Yuma walked slowly.
Only 10 Pineon Warriors who survived Yuma’s [Absolute Counter] fled in a panic. They ran like the wind to warn others about the monster that had appeared.
Three Imperial Soldiers standing at the edge of a cliff quickly pushed through the forest and stood before Yuma. Upon seeing the glowing epaulet on the right shoulder of his black coat, they lowered their heads without hesitation.
One soldier shouted loudly.
“Thank you for sparing us!”
The knight knelt on his right knee and bowed.
“Are you really the Great Commander?”
Yuma replied nonchalantly.
“I am Yuma, appointed as the Great Commander of this battlefield. Guide me to Marquis Tornel.”
“Understood! Great Commander Yuma.”
As Yuma walked, he had to confront the bodies of soldiers and knights sprawled on the ground.
‘So many died.’
The Astes Empire had already suffered significant losses. Yuma walked, capturing the scenery of the battlefield.
Clid, the 3rd Commander of the core forces of the Pineon Barbarian Nation, had been killed. Thus, the retreating Imperial Army was able to reclaim the ridgeline.
‘There’s no point in further slaughter.’
From the perspective of someone who had already committed mass murder, it was a thought he never intended to have, but Yuma honestly believed it.
‘Cut off the head.’
If he took out the head leading the troops, there would be no need to kill others.
Yuma’s resolve solidified.
‘They said he’s called the Conqueror King.’
*
Marquis Tornel stomped the ground hard.
Whooooooosh!
With a fierce swing, his axe sliced through the air. The target of that axe was the Conqueror King Kament. Kament wielded a sword as massive as Tornel’s axe.
Crash!
The heavy clash of their weapons echoed around them. The two giants were pushed back slightly.
“Ghaaaaah!”
Unlike Tornel, who gritted his face in exertion, Kament wore a clear smile.
“Khahahahahaha!!”
He was relishing this battle and the situation, as if he were enjoying the thrill of life. Kament moved swiftly, countering the massive size he bore.
Battle clan.
Why they referred to the people of Pineon that way, Tornel felt painfully aware now, facing Kament’s sword directly.
Bang! Bang!
About a dozen exchanges ensued.
And it continued.
Tornel’s subordinates and Kament’s followers watched with bated breath as the two leader beasts clashed. In an instant of judgment, everything was at stake. The battle between warriors who reached the mastery level required swift decisions.
Tornel’s axe, like a windmill caught in a storm, blocked Kament’s swing, as Kament’s mane of brown hair, like a lion’s mane, flared wildly.
The axe of Tornel clashed against the Conqueror King Kament, whose wild brown mane, resembling a lion’s mane, whipped fiercely in the wind.
“You’re strong, aren’t you?”
Kament smirked at Tornel’s remark.
“You’re strong too, Tornel.”
Today, they acknowledged each other’s strength. Just a hair’s breadth of difference in skill. They both realized that if they continued fighting, one of them would surely die.
Next to the towering Kament, a massive man approached. As the man’s words began, Kament’s face subtly hardened with each passing moment.
“I see, got it.”
Kament sent his subordinates back and faced Marquis Tornel once more.
“I don’t know what reinforcements you’ve brought, but it seems I’ve been defeated today.”
Marquis Tornel, unaware of the detailed news Kament had just heard, remained silent.
“We’ll have to settle this again soon.”
Kament slowly moved his giant frame. A huge gesture conveying the retreat command stirred thousands of subordinates into action.
Greeeeek!!
The Pineon army retreated like the ebbing tide.
“….”
Tornel watched intently until they vanished as one before moving his subordinates back to the tent.
Squeak!
He opened the door to the tent. At the far end of the meeting table, a man stared directly at him. Gray hair and blue eyes.
Tornel’s gaze shifted to the man’s attire.
A black coat. And shining golden epaulettes on his right shoulder. He peered closely at the embellishments—six stars adorning the epaulettes.
It signified the [Grand Marshal] of the battlefield.
The Grand Marshal, Yuma, spoke up.
“Marquis Tornel, it seems you’ve held on for quite some time.”
Yuma rose from his seat.
“Let’s keep watch over the Empire together.”
He extended his right hand.
“Grand Marshal, Yuma.”
Tornel grasped that hand.
“…I am Marquis Tornel. Grand Marshal Yuma.”
Tornel adhered to the protocol of rank. This was a wartime situation, and the frontlines followed military law. In a frontline governed by military law, the title of [Grand Marshal] held the highest power aside from the Emperor.
He had no choice but to observe the formalities. On his way to the tent, he had heard unbelievable tales from the subordinates in charge of the ridgeline—of a single man erasing over thirty strong foes in the blink of an eye.
However, it wasn’t just one person who said it, but three.
And the name of that target is Duke Yuma. He held the title of God of War, adding credibility.
