“Hmph. Very well.”
Harvey quietly exhaled a deep breath, as if having made a profound decision. He simultaneously cast a reassuring glance at Harvey, signaling there was no need to worry.
Once more, Malt faced the girl and nodded. “You’re right. This is indeed the quickest method. If force is the only way to resolve this… then…”
“Attack…”
No sooner had he spoken than an increasing number of soldiers surged forth from all directions, swiftly encircling Leya in a tight formation.
These were, after all, elites forged through countless battles. The knowledge of what to do, how to do it, and when to act was etched deep into their bones, ingrained within their very souls.
Thus, even without Malt’s explicit command, the soldiers seamlessly moved into their assigned positions.
Subsequently, each of them regarded Leya, trapped within their encirclement, with a look of profound complexity.
‘Erm…’
‘This was hardly a glorious battle to wage,’ they thought. ‘Whether they won or lost, it mattered little.’
‘For their opponent was merely a girl.’
It was true, however, that this seemingly adorable girl had just effortlessly incapacitated two of their comrades with just a couple of moves.
The wait was undeniably agonizing.
At last, the first soldier raised their sword, lunging towards Leya.
He was visibly young, brimming with the reckless courage of a newborn calf. Noticing that no one else dared to make the first move, seemingly held back by some unspoken apprehension, he harbored a desire to distinguish himself before his captain and master.
Hoisting his longsword aloft, he let out a fierce roar and charged straight for Leya!
Yet, a question he likely never pondered before losing consciousness was this:
‘[How had he lost consciousness?]’
Bang!
“Slow. Far too slow, and your stance is unstable, your sword arm swaying. Never mind… I told you all to come at once…”
“…………”
“…………”
‘This…’
‘What the hell?’
‘What just happened?’
A raised hand… a lowered hand…
And it was over just like that? Though the action itself was deceptively simple, it had utterly stunned everyone present!
Especially since Leya remained utterly unperturbed, betraying not the slightest hint of tension or any other emotion.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
“Hey, Hans, I didn’t see that wrong, did I? What just happened?”
“It looked like a flash of a blade? No, I’m not sure. All I saw was that person flying through the air. Wait, aren’t you a Level 3? Why are you asking me?”
“Uh… I was just trying to test if you Level 2s might have seen it, since even a Level 3 like me couldn’t make it out…”
Hans was speechless.
Well then…
It had to be admitted; they had indeed underestimated this ‘girl’ earlier.
Indeed.
Nevertheless.
After exchanging a few glances, the guards swiftly devised a new strategy.
It was clear they were true elites. This time, having witnessed the undeniable disparity in strength, however unbelievable it seemed, they abandoned any notion of individual combat.
Instead, they opted for a war of attrition, employing a relentless ‘wheel’ tactic.
Bang!
Bang!
Indeed, it had to be acknowledged that this tactic proved remarkably effective. Even for Leya, facing so many Level 2 martial artists simultaneously was genuinely troublesome.
While individually they posed no threat to her, Leya simply couldn’t contend with their overwhelming numbers!
As time wore on, they even began to adapt, gradually developing a formation specifically designed to counter Leya. This formation effectively trapped her at its core, subjecting her to their continuous, rotating attacks.
It wasn’t that Leya feared them; far from it. What a jest! A Knight King who had once single-handedly crushed a vast empire would never find herself in such an embarrassing predicament on the battlefield.
Hmph!
If Leya truly wished, she could concentrate her power, breach a single point in their formation, and systematically dismantle them. The battle would be far easier then.
But…
Leya did not.
Only because she…
was enjoying herself!
Indeed! Up to this point, the battle had been exhilarating for Leya, invigorating her spirit and setting her blood ablaze.
As Saber, she reveled in a long-absent thrill, finding herself reluctant to end the fight too soon.
“Hey, if you’re not careful about what’s behind you…”
“…………”
‘Malt…’
‘So that was it. Leya had been wondering where he’d disappeared to.’
‘He had been lurking all this time, biding his moment to exploit her weaknesses.’
‘His strategy was quite sound, truly. Yet, as for its execution…’
‘Alas…’
Boom!
A surge of sword energy, imbued with immense magical power, swiftly coalesced under Leya’s command.
In the blink of an eye, it warped the very landscape, causing mountains to invert and sun and moon to dim.
It was, one might say, only a sliver away…
A mere fraction…
Less than three centimeters, in fact…
The sword energy had been on the verge of sending half of Malt’s body, along with a vanished section of earth—a dozen centimeters thick—to meet their maker.
“Well, then. Now… you’ve lost.”
“…………”