Altrove's eyes locked with Aldora's, and in that moment, a multitude of emotions passed between them. The weight of his decision hung heavy in the air, and with a heavy heart, Altrove made his choice.
"I surrender," he said, his voice filled with defeat. "Just please, spare her."
~ding
[Prompt: Certain condition has been met]
[Prompt: Due to a certain condition has been met, Individual Persuasion has been activated]
~ding
[Altrove Frostglen has become your subject.]
[Name: Altrove Frostglen]
[Race: Snow Elf]
[Elite-Class: Cavalry Vanguard]
[Strength: Yellow-Low Tier]
[Skill: Cavalry Formation(Blue-High Tier), Phantom Horse(Yellow-Low Tier), Froststrike Blade(Blue-High Tier), Mounted Charge(Blue-Mid Tier), Rapid Retreat(Blue-Mid Tier), Cavalry Mastery(Yellow-Low Tier)]
[Loyalty: 100(Temporary)]
[Background: A skilled and seasoned warrior of the Moon Frost City, rose through the ranks to become the esteemed Commander of the Second Battalion, famous for his cavalry skills that are feared by his enemies. However, beneath his fierce and commanding exterior, Altrove harbored a secret that few knew, a deep feeling for someone, a fellow officer in the Moon Frost City army.]
`It can actually be activated like that?` Arthur flinched, he became excited by the result that was suddenly beyond his expectations.
Arthur's smile widened further, relishing in his victory. "Good choice," he said, releasing Aldora from his grasp.
Altrove's expression was submissive as he spoke "Thank you, My Lord, it is an honor to serve under your order. I pledge my life to your cause."
Aldora's eyes widened in shock and fear. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Altrove... What did you just say?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Arthur's smile grew even more malicious as he looked at the bewildered Aldora. "Oh, don't worry about your dear Commander," Arthur chuckled darkly as he turned towards Altrove and ordered. "Altrove, prove your loyalty to me. Kill the remaining soldiers from the Second Battalion. Eliminate them."
Aldora's eyes filled with tears as she pleaded, "Altrov- Commander, please! This isn't who you are. You can't let him control you like this."
Altrove's face was a mask of conflicted emotions under Arthur's [Persuasion], but then, he still nodded his head in response to Arthur's command. "Yes, My Lord," he said, his voice heavy with regret as he turned towards Aldora. "I'm sorry, Aldora."
~Neeighhh
Altrove call upon his [Phantom Horse] and ride it as he launched towards the remaining elven soldiers of the Second Battalion.
~Slashh, Slaashhh, Slassh....
The remaining soldiers stared at Altrove in disbelief, unable to comprehend what was happening as they saw their commander start chasing and killing them one by one.
"You've betrayed us, Altrove!" some soldiers spat. "You're no longer our commander!"
The soldier's eyes filled with anger and sorrow. "Commander, Please!!," he said desperately. "No! I still have family--"
~Slashh
"Arghh--!" screams from dozens of elven soldiers rang out every time Altrove swung his sword.
Few minutes later...
Aldora watched in horror as she saw Altrove, in just a few minutes he managed to take out dozens of the remaining elven soldiers.
As the last of the elven soldiers fell, Arthur's victorious smile sent a chill down Aldora's spine. He had shown no mercy, and the consequences of defying him were now laid bare before her.
"I hope you've learned your lesson," Arthur taunted, his eyes gleaming with triumph. "From now on, Moon Frost City will be wise to stay out of my way and don't be reckless anymore."
Aldora's heart was heavy with despair and anger, but there was nothing she could do. She saw Altrove's sudden change of personality as he put his allegiance to Arthur, and the Second Battalion had been decimated under his command.
As the dust settled and the echoes of battle faded, Arthur turned his gaze to Aldora. "Now, it's time for you to make a decision," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "Swear your loyalty to me, and you can continue to live under my protection. Refuse, and you'll end up in our village's underground prison."
Aldora's mind raced. However, before she could answer, Altrove who had completed his task returned to Arthur, his eyes still showing resoluteness even after killing his own soldiers. "I've done as you commanded, My Lord."
Arthur's smile widened with satisfaction. "You've done quite well, Altrove. Now gather all of our elven soldiers and calculate the damage on our side."
Altrove nodded his head in response to Arthur's command. "Yes, My Lord."
When Arthur saw that Altrove had left, he turned to Aldora who was still silent. "It seems you still haven't made up your mind. It's fine... I'll make sure Altrove visits you often later."
"Mor'kith, watch over her until we return to our territory." Arthur ordered Mor'kith.
"Leave it to me, My Lord" Mor'kith nodded his head responding to Arthur's order.
...
In the aftermath of the battle, as the dust settled and the cries of the fallen echoed in the air, Arthur stood victorious. He had shown his strength and ruthlessness, solidifying his position as the Lord of Dawn Light Village. Even if it made him look like a supervillain, it would be better than showing his soft side to his enemy. Besides, just because he was reincarnated didn't mean he would become a venerable master.
However, as he looked around at the destruction and the shattered lives, he couldn't help but wonder in excitement how powerful his talent would be, once he ascended to Immortal Realm or even ascended to God Realm.
Arthur then started to give a thought about what he should do since he had already made a city an enemy.
`The Moon Frost City must be trying to expand their territory by occupying the nearby Region.` Arthur thought inwardly as he remembered that in order for Lords to occupy a region under their territory name, Lords had to defeat the Guardian of their respective region to get the Region Token, or in other way, Lords had to get it from other Lords who had the Region Token.
`Since they knew that there were no powerful lords in this region, they just sent one of their battalions to occupy this region,` Arthur pondered for a moment. `However, they must not have expected to encounter me in this region.`
However, one thing that worried Arthur were the forces possessed by Moon Frost City. If the lord of a city tries to expand their territory, it means that the lord is preparing to upgrade his city to a province. And that also means that they already possessed powerful forces to make it happen.
Powerful forces that might be able to wage a large-scale war!
~Sigh
`I think I need to prepare for the worst...` Arthur heaved a heavy sigh.
Soon, Garrett and Altrove came to report the losses and gains from Aftermath of the Battle.