"Um... Marshal, sir, what should I do about this situation?"
The security officer did not know what he was supposed to do in a situation this awkward. He turned toward Marshal Zhang Xianyuan, who was roaring with laughter, with a look that begged for help.
"Your name... Da Zheng, isn't it?"
"Y-yes, sir. That's my name."
Da Zheng had never expected that someone like the Marshal could remember the name of a lowly security officer like himself. His gaze was full of respect and admiration, in contrast to Zhang Xianyuan, whose mouth curved into a smile at one corner.
"Someone is causing a disturbance in the area you're responsible for. As a security officer, what should you do?"
Da Zheng swallowed with difficulty. Every pair of eyes around him was fixed on whatever decision he made next.
"..."
"...Please remain calm."
The middle-aged man settled his cap firmly on his head. He fixed a glare on the giant caught in his grip, in no mood to let the matter go.
"Nobody's allowed to cause trouble here!"
CRACK!
The moment the words left his mouth, his fine black leather uniform shoe slammed squarely into the cheek of one of the giant Stellar Knights. Grandmaster-level qi surged through Da Zheng's entire body. Though he was no longer young, he still managed to keep a commanding bearing!
"Y-you!?"
"Jaret!?"
The Stellar Knights stared at what had happened, unable to believe their eyes. They had been trained in the sacred lands of the Stellar Order since before they could remember. Wherever they traveled, they were always received with honors befitting their standing. Even the royal families of some Western countries had come out to welcome them in person.
So what was this?
A village security guard had put one of them down before he could even react!
Two Stellar Knights rushed over to check on their comrade, who had been sent flying and now lay sprawled on the ground. They slapped his face, trying to rouse him.
But once saliva began to froth at his mouth, everyone knew it was useless.
"..."
The five Stellar Knights exchanged grim looks. They gave a single nod as a signal, and two of them charged at Da Zheng from behind while he was unprepared!
"Die!"
Pure white magic power spread out across their bodies. The "Sacred Weapons," the unique emblem and pride of the Order, were brought out with no regard for the fact that they were being used against a human. Their brooches transformed into a sword and a long spear born of light, and both weapons stabbed at the security officer without mercy.
Snap!
With the index and middle fingers of both hands, Da Zheng caught the tips of the spear and the sword just in time. The qi at his fingertips collided with that sacred power in a deafening clash. The bystanders watched the fight escalate, each reacting in their own way.
Dante ground his teeth. He turned and signaled his own people to cut the live broadcast at once.
Zhang Xianyuan, on the other hand, wore a broad grin. A whole crowd of reporters with better cameras was already rushing toward them!
"...They sure got here fast."
And the news had only just gone out, too...
On the way here, Zhang Xianyuan had already issued orders in secret. But even if he had done nothing, any news agency that saw the live broadcast and still had a shred of sense would have rushed reporters to this area for certain.
The Marshal cast a sidelong glance at Dante, who was glaring wide-eyed at the army of reporters now closing in, and smiled to himself.
The show you people started...
...how could it end so easily!?
"You're really going to let them fight like this!"
Dante turned to Zhang Xianyuan and bore down on him with a hard stare. He pointed toward Da Zheng, who was in the thick of a brawl with his men, as if demanding that he do something.
"What would you like me to do, Saint? That officer's just doing his job, and doing it flawlessly, isn't he?"
Zhang Xianyuan grinned. He shrugged and spread his palms as though there was nothing he could do to help, until Dante had to clench his teeth hard.
"You'll regret this..."
The young man looked at the cameras of the reporters, which had already gone live a moment earlier. Those people were not anyone he could control. A situation that had already begun had to be seen through to the end!
And it had to end in victory for the Stellar Order.
"By the will of the stars... I really didn't want to do this..."
Despite his words, his eyes signaled his bodyguards to move. Nearly ten Stellar Knights all rushed to gang up on Da Zheng, who was still dealing with the two from before!
"...You're not allowed to cause trouble in this village!"
At that very moment, nearly ten security officers all leapt through the air together from various corners of the village. Using nothing but their bare hands, they handled an equal number of Stellar Knights with ease!
"...Well, that's about what I figured."
Wu Jia, the Divine Doctor, sat swinging his foot and sipping tea as he observed from a distance. His eyes narrowed as he thought back to the moment he had first sensed the flow of power radiating from those people.
Grandmaster... hmm... mid-stage Grandmaster, maybe?
That was the level of power he had sensed from those who called themselves Stellar Knights.
At first he had not been sure, but after watching them fight, Wu Jia could confirm it.
Those people were strong... if they had come here a year earlier, that is.
Ten or so Grandmaster-level fighters. A year ago, this country would have had no way at all of dealing with that kind of power. Even gathering every Grandmaster in the country would not have been enough.
The country would have been forced to bow to them and accept everything they proposed.
But things were different now...
It had taken only a short time since that woman appeared.
Wu Jia sighed. He watched the Stellar Knights, their faces full of shock as they clashed with the security officers. The dignity and honor they had built up were probably being shaken for the very first time today.
"These guys... who are they!?"
One of the Stellar Knights, whose sword of light had been flicked away by a bare hand coated in qi, cursed in frustration.
