At the suggestion of Frost King Malakk, the surrender ceremony was held beside a frozen lake on the border of Zul'Drak.
Although the lake Freeze year-round, it is surrounded by beautiful hot springs. The magical hot spring water gushes out from deep underground, creating a misty atmosphere that refracts a rainbow of colors, like a Legendary Pantheon.
Kites, leading his staff, arrived at the frozen lake ahead of time and was immediately captivated by its beauty. They built a high platform by the lake and moved the throne to the top, where Kites would be able to accept the surrender of Frost King Malakk from his elevated position.
Frost King Malakk, accompanied by Warlord Zol'Maz and only a dozen guards, headed towards the Frozen Lake. Along the way, Warlord Zol'Maz kept babbling and clamoring about how he would fight the Alliance to the death.
Upon entering the frozen lake area and seeing the well-equipped Royal Guards, Warlord Zol'Maz immediately fell silent, like a quail flapping its wings in a cute way.
The surrender ceremony began. Frost King Malakk knelt on the ground and bowed to the Alliance King on the high platform. Warlord Zol'Maz, without being reminded, obediently knelt behind Marak.
Kites generously invited Frost King Malakk to stand up and speak. Marak quickly jumped up, head held high, neither humble nor arrogant. Zormaz, on the other hand, lay prostrate on the ground for a long time before finally getting up. The Royal Guards looked serious, struggling to suppress their smiles.
Next came a series of ceremonies, culminating in the presentation of spoils of war. Frost King Malakk presented specialties of the Zul'Drak Empire, including some rare gems and more!
But the Frost Gauntlets weren't on the gift list.
Kites didn't care. He sat on the high platform, his thoughts wandering, seemingly enjoying the feeling of being high above. Meanwhile, one of his aides below screamed:
"Frost King Malakk, how dare you! Why don't you offer up the Frost Gauntlets?"
Warlord Zol'Maz had no idea what was going on, but he knew that the Frost Gauntlets were a symbol of power in the Zul'Drak Empire, and he secretly observed Marak's expression.
Frost King Malakk bowed deeply to Kites and said loudly:
"King Majesty, the Frost Gauntlets hold great significance for the Zul'Drak Empire, serving as a symbol of King power. We beg Your Majesty's forgiveness and request that this heirloom be left in the Zul'Drak Empire."
Kites was in a bad mood, thinking to himself, "I have pardoned your people and preserved the Zul'Drak Empire, yet you can't even part with a single weapon." But he didn't know how to deal with this situation and looked down at his staff below the platform.
One of the aides stepped forward and loudly reprimanded:
"Frost King Malakk, His Majesty the King has shown you the greatest kindness, yet instead of being grateful, you dare to defy King Majesty's will. You are courting death."
Frost King Malakk ignored his advisors and stared intently at the King: "King Majesty, I have no disloyalty to the Alliance. What is your opinion?"
Kites hesitated for a moment, then realized his advisor had a point; being unwilling to part with even a single weapon showed a lack of sincerity. So he put on a stern face, trying to appear as authoritative as possible.
"Frost King Malakk, do you want the Frost Gauntlets, or your Zul'Drak Empire?"
Frost King Malakk's massive frame trembled slightly, his fangs bared, and he turned to look at Warlord Zol'Maz, asking:
"Zormaz, do you remember what you said?"
The Warlord Zol'Maz trembled, his courage long gone, and he simply lowered his head, trying his best to retract his fangs, daring not to say a word.
"What you want to do but cannot, I will accomplish."
Frost King Malakk opened his arms, facing the King on the high platform, and proclaimed:
"Your Majesty, King of Stormwind City, prepare for your doom! Bear the wrath of the Zul'Drak Empire! The Drakkari Frost Trolls will never surrender!"
Frost King Malakk's eyes flashed with a cold light, and a frost-covered Fist Weapons appeared in his right hand, which he pressed down hard towards the frozen lake.
A series of cracking sounds rang out, and countless cracks appeared on the surface of the frozen lake. The Warlord Zol'Maz stared at all of this in astonishment, for in his memory, the frozen lake had never changed.
Azure lake water surged forth, along with towering figures.
The monsters were made of Frost, each as tall as two humans, and there were so many of them that they seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Their bodies were covered with jagged ice spikes, and they howled as they charged toward the Royal Guards of Stormwind City.
Kites was taken aback. His advisors had already anticipated the possibility of an ambush and had therefore dispatched two thousand elite Royal Guards. To wipe out this force, the Zul'Drak Empire would need to send at least tens of thousands of Trolls. Such a large-scale mobilization could not be kept secret from SI:7.
But what was unexpected was that thousands of Ice Elementals were hidden within the frozen lake.
With thousands of Ice Elementals moving simultaneously, the surrounding temperature dropped rapidly. The cold caused the guards to become stiff, and if they were hit directly by the Ice Elementals' icy breath, they would freeze in ice.
On the very first day of battle, hundreds of Royal Guards were accidentally frozen solid.
Frost King Malakk gazed at the terrified Kites and provocatively proclaimed, "Come down, Your King! Only one King can emerge alive from this frozen lake today."
Kites knew he had to fight. In fact, like all passionate young people, he was full of enthusiasm and longed for a thrilling battle.
"Frost King Malakk, you have deceived me."
Kites drew a pair of Elf swords, and the phantom of the Goldrinn appeared behind him. He jumped down from the high platform and fiercely swung the two swords, slashing at Marak like Gale.
Frost King Malakk knew that Kites, blessed by the Goldrinn, was unstoppable. With hundreds of years of combat experience, Marak fought and retreated, trying to wear down Kites' stamina.
The Ice Elementals was slaughtering the royal guards. Several advisors were unable to dodge in time and were frozen into ice sculptures, including the one who had advised him and asked for the Frost Gauntlets.
Seeing this, Kites was heartbroken and viciously slashed at Frost King Malakk.
"Cunning Troll, this is a conspiracy, a trap that was prepared long ago."
The power of the Goldrinn seemed inexhaustible, compensating for Kites' lack of combat experience. Frost King Malakk, struggling to cope, was the first to run out of energy, disheveled and in a sorry state. He had no choice but to hide behind the Ice Elementals, taking the opportunity to roar loudly:
"You're wrong. You've gone too far. You shouldn't have asked for the Frost Gauntlets."
Kites slashed through several Ice Elementals, and upon hearing this, he paused for a moment, realizing he might have made a mistake. Unfortunately, it was too late to back down.
Several Court Mages joined forces to throw a net of Flame, temporarily forcing back the Ice Elementals. An Archmage stopped the seemingly deranged Kites and advised him:
"Your King, retreat immediately!"
Kites looked around and saw that a large number of Royal Guards had been killed in action, with only a few forming a fierce resistance, but their defeat was only a matter of time.
What pained Kites even more was that none of his advisors survived. Kites knew that although the Goldrinn's power was great, it was no match for these thousands of Ice Elementals, so he had no choice but to retreat.
An Archmage opened Portal, Kites was the first to rush through it.
Back at the camp in Drak'Tharon Keep, Kites looked at the few people around him and felt a pang of desolation.
Of the two thousand men who marched out, fewer than ten returned. Kites was so furious he gritted his teeth and nearly fainted!
"Declare war! Launch a full-scale war against the Zul'Drak Empire, a war to the death!"
Blinded by hatred, Kites once again made an impulsive decision.