Supreme General

‘What is this?’

A gem resembling an amber eyeball.

No, it also seemed like a mineral that looked like a gem.

The luster flowing on this surface was very faint.

Unlike other minerals that reflected light, this one contained sunlight inside.

At the strange feeling, Kaid grasped the amber.

Woooooong!

Instantly, his mind became distant.

The body’s vitality and blood circulated smoothly.

But not something material, rather something more mental.

He seemed to be sucked inside because of characteristics difficult to define precisely.

Bang!

Kaid crushed the amber something with one hand.

The Royal Guard, surprised by the sound, rushed over.

“Supreme General, are you alright?”

“…?”

“I just felt a strange sensation…”

Only after crushing it did he notice.

But from the Royal Guard’s appearance unable to clearly call it spirit power, Kaid thought this amber was a type with different grain from existing spirits.

‘The Royal Guard who wield various spirit powers don’t know it, and it doesn’t match my power either. This is something new that’s never appeared until now.’

Kaid surveyed the battlefield not yet organized.

“Only leave alive those who seem to be leaders.”

“Yes!”

The Royal Guard scattered again.

As soon as spirit power bloomed from all directions, the plunderers’ momentum weakened.

Kaid dragged the cart containing the amber something back into the cave.

He felt the cool energy inside the cave shaped as if rough hands had swept the walls.

Kaid walked in the direction energy blew from.

After passing through a messily torn-up passage, a wide space unfolded.

In the center with no special ornaments, one wooden hand lay down.

The hand seemingly modeled after human form stretched out long, with small grooves carved in places.

The amber something appeared to have been extracted from those grooves.

“A god the tribe reveres? Or a worshipped sacred relic…”

While looking around the hand, one blurred character caught his eye.

Death (死).

He touched the character where ominousness lingered.

As a cold, eerie feeling seemed to caress the nape of his neck, Kaid immediately drew his sword.

Clang!

Empty air distorted and a hidden plunderer’s appearance was revealed.

“If you explain in detail, the kingdom will protect you.”

Surprised only briefly at his appearance as if he’d known from the start.

The plunderer’s bluish eyes flashed as he swung a curved sword.

Instantly, it was so fierce and bold that an optical illusion made the curved sword seem like dozens.

Though a skilled fighter with different class from the outside plunderers, to Kaid he was lightly twisted like an infant.

When he smoothly flowed away the wrist, the curved sword that had spread like afterimages was caught at the sword tip. When the plunderer’s eyes widened in surprise, Kaid stomped his footwork.

Thud!

He put the body’s rebound force on the sword flat to caress only the plunderer’s bones.

The plunderer who’d staggered after being slammed into the wall soon rolled his eyes back and collapsed.

Kaid threw the fainted plunderer into the cart.

Then he looked around the cool space before going outside.

Hundreds of plunderers were quickly organized.

The Royal Guard had bound several people who’d led the plunderers in the village center.

Throwing the plunderer he’d caught there, Kaid asked.

“Why did you try to harm our nation’s people?”

“…”

“Western plunderer groups… No matter how clumsily you imitate our nation, the plunderers’ tails won’t fall off. How foolish to invite disaster yourselves.”

When Kaid provoked as if scraping insides, fine wrinkles formed on the plunderers’ faces.

From long ago, western and eastern tribes hadn’t gotten along.

Especially after establishing Barganta, western plunderers had raided frequently.

Barganta had punished their barbaric habit of wanting to somehow crack the nation every time.

But this incident had different grain from usual.

If Kaid’s party hadn’t passed through this village, they wouldn’t have even known the plunderers had raided.

They had something very important to handle secretly.

It was certainly related to this something.

“Do you struggle against one such trifle?”

Rolling the amber something before them, Kaid examined the plunderers’ eyes.

“They say this thing absorbs spirit power, but do you truly believe it’ll pose danger to our nation?”

He tried bluffing as if knowing something since he knew nothing.

And Kaid’s expressionless appearance and voice combined to stimulate the plunderers’ innermost thoughts.

“No matter how much you collect these, our nation will definitely destroy the plunderers.”

“Hehehehe, Demon Captain. We’ve heard your rumors well. You’re truly strong. But before the Soul Ledger, everything becomes equal.”

Soul Ledger?

“Didn’t you grasp the Soul Ledger and almost faint? Kuhahahaha!”

The moment the plunderer’s laughter pierced the sky, Number 1’s fierce fingertips swept the hostages.

While binding the simultaneously drooping plunderers, Number 1 asked.

“His spirit power seemed to fluctuate, so I inevitably knocked him out.”

Kaid nodded.

“Soul Ledger… Difficult words to overlook. Capture them all and transport to the kingdom.”

“Then are you returning?”

“No. We strike the west as planned. We’ll secure justification for our nation to raise forces, and capture all those related to this.”

“Dividing the Royal Guard doesn’t seem a good choice.”

“You and Number 4 drag these bastards away. Secure the tribespeople’s safety too. I’ll handle the rest.”

“…Understood.”

Number 1 bowed lightly, then left the tribe with Number 4, leading the plunderer groups, people, and cart loaded with the amber something.

Looking around at those remaining, Kaid asked.

“Did you hear anything related to the cave from this place’s chief?”

Number 5 stepped forward to answer.

“The chief also didn’t know that cave’s existence. The plunderers suddenly raided, and when surprised by the collapsing sound they looked and there was a cave there.”

“Isn’t the chief a native of this place?”

“No. He said he was pushed here as the border expanded.”

Kaid nodded.

“Currently our purpose was to raid western plunderers, weaken their forces, and simultaneously secure justification to lead troops from our nation. But that amber something is quite suspicious. I judged they might possibly use it as a method to fill their shortage of spirit casters. Therefore, from now we’ll also implement capturing those related to it or extracting information then quickly processing them together.”

