Chapter 120: Chapter 120: I Won’t Accept That

He glanced briefly over the city behind Caelus, then back at him.

“You have people. Resources. Structure.”

His gaze sharpened just a little.

“And I can use that.”

Caelus’ expression hardened.

“So what are you saying?”

Aiden met his eyes directly.

“Submit.”

The word landed heavily.

“I don’t need to wipe you out,” Aiden continued. “Work under me instead. Pay what you owe every month, and I let this place stand.”

Murmurs spread among the soldiers.

“Is he serious…”

“He wants us to surrender?”

Caelus didn’t look away.

“…And if we refuse?”

Aiden’s expression didn’t change.

Behind him, the undead beast let out a low, hollow growl, its presence pressing down on everyone nearby.

Below, the sound of fighting continued to rise.

“You already know the answer,” Aiden said calmly.

Silence followed.

The tension between them tightened.

Two leaders.

Two sides.

Standing face to face above a battlefield that had not yet decided its outcome.

Caelus didn’t answer right away.

For a moment, he just stood there, the wind brushing past him as the sounds of battle climbed higher from below. Steel clashed, people shouted, and somewhere deeper in the city, something collapsed with a dull, heavy crash.

He turned his head slightly.

From the top of the wall, he could see everything.

His men were being pushed back.

Formations that once held steady were now breaking apart under pressure. The bronze-grade undead were forcing their way deeper, while the lesser ones flooded in behind them like an endless tide.

Worse than that…

The city had already been breached.

Skeletons were inside.

Moving through the streets.

And the civilians…

Caelus’ jaw tightened.

Some were running. Some were screaming. Some didn’t make it.

His grip slowly clenched.

Behind him, one of his men staggered back, wounded.

“Leader… we can’t hold them much longer…”

Another voice, strained and desperate. “They just keep coming!”

Caelus closed his eyes for a brief second.

Just one.

When he opened them again, the hesitation was gone.

He turned back to Aiden.

The man stood there calmly, as if none of this chaos mattered. As if the lives below were nothing more than numbers to him.

Maybe they were.

“…Alright,” Caelus said quietly.

The murmurs around them stopped.

Even the soldiers nearby held their breath.

Caelus took a step forward, his gaze steady.

“If we agree to this… if we submit…” he continued, his voice firm despite everything happening around them, “then I want one thing in return.”

Aiden tilted his head slightly.

“What is it?”

Caelus didn’t look away.

“If another force attacks us in the future… whether it’s another clan, a kingdom, or something worse…” His voice dropped just a little, but the weight behind it only grew heavier. “You will stand with us.”

A faint pause followed.

“You will help defend this city,” Caelus finished. “Not just take from it.”

The request hung in the air.

Below them, someone screamed.

A clash of metal rang out, followed by the sound of something tearing apart.

Aiden didn’t react to any of it.

He simply looked at Caelus.

Studied him.

Not as an enemy this time.

But as something else.

“…You’re asking for protection,” Aiden said.

Caelus gave a small nod. “Call it what you want.”

Another pause.

Then, slowly, Aiden smiled.

Not wide, just enough.

“Fine.”

The answer came easily.

“I agree.”

Some of the soldiers behind Caelus looked stunned.

“That’s it…?”

“He just agreed?”

Caelus narrowed his eyes slightly. “You give your word?”

Aiden met his gaze without hesitation.

“I do.”

There was no grand declaration.

No dramatic tone.

Caelus held his gaze for a few seconds longer, as if weighing something unseen.

Then he exhaled.

“…Then we have a deal.”

Aiden nodded once.

“Good.”

He turned slightly, glancing over the battlefield below.

The fighting was still ongoing. His undead were still pressing forward, cutting deeper into the city with every passing moment.

“…I’ll call them back,” Aiden said.

Aiden didn’t raise his voice, he didn’t need to.

He simply lifted his hand, that was enough.

Across the battlefield, the change was immediate, but strange. The undead that had been pressing forward without pause suddenly slowed. Blades stopped mid-swing. Skeletal figures froze where they stood, their hollow eyes dimming slightly as if something inside them had gone quiet.

Then, one by one, they began to step back.

The defenders didn’t understand what was happening.

A soldier who had just braced himself for another strike found his opponent lowering its weapon instead.

“…What…?” he muttered, breathing hard.

Another looked around, confusion written all over his face. “Why are they stopping?”

All along the walls and within the streets, the same scene played out. The relentless pressure that had been crushing the city suddenly eased.

No one moved at first.

No one dared to believe it.

Then Caelus stepped forward at the top of the wall, his voice cutting through the confusion.

“Stop fighting!”

Heads turned.

Both his men and the remaining civilians looked up at him.

For a brief moment, the entire battlefield seemed to hold its breath.

Caelus didn’t hesitate.

“We surrender!”

The words echoed, clear, final, and heavy.

It spread through the battlefield faster than any command before it.

“Surrender…?”

“We… surrendered?”

Some of the soldiers looked stunned. Others lowered their weapons slowly, unsure whether to feel relieved or ashamed.

But not everyone accepted it.

At the center of the broken gate, Rhett stood frozen.

For a second, he didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

Like he hadn’t heard it properly.

Then his grip on his weapon tightened.

“…What?”

His voice came out low.

Dangerously low.

Around him, the undead had already begun to pull back, creating space where there had been none moments ago. The bronze-grade ones stepped away as well, their movements slow but deliberate.

Carrion stood among them, unmoving.

Watching.

Rhett’s chest rose and fell heavily. His body was covered in wounds, his breathing uneven, but his eyes…

His eyes burned.

“No.”

The word slipped out.

Then louder.

“No!”

He turned sharply, looking up toward the wall where Caelus stood.

“I won’t accept that!”

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