Chapter 963 Elsewhere
After the long meeting that took place in the center of the vast city in Elysium, many plans were set afoot by the sovereigns who were each given an important duty to fulfill.
These plans were such that they were meant to affect all of the strata of people present in the continent, but in a remote place to the north of Angaria, a group of people had gathered who didn't care one whit about what happened to anyone but themselves.
By design or coincidence, the location that had been chosen for the gathering was a unique one.
It was said that it was the place where two Heroes had fought to the death over the most mundane of things: a compliment.
Alas, that compliment came from someone around whom the entire power of the continent revolved at that time, and although the rest of the details were not clearly known to the general population, the bards were known to embellish upon the fact that that woman…meant for the fight to happen.
In a room in which both of the Heroes were present, she had spoken the compliment out loud, but when asked to whom she had addressed it, she had simply said that it was up to the two to decide.
Thus started the deathmatch.
The entire story seemed as if it was too good to be true, but if one chose to travel to this place to see one of the most dangerous, yet stunning sights in Angaria, then they would definitely be convinced that it must have some truth.
The first sigh that one would see of the place, itself, was breathtaking: seen from the top of a mountain nearby, it would seem as if a bowl with an open top had risen from the ground, shielding all that was within from view while aweing anyone who lay their eyes upon it.
The bowl of earth was so large that it could fit over a quarter of a million people within: indeed, the area was such that it would be the perfect location for a large city that would be protected by the heaven-defyingly curved walls of earth, but alas, where nature giveth, it also taketh away.
It was theorized that due to the earth being raised and then frozen in that way through the aftereffects of a series of magical bombardments, the World's command over this place was weak, leading to constant earthquakes that could sometimes result in cracks in the earth that could swallow tens of thousands of people whole.
Indeed, the sound of the earth rumbling could be heard day and night here, and that was the main reason why it was left as an attraction, rather than strategic ground to be fought for.
Today, if anyone ventured out to this location after getting past all of the dangers that were known to plague all land that was empty, they would see with shock that over 200,000 individuals were standing still, as if waiting for something.
Or someone.
It was clear, from the marks on the earth, that the large group had been formed by multiple smaller ones assembling one by one until they had congregated into the army that was now present.
It looked like an army, indeed, albeit a very shoddily equipped one, as it was comprised of many, many individuals who had clearly been in many, many battles.
Almost all of them had scars all over their bodies. A significant number were missed an ear, an eye or even a limb. And a large majority were dressed in nothing but armor.
Except for these things, if one took another gander and tried to see what else might be common among them, then they would be exposed to the main feeling that radiated from the entire group.
It was…the air of lawlessness that could only exist around those who lived life on their own terms.
"SHUT YOUR MOUTHS, YOU MAGGOTS, AND RAISE YOUR WEAPONS TO WELCOME THE BANDIT QUEEN!"
Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted the whispered conversations that many had begun to engage, and a second later, a woman appeared in the air.
Her features were indistinct due to the fact that her face was caked over with grease and dirt, but there was one thing that clearly stood out: on her waist were a series of bloody weapons, each different than last, and each of them…were still being held by the detached hands of those from whom they had forcefully been taken.
It was a horrifyingly gorgeous sight: at least 20 weapons, with 20 hands that were still holding on with dear life. The wound at the base of each hand was cauterized so that it wouldn't bleed, and even the hands had been enchanted so that they wouldn't rot.
The blood that was present on each weapon also seemed fresh, and as it glinted in the sun, many in the group below had to avert their eyes as they could not bear to witness the terrifying beauty of the woman…who had been the first and only individual to ask the King of Lanthanor to join her, in return, when asked to join him.
Joselyn looked at the group of bandits with hard eyes while ensuring that the final step that she had to finish perfectly before accepting the offer of the King was ready to begin.
She had thought that the years after having her family massacred by elves had been hard, and although they had wrecked her emotionally, it was these past few ones that had been the hardest on her mind and body.
She still remembered that time a few years ago, when she had been the leader of a bandit group aiming to derail the plans of the king due to her wrath against the Kingdom of the Elves.
She still didn't know how he had accomplished that feat, but somehow, he had made all the elves who were guilty of treating humans as pets and holding them in cages to torture and have fun with admitted all of their crimes, and even atoned for their sins through the ultimate punishment.
It was then that she had found out that the King of Lanthanor was a man whose means surpassed anything she could ever think of, and even after so long, she hadn't been proven wrong.
She had watched, on the sidelines, as event after event perfectly played out in the King's favor. He had conquered enemy after enemy, until finally, he now stood at the peak of the continent she knew of.
All those years ago, she had said that she would join him when she had proven that she was worthy, instead of falling head over heels for him due to that amazing incident of the elves.
