It took Mado and his people two years to repair the planet, and render complete order, back on Alta. However the morning after the death of the king. He was woken up with half a million warriors, waiting at the cities doorsteps, demanding a Kings Trial.
A custom their people had for generations, to test the might of the new king, as only the strongest among them can rule. Although he had not recovered, he did not back away from the challenge and felt ashamed as Jurgun and the guards rushed to give him treatment and painkillers, to make it easier for him.
As per rights they were not allowed to participate, for this trial was meant only for a new king that was not accepted by the people. The rules were simple, he must survive for an hour, while those that denied him, may challenge him with no consequences short of death, during the trial.
He walked outside of the gates to greet his jurors. The largest gathering of the trial in history. "I am your new King. I claim my right as the strongest amongst you and all those who deny it, may challenge my claim. I will not shy away from the trial. I stand here before you, but I do hope, you all have given your loved ones, a good farewell."
The warriors in front of him remained quiet, but unsheathed their swords and axes as some ascended to first and second gears. He did the same, throwing his coat to the side and unsheathing his sword as purple and orange, glowing veins, snaked their way across his body.
"Well then, I authorize the commencement of the trial... Let us begin." Mado spoke with the widest grin.
Jurgun stood nearby, slightly worried but keeping track of the time, as Mado swept through waves of people coming after him, and began darting through the plains.
It was undoubtedly a massacre, as after an hour passed, Mado stood covered in blood. Trembling and shaking, above piles of bodies, sick to his stomach but he held it in. He couldn't look weak.
Jurgun teleported in front of him, as Mado's battle instincts made him swing, but Jurgun caught his wrist. Jurgun turned towards the survivors, who were dazed, incapacitated and some still willing to fight, then spoke, while raising both of their hands into the air. "I declare the 19th trial of Alta now over. Your king stands unopposed. From here on out, there is no more question of his strength and loyalty to his people."
He looked back to see if Mado was still standing, and was relieved the king was fighting to stay awake. "For those that still question him, let the souls of the 300, 000 who denied him, haunt you and destroy you in the lower halls of Varkkala. Now, kneel before your King."
The survivors, one by one dropped their weapons and began to kneel, as Mado stared in disbelief. He had finally done it. He had finally become king.
On Planet Bera...
Rael rushed through the fields cutting apart, every giant that tried to stop him. He led, his first brigade, to drive off the Valmerian outpost on their planet.
Due to the previous King's weakness and strategy, the giant's had almost had a foothold on their home However after Rael deposed him, he made sure to keep them checked, as he brought back order to his people.
He watched as the last of the giants had gotten on their ships and fleed away to a neighboring planet's Moon in-between their twin planet, Alta.
"Our scouts have located the Valmerian's headquarters. I have begun gathering the army, to drive them off once and for all." Namia filled Rael in as they walked through the remains of the outpost.
Soldiers were rejoicing, seeking treatment for their injuries and some went around checking if any giants were still alive. Rael has brought them many victories over the years, making their morale at an all time high.
Namia chimed in once expressing some concern. "The Altans however, have taken the first initiative and begun invading the moon, since last night. Their new King, I believe named Mado is leading the charge, but they seemed to be getting pushed back."
Rael was surprised by the news, but nodded at Namia, making up his mind. "That works out for us. We will take them both down. Tell everyone to prepare for nightfall. We will march to take out both armies and conquer the Kirosian Sector once and for all."
Later that evening...
Seventy ships took off of Bera, carrying over three million soldiers. Their ships were still primitive, similar to ones used on Earth, but were large enough for armed forces to be carried on.
Twelve hours later, as they neared the moon's space, they witnessed an intense battle between the Valmerian's space Force and the Altan's. It was clear that it was almost one-sided as the giant's had superior technology.
The Altan's were forced to cover fire, as they tried to get as many ships to land on the moon. Rael could immediately tell they would have trouble as well.
"Hail the commander of the lead Altan ship!" He ordered.
