Hello everyone.

I've made a few changes to Chapter 15 elaborating on the current progress of the Revolutionary Army and changing up some numbers. There are some significant details, so check them out.

Chapter 16 - The Grand Grasslands

A temporary camp was set up 50 miles northwest of Lake Aether. The nine thousand men Imperial army settled into their temporary home in the middle of the grasslands. Inside the camp, a large tent stood tall and proud. This was the meeting tent where General Ogre met with the lieutenants and captains of his army. In fact, a meeting was currently taking place.

During the first battle, based on Sayo's suggestion, Ogre ordered the army to retreat in order to bait the Rebel Army inland. They retreated slowly while continuing combat, and by the time the sun set, they had already retreated a dozen miles. This repeated the following day, and by the end of the second day, they were already 50 miles from shore.

The leaders of the Imperial army met to discuss the second step of their plan. Inside the tent stood a large, round table, chairs and nothing else. A dozen men and women sat around the table, with Ogre sitting in the seat furthest from the entrance.

"Over the past two days, both sides have suffered around a thousand casualties. But this has a much larger effect on us than them." One of the lieutenants said.

"We should be more cautious. We need to take advantage of our cavalry to overcome the difference in numbers." Another added.

"How about we…" Ogre listened quietly to these useless comments. These people have absolutely no idea what they were talking about. At a glance, Ogre could tell at least a third of those inside the tent right now have no experience whatsoever and only managed to get to their spots based on connections. Having a meeting with these people was an absolute waste of time.

And Ogre refused to waste his time.

"Shut up. We will continue to retreat at our current pace. Be on guard during the night for sneak attacks. The group I've sent behind the Rebel army should be in position now. The enemy's large numbers mean they need provisions. Within 3 days, their army should begin to starve. The moment it seems like they are preparing to retreat, we will attack with full force." Ogre ordered. Several people inside the tent were making bitter expressions, but none of them opposed Ogre's decisions.

Ogre closed his eyes again and thought about the small group he sent deep into enemy territory. They better not mess this up.

"Don't mess this up!" Sayo shouted out orders to the few dozen imperial soldiers who were rushing around the small patch of forestry 5 miles northwest of Lake Aether. The forest wasn't dense and there was a lot of space to move around, but it provided just enough cover for the small platoon to hide from the sights of passer-bys.

"I want camp to be set up by sunset! We're going to be out here for three days at a minimum so make yourselves comfortable! Snipers! I want at least one of you to be staring at the sky at all times! If you let a single bird fly by I'll make sure you never hold a rifle ever again! Scouts! Be on the lookout for Rebel supply transports crossing the river and notify me immediately. Get to it!" Her voice resonated in the forest and reached the ears of every single one of 48 soldiers standing in front of her. They saluted in unison and rushed off to work. To her left, Ieyasu pouted.

"But I'm the leader here…" He grumbled. After 3 years of hard work, he finally reached a position where he could be cool and commanding, but Sayo always stole his thunder. Sayo rolled her eyes and poked his forehead with her index finger.

"I'll let you give out orders once you can recite the plan." She retorted. Ieyasu huffed. He knew the plan perfectly!

"We just have to intercept all the rebel supplies here right? Even I can remember that much." Sayo shook her head. That wasn't all.

If the rebel army or the city of Asgard discovers that there is a group intercepting their supplies, then the entire mission is a bust. The army will surely start retreating back towards the river and their small group of 30 men will be trapped between an eighteen thousand man army and the river. Or the Asgard will start sending hundreds of men to guard the supplies.

Thus, the group's objective is as follows. Intercept supplies. Intercept communication. Avoid detection. If they can manage this for three days, then they would be able to starve the rebel army for an entire day. If they attack then and there, their chances of victory would be significantly higher.

The Imperial Army's objective for this battle was not to annihilate the enemy but to delay their advancement. As of right now, the Empire was fighting 2 wars at once. One against the Northern Tribes, one against the Eastern country Archana. As such, they are having some trouble assembling a force sufficient to oppose the advancing Rebel army. Ogre's army was sent to delay the rebel's advancement so that the Empire would have time to assemble soldiers, or possibly reallocate soldiers from the other wars. If they fail here. It probably means execution for the people in charge of the army. That means Ogre and his Lieutenants.

"I won't let that happen." Sayo whispered. She has to take command of the operation so that even if it fails, she would be the one to take responsibility. She glanced at her precious friend and sighed at his pouting figure. It was at this time when a scout returned.

"Ma'am! We've spotted a large number of transport vehicles a mile from here heading in the direction of the rebel army!" He said urgently. Sayo grimaced. Right off the bat huh?

"Their numbers?" Sayo inquired.

"300 large carts filled to the brim with supplies. Around 200 men are with the carts. At their current pace, they should be stopping for rest 20 miles from here." Sayo crossed her arms and closed her eyes. If only they had some sort of poison on hand. If they could poison the first set and then intercept the rest, they could guarantee each and every rebel soldier would consume the poison.

Her eyes opened and she turned around.

"Ieyasu, go around and make sure everyone is doing their duty. Tell them to gather at the edge of the forest when the sun is just above the horizon. If you can do this properly, then I wouldn't mind letting you lead this important operation." Ieyasu's eyes lit up at the once in a lifetime offer.

"Thank you very much, Ma'am! I love you!" He exclaimed happily. Sayo sighed, doing her best to suppress the heat in her cheeks, and she made a 'shooing' motion with a hand. Ieyasu disappeared into the forest as Sayo ordered to scout to continue his job.

Sayo turned towards the woods and began wandering around aimlessly. Her eyes carefully scanned every nook and cranny. The wood was so small that it wasn't even marked on the map, and since it was in the middle of the grasslands, Sayo didn't expect to find what she was looking for. But since there was a small chance, she decided to look anyways.

As an old Imperial proverb went 'The Heavens will not forsake those who try.' After half an hour of searching, Sayo stopped. She knelt down by a patch of grass near the roots of a large tree. The tree's diameter was about 10 centimeters thicker than the other trees but was otherwise the same. Growing on that patch of grass were small plants. Their stems were, on average, 10 centimeters long. At the top, bright scarlet berries the size of marbles laid on a plate of large, wide leaves like red pearls on a green plate.

Sayo picked the berries and brought them up to her nose. A sweet, natural aroma tickled her nose and she nodded with a small frown. She plucked one of the plants from their roots and headed back to the camp.

Those berries, in her eyes, were droplets of blood. The same ones that would riddle the grasslands 3 days from now.

In the middle of the grasslands, near a small hill, sat a large circle consisting of 300 transport carriages and 200 men. The transport carriages were parked at the base of the hill. The rebel soldiers set up their camp on the flat areas around the carriage. This left the carriages exposed to the hill, but there was no way enemies could climb up the hill without the patrols noticing.

Sayo observed the camp through her telescope and nodded. She turned to Ieyasu and gave him a thumbs up. Ieyasu grinned and stood up.

"We will move according to Sayo's plan. Group A, don't get caught. Group B, don't die! Retreat towards the designated hills if they keep chasing! Sayo and I will be waiting there." Ieyasu ordered. His voice was rather loud for how late at night it was, but since this was more or less a pep talk, Sayo didn't stop him.

"The battle depends on us. Show them what you're made of!" The group let out a quiet cheer and they split off into their groups.

Inside the rebel encampment, the captain in charge of transporting the supplies to the front lines was resting quietly in his tent. He was a young man in his early twenties. His hair was long enough to reach his neck and his bangs covered most of his forehead. He was abruptly awoken by a soldier who barged in. He rubbed his eyes and glared annoyedly at the soldier.

"Captain Ichiav! A group of forty or so are heading towards us!" The annoyance disappeared from Ichiav's face, instead replaced by surprise. But the annoyed look quickly returned.

"Was it necessary to wake me up? It's just forty people. We have 5 times their numbers. Grab whoever is awake and repel them." Ichiav replied in exhasperation. The soldier frowned slightly at Ichiav's dismissal of the issue, but he didn't argue against his superior and disappeared from the tent.

Ichiav was a competent soldier. His ability to make decisions based on the situation was proficient and his combat ability was above average. The only thing he really lacked was experience, as seen with his attitude towards a small group of attackers even though their identity, purpose, combat poweress were all unknown.

The rebel soldiers gathered at the edge of the camp on the opposite side of the supply carts. In the darkness, they had to narrow their eyes and really concentrate to make out the small group of shadows that was slowly closing in on them. Out of the 200 men in the camp, only 130 were awake and all of them were gathered to repel the attack.

Finally, the attackers stepped into the light produced by the torches the rebels were holding. Their imperial army uniform caused sneers to appear on the faces of the rebels. Ichiav narrowed his eyes at the situation, as the two group clashed. A frontal attack? Are they idiots or is something else going on?

He turned his eyes away from the battle and scanned his surroundings, but nothing stood out to him. He turned his attention back to the group 40 men, scrutinizing them. Maybe they have some sort of secret weapon or heavy machinery? But he saw nothing out of the ordinary. The battle was heavily in their favor, and soon, the shouts of the attackers reached his ears.