CRACK!?
A leather-shod heel whipped around at a speed the eye could not follow, slamming into two Stellar Knights and forcing them back. The face of the security officer who had struck was calm and unruffled. He dodged the brightly glowing Sacred Weapons with ease, then twisted the wrist of an attacking Stellar Knight until the weapon fell from his hand.
"...These guys aren't actually that strong, are they?"
"Their technique is a mess. In terms of form alone, they're probably not even as good as the new recruits who've only just been training with the Little Instructor's videos, right?"
Although it was said softly to a comrade at his side, it still made the Stellar Knights who overheard turn scarlet.
They had never imagined a day would come when they would be belittled by an enemy to their faces like this.
"You...!"
BOOM!
A solid fist packed with qi landed squarely on that Stellar Knight's chin, knocking him out cold in midair. The one who had thrown it was an officer who scratched his head in confusion and said,
"Was this guy about to say something just now..."
"Never mind that. By the way, how's your daughter doing?"
"Oh... ever since I got this job, my daughter's been stuck to me like glue..."
Not far away, Dante gnashed his teeth as he stared at the scene before him. The Stellar Knights he took such pride in were being driven back with fearful faces, dropping to the ground one by one. Meanwhile, the other side was chatting about how their families were doing, as if this fight were nothing more than a chore to get through!
"What... what the heck is this!?"
Marshal Zhang Xianyuan hid his smile and watched the fight with a satisfied face.
Secretly backing those men had certainly paid off!
Those below Sage level might not have noticed, but several faint currents of power were now radiating from around the Marshal, all aimed at the security officers fighting there.
The Intent he had received upon reaching Sage level...
...the Intent of the Unyielding Commander!
Rumble...
It was a simple Intent.
Its ability was to "empower" those under his command!
It enhanced their attack and defense and improved their coordination as well. But what mattered most was that it stirred up their focus as though they were being rallied at every moment, so that even when facing someone stronger, they would not easily be overwhelmed by the pressure.
Although it did not make the user himself much stronger the way other people's Intents did, it was one of the Intents most beneficial to the group as a whole.
So much so that if Bai Fanxian were to return and see it, she would probably even rush to train the Marshal up to Ancient Sage level as quickly as possible!
After all, if a mere "Intent" could do this much, how powerful would it be as a "Domain"!?
BOOM!
The body of one of the Stellar Knights was blasted away and rolled to a stop at Dante's feet, snapping the young man back to his senses. He looked toward the spot where the fighting was still going on, and his eyes went wide, his body trembling.
Every one of his Stellar Knights... was lying in a heap on the ground!
"No way... what on earth is this?"
Dante muttered in disbelief, then felt a hand come to rest on his left shoulder, giving it a few soft pats as if to console him.
"Haah... I told you, didn't I. You can't even beat the guards here, so what are you doing crossing the sea to make demands?"
Marshal Zhang Xianyuan sighed and shook his head gently, looking so concerned that Dante himself almost wanted to believe the old man really was worried about him.
...Except that the corners of his mouth were stretching into a grin with no attempt at all to hide it!
"This has to be staged... staged!"
Dante brushed off the hand that was comforting him without a second thought and bellowed fiercely. He felt as though countless eyes were fixed on him from every direction, until his gaze caught on one of the live-broadcast cameras.
"Everyone, this country is insulting us! They staged all this to smear us and make us look like fools! There's no way ordinary village guards could be this skilled! None!"
The young man looked no different from a madman. He seized the camera with both hands and yanked it violently, sending the cameraman stumbling. Dante turned the camera toward the group of security officers, who were watching him quietly.
"They must be top-level experts... no, Generals! They must be this country's Generals, for sure!"
Dante thought back, certain of himself, to the reports he had received.
"Everyone, look closely at their faces! This country's Generals are looking down on and insulting our Order! I demand that action be taken through..."
"Uh... what nonsense are you talking about?"
Da Zheng, standing as the representative of the group of security officers, walked up to Dante before he could brace himself, making him flinch.
"How could people with our level of skill be Generals?"
The middle-aged man reached out to steady Dante, who was still holding the camera, then waved his hands modestly. At the same time, he pointed a finger up at the sky and let a smile show at the corner of his mouth.
"'Those' are our country's Generals."
Rumble...
Dante sensed that something had appeared in the air above his head.
And when he looked up, camera in hand, he was met with a sight that froze his whole body and that he would never forget for as long as he lived.
Two men stood with their arms crossed, looking down and meeting the eyes of the people below as they released their pressure. The air trembled with a deep, rumbling roar.
One was the Eastern King, Ma Fufeng, whose qi was no different from a fearsome beast swallowing the sky!
The other was Liu Yianfei, radiating a brilliant pure white light no different from a god descended from the heavens!
"..."
"That's right... 'those' are our country's Generals..."
Zhang Xianyuan's grin widened as he stepped forward.
CRACK!?
A single step from him sent the ground all around trembling.
The carefully laid concrete paving cracked into countless small pieces. Compressed by the old man's qi, it crumbled to dust and was blown into the air.
At once, the soldiers and residents nearby felt their fighting spirit surge together, without knowing why.
Before these three...
...this country needed no help from the Order at all!