Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

He is killing the scout teams I sent one by one as if to mock me!

Remondin’s face contorted with fury.

He quickly ordered the scout teams to return and regrouped with the main army.

If I lose more men here, the troops’ morale would drop. I can’t let that bastard kill more of my men!

As soon as he passed the order, the scattered scout teams returned to the main army.

After his men had returned, Remondin coldly observed the forest.

I will show you why they called me the One Man Army!

Thinking about this, he raised his fist and shouted to his troops. “Step back, all of you!”

His authoritative voice echoed across the forest.

The warriors seemed to have realized what he was about to do so they quickly moved away from him.

In the next moment, Remondin released his mana in the targeted location, which was the forest in front of him.

Less than ten seconds later, a heavy force came crushing onto the targeted area, toppling everything as if a meteorite had fallen onto the surface.

Boom!

A thick cloud of dust covered the air as the landscape fell into ruins.

The warriors were stunned when they saw the lush forest collapse into ruins in just an instant.

Most of them had already witnessed Remondin display his power, but even until now, his ability still didn’t fail to impress them.

The fear they felt earlier vanished like a puff of smoke.

Remondin narrowed his eyes as if he could see through everything behind the cloud of dust.

He is not here anymore. Did he leave or is he still lurking nearby?

“Keep your eyes peeled! The enemy might be hidden somewhere! All of you should stay in groups of ten and you must never move alone!” He shouted to the troops.

…

That should be enough for now. I must go back and report my discovery to His Highness.

Caecus sent the distant Remondin a deep look.

He couldn’t see his face, but with his unique perception, Remondin’s figure was imprinted in his mind.

Whoosh!

…

Alaric was in the study of his mansion looking at the map plastered on the wall. This was a map of Midgard which also depicted the various landscapes that surrounded the city.

“Just where could they be?” He mumbled with a frown.

“You’ve been looking at that map for a while now. Why don’t you get some rest?” A pleasant voice drifted into his ears.

It was Yvanna.

Alaric turned around and raised an eyebrow. “You are usually at the clinic helping the medical practitioners. Why did you visit me today?”

The elven princess had become more mature after the recent battles they had experienced.

She used to complain a lot over trivial matters, but she gradually stopped doing them. She even started helping the medical practitioners at the clinic.

Compared to her past self, it could be said that she had become more reliable and mature.

Yvanna crossed her arms and replied in a chiding tone. “Are you saying that I am not welcome here?”

“Of course not…” Alaric nervously laughed.

“I have mostly been at the clinic since we came to this city. I didn’t even have much time to rest or recover my mana since there are so many injured warriors to take care of. After all that work, I think I deserve a day off.”

“You’re right. You deserve a day off.” Alaric didn’t bother to argue with her.

“Enough about me… Why have you been looking at that map for so long? Is there something I don’t know about?”

Yvanna was mostly at the clinic so she wasn’t aware of the current situation.

Alaric was about to respond when a series of knocks on the door interrupted their conversation.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Alaric sent Yvanna an apologetic look before he shouted. “The door is unlocked. You may come in.”

Creak.

Einar, the commander of the Undaunted Heavy Cavalry, stepped inside the room.

When he noticed that Yvanna was inside, he lowered his head respectfully.

“My lady…”

Although it wasn’t official yet, he believed that the elven princess would soon become Alaric’s second wife.

Yvanna waved her hand indifferently. “You two can discuss your matters.”

Einar hesitated for a moment, but he saw Alaric nodding in confirmation.

Seeing this, he took out the letter from his inner pocket and handed it to Alaric. “Your Highness, I received a letter from Sir Caecus’s team. They sent it with a special marking so it must be urgent.”

Hearing this, Alaric took the letter.

Just like he said, there was indeed a red marking on the letter.

Upon reading the contents of the letter, his expression suddenly turned grim.

The forest near the creek…

Written on the letter was the reported location of the enemies.

Alaric quickly walked towards the map and stared intently at the location indicated on the letter.

“So they are here…”

He realized that the enemies were a lot closer than he had thought.

“Sir Einar, tell the troops to get ready! Harune’s troops are marching towards the city!” He instructed with a flourish of his sleeve.

“I will deliver your instructions to the troops!” Einar responded with a stern look.

Knowing that the situation was urgent, he didn’t linger for long and left right away after bidding them farewell.

“What is going on, Alaric? How did the enemy reinforcements get this close to us without our knowledge?!” Yvanna exclaimed as she rose to her feet.

Alaric shook his head and replied in a solemn tone. “We didn’t predict this to happen. We only learned the situation recently when…”

He told her about what happened to Mount Tirad and Atarkan.

“What?! They have five hundred thousand warriors?!” Yvanna was stunned.

They only had fewer than two hundred thousand warriors and a fourth of them were injured. Moreover, they were within the enemy territory and the warriors of Midgard could betray them at any moment.

We are done for… How can we make it out of here?