"..."
Rei felt a silent stare from the hundred-plus soldiers standing before him and suppressed a sigh.
He had indeed promised Karaza that he would train the troops, but when Karaza had mentioned a "unit," Rei had assumed it would be about ten people. Instead, over a hundred soldiers stood before him. No matter how he looked at it, he had been far too optimistic.
To Rei's left, Karaza stepped forward and addressed the men with a booming voice. Seto stood to Rei's right, and the presence of the gryphon was likely the only thing keeping the soldiers from whispering amongst themselves.
"Men! For today's training, we are changing the schedule. Lord Rei will be taking charge. Many of you likely know of him since he joined us last night, but allow me to introduce him properly. He is a B-Rank Adventurer who holds the alias Crimson. Looking at that alias and the gryphon beside him, you should understand—he is the warrior who inflicted massive damage upon our national army during the Spring War."
At those words, several soldiers in the crowd furrowed their brows. Rei noticed the shift and guessed they had lost friends or comrades in that war. Did he really have to mention that here? Rei wondered.
"My apologies, Lord Rei," a man in his 40s whispered, leaning in so only Rei could hear. "But by laying it out plainly before everyone, we can prevent any petty disputes from breaking out later."
This man stood behind Karaza. He looked reasonably well-trained, but in terms of pure skill, he seemed to fall somewhere between a common soldier and a knight. In truth, he was the practical commander of this unit. His name was Saja, a man who had served Count Graat's House for generations. He had been sent to act as Karaza's Overseer during the rebellion.
Count Graat's House had publicly claimed that Karaza had left on his own authority and that they wouldn't care if he died. Meanwhile, they were also providing support to Frizion's First Princess Faction. They were playing both sides to ensure the family's survival regardless of who won the imperial succession struggle. Karaza was essentially just an insurance policy.
The same applied to the other two nobles who had challenged Rei. They had also been dispatched with their own attendants who served as overseers, guards, and tactical commanders.
"I don't mind," Rei replied to Saja. "I was prepared for this when I came to the Bestia Empire. Facing open hostility is better than being stalked by an assassin."
Saja's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he nodded. He realized that a warrior who had single-handedly changed the course of a war was bound to be hated by many.
"Is that so? Then on behalf of Lord Karaza, I thank you for accepting this duty. My name is Saja, and I serve as Lord Karaza's aide. I'm sure my lord has caused you many headaches, but please try not to take it to heart..."
Saja knew Karaza's personality well. He knew how infatuated the young noble was with Vihera's beauty, and it was only natural that Karaza would clash with Rei, who was rumored to be close to the princess.
"He's been a bit of a nuisance, but I don't hate the guy," Rei said. "He’s the type who listens once you show him your strength. That’s probably why he’s so eager for this training."
"Thank you," Saja said with a small bow.
While they spoke, Karaza's speech continued, and he seemed to be getting carried away by his own momentum. He shouted to the soldiers, "The enemy is the Imperial Army, and their numbers are overwhelming! But do not fear! We have Lady Vihera! And we have the warrior Crimson! Victory is ours! However, the Imperial Army has many elite troops. They have hired adventurers who also hold an alias. When you face them on the field, will you be slaughtered without a fight?"
The soldiers looked bewildered. None of them wanted to die, but they had no idea what they could do against a famous Alias Holder. Sensing their anxiety, Karaza waved his hand grandly.
"No! Absolutely not! But if you face such a monster without preparation, you will surely perish. To ensure you can respond correctly, Lord Rei has agreed to spar with you. Show your gratitude!"
An agitated murmur rippled through the ranks as a hundred gazes fixed on Rei.
"Lord Rei, a few words, please," Karaza urged.
Rei hesitated for a moment, but then he stepped forward. When Seto stepped forward beside him, the soldiers instinctively recoiled a few paces. Rei ignored their fear and spoke slowly.
"I am Rei, a B-Rank Adventurer. As Karaza said, the Imperial Army has many powerful warriors. When you encounter them, whether you freeze or keep moving will determine if you live or die. I hope this training makes you realize that."