“Yes!”

“We begin work creating cracks in the plunderers’ border. We finish within two days.”

“Understood!”

When Kaid stepped forward, the Royal Guard quickly attached while boosting spirit power.

They headed toward the plunderers’ border while also checking the safety of tribes being invaded in places.

Though they didn’t find information related to the Soul Ledger, the number of wandering tribes flowing into the kingdom increased.

“However, Supreme General. Won’t they discover our movements if we continue processing plunderers like this?”

“They’ll discover it.”

“What?”

“But they won’t think we did it.”

Coming here, they’d eliminated plunderers without leaving a single one. Even if they knew plunderers had been attacked, they wouldn’t think it was Kaid’s doing.

“Though those guys are plunderers, they know how to use their heads fairly well. They’ll calculate movement routes according to our tracks. Therefore, don’t you feel ominous signs in various places now?”

“Then…”

“Those bastards dig into gaps faster than calculations. The reason we leisurely left tracks was because of that.”

Come to think of it, the western border with not a single wandering tribe was appearing soon. Kaid’s party could focus entirely on advancing without concern.

“We can knock on the border half a day faster than their expectations. Therefore, from now each moves as I instructed.”

Kaid held out bluish-glowing gems to the Royal Guard.

“I’ll knock on the plunderers’ front, so in that gap you install these at eight points.”

“Aren’t these Spirit Stones?”

“Delayed activation type. They’re set to operate when they contact my energy.”

“…!”

Only then did the Royal Guard who noticed Kaid’s intention show surprised signs.

“After installing at the western border, when I personally lead a large army and visit again, I’ll operate the Spirit Stones to collapse the border. Now we proceed with preliminary work so those bastards don’t notice. And when everything’s finished, we cross the border and shake up the plunderers’ key points.”

The moment chaos in the west intensified and confrontation with Barganta deepened.

“We lead a large army in the time those bastards reorganize and organize from the border all at once. This is the fastest path to destroy the west within one week.”

Forces brought from Barganta would strike quickly from the border to the plunderers’ royal castle.

From the start, Kaid and the Royal Guard’s role had been to prepare preliminary work to facilitate western conquest.

“Prisoners and hostages aren’t needed. Kill all key figures. If killing is impossible, damage their facilities. If even that’s difficult, flee. I won’t permit dying before me.”

The Royal Guard answered with laughter-mixed voices.

“We’ll follow your command!”

When the plunderer groups’ energy was felt, Kaid’s eyes changed piercingly blue.

The western border was higher and more magnificent than Barganta’s.

From long ago, the west had invested resources and manpower obtained by raiding other tribes in protecting their own nation.

Since these people who wanted to steal others’ things but hated having their own things stolen even unto death met and eventually established a nation.

The border’s thickness and profundity could be said to compete for first or second rank among the four nations.

If current Barganta recklessly charged this place, they’d be massacred easily.

Moreover, if the fact that Barganta invaded the west also became known to the south and north, danger arose that their own nation would be attacked conversely.

The core of the western conquest was just one thing.

Time.

When Barganta executed troop dispatch, the question of how quickly they’d conquer the west and return to the kingdom before forces came from the south and north.

Groundwork for that began.

A night when even moonlight was blocked.

Kaid advanced to the border.

Tools for guarding against spirit casters were deployed in places throughout the border.

To secretly plant Spirit Stones, he clearly needed to capture attention.

Knocking on the gate was an inferior method.

The best method was after all.

‘There he is.’

Striking the plunderer emitting the strongest spirit power atop the wall tower.

“Who’s there…”

It was simultaneous with patrolling plunderer groups’ gazes reaching.

Kaid kicked off the ground to climb the wall, then trampled the wall again and drew his sword.

Remarkably, Kaid who’d crossed the dizzyingly high wall in just two steps descended onto the wall tower.

Immediately the wall tower’s person in charge awakened spirit power.

“Good.”

A surprise attack carried out in the night.

Kaid had hidden his presence fairly well.

This person in charge who grasped that and even attempted counterattack was certainly a considerable skilled fighter.

If he entered the Royal Guard, he’d probably proudly secure the ninth seat.

Commotion had to be made while facing such a strong person.

And chaos was the law that unfolded when such a strong person died before close associates.

Bang!

The footwork stomped with sound burst a roar at the wall tower.

The spirit power he crossed had wind’s nature and was sharpened more keenly than blade edges.

Kaid who crossed highly skilled spirit power at faster speed slashed his sword diagonally downward.

The sword that intersected wind soundlessly cut across the person in charge’s body.

Thud!

Even the cutting sound wasn’t heard.

Only the sound of the person in charge’s heavy body falling down echoed through the wall tower.

When forces arrived belatedly, Kaid boldly drew out his mask.

A blood-red demon mask where blood had stained hard.

“D-Demon Captain!”

Before the cry of shock ended, one sword swung cut hundreds of necks.

When blood scattered in all directions, an alarm rang out through the border.

As the presences of those responsible for each direction gathered, Kaid whispered to the wind that settled on his shoulder.

“Begin.”

Number 6’s specialty, wind spirit, propagated Kaid’s voice to the other Royal Guard.

And Kaid began selecting and cutting those who seemed like they’d be bothersome when collapsing the border henceforth.

Around the time he’d killed about 30 assumed executive-level people, a strange sound was heard.

“We dare beseech the Death God of the Soul Ledger!”

Kaid turned his gaze toward where suspicious energy was felt.

Someone whose right hand was dyed amber was aiming heterogeneous energy different from spirits at Kaid.