Chapter 264: Operation Rescue Geum Taeyang?

“Enemy!”“Enemy attack!”

“This is not a drill! This is not a drill!”

The soldiers, sleeping soundly in the temporary barracks, jumped up.

Half-asleep, they grabbed their equipment as trained and quickly rushed outside, but no one fully grasped the situation.

“What the hell! We haven’t even reached Isil, what enemy?”

“I don’t even see any sign of fire.”

“Does anyone know what’s going on?”

“There’s… there’s a woman!”

“A woman?”

It was completely unexpected. Everyone suspected the lookout had lost his mind.

However….

“Arm yourselves and get out there, now!”

The Centurion, returning to the outpost, shouted.

This made them even more puzzled.

There wasn’t a single Imperial soldier, their enemy, in sight.

Each soldier, harboring doubts, grabbed their weapons and went outside, preparing for battle.

Soon, as the lookout had said, their opponent was a single woman, and beneath her feet lay the corpses of the vanguard scattered haphazardly.

“What’s that woman doing…?”

“She’s beautiful.”

“Is she a celestial maiden?”

Celestial maiden.

Such an outlandish description seemed fitting for the beautiful swordswoman.

The woman, with her smooth legs and buttocks revealed by her white cheongsam, her long, flowing black hair tied and hanging down….

Far from being intimidated by the swarming soldiers, she overwhelmed them with her aura.

“Clear the way! And I will spare your lives.”

One versus 500.

No, the number of soldiers was still increasing, yet Gayeon’s words were neither bluff nor jest.

Everyone present instinctively realized it.

“If you don’t move… I will kill you all.”

“A-A Collapser.”

“It’s a Collapser! At a time like this, without the Hero…!”

“Don’t panic!”

The Commander, mounted on his horse, shouted.

“Don’t forget that the Hero entrusted this place to us. For the liberation of the gate!”

“For the liberation of the gate!”

“For the liberation of the gate!”

“The Hero’s power resides within us!”

“Resides within us!”

“Attack! There’s only one enemy!”

“!”

Without any warning, Gayeon’s sword flashed.

The strike of the world’s finest sword, capable of conquering a world, swept through the foot soldiers in an instant!

“I commend those who dodged that!”

If thirty soldiers were within her attack range, twenty-nine were killed by that single strike.

That’s how precise her attack was.

“Overwhelm her!”

“Now’s our chance!”

“Hmm!?”

However, Gayeon was taken aback by the unexpected situation.

At least eight survived.

‘These guys, they’re not just ordinary foot soldiers.’

In the first place, it was impossible for all thirty to jump into the domain of death.

From experience, Gayeon knew that with such a number, only about five would be brave, while the rest would be too intimidated to perform at their best.

But….

The soldiers were incredibly fast, their attacks were powerful, and their eyes were filled with conviction.

“Cecilia! They are strong. Don’t underestimate them!”

“Yes, Master!”

However, a few more survivors didn’t mean the soldiers could hold their own against Gayeon.

No matter how many spears they thrust from all directions, Gayeon brushed them aside as if they were nothing.

“Is this all you’ve got?”

Every time the moonlight reflected off her flashing sword, three, four, five heads fell….

Even the Commander gasped in admiration.

“Who is that woman?! Magnificent. Such superb swordsmanship! She’s a match for the Hero!”

Everyone watched Gayeon’s performance in a daze.

Some even craned their necks as if smitten by Gayeon, even at the moment of their decapitation.

It was astonishing that a woman wielding a sword could be so beautiful, but her exquisitely honed, ultimate swordsmanship captivated even her enemies’ hearts.

“To block my attack, not bad!”

“T-Tell me your name!”

“I have no name to give to the likes of you!”

Gayeon beheaded her enemies without hesitation.

But the soldiers kept coming as if they knew no fear.

They even resurrected after receiving fatal wounds, unless their necks were completely severed.

“What are these things?”

Gayeon thought it might have been difficult if she had come alone.

She had never felt that way before, no matter how many opponents she faced.

‘These guys are different. Are they well-trained? Or…….’

Gayeon turned her eyes towards the commander.

‘Should I take the enemy commander’s head?’

However, as expected, elite soldiers were densely packed around the commander.

Rushing in recklessly could be a suicidal move.

Normally, she would have jumped in without hesitation, but….

‘I trust those who came with me. I don’t have to struggle alone.’

Gayeon deflected the soldiers’ fierce attacks with elegant movements and collected their heads with clean counterattacks.

Meanwhile, Cecilia was pushing back the soldiers with a ferocious offensive.

“I have to save my brother!”

Cecilia toyed with the soldiers, wielding all sorts of weapons with ease.

At first, she boldly charged in with a kick!

