Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

Chapter 85  What can I do?

Henry took deep breaths as he imparted his Mana to Grok, trying his best to diminish the destructive characteristics of his fiery mana and make it easier for the barbarian to process it. The Sun God Technique was like a raging storm that resembled lava inside Henry's heart and Mana circuits, which made it tremendously difficult and dangerous for a regular warrior's circuits and heart to handle. In the end, he was betting that Grok's body and Tribal Tattoo would be enough to allow him to survive the exposure of his diluted Mana, the Mana of a Fourth Stage Warrior.

Fortunately, Henry's hard work was yielding results. The Tribal Tattoo on Grok's back held a pale red hue as the king kept supplying him with the energy necessary to heal. The barbarian's heart was beating in a ferocious rhythm, like a war cry for survival, as the gaping slash in his abdomen began to miraculously heal. Henry had already injected two-tenths of his mana, but he could feel the barbarian's mana circuits pleading for more as it rapidly depleted in a hasting desire for survival.

"You are really giving me quite a headache" – Henry murmured as he took a deep breath. He drew in large amounts of Mana from the air into his heart, transforming it into Fire Mana and increasing the volume flowing towards Grok.

Their bodies' temperatures rose sharply, causing the snow around them to melt and form a small circular sanctuary. The rotation of the fiery energy brought great pain to both of them. Grok unconsciously gripped his great axe and gritted his teeth, letting out small grunts as he forced himself to endure the rampaging Mana in his circuits, which aided him in reconstructing his body. Although accustomed to the pain and having already completed the reconstruction of his muscles, the mental strain was taking a toll on his body and mind. Fortunately, within a matter of a few minutes, Grok's body was completely healed, leaving no trace of the previous injury.

Huff

Henry exhaled and withdrew his trembling hands from Grok's chest, feeling his Mana circuits immediately cooling down and the pain subsiding. This treatment had consumed more than half of his Mana, a situation that would have been even worse if not for the characteristic of the Sun God Technique, which allowed him to masterfully control the expenditure of his Mana. However, the high mental strain of constantly mitigating the Mana's destructive properties left him with a mild headache. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Crunch

Suddenly, Henry heard the sound of boots crunching the snow, accompanied by haggard breaths. He turned his head and spotted a black-haired woman dressed in rags that slightly exposed her toned abdomen. She held a bow in her hand, with no arrows in the quiver on her back. The concern in Zahra's eyes was evident, causing her to forget to properly greet her king as she remained focused on the unconscious brown-haired barbarian lying on the ground.

"Will he be all right?"- She asked between haggard breaths, as the figures of the other soldiers appeared behind her, their hands gripping bloody weapons. Henry counted three fewer soldiers, indicating that although they had cornered the enemy, three of his soldiers had perished on the skirmish.

""He'll be fine."- Henry nodded wearily, noticing that the soldiers who had just arrived were also looking at Grok in concern. The barbarian's efforts in protecting the archers seemed to pay off, gaining him some recognition among the others.

Suddenly, as if confirming Henry's words, Grok's eyes snapped open, and he took a deep breath, trying to fill his lungs completely. He immediately sat on the ground, his hands desperately searching for injuries, touching his abdomen. He vividly remembered Elton's attack, which had managed to tear open his belly. He was supposed to be dead. There was no way to survive that much damage and he knew that.

Grok looked around hastily, half-expecting to find himself amidst a grand bonfire surrounded by his ancestors. Traditionally, not dying with a weapon in his hands meant he might not be able to join his ancestors, but he had died in battle, protecting his comrades. He hoped to be by the bonfire and not a vagrant soul, tied to the Frozen Forest.

"You have recovered." – A tired voice reached Grok's ears, causing the massive barbarian to turn his head.

There, he saw a royal man dressed in rags, with shoulder-length black hair that partially obscured his deep, but weary grey eyes. The man seemed exhausted and Grok could see his fingers slightly trembling, which he tried to hide by tightly closing his hands. The king couldn't show any signs of weakness.

"The King... die?"- Grok asked, bewildered, his eyes lingering on the other figures behind Henry - "Everyone? Why?" - Tears welled up in the big man's eyes as his hand scratched it.

Before the big man could break into tears, a powerful force struck his head. Zahra sprinted toward him and delivered a forceful punch, making his head to collide with the unearthed rock. He couldn't help but grimace in pain as blood slightly began to drop.

"Idiot barbarian!" - Zahra shouted, her furious state of mind not allowing her to consider the presence of the king, who was actually too fatigued to worry about minor matters - "You shouldn't have allowed that man to strike you down! Who was it that claimed to be the mightiest living barbarian? Who dared to challenge his dead ancestors?"

Under the bewildered gaze of Henry and the others, Zahra cursed and landed a series of punches to the man's face. - "Are you completely clueless?"- She shouted as she kept hitting him. However, just as she was about to deliver another blow, Grok finally managed to restrain her by the wrists.

"Woman! What you doing?" Grok asked furiously, his nose and head slightly bleeding. Luckily, Zahra didn't seem to have used a lot of strength.

He quickly rose to his feet, still gripping the woman's wrists as he lifted her a few feet off the ground, until they were in the same eye level. Zahra became angrier with that action. She swung her body and rapidly launched a powerful kick at the man's nose, forcing him to release her.

Henry couldn't help but shake his head as he rose to his feet and patted his ragged clothes, though there was no snow or dirt to remove due to the high temperature his body had previously reached. Just as he was about to tell them to stop, his attention was drawn by something rapidly approaching him, causing him to turn his head.

"My liege!" - Leier's icy blue eyes appeared before him, accompanied by a soft but hurried voice as she breathlessly reported – "They are here…The enemies…They left the camp!"

"Calm down…" – Henry soothingly said, lightly patting her shoulders – "Explain it clearly."

Breath

Leier inhaled deeply, fighting to calm her racing heart and regulate her breathing. She couldn't despair. It wasn't the answer.

"The enemies are camping on the base of the mountain. There are at least a thousand of them." – She said, between deep breaths, a lot calmer than before – "There are five Fourth Stage Warriors on their ranks, and around twenty Third Stage and Sixty Second Stage."

At that moment, Henry's tired but calm eyes finally changed. A mix of emotions filled those grey eyes, which Leier was able to capture for a single moment before it was once again swallowed by an uncanny calmness. As a king, Henry couldn't allow himself to give in to desperation and create an unfavorable situation, one from which he would never be able to escape.

Henry's mind immediately traveled, trying to form a plan out of this situation. They were inside the mountain and from Leier's words, they are setting up a makeshift camp near the base of the mountain. They probably wouldn't try climbing the mountain and would wait for them to get down, there was no way that the strategy that worked against Elton would work on the others.

"There are at least a thousand of them," Henry muttered, slowly scratching his forehead. "There is no way we can win with less than a hundred of us. Furthermore, I can't win against the four Fourth Stage Warriors, not after wasting away more than half of my Mana. What can I do?"

Henry asked himself again and again the question - "What can I do?"

"In General Olaro's last report, where was Aritreia's army?" – Henry asked Leier, his eyes still lost in deep thought.

"The General reported that after obstructing the North and East sides of the White Merchant Road and spreading rumors on Luak's army's campsite to Aritreia's leaderships, they have been marching to here" – Leier said – "According to their pace, they will probably reach this place within two to three days, assuming they won't rest more than the necessary."

At those words, Henry nodded – "We probably won't be able to survive that long. What can I do?" – They were in a tight spot and without reinforcements.