"Stop here," Ace called out suddenly to the carriage driver.

  It took Ad his team over a day and a half to get to their current point, but even so, they were still a few hours away when Aahe carriage to e to a halt.

  "What is it?" Amira asked when she saw the all-too-familiar look in his eyes. "Did you sense something?"

  As the one who'd spent the loime with him in a hostile enviro, she was all too familiar with each of his subtle expressions.

  "What could our esteemed team leader have sensed from here?" Chukaya asked, his tone ced with sarcasm. "We're several dozen miles from the rear of our force's encampment, which means we're still deep within our owory."

  "It's nothing; I'll be back shortly," Ace responded, ign Chukaya's sarcastic response as he turo Amira and the others. "I just have a sudden urge to stretch my legs for a bit.

  Leo, protect everyone whilst I'm away."

  Leo uood that when Ace said "everyone", he meant the whole team, including Chukaya. With their spiritual bond, Ace was fully aware of how badly his beast partner wao tear Chukaya limb from limb. Still, even if he was annoying, Ace couldn't allow anything bad to happen to him. After all, he was still an important member of the Rohault Empire.

  Chukaya frowned when he heard whom Ace had told to protect the others in his absence. In his mind, he was the stro of the group; even if he hated the idea of being ordered around by his rival in love, he hated that he was so easily overlooked even more.

  Unfortunately, before he could voice his pint, Ace had already disappeared out the door.

  "Hmph! He's supposed to be our team leader, yet he's disappearing on us mid-trip," Chukaya snorted disdainfully. "How reliable…"

  Although Chukaya's point was valid, Ace's [Observation] reached a little over 6km when unpressed. He had already determihat other than in the dire he was heading, there was no one else around, which made sense as the area they were currently in was the path leading to the battlefield.

  Unless it was soldiers heading to or from the battlefield, there should be no one present for miles, a Ace sehe presence of a small but powerful team of almost two dozen warriors swiftly making their way towards the rear of the Rohault force's camp.

  Whilst it was very possible that they were reinforts, Ace felt it necessary to go and check for himself, as if both his and their groups carried on at their current trajectory, they would eventually meet.

  And whilst Ace, Leo, and potentially Chukaya would be able to protect themselves, the others would definitely have a hard time.

  The three stro warriors of the team iion were at the eighth rank, and they had half a dozen warriors at the seventh and a dozen warriors at the sixth rank following them.

  "I still 't believe this pn actually worked," One of the two eighth-rank warriors said with aed grin suffusing his lips.

  "Haruol's spent years undercover with those Rohault scum, slowly rising through the ranks, for this very day," The team leader responded as he gnced appreciatively at one of their rank seven subordinates. "With his hard work, we'll finally be able to deal these annoying battle-hungry idiots a blow they'll never fet."

  The group of warriors were ughing and talkiedly amongst themselves, believing that they were alone, wholly unaware that just over 50 meters in the sky above them was an individual wearing a full-body hooded robe hopping on the air as if it were solid ground.

  The mystery man was obviously Ace, who, with his pressed [Observation] spread over them, was able to tell everything they had said.

  "I guess it was a good thing I came after all," Ace said as he looked down at the group, uanding that despite them dressing in the armoured uniform of the Rohault Empire army, they were undoubtedly soldiers from an enemy force. The only question remaining was which of the Rohault Empire's enemies did this troop belong to.

  Though the battle being waged against the O'Brien Empire was the cruellest, it wasn't their only battlefield. To the north was the O'Brien Empire, and to the east were the great pins, home of the infamous steppe riders.

  Using [Soru], Ace suddenly disappeared from his previous position, appearing on the ground 50 meters in front of the hostile squad, f them all to e to a sudden halt.

  Though they were merrily talking amongst themselves, each of the warriors present was a veteran soldier. Knowing they were ierritory, they didn't dare rex their vigince, ahey had pletely failed to sehe figure before he appeared before them.

  Even now, though they could see him, not a single perso was able to feel his presence, a fact which made them stare at the hooded figure cautiously.

  "Who is your excellency?" One of the three eighth-ranked warriors asked as he stepped forward in an attempt to take charge of the situation.

