I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 204 Horror, Trick, Destruction, Monster and Crimson Crown

"Leria, are the locations for the targeted demolition all prepared?"

An hour later, inside the Allied headquarters command tent, Roxie withdrew his gaze from examining the sand table and then calmly looked at Liria, who was walking in from the front.

"...Preparations are complete, but General Roxie, do we really want to do this?"

Liria looked at the Morning Star in front of her with a complicated expression, thinking about how the 109th Division, which had just entered the Dark Corridor battlefield, was about to become a victim in this massive explosion.

While she felt disgusted by the demolition order she was about to carry out, she was even more terrified of the commander in front of her.

Before this, Liria thought that after fighting alongside the other party for several years, she had already seen through the other party's true nature.

But when orders were issued to slaughter allies along with them in order to seize final victory...

She realized that she had been too presumptuous.

Roxie Sancaster, the sole heir from the Eye of the Sky family, is not at all the chivalrous figure everyone expected, a rigid being who would willingly give up victory for a laughable sense of justice.

The other party is a complete monster!

After all, how could a true knight do something so outrageous?

"Colonel Liria, your last question was completely unnecessary, and I don't want to hear that again."

Meeting Liria's constricted pupils, Roxie stood up expressionlessly, her long golden hair cascading down, which should have appeared smooth under the restraint of her military cap.

But in that instant of eye contact, for some reason, Liria vaguely felt as if she were staring at a raging lion. The ferocious appearance of the lion with its mane standing on end made her, even as a super-ranked mage, feel a sudden tremor in her heart.

"Sacrificing some pieces is necessary to achieve victory."

"Moreover, compared to the issues that only commanders need to consider, as the battalion commander, you only need to consider how to carry out my orders, which is enough."

Roxie coldly scrutinized the high-ranking combatant before her, who had harbored resentment towards her ever since joining the Fifth Legion. A slow smile crept onto her lips, but her tone was colder than ever before:
"Of course, if you are unable to carry out this task, you can give up at any time, and I don't mind finding another obedient general to do it."

So, what is your answer?

"...Lyria Corwin received. I will complete this demolition mission."

After a long silence, Liria finally agreed.

She knew that if she refused to carry out this mission, she would be expelled from the Fifth Legion, or even become a victim in their future plans.

As a soldier under the enemy's command, she never had any choice of her own.

To be honest, she was starting to regret following her family's orders.

“Very good. Since there are no problems, go and meet with Colonel Orion to carry out the mission. I await your good news.”

"Yes, General!"

"Tap, tap!"

Inside the tent, watching Liria's heavy departing figure, Roxie's smile slowly faded, and a struggle flashed in her blue eyes.

Past experiences have taught her that she is currently heading down the wrong path.

But the series of defeats that have come her way in recent days have also told her that if she cannot completely cast aside all her human weaknesses and use every possible means to command this war...

Then the Imperial Commander on the other side, John Maslow, will surely thwart all her plans.

On the surface, she still maintains the arrogance and confidence she once had as the holder of the Morning Star title.

But in reality, it's not just the torment in one's heart, but also the hidden stirrings within.

They were constantly telling her one fact.

She was terrified.

He feared failure, feared that his prized talents would become a stepping stone for John Maslow in a losing war.

Then he lost the glory of the Sancaste family and, under the Queen's disappointed gaze, became a loser.

Thus, he missed out on the throne of supreme commander that should have belonged to him.

"No, none of that will happen, because I will become the strongest, and I will definitely become the strongest!"

"I'm willing to pay any price for this!"

Roxie slammed the chess piece in his hand onto the sand table with a ferocious expression, his eyes filled with unprecedented brutality and coldness.

However, she was always bathed in the glory of victory and never truly experienced defeat in command; her life was almost entirely smooth sailing.

However, they overlooked an extremely simple yet profound truth.

That is, there is no plan in this world that can be perfectly executed.

Just like now.

"Reporting to the general, our outer defenses are under attack by enemy forces... Wait, general, the enemy hasn't launched an attack on our forces. Instead, they've used magic to leave a message in the open areas and on the hills?"

