Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

In the imperial castle of Harune, the current emperor, Arcientus Van Harune, sat on his throne with a gloomy expression.

The emperor looked at his retainers and asked with a cold voice. “Is there still no word from Donovan?”

They could sense the emperor’s anger and impatience so they were hesitant to respond.

“Why is no one answering?! Have you all gone deaf?!” Arcientus slammed the newly repaired armrest, destroying it once more.

Bang!

With a dark look, the emperor muttered. “The Astanian troops have already conquered Noyam and they divided their army to attack Zurcath and Nacalub at the same time.”

What made him more infuriated was Leroy’s betrayal. He was only a commoner, but Arcientus gave him a noble title because of his massive potential.

That traitorous bastard! How dare he betray me?!

“Your Majesty, we still have a sizable number of troops. We can send them to resist the Astanian forces.” One of his retainers suggested.

Hearing this, Arcientus frowned. “What can they do when the enemies have Venerables on their side? Do you want to send our soldiers to their deaths?!”

“Your Majesty, you mentioned that the Astanian troops have divided their army. I guess that most of their troops are heading to Nacalub. This means that they only sent a smaller portion of their troops to Zurcath.”

“Why don’t we send our soldiers to assist Zurcath? This should buy us enough time until Veronica gives us their response.”

The emperor thought deeply. The plan was feasible, but he was worried that it would only complicate the situation.

Those Astanian bastards have repeatedly provoked us ever since they took control of those three cities. They don’t even place me in their eyes anymore.

Taking a deep breath, he asked. “How many warriors can we gather?”

“If we summon the scattered troops, we can gather five hundred thousand warriors in two weeks. If we force the aristocrats to send their private armies, we can gather close to a million troops, but it would take a much longer time.” His retainers replied.

Arcientus furrowed his eyebrows.

We cannot wait that long. By then, those Astanian bastards would have already conquered Nacalub and Zurcath.

“Summon the scattered troops and send them to Ramilon! Send your fastest messenger birds to deliver my message!”

“Send word to the noble houses and tell them that Harune requires their military support! If they refuse to assist, punish them accordingly!” Latest content published on NoveIＦire.net

He gave a series of instructions to his retainers.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“We obey Your Majesty’s commands!”

Arcientus suddenly stood up, his towering height intimidated his retainers.

“I need all of the Armored Wyven Corps in front of the castle within thirty minutes!”

“I will participate in this battle!” He announced authoritatively.

Everyone was stunned by his words.

The emperor was also a formidable warrior, but ever since he sat on the throne, he had never stepped onto the battlefield again.

John Phillip Astania, since you dare send your sons to my lands, don’t blame me for what I’m about to do!

His eyes flashed with intense fury, his aura fluctuating wildly.

***

Two weeks later, Lucas and his troops finally arrived at the territory of Zurcath.

It took us longer to get here.

Lucas thought to himself as he looked at the distant city surrounded by tall earthen walls.

The path leading to Zurcath was unsuitable for a large army so they had to march slowly. They also had to pass by numerous rough terrains and dangerous locations.

“The enemy should already be aware of our presence by now so we cannot afford to rest! Fill your bellies as we march towards the city! You might not get the chance to eat later!” Lucas shouted to his troops.

Hearing this, the soldiers quickly grabbed the dried rations they had prepared and took big bites.

Lucas turned his head to the person behind him. “Sherwin, how should we attack the city?”

The old Transcendent Knight narrowed his eyes. “We are still too far from the city, my lord. We need to get closer before I can give you a proper answer.”

Lucas nodded upon hearing this. “Alright. Just let me know once you’ve thought of a plan.”

“I understand.” Sherwin saluted.

The Astanian army marched towards Zurcath at a moderate pace. When the soldiers stationed atop the walls saw them, they immediately sounded the alarm bells.

Everyone in the city panicked when they heard the alarm bells ringing.

It was a sign that war was imminent.

At this moment, Sherwin completed his initial observations.

“My lord, the enemies are intimidated by our presence. They must have already heard what happened to Noyam. We can try to persuade them to surrender.” Sherwin suggested.

He noticed that the troops above the walls were unorganized and disorderly. It was obvious that they were flustered which was understandable with the successive defeats that Harune’s troops had faced.

Lucas stared deeply at him and asked with a frown. “What if they don’t agree?”

Sherwin’s eyes suddenly turned cold as he responded. “Then we will attack them with full force!”

Hearing this, Lucas nodded. “Fine. You have my approval.”

They had already done this before so he was quite confident in Sherwin’s negotiating ability.

After getting his permission, Sherwin immediately assembled a small team to follow him.

Lucas didn’t follow them, but he kept an eye on the situation so he could immediately react if something went wrong.

Sherwin brought the five people he chose and slowly marched towards the main gate of the city.

They raised the white flags to signal their intentions.

However, something unexpected happened.

When they stepped into the enemy’s range, arrows suddenly came flying overhead.

Seeing this, Sherwin’s face fell. “Retreat at once!”

Lucas who was watching from a distance became furious when he saw this. “So they want war…”

He raised his hand and gestured. “Artillery units, forward! Destroy the gate!”

“Cavalry and infantry units, standby and wait for my commands!”

As soon as he gave the commands, the Astanian troops immediately took action.