Chapter 1640 - Power Move (Part 2)
Neither the soldiers nor the rebels had any idea what was happening, they only knew that it was unnatural and terrifying. The energy mass had been arranged in the form of a grey sphere that floated above Lith's head and that grew with every spell it absorbed.
At first, it had been as big as a bowling ball, but as the city guards went into a panic and kept shooting in the hope that the army dog would bite more than he could chew, it soon grew to the size of a house.
"I am the military officer in charge of the peace talks with the citizens of Zeska. My name is Lith Verhen." Even though he was already inside the city arrays and he couldn't use air magic to amplify his voice, everyone heard him clearly.
Thanks to his breathing exercises Lith had long since learned how to speak through his diaphragm, making his baritonal voice a roar that spread up and beyond the city walls.
That and the fact of actually being a twenty meters (66') tall creature compressed in the form of a human body, of course.
Between his thunderous words and the tri-elemental sphere the size of a two-story house floating above his head, the city guards decided that parlay was a much better option than keep feeding the monster.
"You talk about peace, yet you come with an army behind your back and you threaten our city with a spell of untold power." The Commander in charge of defending the walls said while pointing at the sphere. "Why should we believe you?"
Eman Yndel was a man in his mid-thirties, about 1.76 meters (5'9") tall with light brown hair and a finely trimmed beard. He had cold blue eyes that well-concealed the fear he felt and a steady voice that overwhelmed the roaring spell enough to be heard.
He wore a suit of armor that left exposed only the hips and the inner side of his legs and arms so to offer the best protection while not limiting his range of motions. The enchanted armor bore the orange and red of the city flag.
"Because I approached your city alone and unarmed." Lith replied while turning around to show that he didn't carry any weapon. The elemental sealing arrays of the city also made it impossible to use dimensional amulets.
At least in theory.
Arrays didn't work on Lith's pocket dimension but he had no reason of letting them know that.
"On top of that, I didn't cast this spell. Your men did. I just acted in self-defence. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, I'll gladly get rid of it." He threw the sphere up into the sky for hundreds of meters until it reached a safe distance.
Then, it detonated producing a light so strong that for several seconds two suns shone above Zeska. Despite the distance, the resulting shockwave produced gusts of wind that forced the mages of the regiment to conjure a barrier to not be swept away and the soldiers atop the city walls to seek refuge inside one of the many watchtowers.
The explosion produced a mushroom cloud visible from dozens of kilometers away and a noise akin to the war cry of an angry god.
Among all that, Lith stood still as if nothing was happening, protected by an invisible barrier made of Spirit Magic and Light Mastery.
"Now that we are all at ease, I hope that we can discuss the terms of your surrender." He said with an amiable voice.
Commander Yndel was still quaking in his boots, shivering from head to toe while silently thanking the gods for having survived the insane blast. Yet when he heard those words, his pride and sense of duty gave him the strength to overcome his fear.
"We'll never surrender! We are not a region of the Kingdom anymore. Zeska is part of the free country of Nestrar now!" Unfortunately for Yndel, his voice came out as squeaky rather than angry.
It made his words sound empty, failing to restore the morale of either his troops or the citizens.
Lith's power move had worked exactly as he had intended and his opponents were too shaken to even notice it. Detonating the tier Tower spell from a safe distance had deprived him of a powerful deterrent but the gains were well worth the loss.
Anyone in Zeska now knew that Lith had the ability to level the city and every hope they had to stand their ground was already lost. The memory of the two suns was forever etched in their minds and so was the fear of seeing them again, this time up close.
"The Griffon Kingdom has abandoned us during our darkest hour. You bureaucrats have left us for dead until the end of the winter and now you demand us to share our precious food with the parasites from the north?
"Why should we starve just to let you fill your belly? What has any of you ever done for us to deserve such a sacrifice? I'd rather destroy the food supplies than hand them over to you." Captain Yndel said while drawing strength from the memories of all the hardships that he had endured during the last year.
"The Kingdom never abandoned you. It gave you a Ranger who was regularly supplied with everything you might need and tasked with delivering it to Zeska. It's not our fault if he hoarded the resources and used them to manipulate you." Lith replied.
He could hear the soldiers swear in outrage at the slander of their hero, yet he didn't stop.
"As for what the Kingdom has done for you, it has given you the walls from which you now threaten me. It has given you the fields that give you more food than you can eat.
"Also, I resent you calling the people of the north as parasites. I'm from the south of the Kingdom, yet I served there for two years and I know how harsh is life there. They suffer from cold and isolation in order to protect our borders.
"To make sure that all the monstrosities inside the Lost Cities never threaten anyone. Isn't that a sacrifice worthy of your help? Your winter is but spring compared to theirs and while you stay here with nothing to do but worry about keeping you warm, they fight for their lives every single day."
Lith never mentioned being an Archmage, a Spellbreaker, nor even the fact that he had destroyed two of the dreaded Lost Cities.
He had no need to. His name alone held all of that information and his feat with the tier Tower spell had demonstrated that everything the citizens of Zeska had heard about him was true, if not even an understatement.
Every one of them knew the story of Lith Verhen, the humble son of a farmer who had risen to the highest honors of the Kingdom before reaching his twenty years of age.
Many of those who listened to his words looked at Lith with admiration and envy, secretly wishing that at least one of their children may one day achieve the same.
The citizens of Zeska suddenly felt ashamed of themselves, remembering the lengths that a man of the south had gone to protect lands so far away from his home.