Chapter 63: The Great Chief (Part 1)

Merlin fixed his gaze on the bandit leader before him. The leader didn't appear particularly burly or strong, suggesting his physical condition shouldn't be exceptional.

However, the reality was that this bandit's physique was comparable to that of a level-two elemental swordsman—a very unusual trait. Furthermore, there were fifty other bandit riders with physical prowess rivaling level-one elemental swordsmen, which made this even stranger.

"You're not elemental swordsmen, so how do you possess such strength comparable to one?" Merlin asked directly, with Old Wilson beside him nodding instinctively, clearly intrigued as well.

The bandit leader's expression changed slightly, his lips trembling as if to speak, but he remained silent for a while.

"Crack."

A fresh layer of ice crystals began forming on the bandit leader, spreading quickly until his upper body was almost completely frozen, leaving only his head free.

Though less powerful than fireball spells, Merlin's freezing spell was more than enough to immobilize a mere bandit leader with ease.

Feeling the chilling ice spreading and threatening to encase his head, the bandit leader could no longer remain silent and shouted, "Master Mage, please stop! I'll tell you. Our strength is all thanks to the Great Chief!"

"The Great Chief?"

Merlin paused the freezing spell, taking two steps closer to the bandit leader. "Tell me more about your Great Chief."

The bandit leader's face had turned pale, and his body was trembling uncontrollably. Although his physical strength was considerable, Merlin's freezing spell was chillingly effective, and prolonged exposure would cause real harm.

"The Great Chief arrived here three years ago. Back then, I, the second leader, and the fourth leader were just small-time bandits in the area, each with a few hundred followers, hardly a force to be reckoned with. The Great Chief found us, defeated us all, and became our chief. He then taught us a strange set of poses. By practicing this technique daily, our physical strength quickly increased."

"Later, the Great Chief led us in merging with other bandit groups, expanding our forces to form the Hurricane Bandit Gang, which now numbers around three to four thousand. The Great Chief selected five hundred young bandits and taught them this strange technique. With daily training, they've all developed the strength of level-one elemental swordsmen."

"With such strength, the Great Chief's ambitions grew. He's no longer content with being a mere bandit. He even intends to take advantage of the Kingdom of Light's current turmoil to seize a few cities... But because of our rapid expansion, as you can see, our weapons and armor couldn't keep up. When we encountered some royals guarded by only a few hundred knights, the Great Chief ordered us to rob them and sent us here to prevent you from interfering with his plans."

After he finished, the bandit leader was visibly shivering, his voice nearly incoherent.

On the surface, Merlin's expression remained calm, but inwardly, he was astonished. A mysterious technique that could rapidly enhance an ordinary person's physical abilities to rival elemental swordsmen… This was remarkably similar to the strange relief he'd acquired. Merlin only had one such relief, and by practicing the poses it depicted, he had already developed the physique of a level-one elemental swordsman.

"These bandits' physical abilities could match level-two elemental swordsmen… How powerful must this 'Great Chief' be? A level-three, or even a level-four elemental swordsman?"

Merlin's mind raced with thoughts. If this "Great Chief" indeed possessed the relief, then he likely had at least three of them.

The strange techniques on these reliefs were truly formidable. While Merlin hadn't thought much about it before, seeing this mysterious "Great Chief" sharing the techniques made him realize their terrifying potential.

Simply passing on one technique could create a formidable force of warriors with strength equal to level-one elemental swordsmen within months.

The recent battle had made this abundantly clear. Old Wilson's heavy knights had been built with years of dedication, with nearly half the territory's taxes poured into maintaining and training them to reach their current combat effectiveness.

Yet, despite their fearsome power, they had struggled against a mere fifty untrained bandits. Had it not been for Merlin and Old Wilson's exceptional strength, this group of heavy knights might have been defeated by just fifty bandits.

The horrifying potential of the mysterious reliefs was evident. And the "Great Chief" possessed five hundred of these enhanced bandits.

While Merlin pondered these implications, Old Wilson, less concerned with the mystery of the reliefs, had only heard the mention of a royal target.

"Merlin, Princess Sherris and the others might be in danger. I'm taking the heavy knights to rescue them."

This time, Merlin did not stop him. He knew Old Wilson felt deeply grateful to Prince Frederick, and although Princess Sherris had declined Old Wilson's offer of allegiance, he would not abandon her now.

This might even be for the best—once they'd saved her, Old Wilson could sever ties with the royals once and for all.

"Father, go ahead. I'll catch up shortly!"

Merlin's eyes flashed with a determined gleam. His target was the mysterious Great Chief.

***

Commander Mance's face was filled with despair. His body felt numb from the blows he'd sustained. Despite being a level-three earth swordsman, the man before him, bearing strange markings on his face and known as the Great Chief, was far too powerful.

Each swing of the Great Chief's sword carried an overwhelming force. Though he didn't appear particularly muscular, his body held the strength of a beast, rendering Commander Mance nearly powerless.

A level-three peak elemental swordsman! Mance was horrified. This man was able to match the strength of a level-three peak elemental swordsman with mere physical prowess—something he'd never seen or even heard of.

And it wasn't just the Great Chief who was terrifying. The bandits around him, numbering about four or five hundred, could all rival level-one elemental swordsmen. This number was beyond Mance's comprehension, even more than the elite Firebird Legion of the Kingdom of Light, which could muster only about a thousand level-one elemental swordsmen at its peak.

Yet here was a mob of poorly armed bandits, without even armor, who could rival half of the Firebird Legion.

"Boom."

Another powerful blow sent Mance flying. He crashed heavily to the ground, struggling to stand as pain coursed through his body. He was grievously wounded.

Meanwhile, his six hundred Firebird knights had been overwhelmed, surrounded by bandits, and nearly all wiped out, leaving fewer than three hundred survivors.

"It's over…"

Commander Mance closed his eyes in pain, never imagining he'd meet his end at the hands of a bandit mob.

Princess Sherris, watching from afar, was pale and trembling in terror. The situation had deteriorated rapidly, and these seemingly insignificant bandits had proven themselves terrifyingly formidable. Commander Mance's six hundred Firebird knights were on the brink of annihilation.

With no other choice, Princess Sherris couldn't bear to imagine the horrors awaiting her if she fell into the bandits' hands.

"Deputy Commander Wayne, prepare for battle. For the honor of the Firebird!"

With a complex expression, Princess Sherris drew her silver sword, ready to fight to the death.

"Whoosh."

The last two hundred Firebird knights also drew their swords, raising them high with solemn expressions.

"In the name of knightly honor, kill!"

"In the name of knightly honor, kill!"

***

Suddenly, Princess Sherris and her group heard a tremendous noise from behind them, like a black torrent rushing down the hillside.