Complete crushing
As Maxime frowned, Andrew, who was standing next to him, said:
"Chief, what do we do?"
"Stay put, I imagine the big guy in front has a few things to say."
At the same time, his mercenaries reacted in different ways.
Andrew, Romuald, Ernest and Rodrigo were the only ones able to fully retain their rationality, allowing them to carefully observe their opponent's numbers, equipment and mental state.
They even tried to guess their identity.
Behind them were Tena, his brothers and a few other mercenaries who were already accustomed to combat and ready to react to Maxime's slightest signal.
Others, including Piedro and Izo, seemed to be almost there thanks to their exceptional mental state.
And finally, there were all the other members, including Terry, James, Peter, Joe and other new mercenaries.
For their part, they were doing the best they could to overcome the stress of this first life-or-death situation.
"Maxime is it?" said the axe-wielding man with a relaxed posture.
Behind him were more than fifty men, not counting those surrounding the saber-toothed tiger mercenaries.
"How do you know my name?" asked Maxime in surprise.
"Isn't it normal to know the one who wants to kill you?" he replied sarcastically.
Maxime frowned, normally nobody knew about their mission except him, the baron and his mercenaries.
It didn't take a genius to figure out how the information had leaked out.
But what distracted Maxime was why.
The man with the axe was amused by the situation, as were the other bandits behind him.
To their surprise, however, Maxime soon regained his calm countenance as he simply announced:
"Kill them all."
Andrew, Romuald and Ernest reacted instinctively and headed west, east and south respectively.
Several mercenaries followed as they collided with the enemy.
At the same time, Maxime stepped calmly towards his designated adversary, gradually drawing his sword.
"Oh interesting, do you really want to duel me?" laughed the man, pointing his axe at Maxime.
"Why not?" replied Maxime with a smile.
"Haha it seems you don't know my reputation!" continued the man with an air of arrogance.
Cries of pain and agony could be heard around as the discussion continued.
"Ohhhh, so tell me about it?" asked Maxime, not caring about the nightmarish atmosphere surrounding him.
"My name is Jorgi, but I'm nicknamed the Crusher on the battlefields! Why do you think that is?"
"Because you're strong?" questioned Maxime with genuine curiosity.
"Haha not only that! It's happened to me several times to enter the battlefield as an ordinary soldier and kill more than a dozen men on the battlefield and come out alive, that's why!" exclaimed Jorgi, laughing arrogantly.
"Really strong indeed." commented Maxime, as his eyes focused on him.
"According to his exploits, if this is true, this man should have at least a 2-point physique." analyzed Maxime calmly.
"What's more, the 3 men beside him not taking part in the battle should be at elite soldier level, given their build."
Suddenly Maxime plastered an unconscious smile on his face.
"This will be my first real exploit in this world!"
"To fight a man who could be a general among lesser nobles as well as 3 elite soldiers simultaneously!"
"What madness, but above all, what an honor!"
While rambling mentally, Maxime fully drew his sword and plunged at breathtaking speed towards his opponents.
This took Jorgi by surprise, but he too ended up smiling.
"He thought smugly as he swung his heavy axe at Maxime.
Yet to his surprise, Maxime blocked his axe completely with his sword and then kicked him in the chest.
The powerful impact sent him reeling back several meters.
"What power!" exclaimed Jorgi in surprise as he felt the pain run through his chest.
In all his life, this was only the3rd time he had fought an opponent of such strength.
The first time was against a baron's commander and the second against a renowned mercenary chief.
Both times he'd had to put his life on the line to end in a simple draw. Yet even now, the scars of those battles still haunted him at night.
"The baron didn't tell me the captain of this group was so strong," thought Jorgi with some anger.
"Guys, help me, we'll kill him together!" shouted Jorgi.
The 3 men at his side nodded solemnly and attacked Maxime from different directions.
This instantly put him in difficulty. He could barely survive thanks to his physique and his mastery of the sword, which were far superior to those of his opponents.
However, the stalemate was soon broken by the arrival of Jorgi's axe, which fell on Maxime.
"Shit, I couldn't dodge it!" mentally shouted Maxime in panic, who had already foiled two swords and blocked the third elite soldier's last one.
ting
"Haha, chief it seems you're a little too confident!" laughed the man who had blocked the axe with difficulty.
"Thank you Romuald!" declared Maxime with a few drops of cold sweat.
A second later, and the two months of preparation in this world would have been wasted.
"No worries, boss!" replied Romuald with a happy smile.
"Shit, another one with extraordinary strength!" muttered Jorgi in mild panic.
Seeming to think of something, he looked around at his surroundings.
All he could see were the corpses of his subordinates lying inert on the ground. He could even see some of them dying on the ground, then coldly executed by their enemies.
The only ones still alive were those who had surrendered, their knees and heads buried in the ground, leaving their fate to the enemy.
Sadness and anger overwhelmed him, as did the three bandits beside him still alive. He quickly recovered from his emotions and vigorously announced to the others:
"Flee! Run for your lives! See you back at base!"
But his comrades remained motionless, their faces panicked.
They were already surrounded by the saber-toothed tiger mercenaries.
"No, how can that be!?" he asked, looking around at his surroundings in panic.
"Why would it be impossible?" Asked an unfamiliar voice behind him.
Turning around, Jorgi saw a red-haired man. Blood ran down his sword and armor. Like a demon rising from the abyss, it frightened him.
But somehow there was an air of familiarity about him.
He moved on, and somehow he replied:
"There were 50 of us and only 30 of you! With the effect of surprise, you should have been easily crushed!"
"Don't compare your vulgar bandits to our mercenary troop. Each of us can easily handle 2 or 3 of you," scoffed another unfamiliar voice.
He saw a man with long, azure-blue hair, a bow and a quiver on his back. His aura also showed that he was not a weak man.
Jorgi had never been so panicked in his life. He felt like a lamb ready to slaughter.
Yet somehow he gripped his axe tightly in his hand, ready to die like a warrior.
Likewise, his 3 strongest subordinates had gathered around him, ready to fight the last battle of their lives.
"How fun to see them like this. I imagine that when you massacred this village, the citizens must have suffered the same despair as you." said another dull but enraged voice.
It was James accompanied by Terry, Piedro, Izo and Peter.
"The village?" questioned Jorgi before remembering something.
"Ah yes, that's right. We did do that sort of thing. It was rather fun, actually." he smiled with an air of drunkenness and euphoria.
"What a piece of shit!" muttered Maxime in a dry, emotionless tone.
At the same moment, the first mercenaries of the gang angrily charged Jorgi and the three remaining bandits.
Yet to their surprise, the latter could vaguely resist them.
"Ohhhhh, I finally remember! The guy with the red hair I know where I've seen you before!"
Andrew listened attentively, all the while a feeling of unease washed over him.
"It was when I was in the village with your..."
He fell suddenly to the ground, an arrow stuck in his head.
Andrew turned in incomprehension to Ernest, who still had his bow pointed in Jorgi's direction.
"Believe me, you'd better never hear the end of this," Ernest told Andrew in an emotionless tone.
The other mercenaries had a rather sombre expression as they stared at the last three bandits.