Trollof frowned. "You're not planning any underhanded tricks, are you?"

King Garp snapped impatiently, "What tricks could I possibly pull? I've left the entire border undefended. My men stand right before you. Behind you lies your nation's mightiest army. This contract differs from the previous one only in date. Verify it if you doubt me—but don't waste time. You know my kingdom's situation is precarious. I can't afford delays here."

"Hmph. I doubt you'd dare."

Confident in his nation's strength, Trollof stamped and signed the contract. King Garp followed suit with his royal seal.

"Done. This territory now belongs to you," Garp declared gravely. "Remember: no attacks on Danka for the next decade. Surely a great nation like Jeep honors its contracts?"

Trollof waved a dismissive hand. "Naturally."

Garp carefully tucked the contract away and rose. "Then I take my leave. Nothing further remains."

Trollof grinned at the bloodless conquest. "Pleasure doing business. I suspect this won't be our last meeting."

Garp snorted coldly. "It will be. I never wish to see your face again."

"What a pity," Trollof chuckled, dismissing it as empty bravado. His expression suddenly twisted vicious. "The contract is signed! This is Jeep soil now! What are you still doing here? Get out!"

Garp's personal guards trembled with fury, hands gripping weapons, awaiting only his command to strike. Yet the usually fierce king remained silent. Without a word, he led his troops away, tails between their legs.

Trollof smirked at his guards. "Hah! They said Danka's King Garp was a real man. Turns out he's just a coward. Let him rule Danka for ten more years—it changes nothing. In a decade, I'll march my army in, crush his skull beneath my boot on his own throne."

A guard flattered smoothly, "Your Majesty was wise to appoint you as negotiator, General. He must have feared your reputation to yield so easily."

Trollof basked in the praise but swiftly turned practical. As a seasoned commander, he barked orders to fortify Aetron County immediately. The sudden handover left them unprepared; they'd need an all-night effort to build defenses against Danka's civil war spillover.

Securing Aetron County's vast borders was no easy task—even for mighty Jeep. Only its lush pastures, ideal for breeding swift war dragons, justified the effort. Conquest by force would drain resources: Aetron's border with Jeep was defensible, but its border with Danka was vulnerable. Jeep couldn't sustain such attrition while fighting on other fronts.

History warned them. Decades ago, Danka had burned Aetron's pastures to ashes rather than let invaders claim them. The fire raged for three days, consuming the land and bankrupting the invading nation. War served profit; victory without gain was defeat.

Thus, when Garp offered Aetron County for ten years of peace, Jeep's court erupted in celebration. With these pastures, they could breed thousands more war dragons annually. What did ten years matter? By then, Jeep's dragon cavalry would trample Danka into dust.

The contract terms required Garp to evacuate Aetron County. His scouts reported something odd, however: strange statues dotted the land—non-humanoid figures with octopus heads, slender two-meter frames, and clawed limbs. They stood not just in settlements but alone in empty grasslands. Trollof dismissed them as local totems.

Unseen, translucent insects clung to the soldiers, melting into their flesh.

"General! Attackers!"

Trollof jolted awake in the former governor's mansion.

"Is Garp attacking?!" he roared, sword drawn.

"No army—just two people! They're charging straight for you! Evacuate now!"

"*Two* people? You want me to *run*?!" Trollof slapped the guard hard. "Then they'll rename me 'Cowardly Pup' instead of 'War-Mad Bear'! Seize them!"

The guard's swollen cheek quivered. "They're too fast! They slipped through our lines like ghosts. Anyone blocking their path saw a flash of white light—then collapsed like bowling pins. They're monsters!"

"Calling us monsters is rude," a crisp female voice cut in. "We're here to save your lives."

Trollof blinked—and a young man and woman stood before him. Now he understood his guard's panic. He hadn't sensed their arrival.

Sword raised, he growled, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Alicia and Larry. They'd arrived too late. Not because of their earlier mishap with the flying device—but because Garp had deliberately misled them about his departure time. *He set us up.*

Larry's voice turned urgent. "A catastrophe is coming. Evacuate everyone—*now*."

"Evacuate on your word? Where's this disaster?!" Trollof scoffed, exactly as they'd feared. No time for explanations. Garp had lured them here—but delayed them just enough to let Jeep's army settle in. Time was up.

As Larry and Alicia moved to grab Trollof and draw the army away—

The sky darkened unnaturally. Not sunset. The heavens bled crimson, filtering sunlight into a hellish glow.

"Too late?" Alicia gasped, throwing up a Yuan Technique Barrier.

Before it fully formed, screams of agony tore through the air outside.