"Tch, there's more of them than reported! Retreat! Retreat!" After that, the Imperial soldiers began backing off. Ichiav scoffed and shook his head.

"Do not pursue them! They might be trying to lead us into a trap. Stay on guard for the rest of the night! We will leave as soon as the sun rises!" He ordered before letting out a large yawn. "Guess I'll go back to sleep." He mumbled.

As he turned around, he thought he saw something moving quickly over the hill. He shook his head. I'm too tired for this.

Morning came and another battle began between the two armies on the lush green Grand Grasslands. The Imperial army launched a preemptive strike, attacking the rebels before they were ready to respond. As soon as the rebels began reorganizing, the Imperial Army began retreating at a slow pace.

The commander of the rebel army was a tall man in his early forties. His reddish-brown hair was cut extremely short and it trailed down to his stubby beard. His face was toned and mature. At a glance, one could tell he was an experienced warrior.

"General Gerald, the enemy is retreating again." Gerald frowned. The enemy has been dragging them mile by mile away from the river. At a certain point, the time it takes to deliver supplies will be longer than the time it takes to use up all the supplies.

There is a chance that the enemy will send troops behind and attempt a pincer but with their current numbers, that wouldn't be an effective method. But it's better to be cautious.

"Transmit my message to the army. Continue pursuit but be on the lookout for traps and enemy units hiding behind hills or forests. Have the scouts survey for enemy detachments attempting to loop around our army." Gerald ordered. The messenger lowered his head in assent and left to deliver the message to the different platoon leaders.

For now, pursuing the enemy is still heavily beneficial for their army. For every casualty they trade, the Revolutionary army gains a small advantage. The only thing they have to be wary of is supplies. If there's any sign that the supply line is being disrupted, that's when Gerald will stop their advancement until Asgard is ready to begin a large scale invasion on the Grand Grassland.

Gerald's main goal was to establish a foothold in the Grand Grasslands by taking Sakustein, but his biggest priority was to keep his men alive. Against an army half the size, he wanted to push his advantage.

The battle continued late into the afternoon and Gerald's army advanced more than 20 miles. That's when Gerald decided to stop and set up camp. If the rebel's don't want to follow, the Imperial Army honestly can't do anything about it. The sun had just lowered beyond the horizon when the 300 carts of supplies arrived in the camp.

"Captain Ichiav, good work." Gerald greeted. Ichiav saluted and thanked Gerald. "Was there any trouble on the way here?" Gerald inquired.

"Yes. Last night, we were attacked by a group of forty imperial soldiers." Gerald narrowed his eyes. "We were able to repel them without trouble. They appeared to have underestimated our numbers and retreated in a rush. We've checked all the supplies and found nothing out of the ordinary." Gerald scratched his stubby chin.

It seems the Imperial's have sent a detachment force behind us. But there's no way our scouts would overlook a group larger than 500 men. A force that small isn't nearly enough to threaten our numbers with a pincer. That must mean they are aiming for our supplies. But then why would they let the supplies through?

Gerald noticed Ichiav was still standing, waiting for his orders. He asked Ichiav to explain everything that had happened, without leaving out a single detail. Ichiav recounted the attack and it only confused Gerald more. He dismissed the captain and headed back to his private tent.

It was a large tent with enough space to fit 4 bunk-beds. Inside, there was a single portable bed, a chair, and a table. On the table laid a large map of the Grand Grasslands and a bowl full of thumbtacks. There was also a thin stack of parchment paper, ink and, a pen.

He pinned down the position where Ichiav was attacked and carefully scrutinized the map. Currently, there wasn't enough information, but it's better to be cautious. The Imperial's clearly have a plan, and it was Geralds job to destroy that plan.

He took out a small piece of parchment paper and wrote a quick letter requesting Asgard to upgrade the guard for the supplies. He handed the letter to a soldier outside and simultaneously ordered him to transmit a message to Ichiav. Ichiav was to lead his troops to survey the area where they were attacked and eliminate all threats.

Gerald stared in the direction of the message tent. Soon, a large, eagle-like danger beast flew out and into the distant skies, towards Asgard. After confirming the message was sent, he went back into his tent.

He'll destroy the seeds before they even have the chance to be planted.

"Hmm… It seems the rebel's commander is more cautious than I thought. This is troubling." Sayo mumbled as she read the letter that was retrieved from a message delivery danger-beast her snipers had shot out of the sky.

Sayo was truly glad she had requested Ogre to put 3 snipers on the team. If this message had gotten through, stopping the next group would've been a lot harder.

"Ieyasu, prepare the troops for an ambush in the afternoon tomorrow." She said. Ieyasu was a bit confused.

"For who? The next batch of supplies isn't going to be passing by until the day after tomorrow." Sayo handed him the letter in her hands. He scanned through it and his eyes widened.

"Wow, even after the lengths we went through to act as if we aren't strong enough to stop them, they still ordered for security to be increased? This commander guy is pretty smart." Ieyasu commented. The previous night, group A was assigned to attack the rebel camp from the front, then retreat while spouting lines that would make it seem that their defeat was caused by misinformation. This way, the rebel's would underestimate their strength and dismiss any suspicions they would have. On the other hand, group B…

"The letter wasn't to request a new batch of supplies to be delivered immediately, therefore we can safely assume they aren't suspecting we did something to their supplies." Sayo pointed out. The true colors of her plan would only appear on the day of the battle. Ieyasu scratched his head while scrutinizing the letter.

"But I still can't figure out who we're supposed to fight." He mumbled. Sayo raised her index finger and poked Ieyasu's head.

"Listen carefully, you dimwit. A cautious man like the enemy commander who raised his guard against an attack that clearly failed wouldn't just leave us alone. We can safely assume a few hundred men are on their way right now to eliminate us." Sayo lectured.

"In order to succeed on the battlefield, you must be able to think like the enemy and make predictions. Acting based on those predictions is what wins battles. If you want to be a general or a commander, you have to learn tactics. Got it?" Ieyasu made a difficult face and nodded slowly. Basically, because the enemy is trying to ensure their supplies safely reach the army, the would send people to eliminate the threat. It was hard to connect that many dots, but...

"I'll try my best." Sayo nodded and smiled. Ever since they were young, Ieyasu had always been slow when it came to using his brain. Worst of all, he was stubborn as hell and refused to listen. But as he grew up, he's become more obedient.

"I'll be relying on you to deal with the enemies tonight Ieyasu. We only have 48 men, and I'm expecting at least 200 enemies. Show them what you can do."

Ieyasu smiled brightly and patted his chest.

"Leave it to me!"

Night fell on the forest where Ieyasu's squad was stationed. The normal patch of forestry that existed during day transformed into a place that reeked of danger and death. Every time the wind blew by, the rustling of the leaves that could be heard but not seen sent chills down the rebel soldiers who stopped at the edge of the forest.

"This place seems the most likely." Ichiav said to himself. If it's a place revolutionary troops could hide near the area where they were attacked, this forest was probably the only one. Just to be safe, they did search the hills around the area, but found nothing.

He turned towards his 200 men that were assigned to guard the supplies, who were waiting in formation behind him. "There are no lights in the forest, so it is likely the enemy is ready in ambush. Split into groups of 20 and have four torches per group. Stick close and guard one another's backs. If you hear the shouts or sounds of combat, head in that direction immediately." He ordered. The soldiers began separating into groups and the torches were being passed around. Once they settled into their groups, Ichiav assigned 2 groups to guard the perimeter for enemies that try to escape.

He himself led one of the 8 remaining groups and turned to face the forest.

"Don't let a single one leave here alive!" The soldiers behind him cheered and they slowly ventured into the unknown. After they entered the forest, they split off into two waves. The first four groups would head in first, each in a different direction. The remaining four groups would leave after 5 minutes. This ensures every group would have at least one other group ready as support at all times.

It was a solid plan that covered every opening the groups may have. But in the end, Ichiav was too naive.

Ichiav and his group headed straight towards the center of the forest as part of the first wave. They walked slowly, carefully scrutinizing their surroundings with their guard up. Time crawled by. Ichiav honestly couldn't tell how long they've been at it for nor how deep into the forest they were. But they continued forward nonetheless. Each time a bush rustled, they turned their weapons towards it. Every time the wind caused the trees to sway, they would stop in place until the sounds disappeared.

Their breathing was quiet, but the tension caused anxiety to build up in their chest endlessly. They became more jumpy with every step, their heart rate increased gradually. The worst part was that they did not know how many enemies were out there, or if there were any at all. A wise tactician once said - 'Men fear the unknown more than they fear danger.'

Whether the screams that filled the air was a blessing or a curse, no one could say. Everyone within Ichiav's group snapped towards the direction the screams came from and he quickly ordered them to head in that direction. They ran at a hurried pace, running towards the faint torchlight that was far off into the distance. The torchlight flickered, indicating movement. Maybe they were fighting something, maybe they were running away.

But when Ichiav's group reached that spot, they found nothing but a dim torch laying abandoned on the forest floor. No enemies in sight. No allies either. There were bloodstains on the brown bark of nearby trees. They were fresh and vibrant, trickling down the surfaces and splattered all over. Yet there was not a single body nearby.

