I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

"Sorry! I'm just a warrant officer!" Cassius replied calmly.

Immediately afterwards, Cassius exerted force with his right hand, channeling the 'potential' within his body into his hand and the blade of his sword.

What was originally just an ordinary sword strike is now anything but ordinary.

The instant Cassius's sword fell into Ramsey's hands, Ramsey gripped the blade tightly with his hardened arm.

Just when Ramsey thought Cassius's longsword would be blocked as he expected, the blade encountered no resistance whatsoever. The blade, imbued with 'potential,' directly pierced through Ramsey's so-called 'iron wall,' slicing through Ramsey's palm without the slightest hesitation.

The 'potential' condensed on the blade was released in an instant, transforming into a sharp slash that accurately struck Ramsey's chest.

Ramsey stared incredulously at his severed hand, then glanced down at his chest: "A mere... warrant officer... is... also... a 'Kakuja'...?"

Before he could finish speaking, a sword wound on Ramsey's chest suddenly ripped open, and blood gushed out.

Ramsey swayed, then collapsed heavily into a pool of blood.

Even as he died, his eyes remained wide open, frozen in disbelief.

The battle on Cassius's side has now come to an end.

……

Not far away, Eric couldn't help but show a look of disappointment after seeing his subordinate Ramsey defeated and killed: "That idiot! I told him not to underestimate the enemy just because of some vague title like 'Hercules' or military rank."

"In a true battle, only those with great strength and meticulous planning can achieve final victory."

With his subordinate Ramsay's battle ending in defeat, his fight with "Empire's Eagle" Zod could no longer be delayed.

Eric knew that this battle had to be won quickly.

Otherwise, it is highly likely that we will be attacked from both sides.

In the exchange just now, he had completely figured out Zod's attack patterns and rhythm of moves: solid, efficient, and without any unnecessary fancy moves.

What truly alarmed him was that this imperial officer, despite being only a second lieutenant, displayed combat skills that allowed him to hold his own against a lieutenant of his rank.

Although military rank is never the absolute standard for measuring strength, it is usually still an important reference indicator.

This lieutenant named Zod was clearly an exception.

However, that's all for now.

……

Zod gradually figured out Lieutenant Eric's fighting rhythm.

In the initial exchange, he did not use his full strength.

On the one hand, it is to carefully observe the opponent's attack habits and power exertion methods. It is unwise to reveal one's own trump card too early before the opponent's strength has been fully revealed.

On the other hand, he was also deliberately creating a false impression: to make Eric get used to and believe that the strength of the Imperial lieutenant in front of him was "nothing more than that".

Coincidentally, Lieutenant Eric's tactical thinking was almost identical to Zod's.

After initially adapting to Zod's rhythm, he also focused intently on searching for his opponent's weaknesses.

He soon noticed a pattern: whenever Zodger blocked his thrust, his body would briefly lean back due to the impact.

In Eric's view, this was undoubtedly a huge opening. If he could seize this moment and follow up at the fastest speed, a full-force slash would secure the victory.

The opportunity he was waiting for soon arrived.

Just as Zod was parrying and leaning back, Eric suddenly exerted force with his calves and lunged forward.

Using the momentum of his entire body, he poured all his strength into the sword and slashed down at Zod's shoulder blade!

This strike was far faster and more powerful than the previous ones.

However, to Eric's chill, his sure-fire strike missed its mark.

Zod's figure had long since disappeared from the spot.

Eric tried to sheathe his sword and defend, but it was too late.

How can the force of a sword strike unleashed with all its might be withdrawn so easily?

What shocked him even more was that Zod's speed at this moment was much faster than his full-force attack.

It was only then that Eric realized what was happening.

While he was desperately searching for Zod's weaknesses, Zod was also calmly observing his habits and intentions.

Ultimately, Zod's calculations were more sophisticated; he exploited the vulnerability created when Eric attacked Zod's weakness.

It delivered a decisive blow.

By the time Lieutenant Eric realized what was happening, Zod was already standing to his side and behind him.

A sharp pain shot through his chest, and Eric realized with a start that he had been utterly defeated by a mere brat from the Empire.

Ironically, when he first saw the somewhat comical title of "Eagle of the Empire" bestowed upon a mere young man, he showed a hint of disdain and contempt.

Unexpectedly, this defeat came so quickly.

Then, Lieutenant Eric collapsed to the ground as if he had lost his strength.

The soldiers of the Holy Kingdom watched in dismay as their lieutenant and second lieutenant fell one after another.

"It can't be true, Lieutenant Eric was actually killed by a lieutenant from the Empire."

"That Imperial lieutenant seems to be the 'Eagle of the Empire'!"

"This is terrifying! Even Lieutenant Ramsey might not be a match for this man!"

"Second Lieutenant Ramsay was also killed by a warrant officer."

"Wasn't he known as the academy's 'genius'? How could he be killed by a mere warrant officer...?"

"Maybe it's just that his grades are a little better!"

"What are you all standing there for? The lieutenant and second lieutenant are gone! Run!"

"Run!"

……

After Lieutenant Eric and Second Lieutenant Ramsay of the Holy Kingdom were defeated one after another, the Holy Kingdom's garrison in Tono Village completely lost the will to fight.

Some people were so terrified that they dropped their weapons and, ignoring the imperial army behind them, ran desperately into the heart of the Holy Kingdom.

Some Holy Kingdom soldiers who still retained a shred of reason fought and retreated.

As for Tonomura, not a single Holy Kingdom soldier believed that they could hold out now that both of their commanders had been killed.

Prior to this, Hitis had led her squad to complete the pinpoint clearing of the Tonomura artillery positions.

The artillery was destroyed by explosives.

In the period that followed, the Imperial Army carried out cleanup work, completely eliminating the Holy Kingdom soldiers from Tono Village.

After completing the task.

Cassius jogged up to Zod and stopped. "Report, Lieutenant Zod! The Holy Kingdom soldiers in Tono Village have been mostly wiped out, but some have escaped deeper into Holy Kingdom territory. Should we organize a pursuit?"

"Report, Lieutenant! The artillery position has been destroyed as you instructed!"

Hitis followed up and reported the mission's completion to Zod.

Zod waved his hand: "There's no need to organize a pursuit. Our objective was to destroy the artillery positions in Tono Village. We've already achieved our objective, so there's no need for additional sacrifices."

Zod neither wanted his soldiers to die, nor was he the kind of person to take risks, and he would not make unnecessary sacrifices just to make his battle reports look more impressive.