Chapter 64: 64 Commander

Chapter 64 64. Commander

A grand procession composed of a hundred or so slaves marched along the great highway of Horse Ranch City, heading toward the wilderness.

With this crowd in tow, Ronin could not possibly hasten his return journey; moreover, he had to accommodate the slaves' pace, for they had been purchased with hard coin, and he did not wish to see any die before even reaching Mountain Forest Town.

Fortunately, he had prepared extensively before coming to Horse Ranch City, stocking his spatial ring with sufficient rations to ensure these slaves were well-fed and well-hydrated.

Initially, the slaves were trembling and terrified, deeply fearful that this master before them would beat and torture them at the slightest whim, yet they never expected that after following him for two days, the other party had not only abstained from any violence, but even provided ample bread for every meal, occasionally sharing a bit of meat broth whenever wild game was hunted.

Though they had to walk a considerable distance each day, they had not experienced days of being full like this for a very long time.

Consequently, when they tasted their first bite of fresh bread, they were so moved that they fell to their knees on the spot to thank Ronin, triggering a chain reaction that turned into a collective weeping.

Those in the know understood that Ronin was a benevolent lord, while those ignorant of the truth might have thought Ronin had terrified this herd of slaves into kneeling for mercy.

Five days later, at dusk, before the mountains that marked the entrance to Mountain Forest Town, Ronin and his company set up camp.

As for the management of the slaves, Ronin left it entirely to Tom, Galen, and the four guards; he did not need to trouble himself with such trivial matters, nor was there any necessity to show his face before the slaves without reason.

Over the past few days, whenever Ronin found time, he practiced three spells: Wind Blade, Fireball, and Small Flame.

As an entry-level magic of the fire attribute, Small Flame was the simplest; this spell merely formed a tiny flicker of fire at the fingertip, much like Elrond's Flash spell. Ronin mastered it almost on his very first attempt.

Fireball was a second-tier magic, its power comparable to Wind Blade; if there was a difference, perhaps Fireball possessed a wider area of effect, whereas Wind Blade had a stronger attack per unit area, each having its own characteristics.

At this moment, on a patch of open ground, McCain and Rhaegar, two high knights, were engaged in a fierce exchange.

For this spar, which had been decided days ago but only formally commenced today, both men were full of anticipation. Even along the road, McCain and Rhaegar had asked about it, intentionally or otherwise.

Ronin had merely deferred it on the grounds that the location was unsuitable, until today, upon reaching this flat area before entering the mountains, before he permitted them to begin.

Of course, it was merely a spar, meant to stop at the point of contact, while also avoiding excessive consumption.

Despite Ronin's prior instructions, once the two high knights began to fight, the intensity was still remarkable.

Even the slaves in the distance could not help but look over, wondering what the slave master was doing and why two of his knights were fighting each other.

McCain held his longsword, his battle qi erupting as it condensed upon his body into an earth-yellow armor, looking highly defensive.

This was the battle qi armor that knights could utilize once they reached the high rank and accumulated dense battle qi within their bodies; it had no attribute requirement, and fundamentally every high knight could use it.

However, relatively speaking, a battle qi armor condensed from earth-attribute battle qi possessed greater defensive power.

"Here I come!"

McCain shouted fiercely, his feet slamming against the ground, trampling away a large chunk of soil as his entire being shot forward like a cannonball, his aura ferocious and unyielding.

Rhaegar's expression grew serious, his body enveloped in a crimson battle qi armor, his aura far more violent than McCain's.

"Bring it!"

Facing McCain's shocking assault, Rhaegar lowered his stance, neither dodging nor evading, meeting this first collision head-on.

A deafening roar resounded as the longswords of the two peak high knights clashed, the erupting battle qi forming a massive gale that even Ronin and the others a hundred meters away could clearly perceive.

"The sound of that collision felt like a heavy hammer striking my heart!"

Tom, who was watching the battle, felt a lingering dread from that clash; if he were to face such an attack, he feared his sword would break and he would perish.

After the single head-on collision, what followed immediately was a close-quarters battle like a tempestuous rain.

During this period, Ronin had been learning footwork and swordplay from McCain, and he possessed a deep understanding of the latter's close-combat capabilities.

In ordinary practice, if McCain exerted his full strength, Ronin feared he would not last a single exchange.

But at this moment, facing McCain's assault, Rhaegar responded with effortless ease, his footwork more agile and swift; no matter where the opponent's sword came from, he could perfectly evade and parry, and subsequently launch his counterattack.