Beads of sweat rolled down the soldiers' foreheads. Without a single word from Ichiav, they began searching the surroundings for enemies, poking their spear into bushes and trying to find trails of blood that may lead them to something. Anything. But they found nothing.

The mysteriousness of the situation was psychologically terrifying for the soldiers. Each of them could hear their own heartbeat constantly as they tried to figure out what just happened to their 20 comrades.

And they wished it would stop.

They were at the end of their ropes when a loud whistle sound filled the air. It started at a very high pitch, but the pitch lowered over 2 octaves over the course of a few seconds, ending with a loud pop. At the same time, shouts echoed through the forest. This time, from two different directions.

"Captain! What do we do?!" A soldier yelled hysterically. Ichiav gritted his teeth and waved his hand.

"Head to assist one group! The others should have reinforcements in their area!" He yelled. They rushed through the forest as a unit. They had unconsciously abandoned their cautiousness, hoping to catch a glimpse of the enemy and regain some peace of mind. It was this desperate mentality that led them straight into a trap.

They saw a light shining within the forest. Assuming it was the torchlight held by their comrades, they rushed towards the source.

What awaited them was a glowing plate. It was a rectangular prism, around two centimeters thick, covering the same area as the torso of an adult male. It glowed with a holy presence, shining white with a yellow tinge. The soldiers were enamored by its mystifying appearance and found themselves losing strength as they stared.

Where the light shines, the darkness lurks.

Ichiav felt something wrap around his legs and he slowly looked down. His legs, which should've been lit up by the glowing plate, was dyed darker than the forest. His dumbfounded gaze trailed along the black sludge and saw that he wasn't the only one who's been immobilized.

All of his 20 comrades were all in the same situation. Some had noticed and were staring at the thing hugging their legs, others were still staring at the glowing plate. Regardless, they all release screams at the same time as their legs were skewered by black needles.

The pain that assaulted them from the legs up was unbearable. Several fainted on the spot, but Ichiav held on. He shakily raised his sword and swung down on the black sludge. But it was like trying to cut mud with a stick. It was a pointless gesture that accomplished nothing, His vision blurred and his knees gave out. His body slumped into the sludge. Just before his consciousness was consumed by the black sludge, he heard a woman's voice.

"Don't kill them all. We need to get information from them." Soon after, the sludge surrounding his body retracted away and he was swallowed by the darkness.

"This is the second group we've taken care of. Do you think the others are okay?" Ieyasu asked as he retrieved Noire, returning it to its solidified form wrapped around his spear. Sayo dimmed the light produced by Bkulians so that they wouldn't be detected while responding half-heartedly.

"Shouldn't they be fine? Your plan was pretty solid." Ieyasu grinned a bit and rubbed the back of his head. Sayo watched with a small smile and she thought back to Ieyasu's reaction this afternoon when she told him she'd leave the battle plan up to him.

"I'll be relying on you to deal with the enemies tonight Ieyasu. We only have 48 men, and I'm expecting at least 200 enemies. Show them what you can do."

Ieyasu smiled brightly and patted his chest.

"Leave it to me!" Sayo nodded.

"Alright. I'll leave it all to you. So? Do you have any ideas for a plan?" Ieyasu froze. The wind blew by at the perfect moment. His face perfectly portrayed his thoughts, which he spoke out loud.

"Eh? EH?! I-Isn't that your job?!" Sayo tilted her head as if to say 'I have no idea what you're talking about'.

"Since when was it my job to come up with the plan? You're the leader here. That's your job." Ieyasu was speechless. His mouth opened and closed, trying to find some counter-argument. Him? Coming up with a battle plan? The last time he tried to play chess he lost to a 7-year-old! Within 20 turns! Afterward, the kid gave Ieyasu a pitying look that he didn't know a child could make. It was traumatizing.

"But there's no way I can come up with a better plan than you Sayo! You just scolded me and called me a dimwit didn't you?!" He exclaimed. Sayo gave him a deadpan stare.

"Didn't I also just tell you that you need to learn how to think tactics? The best way for you to learn is to put it into practice. Now stop complaining and start thinking." Ieyasu knew by the tone of Sayo's voice, there was no way she would back down. In fact, he knew that if he didn't at least try, Sayo was fully ready to throw their 48 man squad into a battle without a plan at all.

He fell onto his butt and crossed his legs. He bent forward, resting his chin on the palm of his right hand with his arm propped up on his right thigh. He closed his eyes and thought. Sayo knelt down beside him in a perfect seiza. She quietly watched Ieyasu's face, which was scrunched up in thought.

A small smile graced her beautiful features like a blooming flower. The two of them were currently a ways away from the others, who were busy performing their assigned duty. Be it on patrol, on hunting duty, or on the lookout. And so, they were left alone in a serene forest, surrounded by the sounds of nature.

Sayo took the time to observe her childhood friend. She's noticed this a lot recently, but he's truly grown up. His childish and naive looks were gone. He's gained control over his once impulsive behavior, and recently, he's been thinking before doing more often. His shallow patience and lack of control over his emotions were still concerning, but Sayo believed that those weren't necessarily bad things.

If Ieyasu transformed into a cunning, calm and cold person, Sayo wouldn't know how to deal with it.

'In the end, Ieyasu has to be childish. And to the end, I will have to take care of him.'

His eyes opened and he turned to Sayo with a bright smile.

"I have a plan, Sayo!" Sayo's smile disappeared and challenging smirk showed up in its place.

"Let's hear it." Ieyasu began to energetically explain his plan.

"First of all, if I were the enemy, I would split my troops up into groups so I could search the forest faster. So we set up traps throughout the forest and wait for them to come. We ambush the groups one at a time until they are all gone!" To say Sayo was shocked was an understatement. She was fully expecting something along the lines of 'We attack them from the front!' or 'We'll attack them from behind!'.

Although it was by no means a fleshed out plan, it had the right idea. In order to face an enemy who has more troops, the best tactic is to ambush them. Attack from the shadows and take them by surprise. Wear them down physically and mentally. Chip at their numbers until it becomes insignificant. Till this extent, Ieyasu was right on the mark.

Sayo smiled happily and seeing that, Ieyasu felt his heart thumping inside his chest. Whether it was because he was nervous or for a completely different reason, he did not know.

"What if the enemy splits up their groups so that they can help each other on a moments notice? How would you deal with that?" Sayo asked. Ieyasu frowned and scratched his head.

Sayo didn't plan on handing him the answers. She would lead him by the nose until he arrives at the destination on his own.

"Umm… how about we…"

Ieyasu came up with a possible answer to Sayo's question. Then, she would pose a new question or point out a hole in his answer. Ieyasu, having been sent right back to where he started, would sit and think until he came up with a new answer. This process repeated itself over the course of hours until finally, Sayo gave her approval.

His plan was a simple one. He split his 48 men into groups of 24 and sent them to opposite ends of the forest. They set up traps in specific places and set up an ambush a distance away from that area. Sayo and Ieyasu were their own group, and they would be the first to strike.

First, Sayo and Ieyasu would strike down one group by baiting them with Sayo's Bkulians and immobilize them with Ieyasu's Noire. , they would set off a flare to signal the other two groups to start their attacks. Their troops in ambush would attack and drag the enemy towards the area where they've set up traps.

If the enemy splits their troops into larger groups, this would be the most efficient way of dealing with them. Ichiav, who split his troops into smaller groups, made this plan even more effective as each Imperial group had an easier time dealing with fewer enemies.

It was simple, but it was really effective.

Sayo giggled when she remembered Ieyasu's face when she told him that this process was something he would have to go through every single time he needed to come up with a battle plan. Ieyasu felt a chill run down his spine at the sound of her giggle and shivered.

"What's so funny?" Ieyasu asked. Sayo covered her mouth and shook her head.

"No, it's nothing. We should go help the other groups."

They met up with their nearest allies. The rebels entered the forest from the north side. The two separated ambush teams had set up their traps near the east and west edges of the forest. Sayo and Ieyasu found several dozen bodies skewered in pits, riddled with arrows, and beheaded when they arrived at the scene.

They heard the sound of battle and quickly rushed to reinforce their allies, who were fighting against a rebel group that had come to help their allies. They quickly dealt with the rebel soldiers and together, they swept through the forest and dealt with any remaining groups and the rebels guarding the border of the forest.

Not a single rebel escaped, but at the same time, Ieyasu lost 18 comrades. The group they were unable to assist unfortunately were unable to finish the first group of rebels before the second group arrived. They managed to hold out until Sayo and Ieyasu led the others to save them, but they suffered over a dozen casualties.

After hearing the damage reports, Ieyasu felt as if his shoulder suddenly got heavier. His posture slumped slightly as he fought against the weight. Even though it was a complete victory for them, he felt a crushing sense of defeat.

It was his plan. It was his responsibility. He was the one that let 18 comrades die. His fists were clenched white, his face held an ugly grimace. Sayo knew from a glance what he was thinking and sighed, but didn't move to comfort him or reassure him.