Now, finally…it was almost time.
In the silence that came after her name was announced, Joselyn first made sure to look in each and every direction and capture all of the bandits present in her gaze.
Some were scared. Others were expectant. But the vast majority…were hesitant.
As her harsh voice rang across the place that was known as the Devil's Bowl, though, everyone listened.
"One year ago, I gave you all an ultimatum. I told you that the time was soon coming when we would have to make a choice. I told you that the continent would have to bow to a new leader who would easily be able to weed us all out if we stuck to our old ways, so the only option was to change. I was met by a lot of doubt and derision, and many of you were convinced that it was a ploy by me to take command of all the bandits of Angaria."
She raised her head and laughed after saying this, but it was without mirth.
Cutting off abruptly, she spoke again.
"Bandit leader after bandit leader decided that the safest option was to kill me. Day after day, week after week, they hunted me and my crew, and ordinarily, being attacked from so many sides would have resulted in me perishing within a month. Yet…you know how the story turned out."
After pausing for a second, Joselyn pointed at the first sword on her waist.
"This one approached me when I was sleeping. I had been exposed to be a woman, so he wanted to rape me and then kill me. I cut off the thing that gave him so much pride as a man, and had him raped by his own bandit group before killing them all."
She pointed at another.
"This one pretended to ask for a truce. I cut off his hand, and then stuffed his body with explosives before sending back as a gift."
"This one thought I would be lucky if I surrendered. I-"
One after another, she pointed at each of the weapons, and each of them was accompanied by gruesome tales involving the deaths of tens, and sometimes even hundreds of bandits.
Finally, after the last story was done, Joselyn took in a deep breath.
"The choice was simple: I guarantee that if you come clean, regardless of your crimes, you will be given a chance to redeem yourself on the biggest battlefield of them all. If your crimes are not very severe, you will even be given back freedom after you fight. Even if they are unforgivable, you will be given a new life, a free one, with only a few rules to follow. The time to choose is now. The bandit groups of Angaria die today. The bandit regiment of Angaria shall be born today. Choose."
Instantly, as if they had prepared for it, the group of 200,000 split into two.
The first had just around 75,000, while the other consisted of the rest.
Seeing this, a look of panic crossed across Joselyn's face, while a man strode out from the bigger one.
"We knew what was going to happen, Joselyn. We choose to find our own way. But, first, you and your companions need to be killed. All of us have killed and raped and plundered so much that we know that we will only be pushed into a life of slavery if we surrender. We choose to look for something else. You were right about one thing, though: today, the bandit groups shall end."
For a moment after he spoke, only the sound of dusty wind could be heard, but after that…the loud cacophony of 75,000 people laughing at once resounded across the Devil's Bowl.
The rest, including the man who had spoken, looked on with shock, but soon, that shock turned to anger.
"THESE BASTARDS ARE RIDICULING US! EVERYONE, CHARGE!"
His words were met by a rallying cry, and as one, the larger group held up their weapons and ran in the direction of those who were still busy enjoying some untold joke.
BAM BAM BAM BAM!
Their footsteps echoed all around, and soon, it seemed as if a massacre would break out.
Seeing that he was just a few feet away, the man screamed at Joselyn.
"It's not too late! Surrender now, and I'll let you be my 9th wife while we flee Angaria! Don't be…ACK!"
As Joselyn saw the man suddenly clutch at his throat as if it was on fire, she smiled, and then joined all those who were laughing.
At the same instant, the same action could be seen among the rest of the group, too.
Thousands of bandits all tried to assuage the pain they could feel in their throat while they stopped their charge and fell to the ground.
Soon, the large group was completely incapacitated. In fact, they even thought that they would soon, and as they all began to look up for an answer, Joselyn decided to give them one.
"You idiots. All my effort was just to become a significant enough threat that you would all come out of your hiding places to fight me here. And why do you think I arranged the meeting all the way out here? The journey was long, and all of you…needed water. Guess who poisoned all the water sources nearby?"
As realization began to dawn on the bandits, Joselyn felt relief flooding her mind.
Quickly, she rummaged in her bag and took out a trinket she had kept safely.
It was the one given by the King, and raising it, she prepared to send the message that 75,000 willing bandits, and 125,000 unwilling ones were ready to serve and die for Angaria, if needed.
Before she could do so, though, she heard the network trinket near it buzzing, and as she raised it with curiosity, her eyes became filled with excitement.
Beside her, her commander flew up and asked what the matter was, to which Joselyn replied with an elated tone while looking in the direction of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.
"A new age…really is beginning. It is finally time for the continent to unite! Awake, and rejoice, Angaria, for it is finally time for the rightful ruler to ascend! LONG LIVE KING DANEEL ANIVRON!"