Chapter 275: Expanding the Spoils of War

In truth, Amicus could have completely withdrawn from the battlefield after his breakthrough, yet he chose not to.

He wished to pluck the only grand prize of this war—the life of Ronin.

Unfortunately, he overestimated his own strength and utterly misjudged his opponent's power, especially Ronin's.

With his battle qi exhausted to the point of being unsustainable, a blazing fire-serpent severely hindered his reaction speed.

Alongside Amicus's downfall, a line of text materialized before Ronin's eyes:

["King of Slaughter" achievement unlocked. Attribute Points +1000, Energy Essence +2000]

Gasping heavily, Ronin hauled himself up and cast a glance at Amicus in the pool of blood, never imagining the man's battlefield breakthrough would ultimately help him complete this achievement.

The previous milestone for the King of Slaughter achievement had required killing a Golden Knight, but this time, it was a Meteor-tier warrior.

Previously, Ronin had no concrete grasp of a Meteor-tier's true power, but after today's clash with Amicus, he had experienced it firsthand.

Even with one Golden Knight and several Silver Knights joining forces to besiege him, the triumph over a Meteor-tier had been won with immense difficulty.

Under ordinary circumstances, Ronin estimated he would have needed to reach at least the Golden rank and the late stage of a Grand Mage to have any hope of completing this feat.

These 1000 attribute points were enough to push his Mage level halfway through its current progress, vastly shortening the time needed to become a Grand Mage.

This could be considered an unexpected stroke of fortune.

"We won!"

"We actually won!"

As Amicus collapsed, cheers of victory erupted across the blood-soaked streets.

Toru, Rhaegar, and the others, though heavily wounded, could not help but smile with profound joy.

In this battle, they had not only eliminated the leader of the Brand Bandits, but they had also achieved the magnificent feat of slaying a Meteor-tier foe above their own rank.

This battle would undoubtedly be the most glorious stroke in the tapestry of their lives!

"My Lord, how are you?"

Rhaegar approached, asking with deep concern.

"I am fine, merely a few superficial wounds."

He glanced at Rhaegar, whose arm bore a conspicuous injury—a wound over ten centimeters long that was still bubbling with blood.

It was fortunate he was a Silver Knight; had he been an ordinary man, he would likely have suffered fatal blood loss by now.

"Ronin, you are truly something!"

Marvin walked over, declaring excitedly, "If not for you, we would never have achieved the miracle of slaying a Meteor-tier!"

Their high-end combat forces had been more than sufficient for this battle, and if Amicus had not undergone that sudden mid-fight breakthrough, their victory should have been entirely effortless.

"This is all thanks to everyone's united cooperation!"

Ronin said with a smile, "I merely took advantage of your hard work and dealt Amicus the final blow."

"Do not be so modest!"

Marvin could hardly believe it; the young man before him possessed such fearsome strength that Marvin doubted he could match him even in a direct, face-to-face confrontation now.

Marvin found it impossible to fathom how anyone could be this strong.

"Let us not stand around idly; celebrations can wait."

Ronin surveyed the battlefield and said in a clear, ringing voice, "Those who are uninjured, tend to our wounded comrades, and let the logistics team move in!"

Though victory was theirs, the coalition of nobles had not escaped unscathed.

Out of more than eighteen hundred combatants, over two hundred were dead, and upwards of five hundred were severely wounded.

It was worth noting that the losses among their elite fighters were minimal, with only a single Bronze Knight falling in battle.

Of the several Silver Knights who had besieged Amicus, only Tallen and Philip were gravely injured, and they would likely spend the next half-year in quiet recuperation.

Though the casualty figures seemed high, they were primarily concentrated among the unevenly trained noble coalition; the regular forces, like the Wushan Castle knight squad and the Mount Horse City knight squad, suffered few losses.

For Ronin to lead this crowd into battle and keep the casualties so low was already an extraordinary achievement.

Furthermore, had they failed to see through the schemes of Corrin and the bandit group, it was entirely possible that the entire noble coalition would have been annihilated.

Up to this point, this war could only be described as a resounding triumph.

...

On another front, the Wubei Territory knight squad led by Maken entered Casir Town.

This small town had been used by Amicus and his men as a transit hub, where vast amounts of supplies were stockpiled.

Although the Brand Bandits had mobilized all their forces to support Corrin, small detachments had still been left behind to guard Red Mountain Town and Casir Town.