The communications soldier's voice was full of doubt, which immediately startled Roxie upon hearing the news, and at the same time, an unprecedented sense of foreboding welled up in his heart:

"What message did they leave behind? Tell me immediately, quick!"

"Uh, the enemy wrote in three languages: Royal, Imperial, and Orcish. The gist of it is 'Roxie Sancaster, since you intend to use the sinkhole to annihilate us and your allies, then I will accept your gift—John Maslow!'"

Seemingly realizing the horrifying intelligence they had read, the communications officer suddenly fell into dead silence.

"!"

Roxie's pupils constricted to their limit instantly, cold sweat broke out rapidly on his back, and his heart was filled with disbelief:

Did the other party figure out your plan?

But how could this be?!

He had clearly instructed Liria to lead the Silent Assassins in carrying out this secret mission in secret.

The other party had absolutely no reason to guess this!
Could it be that there are enemy agents within the Silent Assassin unit?
But this unit is Liria's elite force, so there shouldn't be any problems with it!
what on earth is it!

Roxie felt a chill run down her spine. The intense shock made it difficult for her to breathe, and her beautiful face became more grotesque than ever before.

In that instant, she realized that her plan to sink into the ground was likely to be completely ruined.

There was no other reason than that, as an equally intelligent individual, Roxie knew very well that John Maslow had deliberately revealed his plan only after the 109th Division entered the Dark Corridor.

That would be enough to prove that the other party had already seen through everything and made the corresponding preparations.

Perhaps the enemy had already ordered their troops to withdraw from the Dark Corridor!

The reason for revealing this now is not only to undermine the morale of our own troops, but more importantly, because the other side intends to use it to launch a psychological attack on us!

As if to confirm Roxie's guess, before Roxie could even order the soldiers to destroy the traces left by the enemy, he immediately ordered Liria and the others to stop blowing up the Dark Corridor, so as to prevent the 109th Division, which could no longer be used as bait, from dying in vain.

But the next second, as the communication device was reactivated, Liria's solemn voice slowly entered her ears:

"Reporting to the general, our reconnaissance troops have discovered a large number of enemy magic soldiers in the sky, spreading out explosive spells."

"Furthermore, based on the concentration of magic gathered by the enemy, the enemy's attack will likely be unprecedentedly massive. Preliminary calculations suggest it will be no less than sixty kilometers, and it is still climbing."

"Please immediately activate the Void Spell and take precautions against earthquakes!"

"...Abandon the demolition mission, Liria. Lead the Silent Assassins to retreat immediately. Don't make any more pointless sacrifices."

"Yes, General!"

"..."

Roxie slowly hung up the communication, then issued the order to immediately begin the Void Technique, and through the communication device instructed Zalga to lead the 109th Division to immediately withdraw from the Dark Corridor. After that, she silently stepped out of the tent.

Then he looked into the distance at the crimson light that had formed, resembling hell, as if hundreds of magic soldiers had scattered and unleashed explosive magic at some unknown time.

The ferocity on her face vanished, replaced by an unprecedented calm.

At that moment, Roxie knew clearly that she had lost.

Even if they abandoned their own humanity and chose to use their own soldiers as bait, they attempted to carry out an unprecedented and insane plan of annihilation.

In the end, she was defeated by a man named John Maslow in a way that even she herself could not understand.

"So, how exactly did you manage to do all this, John Maslow?"

Looking at the dazzling red light blooming in the sky, Roxie couldn't help but sigh with a heavy heart.

Just as she was preparing for the impending defeat and the complete annihilation of the 109th Division due to her own misjudgment.

To her astonishment, the light of destruction that should have landed ten minutes earlier and completely destroyed the entire dark corridor was still not falling.

What is this...

Roxie froze on the spot. After a long while, a bold, almost absurd idea began to rapidly emerge in her mind:

Could it be that John Maslow only just figured out his plan, which is why the enemy couldn't complete the troop withdrawal in advance?

