***

[All the units in Southwest and Southern formation send assistance to the location of the Shadow fairy. We can't let her join the main force. And the units at the front formation, Captain Alro's troop is currently engaging in battle against an unidentified group, send assistance right away!]

"This is Captain Gellon from the front formation. We are going to assist Captain Alro's troop now." Said the knight walking in front of the formation of hundreds of warriors.

[I see. I am counting on your troop, Captain Gellon. However, keep an eye on the lurking Marionette corps, they are just waiting for any units to let their guard down.]

"I understand, Commander."

However, a sudden trembling in the woods in front of him instantly took his attention, and almost immediately, the cause of the commotion showed itself.

"I found their Captain."

What came out from the thick trees was a massive horned behemoth with thick brown skin, a face of an ox, and a pair of white ox horns, as it stepped in, it walked using its ox feet. Its red eyes wandered throughout the formation while demonstrating an extremely intimidating atmosphere around its massive stature. A minotaur.

Captain Gellon immediately raised his sword. At the same time, all of the warriors assumed their battle formation preparing for the incoming battle.

However, what came next was the revelation of an entire swarm consisting of demi-humans and humans surrounding their entire troop without them realizing their arrival.

"How did you do it? To think that you are the slowest in our group." Said the demon with blue hair currently sitting at the branch of a tree while laughing.

"Accept it, Jabez, you are just slow." The minotaur answered using a rough baritone voice.

"Captain!" One of the knights shouted with great panic in his eyes.

"How come we can't see your mana manifestation? What is happening?" The confusion was audible in Captain Gellon's voice even though his face could not be seen in his helmet.

The massive minotaur slowly walked towards Captain Gellon's location while dragging a massive gray metal war hammer. As the minotaur stopped a meter away from him, their great difference in size was conveyed, the towering minotaur was more than double Captain Gellon's height.

A menacing smile emerged on the minotaur's face and unleashed a violent snort. "Leave this one to me."

"Engage!" Captain Gellon shouted as he dauntlessly rushed towards the behemoth in front of him.

However, in one fast swing of the massive hammer that hit his stomach, he surged towards the formation and crashed into the other knights.

He spat out blood but it didn't stop him from standing almost immediately.

"Captain!"

"How come he could swing that massive weapon with such speed?" As he wandered his gaze, his eyes instantly enlarged. His entire troop was slowly getting annihilated by the swarm of enemies.

The screams shrouded the entire area, as one after another, the knights were falling on their feet.

"Some Captains are strong, I fought a decent Captain just now before I found you, that Captain named Alro, he was tough, he put on a good fight before meeting his demise. However, there are some Captains that are weak." The minotaur stopped a meter away from him while dragging the massive metal war hammer. "Just like you. You are weak."

Captain Gellon spat blood in front of him. At the same time, his sword was engulfed in fire. "Let's see who is weak!"

He sprinted towards the minotaur and skillfully dodged the war hammer rushing towards him and used it as his footing to jump to the minotaur's head. As he aimed his flaming swords at the forehead of the massive enemy, a powerful hand immediately grabbed him and smashed him to the ground.

"Slow!" The minotaur screamed as he followed it by smashing his war hammer on the currently lying Captain.

Captain Gellon immediately stood up to dodge the attack but easily got caught by the hammer as it veered its path towards him as if the massive metallic weapon had no weight. Throwing him away while at the same time receiving devastating damage to his chest.

"As expected... weak."

Even with the damage he received, Captain Gellon stood up and wiped his now revealed face. His delicate face was now covered in his own blood. "I fully understand now. I presume, you are the one in charge of the main force while the Shadow fairy and the Infernal destroyer are away. I can see it. You are very strong to be just a simple low-rank grunt. Tell me, are you a class D, or perhaps, a class C? Isn't that the rank of the most powerful individuals in your town outside the fairy and the fox? You must be new in the ranks, and probably the current most powerful in the town besides the 2. Am I right?"

The baritone laugh of the minotaur resonated throughout the area. "I am truly proud of your praise. But I am afraid that I am not part of the most powerful people in the town. I can't even dream of becoming one." The minotaur dragged his hammer and raised his other hand. "The name is Rumble Galaramoth, one of the members of Fang faction security personnel. As you can see. I am just a nobody. I was just fortunate enough that our ruler granted me the power that I have right now, his generosity turned me into what you were calling a powerful individual. However, the strongest you say? The truth is, it's the opposite... because who is in front of you right now is just one of the weakest in the rank! And so are the ones who easily wiped out your entire troop!"

As Captain Gellon rotated his face and wandered his eyes throughout the place. All he could see were the corpses of his entire troop lying on the ground. The green ground was now dyed in red. The entire place was silent, and the only thing that could be heard was the gentle wind coming from above.

"Rumble, we need to go. Or else Leo will wipe everyone out without us and kill more captains than us. I don't want to lose on our bet." The demon with blue hair named Jabez shouted while laughing while throwing his sword into the air, beside him were the corpses of his victims.

"Give me a second."

"This can't be." The only words Captain Gellon could say as he froze in his position while staring at the massive hammer on its way towards his head coming from above. "Commander... we have gravely underestimated them."

[Captain Gellon, report!]

But the receiver could no longer answer the question.

Rumble glared at the non-recognizable lump of meat lying on the huge hole in the ground created by his war hammer. "You have attempted to fight the wrong empire, people of the kingdom of Milana."