Chương 459: Chapter : 459

Princess Iris walked slowly toward the defeated warlord. She held her silver rapier at her side. She did not point the blade at him. Her violet eyes were incredibly calm. She looked at the giant man with a steady, polite expression.

"It is over," Princess Iris stated clearly. Her voice echoed across the quiet plaza.

"Your magical defenses are shattered. Your army is scattered. You cannot fight anymore. Surrender now, and we will stop attacking." The Lion King kept his head down. He breathed in ragged, loud gasps. He clenched his dirt-covered hands into tight fists. He felt immense, burning frustration. He hated losing. He hated feeling weak. But he knew she was right. He could not throw another punch. His body was completely exhausted. He slowly lifted his head. He looked at Princess Iris. He did not look angry anymore.

He looked incredibly tired. He looked completely desperate.

"I surrender," the Lion King whispered. His deep voice sounded very weak. He coughed again.

"I yield the battle. You win." Laxmi grinned a wide, victorious grin. She pumped her fist into the air.

"Yes! We totally crushed him! The 13th Unit wins again!" Naomi smiled brightly. She slid her daggers back into her belt. She looked over her shoulder at Ken. She offered him a happy, proud wink. Ken gave her a lazy thumbs-up in return. He popped the last piece of candy into his mouth. Sayma pushed her glasses up. She opened her notebook. She clicked her pen. She prepared to record the official end of the combat scenario.

"The tactical threat is neutralized. We have secured the plaza." The 13th Unit relaxed their combat stances. They felt a massive surge of relief. They had survived another intense fight. They had defeated a powerful warlord. But the encounter was not completely finished. The Lion King remained on his knees. He looked at the elite girls. He realized he had absolutely nothing left. He had lost his army. He had lost the city. He needed to make a deal. He needed to ensure his own survival.

The defeated warlord took a slow, deep breath. He prepared to reveal a massive, shocking secret. He prepared to offer them crucial intelligence as a final bargaining chip. The real story behind his aggressive invasion was about to be exposed, and the 13th Unit was about to learn a terrifying new truth.

The Lion King stayed on his knees. He looked at Princess Iris. His face was covered in dirt and soot. His breathing slowly returned to normal. He let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"I will leave this city," the Lion King stated quietly.

"I will take my remaining soldiers. We will retreat entirely. We will not cause any more trouble for you. But I need a guarantee of safe passage. I need you to let us walk away." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Princess Iris watched him carefully. Her violet eyes searched his face. She saw genuine defeat in his expression. She saw no tricks. She nodded her head slowly.

"I accept your surrender," Princess Iris replied calmly.

"You have my word. We will not pursue you. We will let you leave the city peacefully. But you must answer a question first." The Lion King frowned.

"What is the question?" Sayma stepped forward. She held her notebook ready. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Why did you attack this city? You rule a massive, dense jungle territory far away from here. You have your own land. Why did you march your army into a populated urban center? It makes no logical sense." The Lion King looked down at the broken cobblestones. A dark, bitter shadow crossed his face. He clenched his large fists. He did not look like an arrogant conqueror anymore. He looked like a man who had lost everything he cared about.

"I did not want to come here," the Lion King confessed. His deep voice rumbled with sadness.

"I did not want to invade a city. I hate the stone streets. I hate the loud noises. My home is the deep jungle. My home is among the giant trees and the wild rivers." Zinia crossed her strong arms. She looked confused.

"Then why did you leave your home?"

"Because I was forced out," the Lion King answered bluntly. He looked up at Zinia.

"I was violently pushed out of my own territory. I had absolutely no choice. I had to find a new place for my people to live." The 13th Unit went completely silent. They stared at the warlord in pure shock.

"Forced out?" Naomi asked. Her green eyes widened. She stepped closer.

"Who could possibly force you out of your own jungle? You have a massive, physically enhanced army. You are incredibly strong. Who defeated you?"

"I do not know their names," the Lion King admitted. He shook his head slowly.

"They appeared suddenly. They were a massive group of unknown, hostile magical forces. They did not fight like normal soldiers. They did not use normal elemental magic." Laxmi tilted her head. She tossed a tiny orange spark into the air.

"What kind of magic did they use?"

"Dark magic," the Lion King whispered. He shivered slightly at the memory.

"They wore dark robes. They used toxic, dark purple energy. They spread a sickening, poisonous fog across my jungle. The fog killed the plants. It sickened the animals. Their magic did not just hurt us. It completely erased our defensive spells. They overwhelmed my best fighters in a single day." Sayma's eyes widened behind her glasses. She quickly wrote down the description. Her analytical mind recognized the signs immediately.

"Dark purple magic. Toxic fog. That sounds exactly like the Black Magicians. We read reports about them. They are a forbidden faction." Princess Iris gripped the hilt of her rapier tightly. She felt a cold chill in her chest. The Black Magicians were a legendary, terrifying threat. They operated outside the laws of the Empire. They wanted to cause total destruction.

"Where are they now?" Princess Iris demanded firmly.

"Where did these hostile forces set up their base?" The Lion King let out a harsh, bitter laugh.

"They took over the absolute center of my jungle. They brought massive digging equipment. They brought hundreds of enslaved workers. They completely tore up the earth. They built a massive underground complex right beneath the oldest trees." Ken Eliot sat on his broken piece of concrete. He listened to the conversation. He slouched his shoulders. He pulled a small, lint-covered piece of hard candy from his pocket. He inspected the candy carefully. He wiped a piece of lint off it. He popped it into his mouth.

"Underground bases are so cliché," Ken mumbled lazily to himself. He chewed the candy.

"Why do bad guys always build underground bases? It is very bad for air circulation. They should build a treehouse instead. A treehouse would be much more fun. And it has a much better view." Naomi heard Ken mumbling. She turned her head and smiled a fond, warm smile at him. She liked that he stayed totally relaxed during serious moments. It kept her own nerves completely calm. She looked back at the Lion King.