The reason for launching a strike force to expose one's own plan is to give the illusion that the other side has already seen through one's plan, thereby causing one to issue incorrect orders.
Then, by sending out mages to condense explosive magic, he could deepen his understanding of this misconception.
This leads to a loss of judgment under continuous attacks, causing one to fall into the opponent's trap.

Ultimately, the chance to completely bury the other party has been lost?!

It seemed to confirm Roxie's guess.

The next second, on her ashen face, the beams of destructive light that had risen to their peak in the distance not only did not fall, but instead completely dimmed and disappeared.

It was as if the previous act of gathering a large amount of magic power and trying to destroy this area was nothing more than a carefully designed performance!
So, he was tricked by a magic trick specially made up by John Maslow?

Could a single misjudgment have completely squandered a golden opportunity to annihilate the enemy?!

"asshole!!!"

Realizing that he had been deceived by the enemy with such a clumsy trick on the battlefield, and thus completely lost a great opportunity to destroy the enemy.

Even with Roxie's composure, he couldn't help but lose his temper and start cursing at him like never before.

Her chest heaved violently with rage, and her beautiful face turned as red as blood from the intense humiliation.

After all, being defeated by the enemy's strategy and squandering the opportunity for victory due to one's own mistakes are two completely different things.

The former would convince her, but the latter would be tantamount to the other person slapping her and leaving a note to mock her for being so stupid!

Without a doubt, this was an unprecedented humiliation for her conducting career.

This is also a defeat that she cannot accept!
“John Maslow, you bastard, you kind of bastard…”

"Crench!"

Roxie trembled with rage, her white teeth grinding together. The intense anger and repression caused her an unprecedented throbbing pain in her chest, and she felt as if she were about to vomit blood.

It was from this moment that she realized why Leon Lee, who was always arrogant and didn't even respect herself, was defeated by John Maslow twice in a row.

He would fall into such a ridiculous state of depression because of the setback, and even directly conveyed to the kingdom his decision to give up his position as commander and devote himself to scientific research.

Because the bastard she was fighting on the other side, named John Maslow, wasn't a proper commander at all.

Although the opponent had tactics that she admired, they could utilize all neutral resources to win battles against overwhelming odds.

But ultimately, this dirty guy's real talent isn't in tactical maneuvering.

Instead, they rely on their wisdom and understanding of human nature to manipulate and trample on the dignity of their enemies!

What the other party wants is never to kill a person in a life-or-death sense, but to destroy the target through a confrontation that, while not causing much harm, strikes straight to the soul!

This is far more insidious and terrifying than simply killing a person.

Even death can bring peace.

However, if one squanders the opportunity for victory due to one's own mistakes, and is thus overshadowed by the opponent, losing all fighting spirit and becoming entangled in endless pain and regret.

For such a commander, every extra second he lives in this world is nothing short of experiencing unprecedented hellish torment!
Just like what I'm experiencing right now!
"Is this what you wanted? Is this what you truly desired, John Maslow?"

Looking at his own troops, who were bewildered and confused as the explosive magic dissipated, and then glancing at Zalga, who had completely withdrawn from the Dark Corridor under his orders and was now aware of his sinkhole plan, and was walking towards him with a face full of anger.

After struggling for a long time, Roxie's face was replaced by a helpless bitter smile.

She knew that she had fallen into John Maslow's trap and missed her only chance to win.

Because her plan was exposed, which caused resentment and suspicion within her own side, she had no chance of regaining the trust of her allies.

It is likely that for a long time to come, they will completely lose the ability to control the troops.

He might even lose his command because his respected teacher could use his anger towards Colonel Gal's complaint to the Kingdom's Central Command as leverage.

He was humiliatingly sent back to the kingdom to await his fate, thus becoming a laughingstock instead of the morning star.

And all of this stems from his own arrogance and his own foolishness.

It also stemmed from the fact that she thought that after defeating her opponent, she could reach the perfect state of a god, but before she could succeed, she fell into the trap that her opponent had created for her by exploiting this weakness of human nature.

A man who is both powerful and weak, both admirable and hateful!
"John Maslow, you win!"

