The last group of rebels had taken a final and irreversible defensive position on one side of the plain, doing their best.
Perhaps because there was nowhere left to retreat to, they were remarkably powerful.
The Imperial Army was having difficulty due to their unexpected latent strength.
Keisha drew his sword and rushed towards the enemy lines.
The smell of blood and cries of pain were clearly heard from everywhere.
His heart beat with excitement that he had not felt in a long time.
When he arrived at the center of the battlefield, a battle scene appeared before him.
One of the rebels was madly fighting a group of Imperial Army soldiers.
Because of this violent rush, the imperial army could not approach easily.
'Is this boy the leader of the remaining group?'
Keisha grabbed his sword and rushed towards that place to kill that boy.
Fuck!
The enemy discovered him and brandished his sword.
jingle!
The two swords collided, making a loud, powerful sound.
Keisha kept his sword attached to his opponent's sword, not retreating, as he stared at the boy coldly.
His face, stained with blood, sweat, and dust, looked smaller than he expected.
I wonder if he had just passed the stage of boyhood?
That such a young boy was a leader was evidence that the rebels were on the verge of annihilation.
Keisha swung his sword forcefully again.
jingle! jingle!
Keisha mercilessly waved his sword.
Even though he had not been involved in combat for several years as a trainer, his skills had not rusted at all.
Because he was a soldier who possessed one of the best combat abilities in the Imperial Army.
The boy clenched his teeth and blocked his sword.
'It holds up well.'
There was no cultivator who could block his sword for more than three rounds.
But this kid has already blocked five rounds.
Soon, the boy's breathing became ragged, and his body began to sway.
At the moment when the sword was about to fall from the boy's hand, Keisha swung his sword without hesitation.
incision!
The blade sliced the boy's leg lengthwise.
Red blood splattered.
The boy let out a groan and sat down, his fallen sword rolling to the ground.
The moment the boy quickly extended his hand to pick up his sword,
Keisha stepped on his hand with his military boots, and opened his mouth in a low voice.
“It's over, you bastard.”
He felt the boy's hand twist under his foot.
He pressed his foot harder.
“…!”
The boy swallowed a groan and looked up at him.
His bright eyes beneath his dirty appearance were filled with anger and hatred to a bone-chilling degree.
But they were strangely familiar eyes.
'Is it someone I know?'
Keisha knelt down on one knee, exchanged looks with the boy, and asked him:
"Boy, who are you?
How did you end up on a battlefield like this at this age?"
Then, the boy opened his mouth with a voice full of hatred.
“…Because Imperial Army bastards like you robbed me of everything that was valuable.”
The boy shouted, his voice full of anger.
"Because you killed all my family and dear friends!
That's why I came here to kill bastards like you!"
Keisha's eyes trembled when he heard those words.
Only then did he realize why that boy's eyes looked so familiar.
He himself, who had lost his entire family to the rebels in his childhood, had his eyes exactly like that.
This boy was the same as he was when he was young.
A strange feeling took hold of his heart.
“…So then.”
When he muttered, the boy looked at the sword he was holding and said:
“If you know, kill me quickly.”
Keisha raised his sword to hit the boy's head.
But his hand didn't move strangely.
Instead, he hit the boy's head hard with the back of the sword.
Fuck!
The boy fainted, and he ordered the soldiers surrounding him:
“Take this boy.”
•
The boy opened his eyes.
His body was tightly tied to a pole in a rickety tent.
His leg wound had been treated.
“Did you regain consciousness?”
When he raised his head, the dark blue-haired man he had killed on the battlefield was standing in front of him.
When the boy trembled, Keisha explained:
“The rebels have been completely destroyed.
The rebellion in the Empire has been officially and completely suppressed as of yesterday.”
The boy's face was covered in darkness.
Keisha continued talking while looking at him:
“And you, as of today, have become an Imperial Soldier.”
The boy's face distorted.
“What nonsense?”
“All recruitment procedures have been completed.
Simply sign here, and you will become an Imperial Soldier and go with me to the training camp tomorrow.”
The boy shouted angrily:
"Am I crazy to become an Imperial soldier?
Kill me instead!"
Then Keisha smiled mockingly.
"It's funny to see you talking so proudly.
And you're so weak that you couldn't even properly protect what was so precious to you."
The boy's eyes twitched, and Keisha threw a dagger in front of him.
