Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

The Crimson Phoenix Knights Order had only 50 members, so each had to fight hundreds of warriors by themselves.

Despite the overwhelming numerical disadvantage, they fought valiantly, wielding their weapons with great precision and force.

The warriors of the heretic cult died one by one, unable to even touch them. It was a one-sided battle.

This time, it took them almost a quarter of an hour to kill all the enemies. The ground was littered with corpses and blood, dirtying the grand estate of the duchess.

“Let’s go!” The empress didn’t even bother to glance at the corpses. She coldly turned and headed in a certain direction.

They must be hiding her there! There was one location in the estate where her perception couldn’t penetrate. She believed that the heretic cult had locked up the duchess and the others there.

They didn’t encounter any resistance along the way, but they didn’t let their guard down. They had fought with the heretic cult for a long time so they knew what kind of methods they were capable of using.

Soon, they arrived at a secret passage leading to an underground tunnel. The dark passage was only dimly lit by the torches and there were plenty of blind spots.

It was the perfect place for an ambush.

“Your Majesty, it is dangerous down there. Please let me lead the way!” One of the Crimson Phoenix Knights volunteered.

The empress hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head. “No. You guys guard the rear. I’ll move ahead. Just follow me closely.”

“Your Majesty, there might be an ambush down there. We can’t let you take such a risk.” Another member opposed her command.

They might be loyal to the empress, but they wouldn’t blindly follow her commands, especially when it involved the empress’s safety.

Yskaela looked at the stubborn female warriors and finally relented.

She sighed and nodded to the group. “Fine. Keep your eyes peeled.”

“We obey!” The Crimson Phoenix Knights are divided into three teams. One team acted as the vanguard, another guarded the rear, and the last team moved with the empress in the middle of the formation.

With this setup, they cautiously headed down the dimly lit tunnel, gripping their weapons tightly as they eyed the blind spots.

The tunnel was so quiet. Only their footsteps and their breathing could be heard.

Yskaela occasionally swept the surroundings with her mana to check if there were enemies in hiding, but there was no one to be seen.

They walked along the tunnel for about ten minutes before they arrived at the deepest point where they found an underground prison.

“So you are here, Your Majesty. Kekeke!”

A group of warriors led by an old man appeared at the farthest end of the long corridor.

“You! It’s you! Crazy Sen!” The empress immediately recognized the old man’s face.

He was the former alchemist of the imperial family who once worked for the late emperor.

He was a well-respected man highly regarded for his miraculous medicines. However, it was later found out that he was doing inhumane experiments. Because of this, the empress stripped him of his position and banished him to the borders.

Looking at her stunned face, Sen was amused. “Kekeke! How have you been, Your Majesty? I hope things have been well during my absence.”

The empress took a deep breath to calm her emotions. “Was it your doing?” She muttered with a cold gaze.

Sen put on a baffled expression. “What do you mean, Your Majesty? I don’t understand what you are saying.”

“Stop acting dumb, Sen! I know it was you who turned those innocent people into mindless followers of the cult! Only you can do something like that!” The empress spoke with certainty.

Sen rubbed his chin, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, you mean that? Did you like it? I gave them something really good and they all willingly accepted it when I told them that it was a gift from Your Majesty. Kekeke!”

The empress’s eyes flashed with rage, her aura suddenly fluctuating vigorously.

Seeing this, Sen smiled and said. “I have another gift for Your Majesty. It is my greatest creation thus far. Behold!”

A group of heretic believers stepped forward, pulling a chain tied to a growling monster in human form.

The empress furrowed her eyebrows.

She thought that it was just an experimental monster of the old man, but then her eyes widened when she saw something familiar in the humanoid monster.

That is… With a look of disbelief, she murmured. “Park Sagwa?”

“Kekeke! I thought you wouldn’t recognize her.”

The old man smirked.

“That’s right.”

“This monster is the duchess. Isn’t she lovely?”

“I gave her the best medicine I have. Kekeke!” His eerie laughter echoed across the underground prison.

“What?!” Hearing his confirmation, the empress covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filled with incredulity.

Her surprise soon turned into rage.

“What did you do to her, you damn old man?!” She unsheathed her sword, her arms shaking.

The warriors of the heretic cult quickly unsheathed their weapons, prepared to take action.

The Crimson Phoenix Knights also adjusted their stances, eyeing the heretic cult warriors with fury.

Sen stared deeply at the empress and laughed at her with contempt. “Kekeke!”

With a wave of his hand, he signaled to his subordinates. “Release the monsters! Release them all! Kekeke!”

The heretic cult warriors opened the prisons. They also released Park Sagwa from her chains.

Roaarrr!!

Roarr!

The underground prison was filled with beastly roars as hundreds of humanoid monsters rushed out from the prison cells.

The empress and the Crimson Phoenix Knights recognized some of these monsters. They were warriors of House Park and there were even officials of Ulmunsan.

“You demon! What did you do to these people?!”

The empress roared as she charged into the crowd of humanoid monsters, bypassing them with quick movements.

Her target was only Sen, but the guy was like a sly old man. He had only slipped away after they released the humanoid monsters.

The empress only heard his mocking voice echoing through the corridor.

“Enjoy your time with them, Your Majesty! Kekeke!”