Looking at the distant location of the Cocobia Rainforest, it was as if one had transcended the constraints of countless spaces and obstacles, and saw that the vanguard had already arrived at the outer edge of the Cocobia Rainforest ahead of time, relying on the extreme speed of the magic soldiers.

As Roxie prepared to lead his army to attack the poorly defended Blue Lake City, he sighed with a complex tone.

As if sensing something, she slowly withdrew her gaze and silently looked at the group of orcish high-ranking members who had somehow arrived in front of her and were glaring at her.
"Rocksh Sancaster! I need an explanation!"

Directly in front of the orc officer, Zalga, having heard the truth, glared down at the despicable human woman before him. He easily raised his five-meter-long steel spear and pointed it directly at her head.

Because of the deception, his eyes were now filled with a chilling, bloodshot look.

The already chilling voice became even more terrifying due to the intense killing intent and impending explosive rage, amplified by the vibrations of the vocal cords.
"You have to give me a reasonable explanation for that damned sinkhole plan!"

"Immediately! Right now!!!"

"Crack!"

……

“Those who abandon humanity will inevitably be devoured by it. Roxie, this is my final judgment for you who tried to abandon humanity.”

I hope you can wake up from this wrong path and become a commander truly worthy of my direct defeat.

As if sensing the gaze projected from afar, John, who had been flying at full speed with his magic pack and was the first to reach the exit of the dark river, and was now flying in the sky with the rest of the 1st Battalion, subconsciously glanced at the dark corridor behind him.

After letting out a silent sigh, he turned to look straight ahead at the open central area of ​​the dense rainforest, backed by a huge azure lake.

At this moment, Blue Lake City was less than ten kilometers away from our side in our field of vision, and even the outline of the city wall appeared exceptionally clear under the blessing of the magic eye.

John slowly cleared his mind of distractions and then took a deep breath.

Facing the burning gaze of Wendy, who stood firmly by his side like a fanatic, and the calm eyes of Barnabo, who had somehow produced a magic gun and was quietly watching him from his right like the most loyal guard, he was met with the same gaze.

And then there's Miles, with his sly grin but remarkably determined eyes, always striking a pose of arrogance, yet his gaze, like everyone else's, is fixed on Lunepo with a fanatical intensity.

Martha, with a resentful look in her eyes, was frantically stuffing magic potions into her mouth while tucking the magic gun under her arm, preparing for the upcoming siege.

And behind him, one after another, the magical soldiers who, from the bottom of their hearts, seemed to be tangible, gathered around him, giving him unprecedented trust and support.

At that moment, John knew it clearly.

I must immediately launch the crucial plan to seize Faoken Bay, with the support of this trust.

"All members of the 1st Magic Battalion, listen up! Prepare for battle! Objective: Blue Lake City! You must completely capture it within half an hour! No mistakes allowed!"

John suddenly drew the two magical pistols from his waist that he had never truly used since arriving in this world. Then, under the influence of his physical memory, he subconsciously allowed magic to spread in his palms, instantly charging and covering them.

‘Click! ’

With those two clear clicks of the safety being released, it was as if the fighting spirit that had been dormant for a long time was awakened again within him.

His face began to unconsciously reveal the same bloodthirsty grin as everyone else's, a result of the fighting and slaughter!
"In the name of the Empire, fearless magic soldiers, follow me and crush these damned guards!"

"Yes, Your Excellency John!!!"

"Whoosh whoosh!"

Accompanied by a piercing sound, countless dark figures dressed in uniforms with a black and gold hue, constantly releasing terrifying magical energy fluctuations, appeared.

The leader, who had somehow erected a magical barrier, surged ahead of everyone at unprecedented speed, leading the charge like a hawk king leading his flock to attack prey on the ground.

Before the defenders on the ground could react, the object plummeted rapidly from the sky, unleashing an unprecedented destruction amidst beams of magical energy that resembled hellfire!
"Boom!"