While the garrisons consisted mostly of trained common soldiers, there was no shortage of novice, intermediate, and advanced knights left on watch.

Although the final outcome of the battle was never in doubt, it was undeniable that these enemies provided an excellent training opportunity for the Wubei Territory knight squad.

In less than two hours, Maken had led his men to seize control of the town's granaries and iron ore warehouses, sealing off all entrances and exits.

Once Amicus and his entire bandit host entered Boulder City, Ronin sent two signals to Carlos, and soon a second fiery cloud blossomed in the sky.

Seeing that the moment had arrived, Maken left a portion of his men to guard Casir Town while leading the rest to break through the defenses of the canyon pass and enter Red Mountain Town.

According to Ronin's original design, if any members of the Brand Bandits retreated toward Red Mountain Town, the noble coalition could unite with Maken's squad to launch a pincer attack from front and rear.

Regrettably, such a scenario never came to pass, as the entirety of the Brand Bandits entered and became hopelessly trapped within Boulder City.

"Ronin, what is your plan from here?"

Inside the fortress of Boulder Castle, except for Tallen and Philip who had gone to nurse their wounds, everyone who could still move was present.

Take Baron Gelman, who possessed only a single hand; his right hand was currently bound in bandages, yet he insisted on coming to the fortress to attend the meeting, ensuring that Lake Town would not be left out of the upcoming actions.

For everyone knew that the Brand Bandits were finished, and now was the time to expand their gains, accumulate achievements, and reap the spoils of victory.

If anyone fell behind or missed out now, their losses would be immense.

Facing Toru's question, Ronin answered with absolute certainty, "Naturally, we will take all the towns that have been occupied by the Brand Bandits over the years in one fell swoop."

He spread out the map and said, "To disrupt the minds of Amicus and his men, I already ordered the Wubei Territory knight squad to launch a surprise attack on Casir Town and Red Mountain Town; by now, both should be under Maken's control."

"Next, we will continue southward to reclaim Quicksand Town and Sari Town."

His finger tapped upon the final city on the southwestern border of the Wushan Territory: "And Shore City!"

These places had served as the strongholds of the Brand Bandits for years, and now that the bandits were gone, reclaiming them would be an effortless task.

Listening to the grand tapestry of victory Ronin described, everyone's eyes shone with brilliant intensity.

This was a monumental victory.

The Wushan Territory had not seen such a grand triumph in a very long time.

And that everything had proceeded so smoothly was entirely due to the young commander standing before them.

Through this campaign against the Brand Bandits, they had truly come to know this eldest grandson of Wushan Castle anew.

It could be said that in both wisdom and might, Ronin's performance was more than enough to earn their trust and admiration, and if given the chance in the future, they would certainly consider following him.

"Ronin, listening to you speak, I always get the distinct feeling that everything is perfectly within your grasp."

Marvin smiled and said, “Lord Rulans would be deeply gratified to see you in this state.”

A ripple stirred in the hearts of all present—they too longed to know what the Marquis truly thought.

Would the third-generation heir be changed again?

Of all those present, save Rulans himself, only Ronin, who had long been close to the Marquis, might know.

“Ha, perhaps Grandfather would be pleased,” Ronin laughed, shifting the subject. “Speed is the essence of warfare. To minimize unnecessary losses, Toru, Riedal—you must rally all uninjured troops and strike swiftly for the Coastal City. Take control of it as soon as possible.”

At the mention of serious matters, all curiosity faded from their faces.

“Commander, I have a suggestion,” said Baron Gellman, his bandages still fresh.

Ronin turned to him. “Speak.”

“Though some of my men are wounded, they still possess the strength to fight—and they are eager to join the coming battle. Please count them among the ranks when assembling the force.”

His words were immediately met with murmurs of agreement; none wished to be left behind over minor injuries.

The Coastal City was a metropolis of tens of thousands.

Never mind other matters—over the years, the Polant Bandits had amassed a staggering fortune. Corien had sent his wealth away, but would Amicus and the others do the same?

Ronin understood their thoughts perfectly. He smiled. “Since everyone is so eager, then include those wounded but still capable of long-distance marches.”

Thus, the next phase of the operation was largely settled.

In truth, with the Polant Bandits utterly destroyed, taking control of these towns posed little challenge to the noble alliance.

Even resistance would be nothing more than the futile flailing of scattered remnants.

Reclaiming the lost southwestern territories of Wushan was merely a matter of time. (End of chapter)