She knew he'll get over it on his own. He had to. Compared to what he'll have to face in the future, this was nothing but him tripping his own feet. The mountain he'll have to climb far off in the future will not wait for him.

Of the 200 enemy soldiers, including their leader, only 12 soldiers were captured alive. They were tortured for information. Using knives and sword, the imperials scraped off their skin and beat them until they lost consciousness, only to wake them up forcefully with more pain.

Many rebel's bravely committed suicide and the others refused to speak no matter what. Only one, a young man in his early 20s, couldn't handle the pain and spilled out the date the next shipment was scheduled to leave Asgard and its exact route. Every single one of them was executed deep in the forest. Then, the ambush group set their eyes on the next set of supplies.

General Gerald bore a rare face of frustration. He paced around the Rebel camp, observing the chaotic situation that had engulfed their army. He barked out orders to all the leaders who could still stand and spoke words of reassurance to the large population that couldn't.

At the present time, thousands of soldiers were groaning inside their tents. Their faces were pale from the constant pain that had been assaulting them for an entire day now, their hands pressed tightly against their abdomen in a futile attempt to ease the feeling of a thousand needles constantly drilling into their nerves.

The medical staff were rushing around, beads of sweat rolling down their exhausted faces as they attempted to figure out just what was causing it and where it came from.

Gerald, on the other hand, had a guess. Ichiav! That fool! I'll have him stripped of his position the next time I see him. The only explanation he could think of for his army's situation was the supplies that Ichiav brought. The food was poisoned without Ichiav's knowledge, probably during the random attack that occurred the night during their journey.

The poison was currently affecting around 40 percent of their army. In other words, of their 16 thousand men, only around 9 thousand were able to stand and fight. The rest had been going without food for a day and a half. Gerald had stopped any consumption of food to prevent more victims from appearing, at least until they could figure out what was going on.

The moral of the hungry soldiers who were forced to listen to their comrades groan day and night was dropping at a terrifying rate. Worst of all, Gerald couldn't call for a retreat. They had no way of transporting such a large number of immobile soldiers, and the Imperial army would attack as soon as they see them retreating.

Gerald could do nothing but clench his teeth and hope the enemy doesn't realize the state the rebels were in until the medics find a way to cure the ailment.

But the bad news didn't end there. The scorching sun was directly above his head when a large group of 200 men rushed to their base. A messenger was sent, who knelt before Gerald with a face that was a perfect mix of fear and regret.

"General Gerald! Our shipment of supplies has been sabotaged!" He said. Gerald felt fire rising in his chest. His head was clouded by anger for just a moment and he shouted out two words that sent the messenger tumbling back onto his butt.

"YOU IMBECILES!"

According to the messenger, on the previous night, the escort squad was camping in an open area on the grasslands. The night was darker than usual due to the clouds that blocked out the moonlight. Yet in the darkness, their torches were not the only source of light. From the darkness, dozens of small flames appeared.

The soldiers on guard duty spotted the flames in the darkness instantly and immediately took action to wake up their comrades, but it was already too late. A hail of flaming arrows rained down on them. More specifically, the supplies they had piled up on one side of the camp.

The two hundred soldiers split into two groups. One group that desperately tried to put out the fire, the other that rushed to stop the attackers. The attackers quickly fled, but the damage was done. Half of their shipment was burnt to a crisp. The supply of fresh water that was to be delivered was half depleted in order to put out the fire.

But that was not all. Hours later, the attackers returned and struck with the same tactic. The remaining supplies after two attacks were barely enough to feed 2000 soldiers for a single day.

Gerald wanted to smack someone across the face, but he endured with all his might.

"You! Take your squad and 500 men from our army and head to eliminate the ambushers immediately!" Ichiav either abandoned his duty to deal with the imperial troops that ambushed them, or he's currently six feet under. Either way, Gerald will make sure that not a single one of them lives for another day.

What he didn't know was that Sayo and Ieyasu had already accomplished their mission, and was currently retreating along the Grand Canal towards the Imperial army. In his rare anger and desperation, he sent away valuable troops to deal with an enemy that was no longer there.

Gerald headed back into his tent and scratched his beard to the point his skin was starting to peel off. It was a bad habit of his when he stressed. Extremely stressed. He stared at his map, thinking through all his options and what course of action would result in the best outcome.

The only conclusion he could arrive at was…

"Order a retreat. Discreetly send those who are immobile first. The rest will follow with only their weapons and armor. We will leave everything else behind. Transmit this message to all captains immediately." The messenger listened to his commander's orders and winced at his tone as if someone was twisting his arm.

Gerald was a competent man and a great leader. He treated his troops with kindness and his soldiers knew him well. To hear the man they respected sound so defeated, it made the messenger's chest hurt. He quietly bowed his head and exited the tent.

He tried his best to ignore the sound of a fist slamming into a table that resounded behind him and prayed to the sky that his commander's day would improve, even if its a little.

When a person hits rock bottom, the road ahead can only go up.

But sadly, what was ahead of Gerald was a cliff that extended endlessly downward.

A small note reached General Ogre, delivered by a messenger bird he had handed to Sayo and Ieyasu before the departed behind enemy lines. On the note, a few words were scribbled roughly.

"Mission accomplished. Attack at any time."

Immediately, Ogre ordered his commanding officers to prepare the troops for a large scale assault on the enemy base. Several were doubtful of his orders, but they didn't dare go against it. Their 8 thousand man army mobilized quickly and began marching towards the Rebel camp several miles away.

On their way there, their scouts reported that thousands of rebels were being transported out of the camp towards the city of Asgard. A large grin filled with confidence appeared on General Ogre. He stopped his army for a moment and began to rally them.

"The rebel's who dare stand up against our glorious empire had been struck down by my lieutenant and his captain! We, who stood up equally against an army double our size, now face a weakened group of barbarians who can barely stay on their feet! We no longer need to hesitate or bear the shame of retreat! Strike them down! Leave not a single one alive! Engrave our victory into the body of the rebel scum!"

The thunderous roar spread across the Grand Grasslands. Miles down the line, Gerald felt a terrible premonition. Soon after, his scouts reported the mobilization of the Imperial Army.

Unable to escape the inevitable, he took command of his troops and stood their grounds outside their camp.

At the very least, they will keep the sick and injured alive.

100 miles northwest of Lake Aether, the 8 thousand men Imperial army slowly closed in on the exhausted, weakened rebel army of 9 thousand troops. High above in the sky, Tatsumi watched this with beads of sweat rolling down his face.

"Whew… I made it in time." He muttered to himself. 500 miles was a long distance to travel in only 5 days. Most of the distance he had to travel on a horse. He pushed it so hard that it collapsed on the third day. With only 150 miles left, he decided to just run. He was a bit tired, but it was nothing that would hinder his movements.

He was already late according to Yoshiro's predictions, but luckily, his predictions were slightly off.

He was currently standing in mid-air a few miles up in the air. If a passerby happened to look up, no doubt they'd dismiss him as an oddly shaped bird or an optical illusion of some sort.

Tatsumi has two different abilities that grant him the power to fly through the air. First was the one he unconsciously used minutes after obtaining Shinatsuhiko. This ability allowed him to stand on thin air as if he was standing on some invisible platform. He honestly didn't know how it worked, but he decided not to think too much about it.

After some experimenting, he learned that he was also able to create footholds in the air at odd angles too. If he wanted to quickly accelerate horizontally, he could pretend there was an invisible wall and that would allow him to create a vertical foothold. In high-speed combat, this allowed him to really change up his three-dimensional movement.

The other ability was something that allowed him to fly without wings. He could accelerate and decelerate at will in all directions, but he couldn't rapidly change his direction. This method took a lot more concentration, but it took less physical energy and was much faster in the long run.

When he first tested it out, he almost crashed into a tree because the dust and snow flying into his eyes blinded him. Eventually, he got over this obstacle by either consciously splitting the air in front of him, or by flying with his eyes closed and using his sixth sense.

Using both abilities in conjunction took a lot of time to get used to, but after practicing with Shinatsuhiko for 7 years, it's become second nature for Tatsumi.

He was currently around five miles horizontally away from the battlefield, putting him in a good position to observe the battlefield. This was a distance he could cover in a few minutes anyway. He leaned back and closed his eyes. His sixth sense expanded outwards and he snapped his eyes open. A thumping pain was striking at his head and he felt nauseated.

"I guess five miles is a bit of a stretch huh?" He mumbled to himself while massaging his head. The amount of information that entered his mind was too much for his brain to process and it caused a terrible headache.

Even though his sixth sense was incredibly convenient, the biggest issue was that he couldn't change how detailed the information was. Whatever the wind touched, he knew. He sighed after the nausea faded a bit.

If only I could at least pick the ar...e...a… His eyes widened. When you focus your vision on an object, your mind unconsciously ignores all other information to limit the amount of information it needed to process. If that's the case, then why couldn't he do it with his sixth sense?

Tatsumi closed his eyes once again and expanded his sense outwards, doing his best to ignore the sensation of someone swinging a hammer at his brain. One the area was sufficient, he focused his attention to the smaller area where the armies were. Like a spotlight sweeping across the floor, he scanned the armies area by area. Without him knowing it, the pain had eased and faded.