……

Meanwhile, at the Dawnstar Port in the northern part of Dawnstar Territory, countless densely packed pure white warships covered and obscured the sea surface, forming a defensive line like a city wall, which looked particularly spectacular.

"Are you really going to give up on becoming a commander, Leon?"

His hair was gray, he wore the uniform of a marshal of the Kingdom's navy, and a magnificent gold cross medal hung on his chest; his face was thin.

Although he was only 1.6 meters tall, the old man, who inexplicably appeared exceptionally dignified, was calmly looking at the young man in front of him.

His deep eyes caught sight of the young, beautiful centaur girl the other man was leading, whose delicate face was etched with nervousness.

As if he understood something, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly, but outwardly he remained calm and spoke:

"Are you sure you want to do this? The Black Feather Assassination Squad has already selected and trained all the candidates. As long as you continue to serve as commander, Her Majesty the Queen and Parliament will pardon your previous defeats."

"As one of the kingdom's younger generation, you won the title of Assassin Star from a commoner background and are on par with that little girl from the Eye of the Sky family. Surely you won't be so easily discouraged by a small setback?"

"Marshal Reginald, I am well aware of what I am doing, and I appreciate your kindness, but please allow me to decline."

Leon calmly shook his head, refusing the renowned Marshal Red Crown's final attempt to persuade him to stay, despite the Franst family's alliance with him.

After his encounter with John Maslow at Fauken Bay, he has now recognized his shortcomings in command.

If he wants to exact revenge, he can only do so in another way.

"As expected, you're just as stubborn as that brat Frank. I can only say that you two truly deserve to be master and apprentice."

Reginald shook his head helplessly, then, as if recalling the news he had heard earlier, a cold glint flashed in his slightly cloudy eyes. He reached into his pocket, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and then slowly spoke:

“I already know about Frank’s death. As a family friend, I have an obligation to help the Franst family recover my poor nephew’s body and bring that imperial brat to trial.”

"Of course, considering your own grief, I will do my best to capture that brat named John Maslow alive and bring him back to the kingdom alive so that you can give him your final judgment."

"Excuse my bluntness, Marshal Reginald, but if possible, please abandon such naive ideas."

"?"

Meeting Reginald's astonished gaze, Leon ignored the cold, sharp eyes of any of the lieutenant generals who were above him and who were guarding him.

He took a deep breath, then stated his opinion firmly:

“Although John Maslow is not well-known, in my battles with him, in the battles between him and Professor Frank, and even in the current battle between him and Lieutenant General Roxie, he has demonstrated one fact through his own strength, which is…”

Leon paused slightly, then, meeting everyone's gaze, spoke in a tone of profound complexity:

"The other party is an absolute monster!"

"Yes, John Maslow, he was an absolute monster!"

"!"

Upon hearing this genius-level assassin's assessment of the new imperial star, even Reginald couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, his heart filled with surprise.

He never expected that one day he would hear this young man, who was favored by the Franst family and Her Majesty the Queen, speak of a peer in this way.

After all, even the universally acknowledged genius Roxie was previously only described by the other party as a peer who could be surpassed at any time.

Before the two could truly clash for the throne of supreme commander, Leon, the outstanding candidate, voluntarily withdrew from this trial among the strong.

But this did not prevent him from becoming curious about the talent that was suspected to be secretly trained by the empire:
"Oh, what do you say?"

"The reason I call John Maslow that is entirely based on my previous experience dealing with him, as well as a re-examination and analysis of his past performance."

"The other party is a graduate of the Empire's First Military Academy and was the top student of his class, but in terms of tactical execution, he does not have the framework and standards that a commander trained in the academy's textbooks should have."

"Moreover, the enemy is very good at fighting with fewer troops and is extremely adept at utilizing various natural terrains and neutral resources, transforming these things into advantages that can be used to defend against the enemy in ways that are unimaginable to ordinary people."

"I was deceived by the illusion he created using the vines in the forest, and believed the ambush's lies, which led to my first defeat."

"Professor Frank also died in battle because he failed to notice the strange drop in water level in advance, and was swallowed up by the flood that the enemy had accumulated in advance."

