The Tribal Wars

Meanwhile, at the western gate of the fortress, the Imperial forces were desperately holding back the fierce assault of the advancing Dioldo Principality troops. Buzie and Makazaru were managing the frontline, while Major Shimanto stood by their side, observing the battle lines.

The Imperial army consisted of the 1st and 3rd battalions, with a total of about 8,000 soldiers. Similarly, the Dioldo Principality army also numbered around 8,000.

"They underestimate us," Major Shimanto smirked. "They are coming at us in equal numbers in a siege."

"General Gizar's fame is only due to the fact that Dioldo is a mid-sized nation. In a major power like the Empire, he wouldn't even make it to captain," said Captain Makazaru.

"Haha! Exactly. Not worth fearing. Oh, wait, Captain Lorenzo, you were demoted and driven out by Second Ensign Heisen, weren't you?" Major Shimanto mocked.

"This side requires my support," Captain Lorenzo said quietly.

"Unnecessary. You're a disgrace to the captains. Don't waste your time claiming to be supportive; you are a disgrace."

"Indeed. Go and beg Second Ensign Heisen to let you back into the 2nd battalion," Makazaru sneered.

"...."

Major Shimanto and Captain Makazaru continued to belittle Captain Lorenzo. Whether they were trying to boost their own morale by putting others down or genuinely felt that way, the atmosphere was bleak.

Captain Lorenzo looked at Kakuzu, who was beside him. "Are we ready?"

"Anytime. Shall we go?" Kakuzu replied.

"No, let's observe a bit longer."

The battle had just begun. Second Ensign Heisen had advised waiting until the last moment.

Amidst this, General Gizar of the Dioldo Principality rode ahead on horseback, approaching them alone with a nonchalant demeanor.

"Charging alone, how bold! Alright, leave it to me," Captain Makazaru said, riding out on horseback.

A few minutes later, as they faced each other on the battlefield, the frontline movements halted. Both Dioldo and Imperial soldiers paused their attacks and withdrew slightly.

"You must be General Gizar. My name is Captain Makazaru. I challenge you to a duel."

"Fine by me. My name is Raikiri Kujaku."

"Haha! My name is Ogan Rappa, and I am the staff that will kill you."

Both men readied their magic scepters. Master artisans regarded the staves as fine weapons and gave them names. Captain Makazaru was the only captain wielding such a fine staff. Captain Makazaru's Ogan Rappa resembled a massive hammer, while General Gizar's Thunder Sword resembled a finely honed blade.

"...."

Watching this, Captain Lorenzo felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead. "Never engage in a duel," Heisen had repeatedly warned before the battle, but Captain Makazaru completely ignored the order.

Duels between skilled magic users were not uncommon. Captain Makazaru was indeed strong, but that strength was relative among captains. Despite Lorenzo's concerns, Makazaru proudly raised his staff.

"Let us begin. Behold my staff!"

"My apologies, but it's already over."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Captain Makazaru's head was suddenly in General Gizar's hand. His headless body fell, blood spurting out. General Gizar hadn't moved from his initial position. The slash had been so quick that it was undetectable to the human eye.

In an instant, in full view of everyone, General Gizar decapitated Captain Makazaru and returned to his original position. Captain Lorenzo swallowed hard and looked at Kakuzu beside him.

"Was that... the Thunder Sword? Did you see it?"

"...I couldn't."

"...."

They had heard stories of it moving as fast as lightning, bringing death before one realized it. Hearing about it and witnessing it were as different as night and day. The reality was far beyond what they imagined. General Gizar had completely mastered this overwhelming ability.

Major Shimanto and Captain Buize fell silent in shock. General Gizar threw Captain Makazaru's head at Buize.

"Who's next?"

"Eek, you lot, attack General Gizar with all your might!" Buize screamed in panic.

"Uooohhh!"

Determined, the 1st and 3rd battalions charged at General Gizar, but in the next instant, he vanished.

"Where did he go?"

"Here."

General Gizar appeared behind Buize, who was frantically looking around.

"Eek..."

Buize collapsed to his knees in fear.

"Pathetic. Sending your men forward while you stay back is cowardly."

"Pl-please! Spare my life, just my life."

"I despise people like you the most. Die."

General Gizar spat, thrusting the Thunder Sword into Captain Buize's heart.

"Re-retreat! Retreat now!" Major Shimanto shouted, fleeing on horseback.

"Pathetic. Retreating so suddenly. However, this is a perfect opportunity."

When General Gizar raised his hand, the entire Dioldo Principality army charged toward the western gate. Major Shimanto arrived first, pounding on the gate so hard that his hands bled.

