Polanda Kingdom.
It commands the continent’s strongest order of knights, the Winged Husaad, having served as the northeastern barrier against the church’s influence throughout generations.
Although its strength has seen a gradual decline recently, the power of the nation remains significant, particularly the reputation of the Winged Husaad has not diminished in the slightest.
However, despite such high renown and strength, the Polanda Kingdom has been struggling in the recent wars.
“That guy has appeared again!”
“Damn it! What are the mages doing? Go and stop him!”
Amid the urgent voices of the commanders, the mages move forward, cutting through the soldiers.
Though each mage fancies themselves a skilled practitioner, in this moment, none could muster any confidence in their abilities.
In their eyes, even at this very moment, there looms a terrifying sight.
The Lion King of the North, charging towards them wrapped in blue magical energy like a living thundercloud…
“Attack, everyone!”
At the moment a tremor-filled command escaped the commander’s lips, the mages unleashed their best attacks.
Flames, ice, and gales capable of splitting rocks surged forth from their staffs, all aimed at the approaching Lion King that resembled a hellish beast.
But.
“Haaaat!”
With a sharp battle cry, the Lion King amplified the power he was emitting.
Countless bolts of lightning erupted from his body, streaking towards the mages’ coordinated assault.
And then.
-KWAANG!
“!”
“Wh-what is this…?”
The mages’ attacks vanished with an explosive sound right before the Lion King’s eyes.
Their faces turned pale as they realized the overwhelming difference in basic power.
But unfortunately, at that moment, they had no time to be astonished.
The thunder unleashed from the Lion King’s body didn’t just neutralize their attacks.
“Gyaaaah!!!”
“Sa-save me…!”
-KWAAAANG!!!
In the blink of an eye, lightning struck the mages, reducing them to ash.
As a result, about twenty mages of roughly grades 4 to 5 lost their lives, causing the Polanda Kingdom’s troops watching this chaos to lose their will to fight.
“Monster… That’s a monster…”
“Run away! We can’t possibly win against a being like that!”
The Lion King’s single strike sent mages who could defeat thousands of ordinary soldiers straight to the underworld.
It was enough to instill despair and fear of death in the regular soldiers, causing many to cast aside caution and flee.
Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Kalmar United States, who had been observing the Lion King’s might as he crushed the enemy’s morale with just a few guards, were left in awe.
“This is the power of an 11th-grade mage… The strength of someone who has reached the pinnacle of human ability…”
“Indeed, His Majesty the King demonstrates such power alone.”
In battle, the strength of a powerful mage can directly determine victory or defeat.
In that regard, the Lion King’s display of might, having shattered the enemy’s front lines, was enough to boost the morale of the allies.
On the other hand, the enemy, momentarily losing their fighting spirit, was thrown into chaos.
The generals commanding the troops promptly decided to act according to their strategy.
“General, now is the time! His Majesty has forged a path for us; it’s our turn now!”
“Very well! Let’s charge with excitement!”
With that, the generals unsheathed their swords.
With victory already within their grasp, they commanded in booming voices.
“Advance, all troops!”
“Wipe out the weaklings of Polanda!”
“For the Kalmar United States!”
With these commands, the soldiers of the Kalmar United States surged forward with terrifying momentum, quickly pressing against the confused troops of Polanda.
Simultaneously, the Lion King, Gustav Adolf, busied himself with wreaking havoc on the battlefield, ensuring the Polanda forces couldn’t even attempt a counterattack.
About two hours later.
The fierce battle concluded with the Kalmar United States planting their victory flag.
“Uwaaaah!!”
“We won!”
“Hurray for the Kalmar United States! Hurray for King Gustav!”
The soldiers raised their voices in triumph, celebrating their victory and praising their hero.
Among them, the northern Lion King Gustav celebrated with his troops as their commander and king.
However, while he appeared simply as the valiant general with exceptional magical powers, his mind was racing, calculating how to navigate the current situation.
“This brings us close to the capital of Polanda, Warsaw. But of course, further advancement will be tough. Supply lines are becoming precarious, and our soldiers are weary from consecutive battles. Moreover, the Winged Husaad, whom we’ve scattered with tricks, will soon regroup. It would be prudent to negotiate at this point.”
Gustav, a man of superior martial prowess who understood how to bring victory, simultaneously recognized how to utilize that victory effectively.
Simply winning the war was not enough.
More importantly, it was about how to leverage this for substantial gain for his nation, the Kalmar United States.
In that light, King Gustav realized it was time to end the war with the Polanda Kingdom.
“Considering our current power, swallowing the Polanda Kingdom is impossible… Besides, there’s a larger war awaiting us ahead. We need to conserve our strength rather than pushing forward recklessly.”
With aspirations to unify the northern continent under the name of the Kalmar United States, King Gustav’s greatest interest lay with the currently chaotic Sacred Empire.
They had always blocked their southward advance and occupied the continent’s center, consistently thrusting danger upon the Kalmar United States.
The turmoil within this strong foe presented an excellent opportunity to resolve the longstanding ambitions of the Kalmar United States.
“They say a faction called the Heretic Alliance has established itself in the northern part of the Sacred Empire, led by Bohemia, opposing the emperor. Since we share the same heretical beliefs, it should be easy to create a connection with them.”
As Gustav pondered the future scenario deeply, a small smile appeared on his face.
With some luck, he might be able to plant the flag of the Kalmar United States right in the heart of that enormous Sacred Empire.
*
While King Gustav was busy fighting the war against the Polanda Kingdom, there was someone eyeing a chance to break free from the powerful king’s grasp.
Chris IV smiled as he read a surprising letter that had just arrived.
“Friedrich the Lord has proposed an alliance?”
“Yes, that’s correct, my lord. To be precise, it was initiated by his wife, Lady Elizaveta.”
“Oh… That sounds quite tempting. Let’s hear more about it.”