A screen popped up within his cockpit as Jurgun answered his call. "Commander, I am King Rael of Bera. We have not come to your aid, but can see the situation is grim. If you stay out of our way, we will take over from here."
Jurgun laughed. "I am aware we have no treaty among our kingdoms. However the giants have caused mass havoc on our planet and we can not let it go unanswered. Our King is already down there clearing out the invaders, but I will be honest, neither of us can handle them alone."
Rael looked at him with contempt, but figured it was best to get some information out of him. "What is the status of your progress?"
Jurgun braced as his ship was hit with intense missile fire, then resumed back to talking as if nothing bothered him. "Their force number 20 million. We have wittled it down by 5 million, however their ships are too advanced for us to proceed accordingly. If you are willing to make a temporary truce with us, we can give you cover to land on the southside of the moon, where they have the least amount of defenses."
Namia looked at Rael with concern. "I don't trust him." She whispered.
Rael thought it through. He didn't trust them either, but he knew if they were to open up a new front in space, they would suffer a large amount of casualties as well, and he preferred to have as much of his people alive if they had to fight the Altans after this batlle.
"Me neither, but it's the only choice we have." He replied back to her, then looked back at Jurgun. "Fine then, we'll have a truce for 30 hours, or until we giants are vanquished. We'll take your offer and land on the southside. However should you cross us, we will make your people pay dearly."
Jurgun nodded, then beamed out. The Altan ships made way for them while covering fire from the Valmerian war vessels.
Rael's soldiers strapped themselves in space suits and exited out of the ship, but were surprised to see that there was air and gravity on the moon. Carefully one of the soldiers took off their helmet to test it out and confirmed back to him, that it was safe.
"Must be some kind of advanced technology. Keep your helmets with you and gather your weapons!" Rael ordered all of his troops. He looked over at Namia and nodded. "Lead the main force, on the opposite side of the Altan advance. I will take a group of our strongest warriors with me to find the Valmerian leader."
She nodded back, accepting her orders. "Men follow me into battle!" She yelled as the hordes exiting the ships roared after her.
Ten soldiers stayed behind with Rael, as he watched the rest charge on to the Valmerian stronghold. Rael spread his senses all over the moon. He could feel the energy of many powerful warriors on all three sides of the battle. However the strongest of them all, was near the center of the stronghold city. Guarded by a dozen or so giant's with near the same energy he possessed.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
This war was going to be a lot tougher than he had originally thought. He looked back at his guards as they waited his orders. "Let's go."
They nodded back as they grabbed onto each other and cracks formed in the air around them, before they disappeared. Then reappeared within a hellscape, of fire, ship rubble, and giant collapsed buildings.
Bodies of Altan warriors and giants littered the floor. The group looked around them, trying to gauge their surroundings before a giant, nearly 20ft tall charged them out of nowhere. Swinging his axe down, covered in fire.
The group leaped away just in time, as Rael raised his hand to strike back. He was shocked that the giant was able to wield fire. No giants that they had faced were able to use any abilities aside from their pure strength.
"Your Highness, leave him to us!" Linoj one of his guards, advised him as he took the giant head on.
"Right." He nodded back, then looked at the rest of his guards. "Spread out, take out their toughest commanders. You may assist the Altan warriors so long as they do not attack you. We will deal with them later."
The guards agreed and went leaped off in different directions as he looked for the source of the greatest energy he had felt on this moon earlier. Then teleported in that direction.
Nearly avoiding a massive explosion as a figure was sent flying into the remains of a temporary stone building. He watched as the figure stepped out it, rubbing his head, as the tanned skinned man, cracked his bones and fixed his arm back into place.
He has large sword on his back, with grey hairs, starting to appear out of his large black beard. The man had a glimmer in his eyes, showing a will that refused to give up.
"You there!" Rael called out to him.
The man looked up at him floating a bit above him. He smiled a with the widest grin, realizing who his visitor could be. "Are you that one that claimed the Berran throne?"
Rael smiled back. "My people chose me as their leader, I require no throne. How about you? Are you the new King of Alta?"