“If you want to die, die.
But if you die like this, you will end up running away in terror.
And you will have protected nothing valuable.”
“What is this……”
When the boy muttered with a puzzled face, Keisha took a wide step towards him.
“Young man, I will give you some advice.”
He held the boy's chin with his long fingers and said in a firm voice:
“If you don't become strong, you will never be able to protect what is precious.”
The boy's pupils twitched.
“You said your goal was to kill the Empire's soldiers, right?
So, be strong.”
Keisha added, looking him straight in the eye.
“At least, enough to be able to kill me.”
•
Thus, Yuz became an Imperial soldier and returned with Keisha to the training camp.
At first, Theo couldn't believe that Keisha had kept an enemy soldier alive and even allowed him to join the Imperial Army.
But once he saw Yuz who brought him, he understood everything.
This boy was an exact copy of Kesha when he was younger.
He had tremendous skill.
Once he received proper training in the Imperial Army, his skills grew explosively day by day.
Even Theo, who prided himself on having relatively excellent skills in the Imperial Army, was retreating in front of her.
“That boy is a monster.”
Theo said as he and Keisha watched the trainees' ball game in the training ground on an off day.
Yuz was also playing ball with his fellow trainees.
Keisha looked at Yuz playing.
The ground cracked with one hit, and no more than ten cultivators were able to snatch the ball from him even if they attacked him.
Moreover, Yuz was completing Keisha's infamous workouts perfectly without showing any trace of fatigue.
But Keisha deliberately answered with an indifferent face:
“So?
In my opinion, he still has a long way to go.”
Theo didn't miss the satisfied smile on his face.
Keisha, who Theo had seen so far, had never smiled this way while looking at one of his subordinates.
“End of the match!”
Also today, the YUZ team achieved a landslide victory.
Yuz, who was joking with his colleagues on their way back to the barracks, ran up to Theo and Keisha and greeted them.
“Walaa!
Thank you for your judging efforts!”
He offered Keisha and Theo two small drinks.
Not only was he well trained, he was also very respectful towards his superiors.
He was truly a model of the ideal soldier.
Theo looked at him and asked:
“By the way, Yuz, didn’t you hate the Imperial Army when you came here?
Lately, you seem to be adjusting very well, compared to your hatred for it.”
“Actually, the matter is...”
Then Yuz continued, scratching his head:
“It's true that the Imperial Army was the one who killed my family and friends… but those boys, the military doctor, and the training officer, they weren't the ones who killed them, right?”
"permission?"
“After I lived with them, I found them to be good companions… It seems to me that even if they are from the Imperial Army, not all of them are evil… In fact, I am very confused these days.”
Theo patted his head.
“This is natural.
The affairs of the world cannot be understood by dividing them sharply as if they were being cut with a knife.”
Moreover, Yuz, who lost his family, friends and confidants at a young age and became alone, could feel less lonely just by living here with colleagues he could rely on.
“What you feel is not strange at all, don’t worry.
If you have any concerns, come to the clinic at any time.
I will listen to you.”
Then, Keisha interrupted their conversation.
“What are you so confused about?
Just get strong quickly and kill everyone who makes you angry.”
“……Ignore the training officer’s words.”
Theo shook his head, and Yuz smiled slightly.
“I understand.
But……”
His eyes sparkled sharply.
“The feeling that I would immediately kill whoever killed my family and friends if he appeared in front of me, is still the same.”
Just when Yuz was about to return to his barracks, a commotion rose at the entrance of the training camp.
“What's wrong?”
Kisa asked, and the soldier replied:
“General Ruppelt has arrived.
It is said that he came to have a quick look during his visit to the Imperial Palace.”
“A day off, what an inconvenience.”
Keisha moved to greet Derek.
Meanwhile, Theo caught Bews who was about to return to his barracks.
“Since you're already here, why don't you say hello to the general before you enter?”
"Good."
Theo picked up Yuz and followed Keisha.
In the distance, a burly blond man, Derek Robelt, appeared.
“This is the Grand General.
Say hello.”
Yuz nodded meekly.
“He is the most outstanding trainee among the newcomers this time.”
When Theo complimented him, Derek showed interest.
"Really?
Heads up."
Yuz raised his head.
His facial expression distorted as he recognized Derek's face.
His arch enemy, the one who had killed his family and friends, was standing there.