He searched the battlefield, looking for his target. His target…

His eyes opened slowly and a dumbfounded look took over.

A crow squawked 5 consecutive times as it flew by.

"Ah. I don't know what Ogre looks like." He scratched his head, feeling embarrassed even though he was all alone a few miles high in the air. A flock of geese passed overhead. Tatsumi sword he felt deadpan gazes from them.

He crossed his arms. What will he do now? It wasn't difficult to identify commanding officers, since they were all on horses in order to raise their vantage point. But he didn't know Ogre's conduct as a commander. Was he the type to stay in the back to bark out orders? Or was he the type that fought alongside his soldiers on the front lines?

If he attacked them one by one, he ran the risk of losing the element of surprise. The longer he fought, the lower his chance of success. Tatsumi's original plan was sniping the target from a kilometer away using Shinatsuhiko, but he couldn't do that without knowing who the target was.

As he was pondering this dilemma, the battle had begun.

The 9 thousand soldiers of the defending Rebel army stood in 9 separate thousand man square formations. Five legions were positioned on the front lines, forming a curve over the span of a mile. The remaining four legions were stationed behind them in a linear line.

On the other hand, the 8 thousand Imperial troops were marching with their men split up into 7 groups. Six of the groups contained, in total, seven thousand infantry marching in a two column, six-row formation. This was the main body of the army. The remaining one thousand cavalries were split into two divisions of five hundred, stationed on both sides of the main body.

As the two armies met, the Rebel legions in the front row moved to surround the Imperial troops. In response, the Imperial troops in the second row moved to intercept and the third row reinforced the others. The calvary picked off stragglers with hit and run tactics.

Tatsumi frowned as he watched the battle progress. Now that the rebel's no longer held a significant number advantage, the Empire's cavalry began showing their true power. It is said that one calvary counts for three infantry. This meant the rebel was theoretically at a two thousand troop disadvantage.

He needed to find the enemy commander soon.

As he thought this, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A small group of fewer than one hundred people were quickly moving across the Grasslands. They were all on horses and would reach the Imperial army within 15 minutes.

They are probably the elite force sent behind the Revolutionary Army. Tatsumi deduced based on Yoshiro's information. It appears his hopes that they would perish in a pincer was not realized. Then, a light bulb lit up inside his mind.

Since the elite force was under Ogre's direct command, they'll surely report to Ogre first upon returning. If he followed them, they'll lead him right to his target. With a hopeful smile, he carefully watched the group as they raced towards their army.

Ieyasu could see the outlines of the armies fighting off in the distance and released a small sigh of relief. He was glad they made it back in time. Without slowing down at all, he raised his voice to his surviving comrades.

"The battle has begun! We will head straight for the fron-" He was about to order his troops to go support the front line immediately, but Sayo interrupted him. Her voice reached his ears loud and clear despite the loud sound of a dozen horses galloping across the grasslands.

"Ieyasu. Our job for this battle is over. Our members are exhausted after a mission like that. Give them some rest. A dozen men aren't enough to affect the battle anyway." She said. Ieyasu shut his mouth at her suggestion. She was absolutely right. They've been at it for days, constantly on guard and enduring many sleepless nights in order to launch assaults and ambushes. None of the members have had a wink of sleep for almost 24 hours now. Several were on the verge of collapse.

Ieyasu himself felt a bit dazed, but he was sure he could still last until the battle was over. Sayo seemed to see right through him and sent him a warning glare.

"That includes you, Ieyasu. Will you obey quietly or will I have to chain you to that horse?" Ieyasu felt a chill run down his spine and slouched on his horse.

"Alright, I get it. I'll do as you say." He grumbled.

"All troops! We will report to General Ogre and proceed back to camp!" Sayo ordered while Ieyasu was still brooding over his childhood friend who he felt had too much authority over him. Hearing this, several members sighed in relief and felt their body relax. But then they quickly tensed up. If they fell unconscious while riding a horse in a group, that's a one-way ticket to get trampled.

Ieyasu, who was leading the group, changed his destination from the front lines to General Ogre's location within the army. As such, their course also changed and headed to the center of the army. After ten minutes of riding, they found General Ogre on his horse in the middle of his army. He was perched on the tallest hill in the area, carefully observing the battlefield.

As their group approached, they were naturally intercepted by the Empire's calvary. But when the troops realized it was Sayo and Ieyasu who led the group, they quickly cleared the path to the stern General.

Tatsumi watched as the army parted for the returning ambush group and smiled. He closed his eyes and focused his attention on the area the ambush group was heading in and saw the leader there. He had a bulky build and an indent where his left eye should be.

"Ogre, as in the large monster from the legends huh?" Tatsumi mumbled. The spotlight of his sixth sense scanned across the front lines where the rebels desperately holding back the Imperial troops. His eyes opened and he confirmed the general positions of his target.

"At this distance… 3 is my limit huh?" He mumbled himself.

He raised his right hand and made a motion as if grasping a doorknob. His hand turned and twisted the air. Behind him, the air warped and distorted into three large stakes, rotating rapidly like drills. Each of them were 3 centimeters in diameter and a meter long, though this was just a rough estimation as they did not have a distinct end point.

Tatsumi's eyes narrowed and he raised his clenched right hand over his left shoulder before swinging his arm. The spiraling spears shot towards the ground like meteors, maintaining a constant velocity of 500 miles per hour across the entire distance. They whistled loudly, producing a sound like a boiling kettle.

Those whistling spears flew with deadly accuracy towards their targets.

On the front lines, the rebel soldiers were desperately fighting two wars. One against the enemy who was attacking with frightening vigor, the other against the exhaustion that constantly beat at their minds. Even though they had greater numbers, every single one of them could tell that the battle they were fighting was a losing one.

Gerald grimaced as he saw the tired and anxious faces of his troops, but he couldn't find words to rally them. Just like his troops, he too could see the dark clouds that were blocking out the light of victory.

A whistle came from the sky and the wind blew. The dark clouds parted and the rays of victory shined through.

Gerald watched with wide eyes as blood spurted high up into the air from two sources like glorious fountains. The leaders of the forward division of the Imperial army, both of them, fell off their horses with a hole drilled in their chest.

The soldiers standing beside their captains stood dumbfounded. They couldn't keep up with what had happened. All the soldiers nearby, who heard the whistle loud and clear, all turned their attention temporarily just in time to see their leaders die.

The calm that came before the storm. One person screamed in horror and chaos ensued. Panic spread amongst the two neighboring divisions as confusion mixed with fear. The news spread like wildfire to the soldiers fighting. Those who heard the news looked back to confirm it with their own eyes and froze on the spot when it proved to be true.

The rebels took this opening and exploited it to its fullest. The tide turned in a blink of an eye. Gerald watched what could only be considered a miracle occur before him. He glanced up at the sky and saw nothing but the cloud blotted sky and the blazing sun.

A breeze struck him in the face and his calm returned.

"All troops! Hear my voice! The heaven's have struck down our enemy leaders for us! We have no need to fear those Imperial bastards who have incurred divine wrath! Fight for your comrades whom they've mercilessly poisoned! Fight for your friends and family who suffered under the Empire's injustice! Fight to satiate your bloodlust and strike down your enemy! STAND UP AND FIGHT!" He shouted. His voice echoed across the grasslands and the thundering roar of a thousand voices rebounded back.

The counterattack began.

Sayo and Ieyasu reached Ogre without any obstacles and greeted the General.

"General! We're back!" Ieyasu greeted happily with a casual wave. 5 steps behind him and to the left, Sayo saluted properly and bowed her head.

"We have returned after accomplishing our mission." Ogre acknowledged the two with a nod. If the location was different, he would properly pat them on the shoulder and praised them for their contributions with a large grin. But the tension of the battlefield wouldn't allow that.

"Good work out there. I'll hear your proper report once this battle is over. For now, how about you explain how you managed to immobilize nearly half of the enemy army." Ogre said. Sayo couldn't hold back a small smirk and inserted her hand into her uniform's breast pocket. She pulled out a small, blood-red pearl.

"These are berries picked from a plant called the 'Ansertia'. They are very common in forests and thrive in an environment without much sunlight."

The juices extracted from the berries were poisonous, but not to the point of being lethal. But even if a single drop is ingested, it causes terrible stomach pains that lasts for a few days. It wasn't difficult to cure the pain though. The main reason why the rebel struggled to find a solution was that they didn't know the cause.

"We contaminated their supplies by drenching their bread with these juices." Sayo ordered a dozen members of their ambush group to salvage as much of the Ansertia berries as they could possibly find in the forest, mixed it with water, and had a group slip it in on their first assault to contaminate the rebel supplies.

She finished explaining and Ogre couldn't hold back a grin.

"You've done well. Head back to-" At this moment, a loud whistle rang from the sky. Sayo, Ieyasu, and Ogre immediately began looking around, searching for the source of the strange phenomenon. They looked, but nothing strange stood out.

