Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Acnologia led ten Dragon Slayer squads, totaling two hundred people, to the Phylos Kingdom.
As for Irene, she worried about her people seeing her Dragonification and chose to let Acnologia preside over domestic affairs.
She, meanwhile, headed into the mountain forests, intending to return only after her Dragonification was complete and she had learned Human Transformation Magic.
Under the guidance of guards, Acnologia and his group made their way to the palace hall, where twenty-four kings were already seated and waiting.
It must be said that in an era of war and conflict, there were quite a few kingdoms of various sizes; some were considered kingdoms with only a million people.
"Who are you? Which kingdom are you from?"
A balding king asked with a frown. The person before him gave off an extremely dangerous feeling; which kingdom's king possessed such strength?
The Number One Dragon Slayer General immediately stepped forward, his gaze cold as he shouted a reprimand: "How bold! What kind of thing are you to dare question Lord Acnologia!"
Upon hearing this, more than half of the kings stood up in shock. Was the person before them the pinnacle of Dragon Slayer Mages, the rumored monster who slaughtered dragons like pigs?
The balding king was also startled and immediately bowed: "Forgive my rudeness, Lord Acnologia. Please, take a seat!"
Acnologia nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the kings. Some were nervous, some were fearful, and most were ill at ease due to his notorious reputation, though two or three looked indifferent and defiant.
However, he didn't care; after all, he wasn't here to make friends.
"This seat is mine!"
Acnologia walked behind a cold-faced king, grabbed him by the back of his collar, tossed him aside casually, and then slowly sat down.
A mere small fry dares to act cool and put on a cold face in front of me? He should take a look in the mirror to see if he's even worthy.
That king's face turned beet-red as he struggled to get up, shouting in anger: "Acnologia, you aren't even a king! You have no right to sit here. Let your Queen Irene come!"
Acnologia raised an eyebrow. Quite courageous. He looked at the other kings and said indifferently: "Anyone who thinks like this idiot, step forward."
The balding king, seemingly worried he had offended Acnologia earlier, was the first to take a side: "I'd like to see who dares! If Lord Acnologia cannot sit here, then our alliance might as well disband early. There's no need to discuss anything else."
"What are you saying? Who said Lord Acnologia couldn't sit here? This is clearly King Oro's idea alone."
"If you ask me, King Oro is far too arrogant. He should be kicked out. We don't want someone like this who is detrimental to unity; he'll definitely hold us back once the war starts."
"You're right! I agree!"
"I agree as well!"
Seeing the kings declare their stances one by one, Acnologia showed a satisfied expression. They were quite discerning.
King Oro, however, could not believe it. His kingdom was considered a medium-sized one with over a thousand Dragon Slayer Mages. They actually dared to kick him out?
Just for the sake of a mere Acnologia?
Seeing those kings shamelessly sucking up to him, his anger surged to the top of his head. He couldn't count on these bastards.
King Oro suddenly looked at the King of Phylos, who hadn't spoken, and questioned him coldly: "As the king who initiated this alliance, do you also think Acnologia is more important than I am? Think carefully—behind me stand a thousand Dragon Slayer Mages!"
The King of Phylos was speechless. He truly did feel that Acnologia was more important than King Oro. After all, Acnologia alone had slaughtered more dragons than the entire human race combined. Was there even a need to think about the choice?
But as the initiator of the alliance, saying so would be equivalent to handing over command to Acnologia. Everyone else present could suck up to him, but he couldn't.
"Everyone, do not be angry. King Oro is simply blinded by rage and speaking without thinking. Let us be a bit more tolerant."
He looked at King Oro and advised: "Hurry and apologize to Lord Acnologia. Even if Acnologia is not a king, he is a dragon-slaying hero of our human race and is fully qualified to sit here!"
I've given you a way out; it's up to you whether you take it.
The result, of course, was that he didn't take it!
Without a second thought, King Oro roared in fury, pointing at everyone's noses: "Today, it's either him or me! Since you choose Acnologia, then I withdraw from this alliance. I'll see if you can actually win this war!"
With that, he called his guards and turned to leave.
"Who gave you permission to leave?"
A cold voice rang out.
BOOM!
A terrifying pressure suddenly descended, distorting the space within the palace. Dark magic power surged like turbulent waves, making it difficult to see what was in front of one's eyes.
King Oro and his guards were instantly pinned to the ground, their faces filled with terror, unable to move even a finger.
"What is with this magic power?"
Everyone's face was filled with horror, their hearts filled with disbelief. Magic power of this level was simply unheard of.
Although they had expected Acnologia to be powerful, they hadn't expected him to be powerful to this extent.
"I gave you face, and you kept yapping for so long!"
A cold glint appeared in Acnologia's eyes as he looked at the nervous kings: "Since he doesn't want to participate in the war, there's no need for such a useless thing to exist. Use him to Consecrate the flag, and let everyone know the fate of those who betray the alliance!"
"What do you all think?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the balding king immediately declared his stance: "Lord Acnologia is right. This is all for the sake of victory in the war. King Oro clearly harbors resentment toward us; if we let him back, he might stab us in the back!"
It had to be said that the balding king was quite eloquent. Acnologia originally intended to establish his authority and vent his anger, but in the balding king's mouth, it became for the sake of the human race and the victory of the war.
The other kings also felt he had a point. King Oro clearly harbored resentment and might really backstab them. So why keep him?
"I agree. This is all for the sake of victory in the war!"
Seeing the kings declare their stances one after another, the King of Phylos sighed inwardly. Things had come to this, and there was no other way.
He then said: "I agree as well!"
"Lord Acnologia, please withdraw your magic power. I will have King Oro thrown into the dungeon and use him to Consecrate the flag when the war begins!"
Acnologia nodded: "Do as you say. Number One, cut out his tongue first. I don't want to hear his voice again."
"Yes, Lord Acnologia!"
The Number One Dragon Slayer General strode over, roughly grabbed King Oro's hair, and amidst his terrified gaze, pulled out a dagger and plunged it into his mouth to sever his tongue.
"Consider yourself lucky to live for a few more days!"
His eyes were ruthless; he had long been displeased by the man's disrespect toward Lord Acnologia.
The other kings turned their heads away, unable to bear looking at King Oro's miserable state. The King of Phylos couldn't help but wonder if he had been right or wrong to include Acnologia in the human race's combat power.
This was a ruthless and lawless individual, definitely not someone he could control.