The expressions of the Ragnarok players turned ugly at Summer Sands’ statement. However, they felt the need to hear her out first. If they had any luck, they could gain some insight into why she was so confident.
“First, you will cease all hostilities against our army. Then, you will have your NPCs lay down their arms and armour. Once that is over, the leaders of the Skardian Pantheons and the NPC leaders will gather here to swear their loyalty to Parthus.”
When Summer Sands stopped speaking and wore a confident smile on her face. Exile and the others could not help but laugh. Summer Sands frowned as the laughter permeated the air while NPCs were still dying around them.
“Please, forgive us. But how is this a negotiation for the end of this war?” Midas chuckled as he shot an amused expression at Summer and her companions. “Take a look around. We are winning. Even if you retreat now, the casualties you will suffer will put an end to this invasion. You’ve already lost. You should be making offers to us, so we allow you to leave with what warriors you have left.”
“I see.” Summer smiled as she nodded her head. “You believe this is the final battle, and the war is already yours.”
Summer’s casual reply sent a chill down Midas’ spine as Exile narrowed his eyes. However, before Midas could say anything, Summer continued speaking.
“You are foolish to think this battle will end this war. What I’m offering you will put an end to this Holy War. However, turn it down now, and there won’t be a second offer.”
Midas frowned upon hearing that. ‘She’s already hinted they have more troops. Also, they’re willing to use them in the fight against Skardia.’ Midas rubbed his neck as he thought about the situation. This negotiation was nothing like what he had expected. ‘This is above me. I can’t make this decision. It would be different if I were trying to gain plenty of benefits from a defeated enemy.’
“I refuse your deal.” Exile hissed as he stepped forward to stand beside Midas.
“And who are you to refuse this?” Summer Sands asked as she cocked an eyebrow toward him. However, Exile saw through her facade. .
“You’ve known who I was since you decided to come here to demand our surrender.” Exile glared at her as the clouds overhead turned dark.
“My, my. What a temper you have. Forgive my rudeness. It’s a pleasure to speak to you face to face.”
“Enough! Set forth proper terms for your surrender or fight. That is the choice I am giving to you!”
Summer flinched beneath the pressure radiating from Exile. She was still a Tier 1 God, so she felt unnerved by standing so close to Exile. However, she had chosen to do this to prove her worth to Parthus. So she would not back down now.
“Exile, you should calm down. You have achieved great things for your Pantheon. But do you think you’re capable of leading them to the top? Surely you can see the benefits of working under Parthus?”
Exile noted how Summer’s eyes sparkled at the mention of Parthus. ‘She’s probably been with him since he played Crest.’ Exile sighed before fixing his gaze on her.
“No, I don’t.”
A shocked expression appeared on Summer’s face. However, before she could think of how to reply, a stream of lightning struck her!
The time for talking was over. Exile rushed forth to smash his shield into the player next to Summer while focusing his lightning on her. It took Exile’s companions a moment to realise what was happening, especially as his actions surprised them just as much as their enemies!
Despite that, Midas was the first to jump into the battle. He had been prepared for it when he realised the Sommerdan players had no intention of backing down. Moments later, a brutal fight emerged on that part of the battlefield. Exile had stolen the initiative with his assault, which put the Mirage players on the back foot.
Summer’s eyes widened when she realised Exile chose her as his opponent. A glance revealed her allies were too busy dealing with their opponents and could not lend her any aid. She cursed under her breath as she activated a few spells while Exile closed in on her position.
Exile sneered when a stone shield and lance appeared in the air between himself and his prey. ‘Lesser Blessing! Lightning Bolt!’ Exile’s speed rose as he pointed his spear toward Summer’s stone shield!
When the two spells collided, a large explosion occurred. Pieces of stone were scattered in the air as a figure shot through the cloud of smoke toward Summer. She shivered under the gaze of Exile as sparks suddenly danced on the surface of his armour.
She waved her right arm to direct her lance to intercept him. However, Exile’s shield diverted the stone construct toward the ground. Summer’s face turned scarlet when she saw her spells had not slowed him down at all. Her eyes bulged as she activated another spell while retreating to put distance between them.
However, Exile was faster than her. A second later, Summer fell within the range of his lightning aura. She could only swear unceremoniously at Exile as stone figures appeared around her. As they became fully formed, lightning bolts shot from Exile’s body to strike them. Exile could not help but raise an eyebrow at that sight.
‘My spell recognises them as enemies. So they should be puppets that can act without orders.’ Exile frowned when he counted four of them. Two of them were in the shape of bears. While the remaining two were humanoid and dual-wielding stone, curved blades.
There were no facial features on their heads. Exile shook his head as it was difficult for him to tell where their focus lay. Summer retreated behind the four constructs as the bears charged toward him. They used their massive bodies to block the lightning bolts from striking the humanoid ones behind them.
Exile cursed when he saw the black scorch marks on the bears. ‘They can endure my spells! It may be harder than I thought to reach Summer.’ He did not doubt for a second that he would reach her. After all, there was only so much she could do against a player on a higher tier. However, he had to admit he was interested in her Authority.
He wondered what it was that allowed her to create such things. So far, he could only tell it came from the earth element. ‘Maybe it’s a unique belief of the Sommerdans.’ Exile mused as he fired off another lightning bolt while dodging the massive paws of one bear.
Either way, it was an impressive ability. However, Exile knew it had to be costly to cast. He was confident in his deduction since it could stand against his Tier 1 spells. Exile’s gaze went beyond those constructs to Summer Sands. Her complexion had paled. However, she had paused her retreat to watch the performance of her spell against a Tier 1 player.
Exile shook his head at that point. ‘You shouldn’t have stopped. You might have gotten away.’ A wide grin appeared on his face as he lunged forward with his spear.