As soon as she caught the soldiers’ attention, she pulled out a shield and crouched, then swiftly subdued them by stabbing their thighs with a spear hidden in her other hand.

Switching to her main weapon, her knuckles, she launched a swift counterattack, racking up achievements.

“Excellent movements, Cecilia!”

“Thank you, Master!”

Though they appeared to be cute kitty punches at first glance, when Cecilia infused them with killing intent and blood art, chunks of flesh were ripped away.

Even the indomitable soldiers couldn’t withstand vital hits, collapsing and unable to rise again.

Meanwhile, she moved swiftly using wind blood art, leaving almost no openings.

“Where’s my brother! Where is he! Answer me if you don’t want to get kitty punched!”

“Why would you look for your brother here?”

“Tch…! You look like you wouldn’t even last a single punch!”

“This is a 900 attack power kitty punch!”

One soldier, caught in Cecilia’s knuckle attack, collapsed with a reshaped face.

It was a brutally vicious attack, despite being packaged with the cute term ‘kitty.’

“Attack from behind!”

Cecilia reacted as if she had eyes in the back of her head.

Wild instincts and mana flow!

Although it wasn’t at the level of her master Gayeon, who “doesn’t even allow them within striking distance,” Cecilia fought head-on with a strategy of “overpowering anyone who enters her range.”

“Tch…!”

The Commander clicked his tongue, realizing the situation was taking an unexpected turn, despite thinking they could easily suppress them.

‘Assassins from the Empire? But something feels off.’

The Commander’s suspicion was natural.

The opponents were few. Not only did they choose a head-on confrontation despite having the advantage of a surprise attack, but they were also aggressively eliminating soldiers as if pressed for time.

They acted as if there was no room for negotiation from the start.

‘What in the….’

Gayeon’s group had no reason to spare the soldiers at the Hero’s camp.

After all, they were enemies of the Empire.

And since Gayeon’s group was certain that the “gate to the Dragon Kingdom” was located here, they were even more aggressive.

They swung their swords and fists as if they had nothing to lose.

Only the soldiers were dying.

However….

Gayeon and Cecilia gradually started showing signs of fatigue.

“Cecilia, fall back!”

“…. …. I can do more, Master!”

“I’ll leave you behind if you get even a scratch. Don’t push yourself and retreat!”

“…!”

At Gayeon’s threat, Cecilia suppressed her overflowing enthusiasm and temporarily withdrew from the battlefield.

The burden on the Sword Empress grew heavier, but she never made a mistake, even with accumulating fatigue.

Lightning struck. The Sword Empress’s fierce swordsmanship led all the soldiers to their deaths.

“!”

“!”

But the soldiers didn’t know yet. An even greater death awaited them.

“The investigation is complete.”

Seina appeared behind Gayeon, accompanied by special forces wielding rifles.

The soldiers, swarming like clouds, were instantly mowed down by a volley of gunfire!



It was a massacre.

“!”

“What is that?!”

Gayeon sheathed her sword and clicked her tongue.

“The Emperor’s secret weapon?”

“Yes, a weapon permitted only to a select few.”

“I would have killed them all with my sword even if you had left them alone.”

Perhaps because she was a swordswoman who dedicated her life to the sword?

Gayeon didn’t hide her displeasure towards guns.

“Is this the right place? I hope so, we’ve already raided four locations.”

“Yes, there’s a gate reaction inside the outpost. We’ll eliminate all of them.”

“!”

“That tight-fitting clothing… and strange mask…!”

“It’s the Princess!”

“Why is the Princess here?”

“Don’t panic! If we capture the Princess here, it’s… to our advantage! If we take that woman’s head, we win!”

Seina swung her scythe horizontally, and the Commander fell from his horse like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Commander!”

“The Commander is…!”

‘…What kind of technique is that?’

Even the Sword Empress was impressed.

“Surrender, or I will kill you.”

“W-We surrender!”

“I’ll stop fighting!”

“What are you doing? Aren’t you ashamed to face the Hero?!”

“Where is that Hero and what is he doing? How are we supposed to capture the Princess?!”

At Seina’s words, about half the soldiers dropped their weapons and knelt.

And….

The soldiers still prepared to fight were seized by black arms appearing from thin air and sucked into a dark void.

“N-No!”

“Let me go! No!”

“ I surrender, I surrender…!”

“!”

Three seconds.

Their life or death was decided by whether they surrendered within three seconds or not.

“With this much power… you could wage war alone, couldn’t you?”

Gayeon said.

“Yes, that’s why….”

Seina replied casually.

“I have been waging war alone.”

The Princess who supported the Millennial Empire.

Her combat abilities were unfathomable.