  It had to be remembered that they were currently impersonating soldiers of the Rohault Army. They couldn't afford to act suspiciously as they had too much riding on their success here tonight. Still, it was all but impossible to remain calm when they heard the calm yet oddly immature voice of the person in front of them.

  "I already know you're not from the Rohault Empire," Ace voiced indifferently. "What I don't know is if you're from the Great Pins or the O'Brien Empire…"

  As Ace said "O'Brien", each of the soldiers in front of him could feel the bloodlust he subsciously released.

  "Kill him, now!" The leader of the squadron anded uantly as he shot forth, sword in hand.

  He didn't know who this newer was, nor did he know how strong he was. All he knew was that he was undoubtedly an enemy who koo much.

  If they wao salvage their mission, they would have to kill the robed man as quickly as possible. Although there were very few people in the area, they couldn't afford to take any ces.

  Unfortunately, they had kicked the proverbial iron bucket this time.

  The leader's sword sshed through the air with incredible speed and power, allowing Ace to uand that the man had actually prehended both states of wielding.

  It was the first time Ace had met aside of the Pavilion who'd done so, but other than a little surprise, he didn't feel much else.

  "It really is good to be back," Ace muttered as he indifferently watched the man's sword ssh straight through his neck.

  The team leader watched in horror as his oppo's body turned into fire, allowing his sword to cut straight through him, dealing no actual damage.

  From the training he'd done siurning from the mountain range of magical beasts, Aderstood that haki wasn't the only way to strike him when in his 'logia' form. In this world, he could still be attacked if his oppo had reached the 'impose' boundary or above. But if they hadn't, it didn't matter whether they were of a higher realm or were able to use battle-qi; Ace would remain intangible to all attacks, including spells.

  The only problem was that, as he was still only a mage of the third rank, using his logia form burhrough his mageforce rapidly. Still, as long as he only used it for brief instances instead of extended periods, the drain on his energy was manageable.

  Before he could fully his mind around what he had just seen, the hairs on the back of the squad leader's neck stood on edge.

  Ace, who had previously beey-handed, suddenly summoned his give – e – from his ste ring a it snaking forward, aiming to pierce the team leader's head.

  Suppressing his shod the hint of fear rising from within, the team leader didn't hesitate to raise his sword to meet the ining polearm. Unfortunately for him, his oppo was able to foresee his intended a.

  Before the man could react, Ace's give seemed to e to life as it suddenly ged dire.

  Ace went from a straightforward but splendid thrust to a ssh at the man's legs using his fusion of both states of wielding, allowing the speed of his strike to multiply severalfold.

  Though surprised, as a warrior of the eighth rank whose prehension had reached a simir stage, he was easily able to react accly… Or he would've been, had the spaot suddenly stricted around him impeding his movements.

  "Impose…

  ARGHHH!" The man roared in pain as the pain of losing a limb threateo overwhelm him.

  Though it took a while to describe, the whole enter took no lohan a split sed. By the time his oppo's teammates got within striking range, Ace had already disappeared.

  The other two eighth-rank warriors were the first to arrive after the team leader, but the sight of their rade, who was also the stro perso, losing a limb so suddenly caused them to falter for the briefest of moments.

  Still, in a battle, at that level, a moment of hesitation ofte the differeween life ah.

  "[Fire Fist]!" Ace roared, sending a pilr of fire at the warrior furthest away whilst the haki-coated give in his other hand chopped the fih-rank warrior in two.

  The sed of the three eighth-rank warriors hurriedly dodged out of the way of the ining fist-shaped fme attack, only to find that the demonic-robed individual had appeared beside him, cutting off his escape route.

  He frantically sshed out with his battle axe, hoping to force his oppo out of the way, but Ace calmly evaded the strike before cutting off his arm and ing his hands around the man's neck.

  "Now you answer my question?" Ace asked as he coolly stared into the depths of his oppo's eyes. "Are you guys from the Great Pins or the O'Brien Empire?"

  At that moment, every single living member of the squad looked at Ace like he was the devil. He had just dispatched all three of the stro members as though they were children.

  They khey should run, but the fear of turning their backs on such a monster kept them from taking aep.

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  P.atreon./ACoilingDragon

  Book 6: Chapter 2 – Milianna's Passion