Max grinned wildly, his eyes shining with a wicked light, as if he had already won a battle that had yet to begin. "If they’re marching here with their armies combined, then they’ve left their capitals exposed."

"So what are you saying?" Rosalia asked, still not fully grasping where his thoughts were headed.

"You’re insane... you can’t be planning to drag my people into that—" Agnia’s eyes widened in horror, as if she had already seen the shape of his madness.

"Shut it..." He rolled his eyes. Forcing Agnia forward through the hole in the wall, he stepped out with her in tow. The people outside, who had been waiting for any sign of hope, lit up the moment they saw movement, only for that hope to die just as quickly when they saw their queen being dragged by the arm like a prisoner. Some froze. Others tensed as if ready to rush forward, but none dared move.

"We’re going to pay them a visit," Max laughed. "We’ll slip past their armies and strike their capitals while they’re still marching toward us." He clenched his fist. The plan carried enormous risk, but he had nothing left to lose. It was either this, or die defending something too fragile to endure.

"How is that going to buy us extra time?" Rosalia shook her head. "That will only enrage them more, and with most of our people being little more than workers, we’ll be too slow..." Her voice came out quieter than before. She did not want to openly oppose him, not now, not in front of Agnia, yet doubt still lingered in her eyes.

"No, that’s not all there is to my plan." Max smiled faintly, his fingers brushing over her soft hand before he turned toward Agnia.

"That... I..." She struggled for words. "There is a secret passage into the mountains known only to my royal family, but by the ancient rules, only Fire Clan members are allowed to enter..." The moment the words left her mouth, regret flooded her face. Max’s eyes lit up like a demon being offered treasure.

"Rules are made to be bent, and after all, this land belongs to me now. It is no longer yours to decide, nor your ancestors’." He patted her head like a child, and the gesture made something strange twist inside Agnia. Somehow, it felt comforting.

And she hated that to her core.

He turned back toward the ruined land and the distant horizon beyond it.

"This will brand me a tyrant, but remember that I’m doing this to keep both clans alive against an enemy far stronger than us."

Both women turned to look at him at the same time. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"We will march toward them, gut their capitals, strip their treasuries and resources bare, and seize their nobles and people alike, forcing them into chains as collateral to halt their armies where they stand. And when they finally arrive here, they will find nothing but barren ruins, empty of rulers, empty of people, empty of anything worth conquering."

Neither woman spoke. They were too stunned by the shape of his plan.

Noticing their silence, Max continued.

"After gathering them up, we’ll take the longer route, circle past the returning army, and come back here. We’ll rebuild, grow stronger, and wait for them to return. But by then, they won’t dare lay a hand on us. They’ll have no choice but to bargain with me for the lives of their own people."

He laughed, and the look in his eyes was utterly crazed.

Rosalia remained silent for a while before finally nodding. "You’re right. This way is immoral, but it’s the only path left if we want to survive. If you can pull this off... you will be remembered as one of the most brilliant rulers in history." She pressed herself against him, willing to overlook any cruelty as long as it was him.

The more time she spent by his side, the more she understood that he was the right man to lead her people. Unlike her father, Max was willing to risk everything before accepting defeat, and for that, she respected him more deeply than ever.

Agnia turned her head to the side, thinking it through. She understood that Max’s plan was not without flaws, yet it was still the best answer for her people.

If the Wind and Thunder Empires were marching this way, then they had likely already intended to swallow her kingdom as well, and serving this human was still better than being folded beneath other dragon races.

At least that way, she could one day die with the pride that she had not willingly handed her people over to ancient draconic custom. In the world of dragon clans, defeat meant being absorbed into the stronger force, until the weaker bloodline slowly disappeared.

"Proclaim me their new ruler, and deliver my first decree..." He lifted his eyes toward the sky, a faint smile slowly blooming on his face. Since his power was void, he wanted to aim for the stars. "The Ice and Fire Clans now belong to a new power. From this day onward, they are part of the Kingdom of... Voidstar."

Agnia felt her heart sink. She had known he would demand this, yet the words still refused to leave her mouth. It was humiliating. And still, she began, her voice ringing across the broken land as her body shifted into a draconic hybrid form.

"People of the Fire Dragon Clan..." Every word carved into her like a knife. "I, as the Queen of the Fire Dragon Kingdom, proclaim our kingdom now joined with the Ice Dragon Clan under a new ruler and a new name."

The people watched in pure confusion and terror. Several warriors had already woken, their bodies still heavy as they slowly took in the devastation around them. The last thing they remembered was Max forcing them into sleep, draining their mana until nothing remained. And now that very man stood above them, holding their queen by the arm like a prisoner. Everyone understood what it meant, and the meaning of it tore at their hearts.

"Long live King..." Agnia paused for a brief second. Max’s name sounded too plain for a king, and so she did something that would likely make him want to slap her to death. "...Maximus, ruler over us all, sovereign of the Voidstar Kingdom..."