Starting With an SSS-Rank Swordsmanship Talent

After the battle, Nivis removed her domain and quickly retracted her aura.

“You did well, Nivis.” Alaric walked towards her, smiling faintly.

The centauress shook her head as she replied. “The so-called Venerables of this continent are no different than trash. Even the maidservants who cleaned my toilet were so much stronger.”

Alaric’s face twitched upon hearing this, but it also made him realize the vast difference between the experts on this continent and the ones beyond.

“Sure.” He smiled wryly.

At that moment, they suddenly sensed two figures rushing towards them at lightning speed.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The empress and the grand commander appeared before them, inspecting the surroundings with stern expressions.

“What happened here? We came as soon as we sensed the unusual fluctuations of mana.” Yskaela looked at Alaric, waiting to hear his response.

Looking at her face, Alaric replied. “Do you see that old man right there? That man is Cheolseong from the Buddhist temple in Rabu. He came with a group of Transcendent Knights and attempted to capture me.”

Hearing this, both the empress and the grand commander were stunned.

Cheolseong was a renowned monk in the country. He was known for his selfless devotion to Buddha.

Unable to believe his words, the grand commander approached the corpse.

After being bombarded by Nivis’s attacks, his corpse was almost unrecognizable, but the grand commander still recognized the abbot.

“It’s indeed the abbot… how could he?” His eyes were shaking.

The empress also found it incredulous.

“To think that even Cheolseong has joined the heretic cult.” She muttered.

Hold on… How did Alaric kill Cheolseong so quickly? She turned her gaze to Alaric.

The Astanian Prince was the best swordsman she had ever seen. In terms of skills with the sword, even she herself could only admit that he was better. However, Cheolseong was a peak Venerable. Killing him wouldn’t be easy so how did Alaric manage to eliminate the abbot in such a short time?

Suddenly, her eyes moved towards the blue-haired woman standing behind him. She could subtly feel a strong beastly aura from her.

Is it her? The empress narrowed her eyes.

Nivis sensed the empress’s eyes on her, but she pretended not to notice and refused to make eye contact.

Alaric stepped forward and said. “Your Majesty, I think we should search the Buddhist temple in Rabu. Since Cheolseong is involved with the cult, there should be some clues we can find in the temple.”

Hearing this, the empress fell into deep thought.

She crossed her arms and said. “The troops are still recovering from the recent battle so we cannot order them to march right away.”

“I will send an elite team of scouts to investigate the temple. If they can find something, we will attack the temple together with the Astanian reinforcements.” She added.

“I understand. We will follow your arrangements.” Alaric nodded.

It was indeed premature to command the entire army based on a hunch alone, so he agreed with the empress’s decision.

“I will have my subordinates clean up this place. You guys should get some rest.” The empress suggested that she wanted to make some investigations into the corpses.

Alaric didn’t know what she was up to, but he still complied.

“In that case, we will take our leave first.” After bidding them farewell, Alaric left with his group.

The empress watched them leave with a thoughtful expression.

“Can you kill Cheolseong in less than five minutes?” She asked the grand commander.

The grand commander was taken aback by her sudden inquiry, but he still responded. “I haven’t fought with the abbot, but based on my understanding of his power, it is nearly impossible for me to kill him in that short amount of time. Well, unless I bring the imperial guards.”

“Right. Then how did Alaric do it?” The empress’s words stunned the grand commander.

He was so shocked by the involvement of the abbot with the heretic cult that he failed to realize this important detail. Now that he thought of it, he couldn’t comprehend how Alaric managed to defeat the abbot in that timeframe.

“Is he hiding his power?” He mumbled with uncertainty.

The empress shook her head. “No, but there is someone in his group who has been hiding their power the entire time.”

The grand commander raised his eyebrows. “Are you saying that there is a Venerable among Alaric’s subordinates?”

He tried to remember the faces of Alaric’s subordinates, but there wasn’t one who stood out.

Suddenly, the face of a blue-haired woman flashed in his mind.

“Could it be her…?”

“Do you realize it now? If I’m not wrong, that woman is a Catastrophe-grade beast. A monster who can transform into a human.” The empress was certain of it now.

The grand commander’s expression became more serious. Alaric already had the Draconic Lion and if there was one more, it would mean that he had two Catastrophe-grade beasts following him around.

If the Astanian Prince ever decides to ambush Her Majesty, could we even fight back?

Kangjeon Geum-hwa and Min Taehyun had already fallen. Even Bai Seol-hwa was seriously wounded. There was only he and the empress left who could fight against the Venerables.

On the other hand, Alaric had more people.

“Why? Do you think they will go back on their words and attack us?” The empress’s voice drifted into his ears, pulling him from his thoughts.

The grand commander nodded with a grim look. “It’s possible.”

“We have been enemies with Astania for many years. They might attack us if we show any signs of weakness.” He added.

Yskaela furrowed her eyebrows. Truthfully, she was also concerned, but with their current situation, they could only place their hopes on Alaric and Astania.

She shook her head. “There is no need to overthink it. I will make sure that they won’t turn their swords on us.”

Her words comforted the grand commander’s worries.

“Help me inspect the corpses. I want to make a detailed analysis on that woman’s powers.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”