Two months passed in the blink of an eye, but to the paladins, those two months hard-earned them a grueling transformation. They had trained relentlessly, pushing their bodies until the very fiber of their being was torn apart and rebuilding them stronger each time, until their physiques rivaled the toughness of sacred-ranked beasts.
It was well known that sacred-ranked beasts boasted bodies far stronger than their knight counterparts. Yet now, a single paladin could match the strength of five scared-ranked knights!
At this moment, 300 men clad in steel breastplates over their sturdy leather vests knelt on one knee at the edge of a cliff. Their armor was simple yet robust: shoulder pauldrons, white bicep wrappings, steel vambraces and leather fingerless gloves.
But unlike the scenario from the last battle, these men wore crimson masks.
After their second upgrade, they customised masks that could be seamlessly attached after donning their helmets. The masks covered their faces from the nose to the chin, giving the appearance of fearsome teeth.
Each man wore a linen cloak, light and soft, pinned with a silver medal engraved with the head of a wolf at the chest level. Above the cloak and strapped across their backs were large, round steel shields and their spears—now tipped with gleaming steel heads.
The shafts of their long weapons were made of polished cedar wood, rare and unmatched in this region of Bashan.
Standing before this elite unit were three men, Simon, Moses and Eleazar. Over the span of two months, Eleazar forged his way to the top, earning scars as badges in the process. His body, donning impressively tight muscles and littered with scars, both from beasts and from his comrades during training were well hidden under his armor.
A white mist escaped through the vents of the masks the 300 wore. This was the evidence of the immense heat radiating from their bodies. It was so hot that despite not even wearing any protective clothing they remained unbothered by the snow.
Asher stood before these 300 sacred ranked paladins, a formidable troop of iron-willed paladins both he and the system had created, his hand resting on Euodias’ hilt.
It had been two months and the Edomites had not launched any attack, the reason behind this was their shift of focus to battling Dothan’s forces, whom they deemed a greater threat than ‘ants’ that were humans.
Their disdain and underestimation gave Asher the perfect opportunity to head to the rescue of some humans who were being sold and used as slaves and according to the latest information, they were at the village within his sight.
Asher narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the village ahead. He could see some Obsidian Order knights patrolling the wooden walls.
Their presence solidified the mission’s validity.
Without saying a word, Asher jumped down the cliff, his cloak fluttering as he free-fell. His 300 paladins followed, landing with resounding thuds that sank the earth beneath them. Not one flinched or grimaced, enduring a fall that would certainly have crippled any ordinary sacred-ranked knight.
From above, the 300 appeared like cheetahs streaking across the snowy plains with startling speed. Snow sprayed in their wake as they shot forth like human missiles, closing the 300-yard gap so quickly that the rat knights were caught in surprise.
Despite their shock, the rats were trained for battle. The archers released volleys of arrows, but it all turned futile as none of the arrows found their mark.
At that moment, Asher, who was leading the charge, tapped the ground with an additional force, propelling himself off the ground with an explosive burst. The earth caved beneath and he soared through the air, unleashing crimson sword lights that slashed through four Obsidian knights before he landed atop the wall.
Boom!
A section of the wall exploded as a man crashed into it. While the wall around him collapsed, the man remained hovering mid-air, encased in a pale blue aura that shielded his simple paladin armor. This man was none other than Eleazar.
After being pushed to the limits several times during these two grueling months, he finally broke into a new stage of his talent—one that allowed him to defy gravity and take to the skies!
While hovering mid-air, his cloak fluttered dramatically. The sight of his teeth mask and the oppressive aura surrounding him made many villagers scurry into their homes. Meanwhile, hundreds of Black Order Knights raced toward the wall, their formations like a tide of steel.
At the same time, other paladins charged the village through the breach, their spears poised with raw power. Without pausing to form a formation, they dove into the ranks of the Obsidian Order knights, thrusting and sweeping their spears with such abnormal strength that their enemies were sent flying.
The Obsidian Order knights, once proud of their legion’s strength, could no longer match. After learning and mastering, the paladins could wrap their spears with their force, making them a lot stronger and capable of handling their outrageous strength, which only made their strikes even more devastating.
Puchi!
With a single swing of his spear-wielding arm, Eleazar sent 3 knights hurtling through the air. Turning back to the wall, he saw Asher standing amidst the remains of 37 Obsidian Order Knights that he had slain, including their captain using nothing but his sword.
With a gentle leap, Asher landed on the ground.
After things were settled, Asher surveyed the village. The frightened rat villagers, hiding behind their flimsy wooden doors, bore the marks of mistreatment. Even from a distance, he could see the soldiers, meant to protect them, had extorted.
Over 70 percent of their rations were gone!
Before coming to Bashan, Asher used to view all beastmen as unworthy of living. He had even proven this by annihilating the jackal outpost at the gold mine and decimating the main jackal clan, sparing no one. But now, his perspective had shifted and he understood better.
In their suffering, they were not so different from humans.
“Pathetic humans! You dare invade Edom!” A booming roar echoed from behind the chaos unfolding between the paladins and the knights.
“I’ll handle it, Captain,” Eleazar said.
At Asher’s nod, Eleazar flew toward the source of the roar. There, standing amidst the chaos, was a massive brown rat, clad in battered scarlet armor and wielding a colossal sword.
“Die” Gibeon, the new village chief, swung his sword downward, but Eleazar blocked it by raising his shield but the impact forced him to his knee. Quickly rolling to the side, he narrowly escaped a horizontal slash.
Lifting his shield and regaining his footing, Eleazar deflected another strike. Tilting his shield just enough to create an opening, he thrust his spear forward, driving it into Gibeon’s scarlet armor. Yet, for the first time, despite his renowned strength, the blow barely fazed the chief, forcing Eleazar to stagger back.
Gibeon seized the moment, stomping on Eleazar’s cloak and thrusting his sword downward. However, the sword mysteriously stopped inches from Eleazar’s chest, seemingly held back by an unseen force. Gritting his teeth, Gibeon poured his strength into the blade, inching it closer to Eleazar’s body.
“Dieee!!!!” Gibeon bellowed, his bloodshot eyes blazing with fury. Find more chapters on empire