Mado laughed outloud and prepared to answer, but was interrupted by a roar, greater than any dragon's roar they have ever heard. However what rose up and towered above them, was not a dragon, but a giant, they could only assume was the king of giants.
A monster hailing over 45 feet tall, with strength and energy greater than anything they had ever experienced. The pressure was intense, causing them to brace for hot winds as rings of fire ruptured the ground.
Both of them leaped up into the air, facing the monster before them. It had an ugly mug, with horns on his red and gold helmet, with one of the horns broken off, from Mado's earlier confrontation. It's armor, seemed to be of royal quality, contrasting red and gold, with a horrifyingly humongous axe strapped diagonally on his back.
When it spoke, it's voice reverbrated through both the kings bodies, leaving them, trembling slightly. "No matter how many ants gather, you will all be crushed beneath our feet."
Mado looked over at Rael, who was astounded by the sight before him. "Jurgun mentioned, you offered a temporary truce... Will you join me in battle?"
Rael unsheathed his sword, as Mado did the same. "Very well, King of Alta, just don't slow me down."
Mado smiled, calming his nerves. "Just call me Mado. Yours?"
Rael nodded, "Rael." He said as they both teleported out of the way of the giants swinging axe. Then they both shofted into third gear and commenced a two fold assault on giant, aiming to bring it down.
It wailed in pain, then spun its axe around causing large gusts of wind around them, as purple veins snaked it's way all over its body. It's hair glowed silver, as the pressure around them increased, making it hard for them to breath.
They felt immense energy, from below them, as large pillars of stone, shot up around them then froze sheets of between them catching them in a web of ice. They struggled to burn it frr but the ice continued to replace itself. Then they watched as the giant moved with unnatural speed, as they were zapped with billions of volts of electricity. It dropped it's axe and punched the both of them flying hundreds of meters away with a fist of fire.
They crashed into the ground, with a resounding boom, as the shockwave, reverbrated through the moon. Both of them got up, coughing blood, with their eyes red.
"This amount of power shouldn't exist." Rael struggled to say.
"No, but it does, and we have to win. Otherwise, our people have no future." Mado replied back.
Hot winds caught their attention, as they watched the giant leap up high above them and began descending down, with its axe high above its head. The axe was covered in magma, fire and electricity, heated to a point of extreme heat.
Mado stood up, with darkness beginning to envelope him. Black marks began fusing with the glowing purple veins, as black streaks, popped up within his glowing silver hair.
Rael looked at him surprised. "So you can use it as well?" He asked as he did the same. He had only just acquired this strength, but it took too much of a toll.
"Yes, but I only have five minutes." Mado replied back, a little concerned to be telling an enemy his secret, but if they both died there it wouldn't matter.
"I guess we're both in the same boat." Rael said, as he completed his transformation. "You ready?"
"Yes, we'll finish this before time runs out." Mado nodded back, then they both jumped out of the way just in time before the giant landed, devastating the moon's surface.
"Solkyr Altania!" Mado let loose an intense beam, at the giant's back, then quickly jumped out of the way before the axe could reach him.
Rael raised his hand to the sky, as he called lightning to strike the giant, however the shields of ice manifested faster than they could touchdown. Protecting the Giant King from harm.
Rumblings below it, caused it to look down and brace itself, as Rael yelled outloud. "Regora Ans, Korsa!" A golem slightly larger than the giant, leaped up out of the ground, giving it an uppercut through its frozen shields above it, as it was zapped by the barrage of lightning strikes.
It crashed into the ground with a large boom, as the golem continued to wail on it, before the Giant King obliterated it into frozen pieces. Mado and Rael didn't let up, as Mado charged the Giant, while it stood up.
It's axe flew into its hand, just in time, before Mado struck, clashing blades with it with equal force, while Rael shot hundreds of volleys all over its body, irritating the giant.