Looking at Seina’s back, the Sword Empress couldn’t help but think she wanted to fight her.

‘Is this the blood of a warrior…. I thought I had abandoned such reckless desires after conceiving a child.’

When she decided she had to kill someone who was in her way.

Seina’s attack power swelled to a level incomparable to when she was sparring.

Whether the opponent numbered in the tens or hundreds. It didn’t matter.

“Do you think it ends here?!”

But even Seina didn’t expect this.

That the Commander, whom she thought she had cleanly dealt with, would still be alive!

Seina hurriedly drew her scythe, but the Commander’s attack was faster. Gayeon intercepted the attack with her sword and was startled.

‘Strong. This man…!’

The sound of clashing metal echoed across the plains.

“Even if you kill me here! We will achieve our objective. Lackeys of the Demon King!”

“Tch!”

Realizing she was being pushed back by his strength, Gayeon gripped her sword with both hands.

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Their swords clashed, and at the moment their attacks collided again.

“I will take at least one of you with me!”

The man’s power seemed to transcend human limits.

Not only did he block Gayeon’s lightning-infused strike, but the subsequent shockwave that shook the ground surprised both Seina and Gayeon.

“!”

A truly desperate strike!

Gayeon twisted her body sideways at the last moment to deflect the attack, then slashed the man with all her might.

“That spirit… admirable, even for an enemy!”

As Gayeon severed his head, the Commander finally collapsed.

However, the trail of destruction, nearly 50 meters long, left on the ground by the Commander sent chills down their spines.

“Master! Ms. Seina! Are you alright?”

Cecilia rushed over.

“I’m fine, Cecilia.”

“I’m unharmed.”

“Are there dozens of these guys gathered at the enemy headquarters?”

“There will be more. According to my mother… they are superhumans who have broken their limits with the Hero’s power.”

“The Hero’s ability….”

「Hero’s March」

Intoxicated by the Hero’s charisma, even a grandpa on the brink of death transforms into a seasoned veteran.

It was a power that surprised even Seina, who had experience fighting the First Number.

“We don’t have time for this.”

Gayeon sheathed her sword and looked at the outpost.

“Let’s go to the Dragon District.”

“Yes, my brother will be anxiously waiting for us! He’ll be soaking his pillow with tears! He’ll hug us tightly.”

“…I doubt that troublemaker will be waiting for us so admirably….”

Seina seemed bothered by the previous fight.

“Are you staying in the Empire?”

“…Protecting the city has been my long-standing duty.”

Until now….

Nothing was more important to Seina than protecting her mother and the Empire.

That feeling remained the same.

However, she realized that she now had something she wanted to prioritize even more.

Gayeon quietly waited for Seina to make her decision.

She believed that the hesitation before making such a decision was a trial that one must face before taking flight.

“But I want to save Mr. Taeyang. I want to be praised, to be told I did well.”

Gayeon grinned.

“It might be dangerous without you? Imagine hundreds of those guys swarming the city. It’s a crisis even without the Hero.”

“That’s why… we must hurry even more. To overcome this crisis, we need Mr. Taeyang’s power.”

‘An unwavering, good spirit.’

“I also need to confirm Taeyang’s safety to feel at ease.”

“My brother needs me, his number one assistant!”

“Alright. The city… is a bit unsettling, but let’s leave it to that lazy fox.”

Seina couldn’t bring herself to say they were leaving it to Kyoka.

She believed that the moment they placed any expectations on that woman, it would be the end.

“I… trust Mother.”

Gayeon’s group entered the outpost.

“Where is it hidden?”

Seina gathered the special forces members who were on guard.

“Search this outpost for the gate.”

The special forces members dispersed.

Cecil and Gayeon also began their search.

“Ah! Here! I smell strange chemicals.”

“Where?”

“Beyond this wall….”

“Hmph, a suspicious warehouse blocked off with a metal plate without a door… I smell something fishy. Step aside! I’ll break it open with my sword.”

Gayeon obliterated the suspicious warehouse in one strike.

Even Seina was surprised by her decisiveness.

Inside, the gate to the Dragon Kingdom shimmered like a mirage.

“Let’s go!”

Gayeon jumped in without hesitation.

Cecilia followed.

“You all return and report to Mother….”

“What should we tell her?”

“First, ask her to request cooperation from the Water District and strengthen the north gate’s defenses.”

“Yes!”

Seina’s eyes wavered as she watched the special forces members leave.

She should be staying here to protect her mother….

‘Taeyang….’



Seina couldn’t bear the thought of him being in danger.

Even though Taeyang might dislike her for neglecting her duties.

Her priorities had become clear.

‘I’ll kill any dragon that gets in my way… and save you.’

Seina was the last to pass through the gate.