The First Prince Faction was on the move.
The news swept through the Imperial Capital in the blink of an eye.
The speed at which the rumors traveled was entirely different from when the Second Prince Faction had made its move. While more than a few suspected a deliberate hand behind the sudden information leak, the vast majority of the capital’s residents were far more concerned with the outcome of the impending clash between the Subjugation Army and the Rebel Army.
It was only natural. If the Subjugation Army were to fall, the next battle would likely occur much closer to the capital. If the civil strife continued to escalate, there was even a chance the Imperial Capital itself would become a war zone.
It was already common knowledge that the Rebel Army's camp was roughly a two-day journey from the capital—assuming a normal travel pace. An army, of course, would take much longer to cover that distance.
Regardless, some residents had already begun to flee, wanting no part in the internal conflict. Visitors who had arrived for the fighting tournament and stayed for sightseeing followed suit. Every day, long queues formed at the main gate as people rushed through the necessary exit procedures to get away as quickly as possible.
Naturally, operatives working for Theoreme were among those slipping out of the city.
The First and Second Prince Factions were both wary of such spies, but unlike the Rebel Army, which consisted of a single concentrated force in a temporary camp, the Imperial Capital was home to an uncountable number of people. It was impossible to monitor everyone. As a result, the Rebels were steadily winning the intelligence war.
Once clear of the capital, the escapees headed straight for the Rebel Army's position, taking great care to evade any Subjugation Army scouts monitoring the camp.
For their part, the Rebel Army eliminated anyone who attempted to infiltrate their camp. However, they generally ignored scouts watching from a distance—far enough away that they could escape even if a pursuit was mounted. More accurately, they left them alone because scouting from such a distance posed almost no immediate threat.
Of course, many within the Rebel Army argued that everyone, including those distant observers, should be captured or killed. However, while only a trained specialist could hope to infiltrate the camp itself, even an ordinary soldier could observe from afar. There was no end to them; no matter how many they killed or captured, more would appear.
Consuming valuable resources to hunt them down would ultimately be counterproductive. As the saying goes, even dust, when piled, can become a mountain. For the Rebel Army, whose supply lines were not nearly as robust as the Subjugation Army's, wasting resources on minor nuisances was a situation they desperately wanted to avoid.
Consequently, they usually ignored anyone scouting from a safe distance. The keyword, however, was "usually." If a scout happened to be nearby while the Rebels were out hunting monsters or conducting bandit subjugation, they might find themselves targeted as an afterthought.
Furthermore, any soldier who witnessed something—or someone—they weren't meant to see was as good as dead.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaah!"
Just like that.
A soldier who thought he was safely hidden in the trees let out a final, panicked scream as something whistled through the air toward him. His life ended in an instant.
All that remained was a corpse whose head had been completely pulverized, everything above the neck reduced to fragments of bone and meat. Brain matter, bone splinters, and blood sprayed across the trees and soaked into the ground, leaving the air heavy with the metallic scent of gore.
"Good work, Captain Rei. We'll examine the body for any intelligence and then dispose of it properly."
"Yeah, I'll leave it to you."
Rei had already retrieved the Death Scythe he’d leaned against a nearby tree. He’d thrown the spear with such force that it had settled the matter instantly. He nodded at the man speaking to him.
This man was Paelnix, a military officer dispatched from Theoreme's personal forces. The soldiers present were those who had survived the grueling training sessions with Rei and Seto and were recognized by the Rebel Army upper management for their superior abilities. Theoreme intended to mold these men into a specialized elite unit.
Nominally, Rei was their captain. In practice, Paelnix handled the day-to-day management and logistical leadership of the unit.
The unit had been formed primarily for appearances. As the Rebel Army grew, the leadership felt it was unseemly for Rei to act as a "mobile unit" consisting of only himself. Rei had initially argued that he and Seto were all the unit he needed, but Theoreme insisted that having a dedicated support squad would be useful in an emergency. Rei eventually relented.
To prevent Rei from becoming resentful, Theoreme proposed a flexible arrangement: the unit would normally operate separately from Rei, and he would only take command when their joint strength was required. Rei had accepted.
Since they were expected to keep pace with him, the soldiers required a high level of proficiency. Thus, an elite unit of 30 people was assigned to Rei, with Paelnix at the helm.
"Good grief. They could have watched us from outside the camp without being spotted, but they just had to follow us into the woods. Some people have no luck," Rei muttered, glancing at the corpse being carried away.
The surrounding soldiers watched him with eyes full of awe. Rei's primary long-range attack, his spear throwing, was a feat many adventurers in Gilm knew by reputation, but he hadn't used it during the tournament or since joining the Rebel Army. For these men, it was the first time they had seen it with their own eyes.
"Guruuu," Seto rumbled, leaning in toward Rei.
Rei smiled and stroked the gryphon's head. There was no trace of guilt on his face for the life he had just taken. This wasn't because he was inherently cold-hearted; it was simply because he viewed the scouts as the enemy.
