After King Gronak Stonehead and General Thrain Ironhand finalized their ambition to subjugate the Human Kingdom, they understood the immense risk. The Human Kingdom was not a mere territory; it carried the lineage of the Great Emperor Dominatrix and King DD—figures who had shaped the very landscape of the Aetheleon planet. Victory demanded absolute tactical perfection and the selection of flawless troops.
Furthermore, intelligence from surrounding kingdoms whispered of a menace in the entire Aetheleon Kingdoms: two young prodigies whose bloodlust and raw power could obliterate entire nations. The first, and most prominent, was the newly crowned Queen, Beatrice Chenwongo.
At that time, Beatrice had just ascended the throne following the death of her father, George Chenwongo, a respected Tier 3 Elemental Master of Water, Light, and Storm. Beatrice, now the Queen of human kingdom.
The final spark for the conflict was the attack on Aliston Town, a crucial outpost located at the very edge of the Human Kingdom, serving as a vital defensive and surveillance position. When news of the annihilation of Aliston reached Beatrice, a deep-seated fury ignited within her. Yet, this fury was mixed with a disturbing, ferocious excitement—a hunger for battle and the bloodlust that defined her reputation.
She often mused on the passage of time and power, believing: "In this world, if we have the desire and the chance to advance our elemental powers, six hundred years is just like the fleeting impulsivity of a teenager."
Beatrice was eager for the war, fully intending to crush the Dwarf Kingdom with her own hands. She formally declared war, though she remained acutely cautious; the Dwarf Kingdom was one of the largest and most established kingdoms in all of Aetheleon.
The news of the impending conflict between the brutal Human Queen and the domineering Dwarf King spread like wildfire across Aetheleon. All the minor and neighboring kingdoms watched with fearful curiosity. The rulers on both sides—Beatrice and Gronak—were known menaces, possessed of immense bloodlust and a complete lack of visible emotion when executing their enemies.
On one side stood the Dwarf Kingdom's might: King Gronak Stonehead, a Tier 2 Master of Metal, Storm, and Dark elements, and his loyal right hand, General Thrain Ironhand, a Tier 3 Master of Void, Lightning, and Light.
On the other side stood the Human Kingdom's new hope: Queen Beatrice Chenwongo, a Tier 2 Master of the elements, rumored to have mastered all 18 basic elements, placing her on par with Gronak in raw power level but with greater versatility.
Just before the final mobilization, Nullus—the second of the two rumored blood-crazed prodigies—contacted Beatrice. Nullus offered his participation in the war. Beatrice refused flatly: "I want to crush the Dwarf people with my own hands. I don't want any other people to interfere in this fight. Just leave me and let me ready for the war."
Nullus persisted, offering support: "Okay! If you want any help, don't worry about calling me."
Beatrice scoffed, her response chilling: "That is not going to happen. I am going to end this war with my own hands."
After an hour of intense strategizing and final preparations, Queen Beatrice unleashed her forces. The war that followed was devastating. Beatrice, operating like a war machine fueled by pure elemental malice, carved a bloody path through the Dwarf Kingdom, eventually wiping out 70 percent of their forces and personnel. She personally defeated both King Gronak and General Thrain Ironhand in a monumental clash that scarred the land.
The final moments of the war saw the Dwarf Kingdom in complete collapse. King Gronak, critically wounded, lay defeated on the ground, his tyrannical reign over.
It was in this moment that his son, Borin, despite being only twenty years old, made his decisive, dark choice. Borin had spent his youth watching his father's endless, meaningless cruelty. He realized that if Gronak survived, the Dwarf Kingdom would never find peace and would remain a bastion of war, crushing Borin's own desire to become a just and peaceful king.
Borin stepped over the broken bodies of the defeated Dwarf forces and, with his sword, stabbed his father in his final, gasping breath.
Gronak's eyes, wide with confusion and a chilling, final understanding, fixed on his son. "Why did you do this?" he wheezed, before a horrible smile spread across his bloodied face. "You are just like me. I also killed my brothers and many cousins in order to take the King's position. Now, you kill your own father to become the King. That is good. I don't think bad of this, but heed my warning: If I come back and remember this act, I am going to kill you with my own hands."
Borin, his own face a mask of cold resolve, offered his counter-declaration: "I am not you. I have a good reason to kill you—to save this kingdom. And if you come back in front of me again, I am going to kill you again. And one more thing I want to say to you, Father: You were never a good father, nor were you capable of becoming a true king."
The words were the final stake. Gronak's face twisted into an expression of pure, unadulterated fury. Even on the point of death, if he had possessed a sliver of elemental energy, he would have instantly incinerated Borin. But the Dark King perished, his rage echoing across the silent battlefield.
The war was over. King Gronak was dead. Borin, at the age of twenty-one, became the new King of the Dwarf Kingdom. His first and most important act was diplomacy.
He immediately offered a historic truce to Queen Beatrice, offering his kingdom's full support, cooperation, and the entirety of the vast, strategic information the Dwarf Kingdom possessed. This was the deal: peace in exchange for knowledge and a new relationship.
Borin immediately set about reforming his scarred kingdom. He added severe, instantaneous penalties for all crimes, establishing a new order. Crucially, he invested heavily in education, building numerous academies so that children from all towns could be educated and intelligent, hoping to steer the dwarf culture away from pure martial focus toward peace and intellect. Borin was determined to create a good and peaceful kingdom.
But this peace, founded on patricide, was always destined to be shattered by his own bloodline.
Back in the present timeline, high above the field of battle, King Borin Stonehead and the now-resurrected Previous King Gronak Stonehead faced each other.
The air thrummed with ancient, renewed hatred. Borin broke the silence and performed a critical shift: his Dwarf body shimmered, the illusion of pure dwarven form dissolving, and he took on his original Human form.
The reason for this dramatic change was the complex history of his bloodline: Borin's grandfather was Human, and his grandmother was Dwarf, making his mother a half-Human, half-Dwarf hybrid. Borin was the same, but he possessed the rare ability to perfectly project the presence of either race, changing his elemental signature and physical guise as he pleased.
Seeing his son's true form, Gronak chuckled darkly. "When I saw you last, you looked exactly like your mother. She was beautiful, and she died due to a common illness, a tragic waste." Gronak's voice then turned utterly serious, laced with cold vengeance. "Did you remember our promise, traitor?"
Borin, now standing tall and lean in his human form, chuckled and nodded, his yellow eyes blazing. "You old man, for ninety-nine years I have been haunted by the guilt of not killing you with my own hands. I only finished the job after Miss Beatrice defeated you. I did not want that. I wanted to kill you and rip your heart out with my own hands."
Borin raised his guard, ready for the final catharsis. "Now is the chance. Let the fight begin. This fight is between us, father. I want to kill you with my own hands. Take any support you want from the forces below."
Gronak threw back his head and laughed—a loud, booming, terrifying sound that echoed across the entire battlefield, striking fear into the hearts of all who heard it.
"You sound exactly as I did when I was young! I had the same rage, the same desire to kill anyone who stood in my way. I am also saying the same thing: I want my revenge, and I want to take it with my own hands!"
Gronak then offered a final, terrifying suggestion. "However, let us not fight here. We shall fight with each other out of this world." He paused, the gravity of his words sinking in. "If our true powers clash in this atmosphere, it is going to be a disaster that will consume this entire world (Aetheleon)."
Borin, understanding the terrifying potential of their elements, accepted the offer with a cold, savage grin. The King of Balance and the Dark Tyrant prepared to tear the fabric of reality for their final, cosmic duel.
The fight between Before king and present king is going to be started.