Akshan made his way toward the designated spot where he would negotiate with King Lombac. He was rather surprised that the puppet king decided to negotiate, yet it warmed his heart.
If Zigurat surrendered without further bloodshed, then he would truly be joyous. It was one of the reasons he had ignored other cities and fortresses; instead, he marched right toward the capital.
He had hoped that Zigurat would surrender and become a part of Valar without a bloody war.
It was rather childish to harbor, yet it was something that he truly wished for. The resistance against the new rulers of Valar was as futile as resisting Chrunus himself.
The general's escort made their way through the streets of Zigurat and soon made their way inside an auxiliary guest building belonging to the palace. Akshan had sworn to keep up the diplomacy and thus would not ambush the king, who was about to meet him.
"Wait outside. I will call for you if needed." Akshan waved the guards away to which they promptly obeyed.
He crossed his legs and stared at his gauntlet. Much like his soldiers, he wore full armor with a slight distinction. His cloak was red as blood; with a quick adjustment of the cloak, he leaned back and waited.
The room was rather plain, with thick stone walls and two chairs and a large wooden table in the middle, which would allow two people to speak in private.
Minutes passed, yet Lombac had yet to appear before him. His eye twitched slightly. "I hope he is not going to do something stupid."
Just as if on cue, he heard the door before him creak open. Soon after, the king Lombac made his way in and pulled out the chair on the other side of the table.
"King Lombac," Akshan stated without any malice or contempt for the man before him.
Despite being a puppet of the church, he still was a monarch and thus deserved respect, of course, if the first legion conquered the city, Lombac would no longer be a king and thus could be treated appropriately.
"Grand general, Akshan." Lombac frowned as he analyzed his new tabard. "I see you well and truly abandoned Chrunus."
The general kept a straight face despite the intentional jab Lombac had sent toward him; instead, he leaned forward and spoke, "It's better to say that Chrunus had never loved humanity."
As soon as those words left Akshan's mouth, Lombac's face contorted in disgust. "How could you say that! Do you understand that it is because of the church that we haven't been crushed yet!" He slammed his hands on the table and rose to his feet.
Akshan blinked slowly as he stared at Lombac. 'It's as expected.'
"If not for the Church, all three human kingdoms would have been eradicated or enslaved." His breathing became shallower and his face became red, "Would you want your women raped by some demi-human? Would you like your soldiers slaughtered by those savages!"
He tilted his head and inhaled sharply. The so-called king in front of him had started to throw a tantrum; the little respect he had mustered evaporated in an instant as he merely stared at Lombac.
Someone like Askhan had no reason to fear a monarch; he himself was incredibly powerful, and as the grand general, he could refuse most orders from even the rulers of Valar.
His lips formed a small smile, 'Until Aurelia at least.' He understood his new position; he could not go against the Hero Cedric, the Queen Aurelia, or their Angels. Even Ruby, whom he understood was one of the weaker Angels when compared to Cedric's, could wipe the floor with the first legion.
'Ruby doesn't seem threatening to me at least.' He very much liked Ruby; she was energetic and powerful and, in a way, exactly his type. He had a chance to talk to her quite a lot while marching, and he had learned a lot.
While he had not expected to start fancying what was, for all intents and purposes a summon, it was different with the Angels. They were living and breathing people, despite their great power.
'After the conquest, I hope we can spend more time together.' Before his thoughts were consumed, he shook his head and locked his gaze with Lombac.
"Sit down, King Lombac." He spoke calmly yet with authority.
Instantly, the king shuddered and slumped down into his seat. He brought his hand in front of his mouth and let out a cough. "Forgive me for such an outburst, General Akshan. Let us discuss a deal."
"Indeed, I am rather surprised you came to talk, considering you are a puppet of the church." He intentionally attempted to provoke Lombac.
Lombac pushed the air out of his nose and leaned forward, "I wished to make you see the error in what you are doing. It is not too late to turn back and set things right."
"An Error?" Akshan raised his brow at the statement.
"Indeed, we people of Zigurat are loyal to Chrunus and can clearly see that you have been tricked into serving a false queen. Chrunus would reward you greatly if you removed her from the throne."
The general's face contorted in anger; the king had just wasted his time; he was not here to discuss anything but to try to turn him against Valar.
"King Lombac." He placed his hands on the table and rose to his feet.
"Yes?" Lombac smiled.
"We are done here. I had given you the benefit of the doubt, but I see you are not here due to your wisdom but merely because of your blind zeal." Akshan turned his back on the king and approached the door.
"Wait!" Lombac reached forward.
"I will only allow the words of unconditional surrender. If I do not receive them in the next hour, the first legion will take over your castle and Zigurat will be welcomed into the fold."
"You fool! If you go against the church, they will..."
"Do what? We have already destroyed the greater elemental they unleashed; you are out of moves."
Lombac made an audible gulp, "Impossible..."
'I really hoped he was smarter.'
"Oh, you will learn many things in the dungeons of Valar." With a chuckle, Akshan opened the door and left Lombac alone.