Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

Suddenly, a notification popped up in front of him.

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Mission: Harune’s Invasion III

Mission Difficulty: Hard —> Hell

Mission Adjustment: Harune has caught wind of Astania’s plan to invade its lands. To defend its borders, they will send most of their top fighting force in hopes of crippling Astania’s military power.

Follow the army of Astania to successfully occupy three cities!

Mission Rewards: 10000 Battle Points, 2000 EXP, 300 Stat Points, 3-Ringed Beast Soul Warrior Card x1, Random Trait Upgrade Card x2, SS-rank Trait Card x1

Penalty for failure: Colonization of Astania

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Alaric narrowed his eyes upon seeing the changes on his chain mission.

Another Hell difficulty mission…

From the rich rewards, he could already tell that it would be bloodier than the last hell-mode mission. What made him more worried was the penalty.

If they were to be defeated, Astania would be colonized and their people would be enslaved.

Alaric couldn’t allow that to happen.

Can we even win against their line-up?

“You look worried, Your Highness. Do you think we will lose?” Dominic’s voice drifted into his ears.

Hearing this, Alaric lifted his head, his face looking incredibly serious.

“We must not lose.”

Dominic could see the fire in his eyes.

“That’s right. Losing is not an option. You have to trust our warriors, Your Highness. We will never back down even against overwhelming odds!” He spoke with confidence.

Alaric nodded.

He had seen the willpower of Astania’s warriors during the battle in Aklan Pass. They were battle-hardened warriors ready to bleed for the empire.

The trio chatted some more while sharing a meal.

After their meal, Dominic announced to the army to continue the march.

In the next two weeks, the army headed westward, absorbing the armies from the various regions.

By the time they arrived at the western region, they had already amassed more than five hundred thousand warriors.

If they included the troops that were already stationed in Aklan Pass, they could gather a staggering number of over seven hundred thousand warriors!

New tents had been set up on the mountains of Aklan Pass to accommodate the soldiers.

At this moment, Dominic summoned all the highest-ranking military officers of the army to gather for a meeting.

This was a high-level gathering composed mostly of Transcendent Knights and highly accomplished Elite Knights. As for the Knights, they weren’t even qualified to sit together with the individuals invited for this meeting.

By the time Alaric arrived at the meeting venue, there was already a large crowd of high-ranking warriors seated inside.

His presence attracted everyone’s attention.

The place became quiet for a moment as all eyes turned to size him up.

Alaric remained unfazed by their scrutinizing gazes. He just casually nodded his head at the people who came to greet him.

After responding to those who had approached him, Alaric went to his assigned seat and took his seat.

Caecus and Galanar sat to his right and left, eyeing everyone with stern faces. Butch, Azazel, and the others sat somewhere not far from him, making sure that he was protected from all angles.

Everyone present was intimidated by his security detail.

“That blind man must be Sir Caecus. I heard that he is on the same level as Sir Galanar. I wonder if that is true.”

“From what I heard, a Transcendent Knight challenged him to a spar only to be defeated in less than half a minute.”

“Look over there, that is Sir Fredrinn. He had recently become a Transcendent Knight after absorbing two Disaster-grade beast soul crystals and a large number of elixirs.”

“Damn! Just how many Transcendent Knights do they have?”

“I have no idea, but I heard that a few unaffiliated Transcendent Knights offered their services to His Highness. Do you see that bald old man over there? That is Sir Nile, the Commander of Black Wind Fort. According to my sources, he had already sworn allegiance to House Silversword.”

(Author’s Note: For reference, Nile has already been introduced briefly. Check Chapter 344 for more details.)

Alaric could tell that everyone was talking about him, but he purposely ignored them and simply closed his eyes while waiting for Dominic to arrive.

In the next half an hour, more military officers came.

The seats inside the venue were soon filled and the Elite Knights even had to stand at the back which made them slightly uncomfortable.

However, the astute ones knew that this was a purposeful arrangement. Likely to encourage them to train harder and one day have the chance to sit with these people.

Forty minutes after Alaric’s arrival, the people inside suddenly quieted down. This was because a small group of people led by two individuals walked in.

Noticing the silence, Alaric opened his eyes and turned his head.

Walking side by side towards the front-most seats were Dominic and Ignatius.

Following closely behind them were the loyal experts of the imperial family including Christon Evander, the Commander of the Gryphon Knights Order.

(Author’s Note: See Chapter 376 for reference.)

“Greetings, Venerables!” Everyone respectfully greeted the two top experts.

Dominic and Ignatius waved their hands to acknowledge their greetings.

Ignatius went to his assigned seat, while Dominic took the stage to begin the meeting.

“Everyone, thank you for coming here!”

He scanned everyone’s faces as if he wanted to commit them to his memory.

“You are the most accomplished warriors of Astania, the pride of the empire! I feel proud to see you here in front of me, gathered for one ultimate goal…” A long introduction followed, but no one dared to doze off.

“Our goal is not as simple as an invasion or to retaliate…” Dominic shook his head, his commanding voice echoing across the venue.

“We are gathered here to prevent Harune from attacking our lands. To accomplish that, we will…”

“… We must show them the might of our nation!”

After his speech, the crowd erupted into loud applause and cheers.

Dominic smiled faintly and raised his hand, signaling for them to keep quiet.

“Now, I invite the crown prince to step onto the stage and discuss our battle plans.” He announced.