Chapter 356: The Battle is Awesome! (Part 2)

‘This feels too familiar.’

Mino was in the middle of a slaughter, enjoying the progress as her “Killing Sword” unlocked rapidly. She was about to reach a hundred kills.

Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over her. A heavy steel greatsword swept across the battlefield.

Mino agilely dodged the strike and swung her sword in retaliation, cutting down several of the enemy’s comrades.

Taking a closer look—

The attacker was an orc warrior, a giant standing at least 2.5 meters tall.

Not only was he towering, but his muscles bulged, and he wore a battered yet heavy set of armor, resembling a humanoid tank.

The only thing missing was a helmet, revealing a scarred, fierce face with wolf clan orc ears standing upright, exuding a murderous aura.

He was clearly the cream of the crop among ruthless fighters.

The Wolf Knight swept his greatsword across the battlefield, forcing Marquis’s army to retreat step by step.

Now, only Mino stood before him.

At her feet lay a sea of half-orc infantry she had cut down.

This scene only enraged the Wolf Knight further.

“Orc! Why do you slaughter your own kind?” he roared.

“They attacked me, so I fought back,” Mino replied calmly. “Why don’t you tell them to stop hitting me first?”

One sentence left him speechless.

“You—you—Aaaargh!”

The Wolf Knight was so furious he swung his blade straight down.

Mino dodged again.

The greatsword crashed into the ground, shattering the earth and unleashing a fan-shaped wave of sword energy that tore through the surrounding corpses. The power was terrifying.

This strike clearly contained battle aura.

He was no ordinary knight.

But—

If he couldn’t land a hit, it didn’t matter.

After a quick assessment, Mino turned and ran.

“See ya.”

Relying on her incredible mobility, she instantly disengaged and went back to harvesting other rebel soldiers.

The Wolf Knight, despite his strength, couldn’t catch up.

Even more baffling—

He couldn’t understand why a half-beast would retreat from battle.

Mino was indeed a half-beast, but not entirely.

She felt no sympathy for these half-orc infantry.

To her, they were like maddened beasts.

Killing them almost felt like a release.

Besides—

Her only goal right now was to reach the kill count.

Samimi also noticed that these half-orcs were in an abnormal state, clearly acting as “dead men.”

“Roar! Roar! Roar!”

On the other side of the battlefield, several special orc warriors charged down from the hillside, wielding heavy weapons and slaughtering Marquis’s troops without mercy.

The local knights were crushed like ants.

The battle was completely one-sided.

“You’re so strong, why don’t you go south to fight the Mage King?” Samimi muttered in frustration.

“Retreat! Fall back!”

Sorent finally ordered a withdrawal.

Samimi quickly led the Target Range Knights and Fat Duck Knight Order in a swift retreat.

After one battle, dozens of knight orders were nearly annihilated. Only their small group, along with the largely unscathed Divine Emperor Knights, managed a ragged retreat.

Samimi had fully confirmed—

The combat strength of the West Sea far exceeded that of the Southern Tree Sea.

“We didn’t even get to see Fabiana, and we’re already beaten back.”

She sighed.

The already low morale sank even further.

“Old Lei, listen to me,” Samimi said quietly. “Take your people back to the town and hide. Don’t accept any more orders from now on.”

“The West Sea is about to change. This isn’t a war you can be part of. You’ll just be cannon fodder.”

With that, she and Mino left the group.

She had gathered enough intel. Continuing with these low-level knights was pointless.

She could save them once, but not forever.

Life and death were their own fate.

But—

Just as they were about to leave, they were stopped.

The Divine Emperor Knights had already set their sights on these two exceptionally powerful Saint-class fighters.

“Please wait,” Sorent said, blocking their path with his horse. “Both of you have remarkable skills. The Marquis is in need of talent. Why not join us?”

“I am a battle priest from the Holy See’s Advanced Valkyrie Knight Order,” Samimi said coldly. “You have no authority to command me.”

“How dare you! This isn’t the Royal City! You’re parading around with a half-beast. We could arrest you as rebels!” one Divine Emperor Knight shouted.

“In the name of the Goddess…”

Samimi clasped her hands together and began to pray.

That was the signal.

The next instant—

Mino leaped from her horse and kicked the knight square in the face.

“Bam!”

He was sent flying off his horse, his cheekbone shattered, teeth flying, blood spraying everywhere.

Mino flipped in midair and landed perfectly back on her horse.

Her movements were clean and precise, as if nothing had happened.

Silence fell over the crowd.

“If you want to die, just say so,” Samimi said flatly. “We can send you to meet the Goddess.”

With that, the two rode away.

None of the Divine Emperor Knights dared to stop them.

A mere Marquis wasn’t worth her serious attention.

But she didn’t say that out loud.

Leave a bit of leeway for future encounters.

After leaving the battlefield, the two had no clear goal for a while.

They decided to head to a small town near the rebels to gather information.

They wandered aimlessly, feeling carefree.

This time, they weren’t being dragged into things against their will. They were participating willingly.

That feeling excited Samimi a little.

The plot was getting more complicated and more interesting.

They arrived at a nameless town.

Almost all the residents were elderly. There were no young people.

The tavern was rundown but still open.

An old man greeted them and silently served simple food.

“What are you doing here?” the old man asked.

“What are the rebels on the mountain up to?” Samimi cut straight to the point.

“They’ve holed up in the mountains, robbing merchant caravans and raiding nearby villages.”

“All the young people have fled. Only us old folks are left.”

“Do they massacre villages?”

“Not usually, unless they’re resisted. A bit better than regular bandits, but not by much.”

Samimi nodded.

So the “evil rumors” about the rebels were exaggerated.

“Do you know the Rebel War Commander, Fabiana?”

“Yes,” the old man lowered his voice. “Those rebels are her subordinates.”

“I heard she killed her parents, studies dark magic, and performs terrible rituals up in the mountains. That’s why everyone ran.”

Samimi couldn’t help but laugh.

“She’s not a mage. Where would she get dark magic?”

She was even more convinced—

This “Fabiana” was likely a fake.

The current situation involved at least three factions:

Marquis Edward’s knight army, the so-called rebels, and the assassins acting in the shadows.

The situation was complex and full of mystery.

“Finish up and leave quickly. It’s not safe here,” the old man advised.

“Are there any young people left in town?”

“There’s a little nun at the church. She handles the burials.”

“Thanks.”

Samimi paid and left with Mino.

They made their way to the town’s small chapel.

It was a shabby wooden building.

From a distance, they saw a black-robed nun digging a grave to bury a body.

A wave of familiarity washed over Samimi.

It reminded her of her past self.

“Hello,” she said, stepping forward to greet her.

The nun’s body shuddered violently.

Her hand, gripping the shovel, trembled.

Slowly, she turned her head—

And revealed a face that was surprising, yet somehow expected.