"N-no, Major Shimanto! If we open this—"

"Shut up, that's an order! Open up, open up, open up, open up! Open up, open up, open up, open up! Open up, open up, open up, open up! Open up, open up, open up, open up!"

"...."

It was of no use. Fear had gripped Major Shimanto completely. Obeying orders meant following the major's commands, but doing so would let the enemy flood into the fortress.

"It's okay," Kakuzu said calmly.

"Huh?"

"Heisen told me. If Captain Lorenzo is in trouble, help him. So, it's alright."

"But..."

"Don't worry. I'll protect this place."

With those words, the burly youth faced the advancing Dioldo soldiers, stabbing a massive spear-like magic staff into the ground. The only one who noticed this presence was General Gizar. The other soldiers were rushing toward the central gate.

"Stop! Wait, damn it."

It was too late. The distance was too significant for the Thunder Sword to activate. Kakuzu wielded a bizarrely large weapon with a shield-like piece of steel attached to it. In General Gizar's eyes, it appeared abnormally ominous.

"Let's go, Kyogai Hakotsu."

As he shouted, the steel encircling the weapon engulfed Kakuzu's body. In an instant, it formed full-body armor that resembled that of a raging beast.

"I'm the first one here. Gah!?" The Dioldo Principality soldier who reached the central gate first had his head crushed by Kakuzu's fist.

Witnessing this scene, General Gizar muttered to himself, "Inhuman strength."

Kakuzu continued to crush the soldiers who were trying to flood in, not just killing them but crushing them. That was the only way to describe it. Without hesitation, each punch tore through their armor and bodies.

"Damn it! Don't get cocky!"

Kakuzu's full-body armor stopped a formidable warrior's large axe.

"Damn... uooooh... agh!?" Kakuzu braced himself and twisted the warrior's neck off with sheer force. Then, the giant in full-body armor, who had exterminated the surrounding enemy soldiers, roared towards the sky.

"Groooaaaarrr!"

The sheer volume, strangeness, and malice of the roar halted the Dioldo Principality army's advance.

"Heisen Heim, what kind of staff did you give your subordinate?" General Gizar shouted in both horror and awe.

Kyogai Hakotsu. Heisen embedded the only staff named after him with a high-grade 5th-level gem, the largest grade Heisen possessed. Magic flowed through Kakuzu's entire body, enhancing his senses—sight, smell, taste, perception, hearing, and his strength—to superhuman levels. However, in return, Kakuzu lost his sense of self and became a berserker. This held true even if his target was an ally. Once he activated his abilities, he would only follow the given command.

This time, Kakuzu's command was to "protect this fortress from attackers." While it was possible to order the slaughter of anyone except allies, he had to endure an immense surge of violent urges. Heisen had noticed Kakuzu's exceptional strength, combat skills, and high-quality magic power. However, he also recognized his extraordinary kindness. While this kindness was a virtue in daily life, it was a hindrance for a soldier. Kakuzu also struggled with academics, meaning he couldn't become a well-rounded officer. Mercenary work was the only career path available to him.

Thus, Heisen devised a plan. Heisen aimed to control Kakuzu's inherent rationality by combining it with a staff that induced extreme violent impulses. This staff was Heisen's masterpiece so far. The moment all the Imperial soldiers entered the gate, Kakuzu swung the staff in his right hand.

"Groooaaaarrr!"

The roar echoed as Kakuzu wielded his chain sword, an enormous weapon stretching tens of meters. Kyogai Hakotsu was a bizarre weapon, adept in both attack and defense. In a matter of moments, the area around the central gate was soaked in the blood of Dioldo Principality soldiers.

"Haha! Incredible! That second Ensign Heisen had such a hidden ace!" Major Shimanto, now atop the fortifications, was elated.

"Use that power to wipe out General Gizar!" he shouted.

"Major Shimanto! What are you saying?" Captain Lorenzo interjected, concerned.

"Now is our chance, while their assault has paused!" Shimanto insisted.

"..."

Captain Lorenzo fell silent. Kakuzu had halted the advance, but if General Gizar managed to kill him, there would be no way to defend against the ensuing assault.

"We should have Kakuzu defend this location. We no longer have the forces to protect the western gate from the Dioldo Principality soldiers."

"Silence! Are you defying me?" Shimanto snapped.

"...."

Fool. Lorenzo felt nauseated by Shimanto’s ignorance. Perhaps Heisen had intentionally planned to sacrifice them to General Gizar as part of his strategy.