However their stamina was beginning to run out, with the giants own, feeling almost abysmal. As hope began to fade, with the strain of their transformations, the giant repelled Mado back on their last strike, then crouched itself into a ball. A giant dome of lava, rose up all around him, as they wondered what it was doing.
Purple lightning struck the dome as it held the charge, along with violet fire burning the lava bright. They both looked at each other, realizing what was about to happen, then raised frozen domes over themselves to shield themselves from the blast, just in time as the giant erupted out of it. Shooting it's domes burning shrapnel in every direction.
Their domes broke apart, with both of them falling out of them fatally injured. Both of them had multiple shrapnel, protruding out of their body, as they laid there defeated and seizing from side effects.
"Are you still alive?" Mado asked, while gasping for air. He struggled to heal himself and pull out the pieces stuck in his body.
Rael, coughed up blood, as his vision started to fade. "Barely... I have failed them, my people... How can I face the men of Varkkala, with this regret!"
"No you have not, I refuse to give up. We can still defeat him. Lend me your strength brother, and I promise we will both be able to die honorably!" Mado struggled to get up, wincing in pain and coughing large amounts of blood.
'Brother?' Rael thought, this man was crazy. How could he still stand up in the face of overwhelming strength. He had heard of the assassination attempt by his previous king on Mado, which happened at the same time he was attacked. So in a way they were brothers, but they did not think the same.
However in that moment, he felt inspired to not give up. There was too much at stake. He paused healing himself and focused on healing Mado, then raised a hand towards the sky. "Regora Ans, Jolnir!"
The ground beneath them rumbled, as a intricately woven hammer, rose up out of the ground in front of Mado. It had a red and black hilt, with lava pulsing in-between the cracks of the titanium held hammer. Static electricity, cracked all around it, as it held majority of Rael's remaining strength.
Mado grabbed it, weighing it in and smiling. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me, protect our people and win. I'm giving you all of my strength." Rael demanded.
Mado nodded, then looked up at the giant as it came into view yelling at them. "Wallow in fear for crossing the king of Valmerian!"
Mado smiled once more, then yelled back. "Your time is up, you overgrown monster. Kneel before the might of our people!" On que, Rael raised a stone pillar below his feet, raising Mado high above the giant.
The Valmerian King brandished it's axe, ready to end Mado's suffering. Mado reached further into the darkness, gathering all the strength he could possibly muster. Half an ash-white skull with blood art, marking it, formed over his face, as lightning struck him many times over, building up on tip of the hammer.
He added telekinetic force and pressurizing the hammer with black fire, making it almost too hot to hold. The giant responded in kind, heating up his axe with magma, fire and electricity.
The moment of impact, rocked everyone on the moon off of their feet, as Mado pushed through, demolishing the giant's hammer and caving in its skull, ending with a large explosion. Sending him flying unconscious.
Rael got up and teleported with the last of his strength to Mado's location. Relieved to see that he was still breathing.
Sarga one of Mado's generals rushed over as soon as she heard the explosion and felt her King's energy drop. "Mado, are you alright?" She asked seeing both of them lying next to each other laughing.
She dropped down, and began healing him, but he grabbed her hand to stop her. "Treat him first. He is my brother."
She was shocked. First, she knew he didn't have any brothers, but to treat an enemy before him, the other generals would scold her. Yet she could feel Rael closer to death's door and decided to do as she was told.
She split her energy to focus on the both of them as Rael thanked her. Then he turned towards Mado. "If I'm your brother, then I'm the older one."
Mado laughed. "Oh yeah? How old are you? You barely have a beard."
Rael laughed and thought of something to retort, however a wave of sinister energy startled all three of them, nearly making them all vomit. Sarga fell unconscious, as the both of them were forced into third gear, just to stay awake.
They got up looking around, wondering what was the cause of the disturbance. Then descending before them, elegantly, was an ancient being, with an ash-white skull covering its face, with blood art, colored differently than what was on Mado's face.
It's eyes gleamed red, as it ripped pure terror through both of the King's minds. Then it broke a half of its skull, revealing its face.