualties in battle.
Little did the Majin Prince know that Thirteen already knew where his Army had positioned themselves.
The Tigerkins, Barbarians, and the Orcs didn't know that a game of chess with pieces numbering in the hundreds of thousands was about to begin.
Both armies stood facing each other as their war drums boomed continuously, reverberating across the entire battlefield.
"Your Majesty, why don't we take the initiative to attack our enemies?" Gael advised the Barbarian King. "These Tigerkins might have forgotten who drove them off when they tried to invade our lands. Perhaps a wake up call is in order."
"That will be a foolish thing to do," Netero commented from the side. "Have you forgotten that Tigerkins are born stronger than humans? Even with the help of our Orc friends, they must not be underestimated no matter what.
"Since you are itching for a fight, how about we do it the traditional way of sending our warriors to fight a one-on-one battle to spice things up? Gael, I think it will be best if you go fight to raise the morale of our troops, what do you say?"
Although he didn't look like it, Netero was actually one of the most talented strategists of the Barbarian Race.
He was the one who created the strategy to repel the Tigerkins when they first invaded their lands, allowing their forces to regroup and rally under one banner.
Because of this, his words carried a lot of weight to the Barbarian King.
"A traditional battle sounds good," the Barbarian King commented. "Go, Gael. Show these beasts what the Barbarians can do."
Gael frowned, but since the King had given his orders, he decided to obey his will.
Netero watched him go with a calm expression on his face. Gael might only be a Grandmaster, but that didn't mean that he wasn't proficient in fighting.
He was a Barbarian, so fighting was something that he was born to do.
Riding a war horse, Gael charged alone and stood at the center of the plains, raising his voice to challenge the Tigerkins.
"Who among you is brave enough to fight me?" Gael asked in a challenging tone.
Paven, who recognized Gael, couldn't help but wonder if this was part of his counterpart's plan to trigger the war to begin.
General Stark, who was in complete command of the army, was about to send one of his men to battle when a Saber Tooth Tiger, carrying a warrior, ran toward the battlefield.
"Anwir," General Stark muttered before narrowing his eyes.
His adopted son was only of the Elite Rank, while the Barbarian who offered the challenge was of the Grandmaster Rank.
Although Tigerkins were born stronger than humans, there was still a three-rank gap between Gael and Anwir, which would result in a bad matchup between them.
But just as General Stark was about to call Anwir back, Rafiki, who was standing by his side, placed a hand over the General's shoulder.
"Anwir is not a foolish child," Rafiki said softly. "He knows what he is doing, so trust him this one time."
General Stark frowned, but he no longer proceeded to order Anwir to return.
The Tigerkins, who recognized the boy as General Stark's adopted son, were confused. But since he came from the General's Family, they thought that this was just part of the strategy that he came up with.
"The young sure are fearless," Gael said when Anwir was only fifteen meters away from him. "Have you come here to die, boy?"
Instead of answering, Anwir dismounted from his Saber Tooth Tiger and ordered it to distance itself from him.
Gael chuckled before he, too, dismounted and made his mount go away as well.
Drawing his great sword from his scabbard, the Barbarian took a fighting stance.
He didn't mind fighting someone weaker than him since, in the end, it would allow him to raise the morale of the Barbarians.
Anwir, on the other hand, was not planning to win this duel.
What he was planning was completely different, but he believed that it would not be a bad way to test how far his Martial Technique had improved.
The Martial Technique, Emperor's Might, was more effective when facing off against enemies who were stronger than its wielder.
This technique was made to surpass one's limits and allow them to put their lives on the line for the possibility of a victory.
"State your name, boy," Gael stated.
"Anwir Evander," Anwir replied. "And you are?"
"Gael Scar," Gael answered. "The man who will teach you a lesson that you will never forget."
Anwir took a fighting stance, which he had seen countless times inside his head and practiced nearly sixteen hours a day ever since he gained the memories of the Lion King named Leon.
Although Lionkins and Tigerkins were of different species, there were also multiple similarities between them, making them two of the strongest races of the Beastkins.
As soon as he channeled the Emperor's Might inside his body, his arms and legs were both covered with blazing dark flames, making the Tigerkin King and General Stark look at him in shock.
'King's Might?' the Tigerkin King thought as he scrutinized Anwir's technique. 'No. This is different from King's Might. It is much more powerful.'
Only the Royal Family were able to use the Martial Technique King's Might because this was their closely guarded secret.
However, after seeing that Anwir was able to use a Martial Skill that was quite similar, and perhaps even stronger than King's Might, the Tigerkin King wasn't able to stop himself from looking at the boy favorably.
'He is Stark's adopted son,' the Tigerkin King thought as he glanced at the General, who also had a surprised expression on his face. 'I guess he didn't know that his son knew how to use this formidable Martial Technique.'
The Tigerkin King pondered for a bit as his interest in Anwir grew.
Unbeknownst to him, Anwir had deliberately taken the initiative to showcase his powers to the Tigerkin King to make the latter interested in him.
He believed that after he saw how powerful this Martial Skill was, he would gain a status in the Sumatran Kingdom, befitting of the technique he possessed.
Two miles away from the battlefield, the corner of Thirteen's lips curled up into a smile.
'Anwir really knows how to advertise his worth to others,' Thirteen mused. 'But, I also want to see just how far he has mastered the Emperor's Might.'
Somewhere in the Warsor Plains…
The Majin Prince looked at this little faceoff with mild amusement in his face.
He recognized the person fighting to be Gael, whom he had not been able to contact for the past several weeks.
Arundel still had no idea what happened to him, but seeing that the other party was about to fight a one-on-one battle with an interesting Tigerkin, he decided to just watch for the time being and enjoy the entertainment that was taking place in front of him.