Heisen’s words echoed in Lorenzo’s mind: "An incompetent and motivated ally... kill them." Yet Lorenzo cursed himself for not having the heart to make such a ruthless decision.

But then, Kakuzu remained motionless.

"Hey! Move, you monster! That’s an order from your superior!" Shimanto bellowed.

"...."

Despite Shimanto’s orders, Kakuzu stood still. It was a stark contrast to the explosive ferocity he had shown earlier, now replaced by an eerie stillness.

"No way. Is he already exhausted?" Captain Lorenzo murmured. Indeed, such explosive power was abnormal. As several squads began their assault, the soldiers of the Dioldo Principality sensed something was amiss.

Contrary to their expectations, Kakuzu’s chain sword whipped through the air, instantly severing the heads of dozens of soldiers.

"He’s... moving."

"Hey! Kakuzu, can you hear me!?" Lorenzo called out.

"...Vuh... vuvuvuvu..."

"No good," Lorenzo realized. Kakuzu was moving based solely on one command. However, Major Shimanto, unaware of this, continued shouting furiously.

It seemed General Gizar had also noticed. He allowed his soldiers to fall back, maintaining a safe distance from Raikiri Kujaku's reach.

"It’s fine to let time pass like this, but that wouldn’t be ideal."

"This is bad," Captain Lorenzo said, biting his lip.

Kakuzu’s abilities clearly exceeded his own limits, and his active time should be considerably limited. The enemy had two choices: continually deploy troops to wear down Kakuzu or have a capable fighter confront and exhaust him.

Without hesitation, General Gizar chose the latter.

"Here I go, 'Shunrai.'"

Shunrai was the formal name for Thunder Sword’s technique, an extremely fast movement to a specific point. It was a killing blow that was simple and difficult to defend against. General Gizar swiftly moved behind Kakuzu and swung his sword.

Clang! A metallic sound burst forth and rebounded. There was a momentary pause, then Kakuzu swung a high-speed slash. General Gizar narrowly activated Shunrai, bending his body to evade. He then attempted to thrust through the armor’s gaps, but even that was deflected.

"Damn, how tough is this?"

Muttering, he tried to move on to the next attack, but Kakuzu’s slash was already flying towards him. Again, using Shunrai, he temporarily distanced himself.

"Huff... huff... huff... What a guy!"

Kakuzu wasn’t matching Shunrai’s speed but clearly responded immediately after the attack. Shunrai’s activation range consisted of a sequence of movements. Therefore, if interrupted, he would revert to normal movement.

However, with attacks coming from normally out-of-sight angles, even if he managed to defend, no one could react immediately. Kakuzu was brilliantly utilizing this abnormal magic staff's effect and his exceptionally rare combat sense.

"Annoying. No matter where I aim with full-body armor, it deflects."

There were no gaps in his field of vision.

"Hahaha! General Gizar is inadequate! What’s wrong? Is it over?" Major Shimanto laughed loudly. General Gizar glared and shouted at the sight.

"Stop your prattling, trash! Are you coming down to fight?"

"Huh..."

"Perhaps it would be prudent to refrain from unnecessary actions. With him, even coming this far in an instant might be easy," Captain Lorenzo silenced his reckless superior.

However, General Gizar’s Shunrai also became somewhat clearer. Its overwhelming speed was astounding. While its capabilities shone in single combat, like a duel, in group battles, Kakuzu had the upper hand. Without any effective means to attack General Gizar, the offensive was insufficient. Captain Lorenzo faintly felt he could see a chance for victory in this battle.

However.

"It can’t be helped. This will be quite exhausting."

General Gizar sighed and once again used Shunrai to swiftly move to where Kakuzu was. The next moment, Thunder Sword struck Kakuzu’s back. Instantly, countless sparks of discharge scattered over his full-body armor.

"Gwaaaah!" Kakuzu let out a massive groan and immediately fell to his knees.

"Huff... huff. It’s been a while since I used 'Mai Kujaku.'"

General Gizar returned with Shunrai but soon knelt, panting heavily. Mai Kujaku converted lightning, which normally converts speed, into simple electric current. Since General Gizar had specialized Thunder Sword’s ability for speed, he rarely used it in this manner.

Therefore, the magical consumption was incomparable, and the output wasn’t that high either. However, it seemed effective against full-body armor.

"Hey! Hey! Monster, answer me!"

"Kakuzu! Are you alright?"

There was no response. General Gizar’s magical power was also nearing its limit. If Kakuzu was still in peak condition after this, he would have to abandon the pursuit.

General Gizar raised his hand and ordered the other soldiers to charge. However, Kakuzu remained motionless.

"...Alright."