That was until Sayo's intuition went off. She tilted her head up about 70 degrees and narrowed her eyes. Far off into the distance, a figure too large to be a bird was hovering in mid-air. Her eyes widened and she immediately invoked her Teigu.

An impact heavier than anything she's ever experienced before struck the wall of light she erected an instant later. The shock was so powerful it knocked her off her horse. She flipped in mid-air and landed on her knees. Her face scrunched up as she exerted all her effort in blocking whatever was attacking them.

The whistle slowly dissipated and the force fighting against her barrier eased. Her body slumped and she panted heavily.

Tatsumi frowned in annoyance. He didn't expect one of the two Teigu users to have a defensive oriented one. Just like that, he's completely lost the element of surprise.

"Plan B." He mumbled before reaching into his jacket and pulled out a mask. The mask was black and covered only the upper half of his face. He bought this before leaving the capital just in case things went wrong, but he had hoped he wouldn't need it.

It was the plainest one he could find, but it still felt embarrassing. He sighed and equipped the mask that masked his identity without blocking his vision. He then flipped up the hood of his hoodie and pulled out his sword.

He raised his sword to his eye level, pointing the tip towards the enemy with his right hand near his right ear. Taking a deep breath, he twisted the sword like its a key. The sound of whistling filled the sky.

"Sayo! Are you okay?!" Ieyasu yelled in alarm. Sayo had better things to worry about than her own health. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and raised her voice.

"Over there! 9 o'clock! In the sky! The enemy is there!" Sayo shouted as she quickly pushed herself up. Ogre reacted immediately.

"Snipers! Aim at the figure in the northeastern sky! Shoot him down!" He roared. The nearby snipers reacted and began searching the sky for the assailant. But they were one step behind.

The whistling filled the sky once again and Sayo braced herself for impact. A large wall of light was raised between them and the assailant. She glared at the figure in the sky and her eyes widened once more. The figure, which used to be a speck the size of her pinky nail, had grown larger. No. They were closing in!

Tatsumi launched himself off of thin air and began accelerating towards Ogre. The wind spears following behind him were increasing in speed as well, causing their whistle to be even louder. He tilted his head, avoiding a bullet that shot past without even blinking.

He frowned when he saw the wall of light that was erected, obstructing his path to the target. His frown wasn't because he couldn't deal with the barrier. It was to the fact that whoever raised the wall was severely underestimating him.

"A wall of this level… I'll just crush it from the front." The whistling sound faded as the spears broke the sound barrier. Moments later, Sayo's pained scream and the sound of glass shattering filled in the silent void. What followed was the ear-shattering sonic boom that the spears generated.

But no one could care less about the ringing in their ears. Their attention was directed to the head that fell onto the grassland floor. Ogre's lone eye was wide open as his head rolled along the grass. Tatsumi swiped his blade and the blood splattered onto Ogre's corpse.

Ieyasu, who had turned his attention to Sayo for a moment to confirm her safety, stood frozen solid.

His eyes were glued to the dead body of his teacher. The teacher that took the unrefined ore that Tatsumi had dug up and melded it into a spear. To Ieyasu, who never knew his real father, Ogre was the closest thing he had to one, though he would never admit it to anyone.

And now, Ieyasu was making eye contact with his severed head.

"Ah… AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Tatsumi frowned at the scream filled with despair. This voice… it sounded extremely familiar. He turned to the source and his mind stopped for a moment.

Black messy hair, thick eyebrows, a white headband wrapped around his forehead just like it had been years ago. His face had matured, making him seem slightly more reliable, though Tatsumi sure his muscle-headed behavior hadn't changed. Yet on his body, instead of his fluffy black and white coat, he wore the Imperial Army's uniform, a lieutenants badge glinted proudly on his left and right shoulders.

Ieyasu, who had collapsed onto his knees with his head slumped down, slowly pushed himself up. He shakily grabbed the pitch black spear that was strapped onto his back. When his eyes looked up, they were filled with nothing but raging fury and burning hatred.

Tatsumi stared deep into the glare that threatened to burn him with hellfire. The relief and hope that came from seeing his friend safe and sound were all blown away by that glare and Ieyasu's uniform. Tatsumi's blade trembled under his tight, shaky grip. Damn it…

"YOU BASTARD! I WILL KILL YOU!" If the emotions in Ieyasu's shout were able to take on a form, Tatsumi would undoubtedly be bathed in hellfire. The black spear recklessly stabbed towards Tatsumi's still figure.

"I thought I taught you better." Tatsumi's whisper could only be heard by himself. The tip of the spear glided along Tatsumi's blade, deflected off to the wayside. Ieyasu, who had no way of defending himself, glared at the blade that was closing in with futile defiance.

The edge stopped centimeters before his neck, cleaving into a small plate of light. Tatsumi turned his attention to the culprit and his breathing got caught in his throat.

Even with strands of hair clinging to her sweat drenched forehead, even with her clothes in dishevels and a look of distress on her face, Sayo was undoubtedly beautiful. Her face, though matured over the years, was reminiscent of her young, delicate appearance. Combined with the cherry blossom ornament on her head, Tatsumi felt waves of nostalgia crashing against his chest over and over again.

But he was not going to let something like nostalgia ruin him on the battlefield. Tatsumi hopped a few steps back and readied himself once more. Ieyasu regained his footing and immediately poised to charge, but Sayo's angry scream stopped him in his tracks.

"Ieyasu! You idiot! Calm down!" Ieyasu turned his glare to Sayo, who froze under his gaze. She had not expected to see Ieyasu's hate-filled gaze directed at her ever in her life before. So to be subjected to that look, even if she knew the reason, she couldn't help but feel hurt.

"He just killed our teacher! Don't tell me to calm down!" He screamed. Sayo grit her teeth. She could no longer suppress the tears that wanted to leak out. She swung her head forward, small droplets of tears falling onto the grassy ground, and screamed.

"What's your plan huh?! Charge at him until he dies!? If you want him dead then first calm down, and WE'LL KILL HIM TOGETHER." Ieyasu couldn't take his eyes off of the figure of Sayo who was at her limit. This was the first time he's seen her cry.

And he was the cause of it.

It was a touching scene, but Tatsumi wasn't about to wait. Tatsumi's figure rushed past Ieyasu and headed towards Sayo. She reacted and erected a barrier, but she was already reaching her limits and the wall that she put up on the spot couldn't keep up with Tatsumi's agile movements.

Luckily, Tatsumi could reach her, several soldiers moved into the way and attacked Tatsumi. He frowned and deflected the pair of swords that were flying haphazardly towards him, and in a swift slash, sliced their chests open. Any other soldier that attempted to approached were either sliced down on the spot or blown away instantly.

Tatsumi walked up to Sayo and pointed his sword at her. She glared at him with teary, defiant eyes, as if to say she wouldn't submit even if he took her life.

At her nostalgic stubborn attitude that contradicted her maiden image, Tatsumi smiled sadly. He raised his sword.

"I'm sorry, Sayo." Sayo's eyes widened. That voice… I couldn't be!

"T-Tatsumi?"

Tatsumi's arm froze for an instant and a spear flew towards his head. He tilted his head backward to avoid the jab, but a lightning-quick flurry followed. Tatsumi dodged and deflected all the attacks that came his way, but Ieyasu didn't let up.

"Sayo! Can you stand?" Ieyasu shouted while keeping up his onslaught. Sayo was frozen on the spot, unsure whether the enemy was actually Tatsumi.

Why would Tatsumi kill Ogre? Why would he attack Ieyasu and her without a shred of mercy? Why would Tatsumi even be here? Why would-

"Sayo!" She snapped back and saw Ieyasu send a glance at her. It wasn't the hate-filled glance that nearly shattered her heart, but one filled with determination. Determination to protect her and avenge his teacher. Sayo pushed away her doubts and forced herself back up into a standing position.

"Yeah… leave the defense to me. Attack with all your might." She responded with a smile. Simultaneously, a grin appeared on Ieyasu's face.

The following stab nearly put a scratch on Tatsumi's mask. Tatsumi's eyes widened and he took a step back and lashed out with a kick that threatened to crush Ieyasu's rib, only to be stopped dead in its track by a wall of light. Slipping into the opening, Ieyasu's spear swung towards Tatsumi's vitals.

Tatsumi dropped to the ground to avoid the spear. His body landed on the corpse of a soldier he killed earlier. Formulating a plan in an instant, he did a backwards somersault, Ieyasu's spear stabbing into the ground where he was a moment ago.

His empty left hand landed on the blade of an abandoned blade. With a flick of his wrist, the sword spun towards Ieyasu's face. Ieyasu didn't even blink at the incoming death, trusting his partner to take care of it and that she did.

But the sword accomplished its job. While his students were focused on the throw sword. Tatsumi grabbed another sword that was lying on the ground and threw it up into the air.

A hundred meters up in the air, the sword was sliced into shards by near-invisible wind blades. A sudden downburst turned the metal shards into deadly projectiles. Simultaneously, Tatsumi grasped the hilt of the sword that was blocked by light and flung it upwards. Both Sayo and Ieyasu followed the sword up and noticed the rain of shards.