"Just recently, in the front-line battle report, Lieutenant General Roxie also underestimated the enemy and was struck by lightning created by the enemy's use of heavy rain. As a result, his flanking maneuver failed and he fell into the enemy's trap."

"In order to escape safely, they even sacrificed the potential of their own super-powerful members, and suffered an unprecedented defeat."

Listening to Leon's analysis, Reginald and the other high-ranking officers of the Sunfire Fleet realized the difference in the ground force commander this time, and they all put away their original contempt and replaced it with unprecedented seriousness.

Before heading to this battlefield, due to limitations in communication equipment, they could only receive general battle reports from the Central Military Affairs Department. Besides knowing that the Empire had sent a young air force commander who was active on multiple fronts in Faoken and had caused significant troop losses to their side, they were also aware of the situation.

They were not very clear about the details of the battle.

Even before arriving, many people believed that the authenticity of this intelligence was questionable.

This is a situation where, compared to their own advantageous position, they suffer an unprecedented defeat due to the enemy's tactics.

Having grown accustomed to the Imperial Army's reliance on terrifying heavy artillery to conquer cities and territories, they were more inclined to believe that this intelligence was a whitewashing by the Military Affairs Department to cover up the losses caused by the imbalance of power between the two sides due to the failure to detect Imperial reinforcements.

But after hearing about Leon's firsthand experience on the battlefield, things didn't seem as simple as they had imagined.
Could it be that, besides the kingdom, the empire is also conducting experimental research on the forbidden spells sealed by the gods?

Thinking of this, the eyes of some high-ranking naval officers who knew the inside story and had even directly participated in similar activities began to flicker.

Leon was unaware of what everyone was thinking at the moment. After confirming that everyone had toned down their initial contempt because of the information he had provided, he knew that his decision to meet with the Sunfire Fleet had completed the first step of the warning plan, effectively preventing his side from being taken advantage of by John Maslow in the subsequent battle and thus suffering unprecedented losses.

Even after witnessing that his side had dispatched a total of 241 warships to support the battlefield, he still didn't believe that John Maslow would be killed by those warships.

Shaking his head, Leon dismissed the utterly absurd yet strangely plausible thought that seemed likely to become reality. Then, he added to the group:

"But none of the above is the key reason why I call John Maslow a monster."

"In my opinion, the reason why the other party truly deserves to be called a monster is neither his command ability nor his ability to utilize the terrain."

"It comes from the ability to control people's hearts."

Recalling how he had been completely outmaneuvered in the Empty City Stratagem, and the subsequent decision to bombard his own soldiers—the feeling of being led by the nose, of his proud wisdom being trampled in the mud—a bitter taste welled up in his heart.
"That guy has reached the pinnacle of control over people's hearts."

"Ladies and gentlemen, can you imagine that a person, who knows no one else and has very little information of his own, can easily understand another person's character simply by analyzing that person's resume, and then create one perfect trap after another for that person by focusing on the weaknesses in their character that he has deduced?"

"And in subsequent battles, will various methods be used to continuously suppress them until they are completely defeated?"

"That is being completely dominated, completely controlled, and completely manipulated by the other party, just like when we go to an amusement park and admire the monkeys inside through the fence, teasing and directing them with bananas."

"I felt this deeply during my interactions with John Maslow, and the more I think about it, the more profound that feeling of being firmly in his grasp becomes!"

"!"

Upon hearing this explanation, the high-ranking officers all wore expressions of disbelief. Many frowned, their gazes towards Leon becoming suspicious, and they couldn't help but question him:

"Major General Leon, it's not that I doubt your words, but I feel that you might be exaggerating your opinion of that Imperial Major?"

If the other party can truly achieve the level Leon described, then they must be a top-tier command talent meticulously cultivated by the empire at great expense.

Even if the nobles of the empire are stubborn and self-willed, they should at least give such a talented person a major general position as a starting point.

How could we allow the other party to still be holding the position of a mere major?
It's impossible that they would disregard the safety of such a national-level talent just to engage in internal strife.
How much infighting must there be for someone to make such a foolish decision?

