Precedence System: I Take My Rewards In Advance

Another pulse of Mana tried to move through the Captain’s body, perhaps for a defensive Skill, perhaps to heal himself, or perhaps because he was still trying to reach the Griffin.

Ember Malediction flared again when the Captain tried gathering what little Mana he had left. The remaining power around his body scattered, and he collapsed fully onto the ground.

This time, he did not move again.

The Highland Griffin gave one weak sound from inside the wreckage before her body finally became still.

Several System notifications appeared at the edge of Zishan’s vision, but he ignored them. His attention remained on the Captain as the same feeling from earlier on the battlefield began returning, settling heavily in his chest while he stared at the body.

He had killed another person.

Zishan swallowed and turned his attention toward the station.

Half of the nearby barricade had been destroyed. Several buildings farther inside had been damaged by the Griffin’s attacks, and soldiers were already pulling injured people away from one of the structures struck earlier. Smoke still rose from places where Wind Magic had torn through roofs and defensive positions.

Farther down the road, one body had already been covered. Zishan stared at the destruction for several seconds.

The feeling inside his chest did not disappear completely.

He stopped allowing it to become guilt.

The Captain had ridden above the station while ordering that Griffin to attack the people inside it. He had continued even after seeing soldiers below, even after sections of the defenses collapsed, and his final order had been to kill Zishan.

Zishan lowered his eyes toward the Captain again.

’I don’t have to feel good about it.’

He stared at the body for another moment, then turned away.

’But I’m not going to regret stopping you either.’

Far across the battlefield, Elinox Holmes had a much larger problem.

Erissel Williams stood several hundred meters away from her.

Elinox knew the name before the woman said anything.

Most High Generals would know that name.

Erissel Williams was known as one of the strongest High Generals of the Kingdom of Degenerates. She had spent years fighting opponents at that level, with enough battles behind her that Elinox had already heard her name long before meeting her on this battlefield.

Elinox’s own promotion was still recent.

The difference in experience became obvious the moment Erissel attacked.

She crossed the distance between them with enough speed that Elinox barely had time to react. Gravity spread across the ground ahead of her while Wind Mana gathered around her body, allowing her to shift aside before Erissel reached her completely.

But it barely slowed the woman.

Erissel forced her way through the increased Gravity and met Elinox’s sword with enough force that the ground beneath them cracked from the collision. Mana surged across both weapons, and Elinox was driven backward several meters before she managed to redirect part of the impact with Gravity and use Wind to regain her footing.

Erissel remained where she was.

Elinox straightened and adjusted her grip on the sword as though the exchange had meant nothing.

Truthfully, however, it had meant quite a lot.

’She’s stronger than I expected.’

Her Mana reserves had already dropped farther than she wanted. She had conserved as much as possible during her earlier fight, knowing there was another presence hiding somewhere beyond the battlefield, though even that first High General had still forced her to spend enough power that she could feel the difference now.

Meanwhile, Erissel had entered the battlefield fresh.

But Elinox kept her expression unchanged.

She wasn’t giving the woman the satisfaction of knowing that she was under pressure.

Wind Mana gathered around her again, and Elinox crossed the ruined ground before Erissel could decide whether to attack first. Lightning spread along the edge of her sword while Water Mana formed around Erissel’s position, followed by a sudden increase in Gravity beneath her feet.

Erissel shifted her stance and blocked the incoming strike.

The collision sent another wave of Mana across the battlefield, and the impact traveled through Elinox’s arm hard enough to make her shoulder ache. Lightning spread across Erissel’s defense while Water tried to carry it farther, but the woman released another surge of Mana and broke through the combination before it could reach her body.

Elinox increased the Gravity around her in response, forcing Erissel to spend even more power just to remain standing.

Erissel answered by releasing more.

The pressure around her shattered.

Elinox was thrown backward and used Wind to control her landing, touching the ground several meters away with her sword still raised. Her Mana reserves continued to plummet.

Erissel smiled.

And Elinox merely watched her.

Whatever concern she felt would remain hers.

Then, Erissel’s attention moved away from her.

The woman looked past Elinox toward something farther behind the battlefield, and the smile gradually disappeared from her face. ”It seems like I’m not the only one hiding in the shadows.”

Elinox narrowed her eyes when she heard her say that.

Erissel kept looking beyond her. ”So it was true. Your Crown Marshal can make clones of himself as strong as—”

The attack struck her before she could finish, throwing Erissel through the remains of an abandoned defensive position and into the ruined ground farther away.

Elinox turned toward the source of the attack and froze for a moment when she saw the man standing farther behind her.

She knew that face. ’Uncle Barth?’

Bartholomew Vance, Crown Marshal1 of the Kingdom of Olmost, stood several meters away with his attention fixed on where Erissel had landed.

Elinox stared at him before remembering what Erissel had been saying only moments earlier.

A clone.

’He sent one all the way here?’ The realization made the tension in her expression ease slightly. ’I see... you’re still worried about me, huh?’

She would have preferred to complain about him interfering later. For now, she was rather glad he had.

Erissel emerged from the broken ground several moments later.

Dust covered part of her uniform, and blood had appeared near one side of her mouth. Her eyes moved from Elinox toward the Crown Marshal’s clone before returning to the wider battlefield.

The situation had changed.

The Kingdom of Degenerates had already lost too many soldiers during the attack. Their front had been burned apart in several places, Olmost’s defenses had refused to collapse, the aerial assault against the station had ended, and one of their High Generals had already been defeated before Erissel entered the battle.

Now, a clone belonging to Olmost’s Crown Marshal stood behind Elinox.

Erissel looked toward the army. ”Retreat!”

The order traveled through the battlefield.

Several enemy officers reacted at once, repeating it through their formations while signal Magic rose above the retreating lines.

Elinox stayed where she was.

She watched Erissel cross toward the defeated High General lying farther away. The woman used Mana to lift him from the ruined ground after checking that he was still alive, then turned toward Elinox one last time. ”You’re lucky you have someone at your back right now.”

Elinox said nothing.

Erissel’s gaze shifted briefly toward Bartholomew’s clone. ”It seems your side protects its geniuses well, Elinox. The prodigy among prodigies.”

The title did not sound like praise.

Elinox kept her sword lowered. ”Take your army and leave.”