In a panic, Sayo deployed the full extent of Bkulian's power. A huge blanket of light appeared above Ieyasu and the shards imbedded themselves into the roof. Her eyes widened as the assassin appeared next to Ieyasu. Their eyes made contact for an instant before she opened her mouth to scream.

Ieyasu breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that Sayo was able to block the attack. He then turned his attention back to the assassin only to see the flat side of his sword inches away from his face. The impact struck just as Sayo's scream reached his ears. The impact sent Ieyasu flying to the side. He somehow righted himself in midair and landed on his knees, but the stars and black spots in his vision wouldn't go away.

Tatsumi glared at his right knuckle which was trembling from the force he was putting into his grip. Why?! Why did his wrist turn just before he lopped Ieyasu's head off?!

After confirming both Sayo and Ieyasu were distracted by the hail of blades, he instantly approached Ieyasu and swung his sword at his neck. So then how did he end up bitch slapping Ieyasu with his sword? Was it because of the despair he saw in Sayo's eyes? Was his resolve that weak?

Tatsumi took a deep breathe and returned his attention to the fight.

Sayo certainly saw me attack but didn't defend Ieyasu like usual. That probably means 30 square meters is the limit of her Teigu. Ieyasu didn't react to my attack even though I didn't hide my killing intent. His sense of danger is lacking… Tatsumi's eyes widened as realization struck him. Why didn't he hide his killing intent?

Sayo frowned when she noticed Tatsumi had stopped moving. She was confused, but she wasn't about to let this chance slide by. She rushed to Ieyasu's side and checked on his condition. At the same time, the soldiers that hadn't moved since Tatsumi slaughtered their comrades earlier noticed the assassin's odd state and renewed their attack.

Tatsumi grimaced in annoyance and began dyeing the grassy plains red.

Sayo pulled ieyasu to his feet. "Ieyasu! We are getting out of here!" Although Ieyasu was still unable to focus his vision properly, he still sent a weak but angry glare at Sayo.

"What are you saying?! We have to avenge-" Sayo raised her right hand and finished Ieyasu off. The impact on his right cheek sent Ieyasu into the abyss, but she wasn't going easy on him. She threw the unconscious Ieyasu onto the ground, the impact jerked Ieyasu awake again.

Sayo glanced anxiously towards the spot where the assassin was fighting off dozens of soldiers. Blood and screams filled the air and the cause was certainly heading towards them. She grimaced and grabbed Ieyasu by the collar of his shirt and pulled his dazed face to hers.

"Listen to me Ieyasu. Fighting him as we are right now is suicide. We can't beat him! If you want to avenge Ogre then live! Live until the day we can kill him!" She shouted at his face. Through his blurred eyes, he saw tears glistening on Sayo's cheeks. Those were the crystallization of her desperation.

It was because of him. His weakness pushed her to the edge.

He shakily extended his right hand and wiped away a drop and nodded.

"Alright. But one day, I'll have his head." He mumbled quietly. Sayo wiped away her tears and nodded firmly.

"I'll be there to help." She took a step back and watched as Ieyasu shook his head repeatedly to regained some semblance of clarity in his mind. Ieyasu took a deep breath and turned to Sayo.

"What should we do? I doubt we can run away from someone who could fly." Sayo bit the bottom of her lips as she looked around, searching for a way out. Her gaze flew across all directions until it finally landed at her feet.

"Ieyasu. I've got a plan."

Tatsumi growled slightly as a spear nicked his sleeve. Breathing was slowly becoming a chore. His arms and legs were becoming heavy with fatigue. Dozens of dead bodies laid at his feet and in his wake, but hundreds more stood in his path. The endless sea of enemies was beginning to get on his nerves.

More annoyingly, he lost sight of Sayo and Ieyasu somewhere in the crowd. His sixth sense was very useful, but just like his other senses, he could only focus on one area at a time. While he was using Shinatsuhiko to deal with the enemies that attacked from his blind spots, he lost sight of Sayo and Ieyasu and hadn't been able to find them since.

Tatsumi hopped up into the sky to avoid a dozen spears that would've skewered him and swung his sword to deflect a bullet that was aimed at his stomach. His eyes narrowed at the riflemen that were littered throughout the crowd. Those assholes prevented him from safely searching from the air.

They were in the way. And since they were in the way, he'll get rid of them.

Tatsumi dropped down to the ground. Several soldiers leapt at him, not noticing the air that distorted around his sword. He spun on his heels and released the built up energy. Blood sprayed into the air as the nearest row of soldiers fell to the ground with a gaping gash in their torso. Tatsumi raised his hand to the sky and closed his eyes in concentration.

Dozens of pen sized drills appeared in the sky above, and with a drop of his hand, they rained down onto the army. The soldiers nearby met their end without even having the time to scream. Like dolls with their strings cut, rows of men fell to the ground.

In the midst of it all, Tatsumi's face distorted into a pained grimace. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and back. His mind was fuzzy from the fatigue, the same cloudy feeling as one would get after an extremely stressful test. His stomach churned at the sight of blood and corpses laid out like a carpet before him.

Surely, this was a scene that would haunt him for years to come.

He looked around at the surrounding soldiers that weren't caught in the attack. They were frozen solid. Their expression told Tatsumi all he needed to know. They've lost their will to fight. At least, this group has.

Tatsumi floated up into the sky and slowly hovered across the field of bodies, checking to see if Sayo and Ieyasu were there. As he expected, they were not. Sayo wouldn't let them die that easily. Heavy sleepiness attacked Tatsumi like a ferocious predator. Tatsumi struggled to keep his eyes open. That exceeded my current limit. At this rate, I might lose consciousness if I stay.

Giving the battlefield one last searching scan, Tatsumi concluded that Sayo and Ieyasu either ran away or hid somehow. He sighed and sheathed his sword. Next time…

His figure shot up into the blue sky and soon vanished beyond the horizon.

After the battlefield became quiet, Ieyasu pushed the corpse of a soldier off the top of his hiding spot. He poked his head out and confirmed the assassin was gone before climbing out. He knelt by the hole he had dug minutes prior using Noire, a small hole a meter wide and three meters deep. He extended his hand into the hole and pulled Sayo out.

Both of them were drenched in the blood that flowed into their hiding hole.

She collapsed onto the ground as the adrenaline that kept her awake slowly dissipated from her system. But before she could faint, she had to drive her point across.

"Ieyasu. That man is insanely powerful. Until we are ready, promise me you won't fight him. If he appears, run away. Ok?" She pleaded softly. Ieyasu frowned, his face scrunched up in displeasure. Just a few meters away, his teachers head was still on the ground somewhere, buried under a pile of his dead comrades. But under the weight of Sayo's worried gaze, he folded.

"Alright, I promise. I'll endure and I'll become so strong that I can take down that man on my own." Ieyasu promised. Sayo stared into his eyes, evaluating whether he was being honest with her. In his eyes was a drop of reluctance and an ocean of resolve. She smiled and closed her eyes, letting herself be taken by the world of dreams.

Ieyasu stared at Sayo's sleeping face, feeling indescribably relaxed. Her peaceful look was more soothing to Ieyasu than anything else in the world. He felt his consciousness fading too, his mind's ability to handle exhaustion was at its limit. But as nearby ally soldiers rushed towards him to confirm their safety, a question popped into his mind. With his teacher gone, who will command the army? Ieyasu didn't remember a lot from the tactic lessons Ogre gave him, but there was one thing that always stuck to him.

An army without a commander is a body without a head. That man severed Ogre's head and severed the army's head in a single swing of his sword. Ieyasu couldn't revive his teacher nor turn back time. He also couldn't kill the attacker and avenge his father-figure. That's why, at the very least, he will take up his teacher's mantel.

And crush the bastard's plan.

"Messengers! Have the calvary continue to chip away at their left and right flanks! The men in the third row are to follow the cavalry and surround the enemy!" Ieyasu shouted. Ieyasu's mind was clear. Clearer than ever. He wasn't good at tactics, but having troops not doing anything seemed stupid so he decided to send them to fight.

The messenger lowered his head and nodded. After he left, a nearby soldier rushed up.

"Lieutenant Ieyasu! The two captains leading the troops on the front line have fallen! The enemy claims it was divine intervention and the difference in morale is starting to turn the tides again us!" Ieyasu gritted his teeth. That wasn't only targeting Ogre?!

"I'll head there at once. Spread this message - 'Captain Sayo and Lieutenant Ieyasu have struck down the bastard who played God and faked the divine intervention.' Do not let a single soul hear about General Ogre's death until this battle is over." The soldier nodded and rushed off towards the front.

Ieyasu climbed on his horse and raised his spear.

"Anyone who is still able to move! Follow me!"

Ieyasu, leading 1000 men, rushed to the front lines. There, they found their troops being slaughtered by the frenzied rebels. Having been pushed to their limits, the rebels found hope at the end of their ropes. That hope brought energy to their arms and legs, energy they didn't know they still had.

On the other hand, without a leader and without knowing when the sky will strike them down, the Imperial soldiers were losing the will to fight at a terrifying rate.