And how could Wolff, known for his cunning and ruthlessness, possibly allow such a talent to be on this battlefield?
"No, quite the opposite. I think my description is not only not an exaggeration, but completely inadequate to describe the monster's abilities."

Leon shook his head, ignoring the senior officers who were staring at him with either disdain or deep thought. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Marshal Reginald, who was smoking a cigarette and deep in thought, and then said in a deep voice:
“I know my description may sound absurd, but it is indeed true.”

"John Maslow seems to be able to obtain all the information about our generals in a way that we can't understand at all: their personalities, fighting styles, intelligence levels, and the strength and type of their troops."

"And based on all this information and intelligence, we quickly created a highly targeted trap that could allow the enemy to turn the tide with minimal damage."

"It's even highly possible that by psychological warfare, we could be divided and defeated piecemeal due to a lack of information!"

"John Maslow is a monster who far surpasses humanity!"

"So whether we face the enemy later or when we are about to win, I hope that Marshal Reginald will remember this from the painful experiences of myself, Professor Frank, and Lieutenant General Roxie, who has now most likely suffered a crushing defeat."

"Never underestimate the enemy because of superior troop strength, never lower your guard because of the possibility of capturing the enemy, and never become complacent because of an unprecedented victory on the battlefield."

"Because these are very likely the traps that John Maslow wants you to fall into, and through this capture and exploitation of human nature, he wants to achieve his true purpose!"

Looking at Marshal Reginald, whose gaze had become unusually solemn and whose entire demeanor had become exceptionally sharp, like a drawn sword that made anyone who looked at him feel a strange stinging pain in their eyes.

At this moment, Leon clearly realized that he, who was about to return to the kingdom in humiliation on a warship, had made this powerful marshal, who had won many battles, fully aware of the danger of that imperial monster during this meeting.

The worries in his heart dissipated most of them instantly, and even a thought he had never considered before vaguely arose. Without hesitation, he knelt down on one knee before the other person and then pleaded in a firm tone:
"So, if Marshal Reginald has the opportunity to kill John Maslow in the subsequent battles, please do not hesitate and do not have any other thoughts."

"Immediately, without hesitation, use every means at your disposal to kill it, pulverize it, burn its body, seal its ashes in concrete, cast the highest level of imprisonment spells on it, and then sink it into the deepest part of the sea!"

"Only in this way can we truly ensure that we have eliminated that monster!"

"That guy could be anything, but there's one thing I'm sure of."

"The other party is definitely not human, and it is even less likely to come from a remote town in the Kingdom of Brown, as our intelligence suggests!"

"But a true monster, one that should not exist in this world!"

"Please remember this very carefully!"

"This is my final piece of advice to you, given by a weakling like myself who was defeated by a monster!"

Leon spoke in a low, bitter voice, his tone filled with resentment.

Upon hearing these words, he seemed to recall something from some taboo rumor, unlike his subordinates who believed that the above was merely an excuse made by the failed assassin general to wash away his humiliation.

A complex, indescribable light flickered in Reginald's eyes. After a long silence, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he reached out and patted Leon on the shoulder, then replied in a deep voice:

"I have heard of your suggestion. In return, I will do as you suggested and completely end this monster named John Maslow, who should never have been born, in this battle!"

Looking at Leon, who had raised his head at some point, his eyes were bloodshot, his expression clearly filled with grief, but deep in his eyes hid an indescribable despair and fear.

An aura of extraordinary peace and warmth emanated from his body, and a sacred pattern, resembling a burning sun, was formed by the convergence of unique magical circuits on his forehead.

The area around his eyes had somehow transformed into a surging, golden-red holy fire, seemingly capable of incinerating all darkness in the world.

Then, as if a majestic sound were produced by the stirring of a solar prominence, it echoed in everyone's ears as the lips parted slightly:

"In the name of the 173rd Crown Holder of the title 'Crimson Sun', I will utterly annihilate that monster on this battlefield!"

……

(End of this chapter)