Chapter 131: Embattlement Sense

Howard stepped on the green grass with light footsteps and rushed over to Priscilla's side.

Ever since he got close to the A rank, his intuition had grown stronger to Ki Fluctuations in the air. Someone very powerful had begun to leave the tent encampment and seemed to be heading towards Priscilla's location. He dashed along the side of the mountain top, and jumped across a canyon before he landed a few feet from Priscilla's location.

He looked down and saw Jerold struggling to walk up a hill covered with dozens of cactus. What was that feeling? He looked down and saw a completely normal looking soldier with rather ordinary silver armor, however, the energy his body released seemed massive. 

'Does he not know he's strong?' Howard took a deep breath, 'Or am I feeling something else? What is that?"

Howard made a mistake that every other Horned would during their first time fighting against the Jarkales. Right now, General Lorklan had used his own form of Ki Projection to monitor Jerold's movement just incase an ambush had occurred. General Lorklan had spent years leading in different battles, but during that time had also developed impeccable strategies to defeat his foes. However, during his battles he'd also worked hard to acquire a powerful Embattlement Sense.

An Embattlement Sense was the ability to locate every single member of the Jarkales at once and subtly influence their decisions. It was something a Horned could only dream of. By using small Ki Projection's, he could sense the Ki Fluctuations of his soldiers that originated from their Ki Cells and influence them in multiple ways. If he wanted his men to run away, he could send a channel of Ki that directly affected their Ki Cells which scared them from continuing to battle.

Of course, only General Lorklan's Commanders were informed of this ability. General Lorklan had trust issues from the many times he'd been betrayed by soldiers that wanted his position. However, he also had confidence in the battle up ahead. He felt confident he could kill all of the Four Guardians by himself, let alone with his 9 commanders that served as part of his team.

He focused his attention on Jerold, and using his Embattlement Sense could sense the moving cactus and other forms moving in the distance. Luckily, it seemed that nothing bad happened.

'Ugh, I'm just worried for tomorrow, haha! It will be a good battle! They will either die, or we will win! There is nothing that can stop us, hahaha!"

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Howard followed a few hundred meters away from Jerold. His power seemed to keep growing and receding. It almost seemed like he kept turning this hidden power inside of him on and off.

'Priscilla is still over there! What is she doing?' Howard jumped across a cliff. In the darkness, all anyone would see from a distance is a blur being vaguely revealed by the moonlight. "Damn it! Come on Priscilla! Don't you sense his energy?"

Howard almost forgot that his Ki Sensitivity was something most people would learn in the A rank. He'd learned it mostly thanks to his difficult training, but also because of his ability to sense other's energy and use it according to his will. 

He was literally the only one in the Furnace in the last 1000 years that had this ability, but it also greatly helped him when learning higher level techniques! The reason he learned Ki Rejuvination so easily had to due with the fact he could feel Founder Arista's Ki in the air! When she tried to teach him teh technique a few weeks ago at Carelon Mountain Pass, it had been much easier because of this ability!

He took a deep breath and flipped over the ridge and finally saw Priscilla waiting by two bodies with her head peering over a small boulder. She had an extremely beautiful smile that seemed to have hints of starlight in them even with only the moon in the sky. At the same time, a bloodlust emitted from her while she slowly created an ice dagger in her left hand.

"One more step, and he's dead." Priscilla took a deep breath and imagined the perfect place to strike the incoming soldier in his armor. "Come on. Find your two teammates so we can make this easy."

Boom!

Out of no where, a large boulder fell from the cliff and landed right on Jerold's head. He immediately fainted a second later, passing out while seeing stars floating in the sky.

"We have to go! Something isn't right!" Howard grabbed Priscilla's hand. "There is someone terrifying here! If we stay, we're doomed!"

"He's not dead. Let me kill him first," Priscilla pulled her slender arm out of Howard's powerful grasp and created an ice spear. "We're miles away from their base, and there are cliffs. Killing that soldier will take just a brief moment."

###

General Lorklan nervously tapped his foot impatiently while he tried to decide what to do.

A minute ago, one of his weakest soldiers had gotten hit in the head with a boulder. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Jerold had been one of the weakest soldiers he ever had under his control, but he also had to be one of the hardest working. 

He never missed a single shift of work, and would probably be an extremely great general. He happened to be the only recruit that ever beat him in a strategy game. Too bad he didn't even look at his surroundings?

'Should I check on him. Should I not?!" General Lorklan took off his helmet and put it down on a large oak table. "That idiot! Ha, I should probably leave him here until after the battle."

General Lorklan had a beautiful painting on the wall of his tent of his great grandfather that had once conquered all ten Nations of the Furnace besides the Horned. He'd never been able to find a path through the Open Furance, so he always regretted not being able to fight the legendary Four Guardians. However, General Lorklan had finally done it! He'd finally put a spy in the West Mist Nation and found a way to follow them through the Furance!

Now, all he had to do is defeat the Horned and then the Varlen and Aresoul would fall! It was all right in his hands, but a single soldier was holding him up!

"I'll go check on him. If the boulder killed him, the least I can do is make sure no Authoritarian eats him,' General Lorklan scoffed and put on a black coat over his beautiful set of silver armor. "Let's go."