Of course, he had heard the name before—the Commander of the Fifth Legion, the renowned "Flickering Blade" of the Stormlands, a true Extraordinary Knight.
He hurriedly bowed again, his tone growing even more respectful. "Lord Lid, may I ask why you are blocking our path?"
Lid gave a slight nod in return, his tone still flat. "Go back. The Storm Fortress has no need for a militia’s protection."
"But..." Adrian was torn. He didn’t dare defy the Duke’s orders, yet he dared even less to offend the Extraordinary standing before him. "Lord Lid, what if you let me take a small group ahead to assess the situation? If everything is truly fine, my men and I will camp nearby for a few days. That way, I’ll have something to report to the Duke..."
Lid said nothing, merely gazing at him with calm, impassive eyes.
Adrian’s scalp went numb. The invisible pressure was suffocating, and he didn’t dare press the issue. He decided to mount his horse, gather his troops, and retreat for now.
But at that moment, a knight on horseback beside him, his eyes glinting, suddenly spoke in a cold tone, "Knight Grant! How can you be certain that this man is actually Commander Lid? For all we know, he’s just some imposter who crawled out of the woodwork. If we delay the Duke’s orders, do you have any idea what the consequences will be?!"
"Well..." Adrian was torn once more. The man had a point. He had never seen Commander Lid with his own eyes; he was just taking the man at his word...
"Exactly! We were ordered to provide reinforcements. How can we just back down?"
"He looks suspicious! He could be a spy!"
"Lord Grant, you can’t hesitate!"
Spurred on by a few of the soldiers, voices of discontent and doubt began to rise from the ranks. The atmosphere grew tense, and it seemed they were ready to attack if Lid tried to stop them again.
Adrian grew even more agitated, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Quite the instigators." Lid’s gaze slowly swept over the loudest knights and soldiers among the troops. The corner of his mouth seemed to lift in a faint smirk. ’I didn’t realize the infiltration ran this deep.’
He slowly drew the rapier at his waist. Even in the gray mist, the blade reflected a sharp, cold light.
"It’s been a while since I’ve warmed up."
"What’s the meaning of this?!" Seeing him draw his weapon, the knights in the formation drew their own and glared at him in fury.
Lid did not answer. He simply took a shallow breath.
[High-Speed Slash]
All Adrian saw was a blur before Lid’s figure vanished. A dazzling silver light bloomed forth, like a bolt of lightning tearing through space itself. It shot out from where Lid had stood, instantly piercing through the entire formation and extending all the way to the rear.
The entire process was impossibly fast; the light was there and gone in a flash.
Lid’s figure had somehow reappeared at the rear of the formation. He sheathed his rapier and, without a backward glance, continued on his way, disappearing into the shadows of the trees lining the road.
"What happened...?"
The soldiers stared at one another in stunned confusion. All they had seen was a flash of light, and then the knight blocking their path was gone.
Before they could even finish speaking, a series of sharp snapping sounds echoed through the formation.
The longswords and wooden spears clutched in the soldiers’ hands all snapped cleanly in two. The leather straps and metal buckles holding their chainmail and leather armor together broke and fell away.
In an instant, the entire contingent of several hundred men had their weapons and armor fall to pieces, utterly stripping them of their ability to fight.
The entire formation fell deathly silent. Every soldier was frozen in place, their faces masks of horror and fear. They didn’t dare move a muscle, terrified that their own necks would be the next to snap.
"G-Grant, I..." The knight who had spoken out, along with the few others who were obviously inciting the men, opened their mouths to speak. But suddenly, their bodies went limp, and they tumbled from their horses, landing on the ground with a series of THUDS.
A small, bloody hole had appeared over each of their hearts, and warm blood was now gushing out.
Their eyes were wide, filled with confusion and disbelief as the life faded from them.
Adrian broke out in a cold sweat, his limbs turning to ice. He subconsciously patted his own chest and neck, only letting out a slow sigh of relief when he confirmed he was unharmed.
Daring not hesitate a moment longer, he immediately shouted in a hoarse voice, "Quick! Get the fallen men down and see if they can be saved! The rest of you, make camp where you stand! No one moves a single step forward without my command!"
’There’s no way I’m advancing now. We’ll just make a temporary camp here on the side of the Highland Forest Road. After a few days, when this all blows over, I’ll find an excuse to return to Flynn Castle and report back.’
Scenes like this one played out one after another along the Highland Forest Road leading to the Storm Fortress.
「Two hours later.」
Lid sheathed his rapier once more, standing on a high bluff with a commanding view.
He gazed to the southwest, in the direction of the Storm Fortress. The sky was overcast, but he could faintly make out the flickering, unnatural glow of Magic Power.
’Arthur, Calvin... I hope you don’t disappoint me.’
...
Alice had never imagined the Demon’s minions would be so tenacious and so thoroughly prepared.
It was as if they had long predicted the Arevalo Clan would fight back; they had even recalled the Sixth Legion, which had been perennially stationed on the Kingdom’s southern border to guard South Forest Fortress.