Rei felt a bitter, self-deriding smile tugging at his mind. He was acting tough, but he remembered the cold sweat on his palms when he first faced Noise. He remembered the dread he felt encountering the Lich known as Grimm. He felt a little hypocritical giving advice he hadn't always been able to follow himself.
However, Karaza seemed to misinterpret Rei's solemnity. He looked at Rei with admiration. "You heard him! Lord Rei is giving you this chance! Do not fail his expectations! I will receive this training alongside you! Let us overcome this wall together!"
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers shouted in unison.
Rei watched the enthusiastic display and wondered, Is this really going to work? But the momentum was already unstoppable.
"Divide into your units!" Karaza ordered. "Lord Rei, if you please!"
The soldiers split into groups of about ten. Even those who held a grudge against Rei seemed to set it aside for the moment, their expressions hardening as they prepared to face him. The first ten men to step forward looked determined not to back down.
But Rei knew that wasn't enough.
Not even close, he thought.
To show them what they were truly up against, Rei activated Overlord's Armor.
Voom!
Without Rei even moving, a crushing pressure erupted from his body. It was a dense, suffocating aura that smelled of absolute death. The magic power was so concentrated it became visible to the naked eye, shimmering around him like a haze.
No one noticed, but the ground beneath Rei’s feet began to spiderweb with cracks.
The soldiers and Karaza stood frozen. They couldn't even manage to collapse; they simply remained paralyzed, their minds pushed to the brink just to maintain consciousness. Saja, standing nearby, couldn't move a single step. Elsewhere in the camp, those sensitive to magic power either fainted instantly or curled into balls like children terrified of ghosts.
Only Seto remained unbothered, lying on the ground and watching with its usual calm, as if this was just a daily routine.
"..."
Rei scanned the frozen men and took a single step forward.
He was actually exerting a tremendous amount of Magic Power Control just to keep the aura this small. The fact that the magic power was leaking outside his body at all was proof of his immaturity compared to Noise, who could keep the armor entirely contained within himself.
This is my limit. I still can't hold it all in.
Compared to when he had fought the bandits earlier, the visible range of magic power was smaller, but he still wasn't in Noise's league. How much control do you need to reach that level? With a face like that, you wouldn't expect such artistic precision... Rei thought, his mind wandering to Noise's rugged features as he took another step.
The activation of the skill was draining a massive amount of magic power—enough to leave any ordinary mage a shriveled corpse in seconds—but with Rei's Immense Magic Power, he could sustain it without issue.
Crackle.
The ground caved in slightly where his foot landed. He hadn't used any physical strength; it was simply a result of his imperfect control over the armor. He frowned at the damage, and seeing that the soldiers and Karaza were actually forgetting to breathe, he deactivated the Overlord's Armor.
In an instant, the pressure vanished. Karaza and the soldiers collapsed to their knees, gasping for air.
Rei sensed people approaching and looked toward the center of the camp. He saw Vihera in her provocative thin raiment, followed closely by Gurgast and Theoreme—the three heavy hitters of the Rebel Army who had sensed the massive surge of magic.
They had been running with stern expressions, but they faltered when they saw Rei was the source. Vihera broke into an amused smile, Gurgast wore a ferocious grin, and Theoreme looked simply exhausted.
"I thought we were being attacked," Vihera said, her smile deepening. "Was that you just now, Rei?"
She had recently mastered the Magic Impact Palm, but she could see that her beloved Rei had obtained something even more terrifying. Just standing near him, she could feel the Residue of the Overlord's Armor—a lingering scent of magic power that spoke of his overwhelming combat strength.
Gurgast realized that Rei had clearly been holding back during their mock battle the previous night, but rather than being offended, he grinned at the prospect of such power on their side. Theoreme, however, just looked weary, imagining the political and tactical headaches a warrior of this caliber would cause in the future.
Rei deactivated the last of his aura and looked at them. "What is it? Why the rush?"
"Don't 'what is it' me," Vihera replied with a sigh, her smile turning into a wry bitter one.
Rei seemed entirely unaware of the terror he had just inflicted on his trainees. However, it was said that after experiencing the Overlord's Armor up close, neither Karaza nor his soldiers ever felt fear toward an enemy again. The men who had stood closest to Rei that day would later go on to achieve great fame, with every single one of them eventually claiming the head of an enemy captain.