The sounds of battle finally fell silent.
At that moment, all eyes turned to the massive crater in the city center.
There......
A figure slowly stood up.
No other signs of life remained.
"We won......""Lord Leonagnus has won!""Long live Lord Leonagnus!""We’ve won!""......"
A thunderous cheer erupted from the Federal Army.
In stark contrast, the atmosphere on the Great Demon Mercenary Corps’ side was oppressively grim.
"Vice-Captain, what should we do now——"
"Vice-Captain——!!!""N-No! It’s a disaster!"
Before Bodis could finish asking Tanoklian for instructions, a subordinate came running in a panic.
Bodis frowned.
"What’s wrong? Why are you so flustered?!"
"I-It’s terrible......"
The out-of-breath subordinate replied,
"Vice-Captain, my lords...... The Grand Arena...... We’ve failed!"
"What did you say?! "
Bodis’ eyes turned cold.
"Explain clearly! What happened?!"
"I-I...... I don’t know exactly what went wrong. Many Powerhouses broke free from the poison mist, formed a punitive force, and counterattacked us. We couldn’t hold off so many strong fighters......"
"Our entire layout at the Grand Arena...... has collapsed. I was lucky to escape in time......"
"......"
The senior leaders of the Great Demon Mercenary Corps fell into complete silence.
Their last trump card was gone......
It meant their long-planned operation had ended in total failure.
"Vice-Captain......"
Several generals turned their gaze to Tanoklian.
Tanoklian lifted his cold eyes, glancing first at the Federal Army opposite, then at Monroe on the other side.
He lingered on Monroe for a few seconds before finally looking away.
Too many unexpected variables had derailed this operation.
The loss of the Grand Arena was one.
Leonagnus’ actual strength far exceeded their estimates was another.
And the most critical third— the root cause of the failure— was failing to detect Monroe, the top-tier Powerhouse who had unexpectedly stayed in Haelinx.
With these factors combined, the balance of power had been completely reversed. Even though many of their men were still scattered across the city, capable of causing chaos, it was nothing more than a trivial annoyance.
All was lost......
"This time......"
Staring at the Federal forces, Tanoklian spoke coldly,
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"you have won."
"But......"
Tanoklian turned around.
"This is not the end, but a beginning! We of Gulos will make a comeback."
With that, he left without hesitation. The rest of the Great Demon Mercenary Corps followed closely behind.
Watching the enemy depart openly and unchallenged, the Federal forces seethed with anger but could do nothing.
Haelinx could not withstand any more destruction......
"This is the true power of Rank A combatants......"
Hulim gazed up at the sky.
Everything there had settled.
"......It’s far beyond what I can achieve now......"
"But——"
She involuntarily tightened her grip on her wand, her eyes hardening with resolve.
One day, I will be as strong as them. And then——
I will surpass them!
......
Under an eave,
Monroe stood alone.
After the Great Demon Mercenary Corps left, he had jumped down from the rooftop— not onto Federal Avenue, but onto a side street.
His reason?
Naturally, to avoid being seen.
"Sigh——! Finally, they’re gone!"
Monroe let out a long breath, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
"That was way too close! I almost messed up!"
He held up his iron sword and flicked it lightly with his index finger.
Crack!
In an instant, the sword shattered into pieces on the ground.
"......"
In truth, the sword had been rendered useless after Monroe’s first swing upon entering the arena. He could never have swung it a second time!
And it went without saying— a swordsman without a sword was vastly inferior to one with a blade.
He had no doubt that if Tanoklian had realized his sword was useless, the man would not have been so amicable.
To put it bluntly, Monroe had been bluffing from the very start.
"Haha...... Lucky I managed to fool that guy!"
"Honestly, when he suddenly said ‘no need to put on such a show,’ it scared the hell out of me. I thought he’d seen through my bluff!"
"Well, I guess my acting isn’t half bad! Maybe I’m cut out for being an actor!"
After patting himself on the back, Monroe composed himself and left the side street, returning to Federal Avenue.
As soon as he arrived, he was greeted warmly by the Kings of the Federation......
"Lord Monroe! We owe you a great debt of gratitude today!""Without you here, not only Haelinx but the entire Indam Federation might have fallen!""We are truly thankful!""......"
"Mm-hmm-hmm! It’s nothing, nothing!"
Bombarded with praise, the corners of Monroe’s mouth curled up almost to his ears.
Getting carried away by the flattery, he struck a righteous and dignified pose.
"No need for such formalities, everyone. Defending the world’s safety is the sacred duty of the Sword Saint’s disciples! Today, these evil scoundrels have plunged the Federation into chaos— I could never stand idly by!"
"Truly worthy of being the Sword Saint’s disciple!""What noble righteousness! We are deeply ashamed!""Mm-hmm-hmm!"
"We originally planned to prepare rich gifts as a token of our appreciation!""But we never imagined Lord Monroe is such a man of noble character. Offering mere money would be utterly insincere!"
"I propose we build a square in Lord Monroe’s honor, to celebrate his heroic deeds!"
"Excellent! Let’s do it!"
"Mm-hmm...... Hmm? Rich gifts? Money??? "
Monroe froze.
"Wait, what you were saying about——"
"Lord Monroe, please don’t decline!""Celebrating a hero’s fame is a guiding light for the world. You must not be modest!"
"Uh, no...... What I mean is......"
"Rest assured! We will not only build a square but also erect a statue of you!""So that every citizen of Haelinx can gaze upon your noble face!"
Monroe’s expression darkened. He screamed inwardly.
What do I need a lousy statue for?! It can’t even be eaten!
I want money! Money!!! Please repay me in the usual way——!!!
My precious sword is still waiting for me to redeem it!
But the Federation Kings could not hear his inner cries.
"What I meant wasn’t about the square or anything...... Uh, actually, there’s something more important I need to take care of right away....."
"Something important to Lord Monroe?""Needs to be done immediately?"
The Federation Kings looked at Monroe in confusion.
Under their gaze, Monroe hesitated, trying to find a way to brazenly ask them to replace the honor with something more tangible.
But before he could think of an excuse,
someone in the crowd suddenly shouted:
"I understand! Truly worthy of Lord Monroe— what a righteous heart!"
"??? "
Monroe stared blankly at the man.
Understand what?
"Lord Monroe, the urgent matter you speak of must be the remaining Great Demon Mercenary Corps members causing chaos across the city! Truly noble— you value the suffering people more than honor!"
"??? "
Wha...... What?
Monroe was dumbfounded.
Is that what I was thinking?
Well, completely resolving the crisis is indeed important, but——
What was I originally going to say......
As Monroe’s mind went blank, the surrounding praise grew even more enthusiastic.
"So that’s it! We never imagined Lord Monroe is so compassionate!""Truly admirable!""We are still stuck in trivial thoughts of honor, while Lord Monroe cares deeply for the people. We are ashamed!""We are utterly convinced by Lord Monroe!"
"I propose we follow Lord Monroe and wipe out all evil in Haelinx!"
"All right!!!"
In an instant, the Federal Army’s morale soared.
And Monroe, still in a daze, was abruptly surrounded by the Federal forces.
With great momentum, they charged toward the low-level pawns of the mercenary corps— who were still wreaking havoc across the city, unaware they had been abandoned by their leaders.
After several hours of mopping up, all fighting in Haelinx finally came to an end......
"Huh??? "
Wait......
W-Where’s my reward?
My usual, tangible reward?!
......