"All right, back to work. If you're going to move with me and Seto, I need you to understand what we're capable of."
Hearing Rei's words, the soldiers felt a mix of trepidation and anticipation. This was the famous elite unit; if they survived the civil strife, they would undoubtedly be hailed as heroes.
If they survived.
As an elite unit, they were guaranteed to be deployed to the bloodiest parts of the battlefield. The Rebel Army was already outnumbered, and they couldn't afford to let their strongest assets sit idle. This was why they were being subjected to Rei's training—soldiers, knights, and adventurers alike, all training together for the sole purpose of survival.
"Me and Seto... well, it's a bit awkward to say it myself, but we're reasonably strong."
At that, the soldiers' thoughts unified into a single silent scream: Reasonably?! You're way past reasonably!
None of them were foolish enough to say it out loud, however. They knew that if they did, the training would only get harder. Their ability to read the room was precisely why they had been selected for this unit.
Of course, even if they had known that, they wouldn't have been happy. Being drafted into this unit was mandatory. The pay was high and the prospects for promotion were excellent, but those rewards were only available to the living. For the men on the ground, "high-risk, high-return" was a terrifying reality.
"Since you'll be acting with us from time to time, you need a certain level of strength. I know you're all elites, but you're still lacking. Specifically, I want everyone in this unit to have the combat power of a C-Rank adventurer."
A murmur of shock rippled through the ranks. A C-Rank adventurer was a veteran in the upper tiers of the profession. While they hadn't reached the "first-class" status of B-Rank, they were still leagues ahead of any ordinary soldier. Demanding that every single man in a thirty-man squad reach that level was an staggering requirement.
"Quiet! Captain Rei isn't finished! Save the talk for later!" Paelnix barked.
The stir vanished instantly. Rei looked at his thirty subordinates and continued.
"Anyway, here's the plan. We're doing combat training. You'll all scatter into the forest. I'll give you a ten-minute head start, then I'll come after you. If I tag you with this weapon, you fail. If you manage to land a single hit on me, you pass, and I'll give you a personal reward bonus."
Rei reached into the Misty Ring and pulled out a mock battle longsword.
The soldiers let out an audible sigh of relief. Rei was famous for his Death Scythe, a weapon longer than he was tall. Not a single man present wanted to face that massive blade in combat. A few had wondered if the great scythe would be unwieldy in the dense woods, but they had heard the rumors of Crimson slicing through metal armor like wet paper. Those who had fought in the Spring War knew the rumors were true.
No one here had a death wish. They were survivors, men with the intuition and skill to recognize a threat and act accordingly. Fighting Rei while he held the Death Scythe was a nightmare they weren't eager to experience.
"Oh, and don't worry. I'm the only one hunting you today. Also, the forest is the only legal play area. If you step outside the tree line, you're disqualified and you'll be treated to even harsher training. Be careful."
The soldiers were stunned into silence.
They had already endured several of Rei's "training sessions." One involved standing their ground against Rei while he was shrouded in the visible magic power of his Overlord's Armor—a skill that exerted an almost physical pressure so intense it was difficult to even remain standing. On another day, they were forced to face Seto, an A-Rank monster, as it unleashed a ferocious, bloodcurdling aura of murderous intent.
They hadn't even engaged in a proper mock battle yet, but those exercises alone had left most of them collapsed on the ground. Hearing that the penalty for failure was "harsher training" killed any excitement they might have had for the reward bonus.
Rei, however, was remorseless.
"Got it? Ten minutes. Start!"
With a rustle of leaves, the thirty soldiers vanished into the woods. The fact that they moved without heavy footfalls or unnecessary noise proved they earned their title as elites—even if they were currently cursing the luck that got them the job.
Rei waited ten minutes before beginning his hunt. Seto watched his partner's back for a moment before lying down and closing its eyes.
The gryphon wasn't slacking off. It was using its sharp hearing, sense of smell, and ability to detect magic power to monitor the entire area. It was keeping a lookout for any more Subjugation Army scouts who might be lurking nearby.
While Seto kept watch, Rei dashed through the forest. He refrained from using Overlord's Armor; the branches and thickets would make it cumbersome, and he had to ensure he didn't actually kill his subordinates. He relied purely on his natural physical ability. It didn't take long for him to find the first man crouched in a thicket.
"What!?" the soldier yelped, shocked by how quickly Rei had closed the distance.
Rei didn't give him a chance to recover. He lightly tapped the man with the mock battle longsword.
"Disqualified. Wait outside the forest."
Rei moved on without waiting for a reply. The soldier let out a long, weary sigh and trudged toward the clearing.
Twenty minutes later, the training ended as the final soldier emerged from the trees.
"Well, for a first attempt, you didn't do too badly. You're better at using the natural cover than I expected. However—"
Rei stopped mid-sentence. He noticed a lone cavalryman galloped toward them from the direction of the main camp. The rider pulled up sharply, dismounted in a blur of motion, and bowed.
"Lord Rei, please return to the camp immediately! A new Subjugation Army has been dispatched!"