Such a battle persisted for a full minute; seeing that he could not break through and was increasingly suppressed, McCain used the force of his opponent's counterattack to distance himself after a strike.

He stamped his foot, injecting battle qi into the ground, turning up countless clods of earth, and with a swing of his sword enveloped in yellow battle qi, these earthen projectiles hurled toward Rhaegar like grapeshot.

This was the battle technique he had acquired after promoting to a high knight.

Hearing the whistling sound of the air being torn apart, Ronin could not help but believe that if such a stone were to strike him, his bones would likely be shattered.

Rhaegar flipped the longsword in his hand and slashed outward, a curtain of fire like a woven net gathering all these earthen projectiles within it.

The roar of the two men's battle techniques colliding grew increasingly deafening, especially the scorching heat wave brought by the fire-attribute battle qi after the impact, causing everyone watching to feel a breath of danger.

"My turn!"

Rhaegar chuckled, actually thrusting his longsword back into its scabbard; he surged toward McCain like a projectile, the scorching battle qi upon both fists churning to form a massive fiery fist.

"Boom!"

Rhaegar threw a punch, the flame fist lunging toward McCain, and then he threw a second punch, a third punch...

"This is, Fire Fist Bombardment!"

Ronin recognized this battle technique at a glance, but he had not expected the other party to use this move continuously.

Facing his opponent's first proactive assault, McCain's expression turned grave; he altered his position with extreme speed, swiftly evading the oncoming shadows of the fists.

When his movements were completely sealed and he could not evade, he relied on earth walls to defend.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Rhaegar transformed into a bomber, unleashing rapid bombardment as if his battle qi were endless, completely disregarding consumption.

Moreover, with a little observation, it was not difficult to notice that Rhaegar continuously shifted his position and angle of attack while bombarding, making his opponent's situation increasingly perilous.

McCain gasped for breath, his face already covered in sweat; in this battlefield filled with smoke, he knew that if he continued to defend like this, he would be defeated sooner or later.

"Hah!"

He roared, battle qi surging upon his fist to meet the flying battle qi fist, while simultaneously plunging his longsword into the ground, his battle qi flowing rapidly to the earth beneath Rhaegar's feet.

That patch of ground suddenly surged, the nature of the soil altering with it as earth spears thrust out from underground at extreme speed.

Rhaegar's mind shuddered; he had perceived the battle qi almost the moment it reached his feet, and at the exact instant the earth spears pierced the ground, he leapt into the air.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~"

The earth spears all thrust into empty air; as Rhaegar's body descended, his soles carried an impact current formed by battle qi, trampling and snapping the earth spears.

On the other side, the Fire Fist Bombardment collided with McCain's fist condensed with battle qi, setting off a massive shockwave. Under the violent impact, McCain's figure staggered, retreating abruptly backward.

"Boom!"

Another fiery bombardment fist landed upon his body, sending him flying directly, his battle qi armor shattering in response, drawing a conclusion to this spar.

Ronin rode his horse forward, clapping in praise, "Worthy of peak high knights, your battle has truly opened my eyes!"

"Brilliant, truly brilliant!"

Elrond and Tom, seeing this, could not help but follow with applause; this spar was indeed magnificent and had expanded their horizons.

"My Lord flatters us."

Rhaegar calmed his breathing; the violent demeanor from the fight just now vanished, replaced once more by that relaxed and confident manner.

Ronin looked at McCain on the side, "Captain of the Guard, how is your condition?"

McCain appeared somewhat disheveled at the moment, mainly due to the abundant dust on his body and face; he coughed out the soil from his mouth, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Rest assured, My Lord, I am not injured."

He spoke as he looked at his opponent, "Rhaegar is too powerful; whether in the clash of strength, close-combat skills, or the utilization of battle techniques and battle qi, I am no match for him."

Ridahl laughed heartily, "You're not quite at your true peak yet, you see. If your strength were a bit higher, I wouldn't have dealt with you so easily."

After a bout of boasting in the commercial district, they sparred with wins and losses, but it didn't affect their relationship.

Ronin could see that even if Macken's level had reached its maximum, he probably still wouldn't be Ridahl's opponent. In their recent sparring, Macken had exerted almost all his strength, while Ridahl had clearly held back quite a bit.

Truly worthy of being the commander of the Flame Expeditionary Force, Ridahl's talent and status reflected many underlying issues.

"So, Ridahl,"

Ronin tugged the reins, addressing the knight who had just won in the sparring, "from now on, you are the commander of my Mountain Forest Town!"

Ridahl knelt on one knee, "I am honored to serve you, my lord!"

(End of Chapter)