“The one coming with the elite military support is the God of War Yuma. I didn’t expect it to be you.”
Yuma opened his mouth.
“They said another person is coming. The 2nd Seat said he is bringing his troops down. He should arrive later than I do.”
“The 2nd Seat, huh… With a mercenary group at his command, once he arrives, it will add up to a significant military force.”
Marquis Tornel sat opposite Yuma.
The two men faced each other.
“As you know, the title of Grand Commander means being the supreme commander of the battlefield. Do you have any orders?”
Yuma slowly shook his head.
“It’s your job to give the orders. Think of me as acting independently. I only accepted the position of Grand Commander because I didn’t want to listen to someone else’s orders.”
The Marquis Tornel, with his neatly groomed yellow beard, chuckled revealing his teeth.
“You’re very honest. If you have any wishes, feel free to let me know anytime.”
Yuma decided to bring up the one thing he needed.
“If we’re talking about orders, I suppose this counts as one. What I want is to confront the enemy leader, the Conqueror King Kament. If we defeat the enemy leader, the troops will lose their morale.”
Yuma picked up the glass of lukewarm water in front of him and took a sip.
It was lukewarm, but it was enough to wet his throat.
Yuma continued.
“There’s no need to go beyond that and cause unnecessary casualties.”
Tornel’s eyes widened.
Yuma’s words sounded ordinary but contained a very terrifying implication.
‘Just by bringing that Conqueror King here, does that mean he can definitely kill him…?!’
Tornel had a very high regard for the Conqueror King Kament. The recent battle had been quite close, yet he had sensed that Kament’s combat power was slightly superior. And that feeling was likely mutual; Kament would have felt that he was slightly stronger, unlike Tornel.
“That guy will be stronger than me. Every time we fought, it always felt like he was hiding a card up his sleeve.”
“Is that so?”
Yuma stared at Tornel.
[Lv.138] Tornel
He was definitely strong.
He was weaker than Chronos, the Sword God who he personally killed, but aside from the Grand Master who surpassed [Lv.150], he was the strongest human Yuma had encountered thus far.
[Lv.138] Tornel
Race: Human
Alignment: Good
Class: Warrior
Rank: Master
‘If a guy like him senses impending defeat, then that Conqueror King must be truly powerful.’
Even so, there was no feeling of fear.
He always felt like he was walking on thin ice.
“But it doesn’t matter. Let’s set the stage for me to confront that guy.”
“Doesn’t matter. Let’s set things up so I can face that guy.”
Tornel felt a surge of confidence from Duke Yuma’s words.
The kind of confidence that seemed unshakeable.
“…I understand. Facing the Conqueror isn’t difficult in itself. He’s dead set on having a showdown with me. He’ll come out tomorrow to face the main force. Follow me, and you’ll meet him.”
“Right, do you have any briefings about the rest of the battlefield situation?”
A brief silence fell.
Tornel opened his mouth again with a stern expression.
“I’ve lost too many troops. As the commander defending the frontline, I’ve committed a grave sin. Yesterday and today… I lost nearly a thousand troops. Today, it’s just you and me. Thanks to other reinforcements, we managed to limit the damage a bit, but still.”
Yuma stared intently at Tornel’s frail face.
It might be true that he was incompetent as a supreme commander. But it didn’t seem like things would have been better with someone else instead of Tornel.
Yuma looked at Tornel, whose frustration seemed to weigh heavily on him.
“The past cannot be undone. Starting tomorrow, we just need to minimize the casualties as much as possible.”
Tornel knew war in a way that Yuma couldn’t begin to comprehend.
He knew the pain of war several times better.
Yuma thought he had no choice but to offer whatever comfort he could in his own way.
‘…The words of someone who has lost much.’
Marquis Tornel began to misinterpret and misunderstand Yuma’s words.
‘He looks like a young man still, but… with that level of strength, he can’t be just a youth.’
He thought that the appearance of youth must come from reaching the peak of martial prowess.
Unbeknownst to Yuma, there was something he should have asked among Tornel’s recent words.
“Just now, you mentioned other reinforcements. Who are they?”
Tornel slowly opened his mouth.
“The Revolutionaries.”
Revolutionaries?
“Dawn Revolutionaries. They introduced themselves that way without a doubt.”
That name sounded familiar.
Suddenly, a woman’s voice came from outside the tent.
– This is Cassiela, leader of the Dawn Revolutionaries. May I enter, Your Excellency Marquis Tornel?
Tornel looked at Yuma, who was undoubtedly his superior in this war.
Yuma nodded, indicating it was okay to let her in.
“Let her in.”
The tent’s door opened.
A woman with red hair gasped in surprise upon seeing Yuma.
“Duke Yuma.”
And then, without hesitation, she knelt.
“I have followed in your footsteps.”
She was Cassiela, the leader of the Revolutionaries.