Having seen enough, Ieyasu recklessly rushed to the front and jumped off his horse straight into a crowd of enemies. On his way down, his spear stabbed deep into the heart of an unlucky rebel. The nearby soldiers responded immediately and thrusted their weapons at him.

Ieyasu raised a war cry and spun in a circle. From his outstretched spear, Noire liquified and splashed outwards, forming a cylinder around him. All the weapons that were in a course to skewer his body were blocked by the solid black cylinder. A second later, countless tendrils shot out and pierced a dozen soldier.

From the top of the cylinder, Ieyasu jumped out. Beneath him, the top of the cylinder closed and solidified. He landed steadily on the makeshift platform and swung his spear to the side with his eyes towards his army.

"Soldiers of the glorious Empire! There is no reason to fear these crazed rebels. What struck down your leaders was nothing but a cheap trick performed by rebel scum! I have repelled the perpetrator cowardly attacked from the skies!" He announced.

Both the rebels and the Imperial's heard this. The Imperial's felt relieved. Even if what Ieyasu said was only half true, people have the tendency of believing what is convenient for them. On the other hand, the rebel's were seething. Several hundred arrows were shot, aimed towards Ieyasu who dared to stand imposingly amidst their army.

Ieyasu glanced at the hail of projectiles and without so much as a gesture, Noire rose behind him and blocked every single one.

"Follow me and crush these foolish rebels! Fight to restore your pride! Fight to recover your honor! FIGHT TO BRING THESE CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE!"

For the second time, the tides turned while being accompanied by ground shaking roars. The morale of the Imperial soldiers rapidly returned and they charged at the rebels, no longer fearing divine punishments. Yet the angered rebel's was by no means easy foes to defeat.

General Gerald heard Ieyasu's speech and saw its results. He couldn't stay silent and quickly raised his voice to reassure his troops.

"That foolish man has foolishly ridiculed the miracle that we all witnessed! Do not let his false words defeat your resolve!" Ieyasu turned to the source of the voice and narrowed his eyes dangerously. His glare was fierce. A wave of killing intent washed over Gerald and he broke out into a cold sweat.

The distance between them was about 700 meters. There was no way he could cross that distance which was filled with soldiers.

Right?

Noire returned to liquid beneath his feet and it slowly lowered Ieyasu to the ground. The rebels nearby immediately charged in to attack him.

Their legs were skewered and their bodies consumed. Ieyasu's eyes were focused solely on Gerald, unmoving.

If he struck down their commander right here and now, the fight was over. If Sayo was here, she would punch him in the head and yell at him about how stupid that idea was.

But Sayo wasn't here.

Ieyasu dropped down low, with his spearhead pointing at the ground the butt of the spear near his ear. His right hand firmly gripped the spear near his neck and his left hand was open, palm side up, allowing the handle to rest on top.

A deep breath in, a deep breath out.

And he charged. Noire shot forward, rolling along the ground like a black carpet. Anyone who stepped on the carpet was skewered, either by the black tendrils, or by Ieyasu's merciless spear. Arrows and throwing lances couldn't possibly catch up to Ieyasu, and attacks that came from the side were dodged or deflected.

Gerald watched in disbelief as Ieyasu rushed towards him without slowing down at all. He felt his heart pound inside his chest, assaulted by fear that he had long since abandoned.

"Spearmen! Form a wall in front of me! Coordinate your attacks and stop the arrogant fool! Those in the direct path of the black sludge, jump before the sludge reaches you and drill him full of holes!" He ordered in a panic. A dozen spearmen obeyed the command and stood in a line, separating Gerald and Ieyasu.

Ieyasu saw this and frowned.

"If you can't break through it, then just avoid it!" He shouted. The sludge shot up into the sky and solidified, forming a ramp that Ieyasu fearlessly climbed. He jumped at Gerald with his naked spear in hand, Noire left behind on the ground.

Without any way to shift his position in the sky, archers took aim and fired a hail of arrows at him. Ieyasu extended his spear in front of his body and spun it, protecting his body and vitals.

Several of arrows pierced his legs and one lodged itself into his shoulder, but he clenched his teeth and endured it. An arrow flew past his head and scraped his scalp. Blood flowed down his forehead and dripped off his nose, but he kept going.

Without stopping, he approached Gerald from the front. Gerald narrowed his eyes and drew his sword.

"Fool!" Gerald shouted. He swung his sword as Ieyasu came within swinging range. His sword easily sunk into Ieyasu's flesh.

But it never reached Ieyasu's body. Ieyasu firmly blocked the slash with his left arm, the sword lodged into his bone. Gerald's eyes widened at Ieyasu's reckless move that ignored his own wellbeing. He tried to shift his body to dodge Ieyasu's attack, but it was already too late.

"Die!" Ieyasu yelled. His spear pierced through Gerald's neck and came out the other side. His momentum sent them both flying off of Gerald's horse. He landed firmly on his knees, while Gerald's body was pinned to the lush green ground.

Ieyasu's legs, now resembling a needle holder with several arrows lodged deep into them, gave out and he collapsed onto the ground. Several angry shouts came from his surroundings and soldiers rushed in to take his life.

His vision blurred and his mind was clouded. Darkness quickly consumed his consciousness, but a single image shone through.

A single cherry blossom petal.

"NOIRE!" He screamed with all his remaining energy. Black sludge surged along the ground, rushing past hundreds of soldiers and wrapping around his body tightly. The outer layer solidified into a jet black cocoon.

The rebels slash and stabbed at the cocoon, but nothing could even leave a dent on it. Inside, the black sludge was wrapped tightly around Ieyasu's wounds, solidifying and stopping the bleeding. He held desperately onto his consciousness.

There was only a limited amount of oxygen inside and if he fainted now, the cocoon might collapse and he would die by the hands of angry rebel scum, or the cocoon will stay solidified and he would die from suffocation.

He mustered any remaining energy he could and moved Noire. The cocoon moved an inch, then another. Pushing through the crowd of enemies, the cocoon crawled one inch at a time towards the Empire.

His mind floated on the border that separated consciousness and unconsciousness. His mind blacked out several times, but through sheer willpower, he woke up an instant later. At one point, he completely lost track of where he was but continued forwards.

An eternity later, at least it felt that long, he finally gave in and the cocoon cracked and crumbled. He heard cheers, but he couldn't tell from which side. Noire wrapped itself around his right arm and solidified into a gauntlet.

And simultaneously, darkness consumed his mind.

On the southeastern corner of the Grand Grasslands, 100 miles off the coast of Lake Aether, only 15 miles from Sakustein, the rebels suffered a crushing defeat.

Of their 18 thousand men army, 6 thousand perished, 3 thousand were captured after surrendering, and the rest managed to retreat safely to the shoreline. They were picked up, transported back to Asgard and treated for their unbearable stomach pains.

The wise and reliable General Gerald also died on the battlefield, a tragic loss for the rebels.

Due to the failed expedition, it was decided that the rebels would refrain from stepping onto the Grasslands until they've mustered an even larger force.

The 6 thousand surviving soldiers of the Imperial Army returned victorious to the Capital. They were rewarded handsomely with gold. Yet the death of General Ogre left the hole that the Empire needed to fill.

As such, Sayo and Ieyasu were summoned before the Emperor.

Ieyasu felt beads of sweat roll down the back of his neck as he knelt with his head down before the young emperor. Even though he was dense and often couldn't read the mood, even he knew that if he said anything disrespectful to the Emperor, his head will be rolling on the ground within a day.

Or rather, Sayo made sure to beat this into him the moment they heard about the summon.

"Lieutenant Ieyasu, Captain Sayo. I've heard of your magnificent performance on the battlefield this time around. Repelling the cruel assailant that slew the powerful General Ogre and leading our army to victory. As such, I thank you for your services." The young emperor said happily.

"N-no, I only did what I thought I had to do. I failed to strike down the assailant, and for that, I'm really sorry!" Ieyasu said in a panic. He tried his best to stay formal, but it was honestly beyond his abilities. The advisors standing near the emperor narrowed their eyes at his speech, but the young emperor himself didn't seem to mind.

"No, you accomplished a wonderful feat. In light of your accomplishments, I have already decided upon a fitting reward." The emperor said. He stood up and raised his royal scepter.

"Lieutenant Ieyasu and Captain Sayo. I hereby promote you to General and Lieutenant. General Ieyasu will fill in the vacant position General Ogre left behind and lead the Empire's 25th division. Lieutenant will serve directly under you as your second in command." He announced. His voice was young, but his tone was overly serious making it sound like a kid who was trying too hard to play his role as a king. But Sayo and Ieyasu ignored that and bowed their head low.

"Thank you, your majesty!" They said in unison.

And so, Ieyasu became the first person in history to reach the position of a General in a mere three years. He took up Ogre's mantel as the leader of the Empire's 25th division, or as they were nicknamed, the Elite Division.

He took on the position with a heavy heart, determined to take on Ogre's legacy for the rest of his life. This was the least he could do to remember his honored teacher. He wasn't sure if he could handle the responsibility yet, but he felt reassured with Sayo by his side. With his new position and responsibilities, he returned to guard the city of Sakustein.