The Herb King



Just as he was about to call Aethelwolf, Ramiel suddenly received a call from a Regiment Commander stationed in the territorial borders of the Jasper Empire. 

"Sir Ramiel, twenty thousand Underworlders are marching toward our location. It looks like this is a detachment force they sent to infiltrate the Jasper Empire. I can sense a powerful warrior leading them and he is probably at the peak stage of Level 4. I only have ten thousand men with me and we might not be their match. What are your commands, Sir Ramiel?" A grave voice could be heard over the device.

Stationing some regiments all over the Jasper Empire worked well and it was already showing its effectiveness. They encountered a detachment force of the Underworlders which may be planning to breach the Jasper Empire while their main army was holding back the allied forces. 

Ramiel was a bit surprised by the intelligence of the Underworlders. He thought that they were mindless killers who enjoyed fresh meat, but it seemed like they also possessed human-like intelligence. 

"Don't engage them in battle. You should call a nearby regiment first and ask for their support. Try to hold off the enemy while waiting for your reinforcements." Ramiel gave his orders. 

"Yes, Sir Ramiel!" 

He disconnected the call, but after a short while, he received a call from another Regiment Commander. The contents of his report were the same as earlier. They also encountered a detachment force, but this time, the enemies numbered more than fifteen thousand. Ramiel gave the same command to the regiment commander before disconnecting the call. 

Not long later, Ramiel received more calls with similar reports. Luckily, they stationed regiments in key locations, or the Jasper Empire would have already been breached. 

After giving instructions to the Regiment Commanders, Ramiel reported the incident to Aethelwolf.

"It looks like this army has a capable leader. Ramiel, you should quickly dispatch your men to kill this Underworlder Commander. If he is left alive, more of our soldiers will be killed." Aethelwolf was on a separate mission so he couldn't help them. Their main task at the moment was to observe the gathering location of the Underworlders in the Northern Region.

"Yes, King Aethelwolf!" Ramiel's eyes flashed with cruelty. It was about time for him to make a move! 

While keeping away his Communication Rune, Ramiel turned his gaze to Aenwyn and said. "Miss Aenwyn here's the plan..." 

Two more weeks passed by and there were already numerous battles between the Underworlder army led by Wulong and the allied army led by Ramiel. Both sides lost thousands of soldiers and they had their victories and defeats. However, it was still too early to say who would win between them. 

At this moment, Ramiel was leading the vanguard force and he was disguised as a normal soldier. He temporarily assigned Victor as the Commander of the allied army. 

Ramiel's vanguard force pierced through the formation of the Underworlder army. They left behind a trail of corpses along their path! 

Ramiel's goal this time was to take the head of Wulong! He had sent many assassins to kill Wulong, but all of them failed. Now, he planned to kill the guy on his own! 

While waving his sword around, Ramiel spoke over the Communication Rune. "Sir Victor, we will be counting on you later to distract the enemies." 

"Leave it to me. You guys take care." He heard Victor's confident voice and it made him feel reassured. The old man was ranked third in the Heavenly Might Rankings so his strength was unquestionable. 

"Yeah. You too." Ramiel replied with a short laugh before focusing on the killing spree in front of him. 

Behind him, Aenwyn was riding on top of a mount with a dragon bloodline. She was holding a long bow with bladed limbs that could be used as swords at close range. Each of the arrows she shot killed one enemy after another, and those that tried to close in on her died under the sharp blades of her bow. 

Ramiel didn't know what was happening behind him as he continued his charge. He was like a meat grinder as be pushed forward. His sword moved like a mirage as he chopped his enemies like vegetables. No one could stop him! Even those Level 4 warriors who tried to ambush him failed miserably as they died under his sword. 

Looking at his figure, the soldiers behind him became fearless. They chased his figure as they charges through the encirclement with him. 

Meanwhile, Wulong had already noticed this powerful vanguard force. He gave a cold look to the subordinate behind him and commanded. "Take the Iron Blood Battalion with you and kill those foolish soldiers!" 

The bear-headed Underworlder savagely laughed when he heard the command. "Yes, General Wulong!" He then jumped on his mount and shouted to the Iron Blood Battalion. "Soldiers of the Iron Blood Battalion, follow me to kill the enemies!" 

The Iron Blood Battalion was a merciless group of Underworlders. Each of them was strong warriors and the weakest among them even has the strength of a Level 3 Esper! 

The warriors of the Iron Blood Battalion leaked their lips as they pulled out their weapons. "Kill the enemies!" They roared with cruel faces.

Under the leadership of the bear-headed Underworlder, the Iron Blood Battalion rushed forward. They headed straight toward Ramiel's vanguard force. Their fierce momentum scared the nearby soldiers. 

Seeing the fearsome Iron Blood Battalion, Ramiel raised his sword and summoned a peerless sword technique. A powerful sword beam was released, striking the incoming battalion. 

"Hmph!" The bear-headed Underwolder snorted when he saw this. He grabbed the shield on his back and throw it towards the sword beam!

BAANGG!!

A violent explosion rang out and the energy of the sword beam dissipated after it came in contact with the shield. 

The bear-headed Underworlder caught the shield in midair and attached it to his left arm. "My turn." He muttered as he raised the spear on his right hand and arched his body to gather more strength. He then threw the spear with all his might. 

Swoosh!

The giant spear tore through the air, producing a whistling sound.

Ramiel's eyes constricted and he felt goosebumps all over his body. He pulled the reins on his mount and jumped up in the air. He then summoned a golden wall while silently muttering a chant. 

BOOOMM!!

A huge explosion echoed, followed by the trembling of the earth. Dust particles covered the surroundings, making everyone unconsciously close their eyes. 

When the cloud of dust subsided, everyone saw a deep crater on the ground. 

Hovering on top of the crater was Ramiel. His armor was without damage, but his arms imperceptibly trembled after taking that spear! The strength of the bear-headed Underworlder exceeded his expectations. From the look of it, the guy was at least a late stage Level 5 Esper! 

The bear-headed Underworlder was stunned when he saw the unharmed Ramiel hovering like a deity. His ferocious face darkened as he shouted. "Charge! Kill them all! Don't leave anyone alive!" 

After failing to kill Ramiel, the bear-headed Underworlder was enraged. He grabbed a giant war hammer and lunged forward like an angry beast! A wave of overwhelming energy started to gather at the tip of his hammer. "Die!" He shouted as he struck down his hammer. His muscles bulged and the veins on his body protruded like small pythons.

Ramiel was caught off guard, but he still managed to lift his sword. 

Bang!

Smash!

Ramiel was thrown inside the crater and his body was deeply embedded into the ground. He spat a mouthful of blood as he stared at the ferocious beast hovering above the crater. 

"Sir Ramiel!" The soldiers of the vanguard force cried out in shock when they saw Ramiel being thrown like a small toy. The bear-headed Underworlder was too strong! 

Suddenly, the beast felt an incomparable sense of danger. He immediately retreated to the side. 

Suu!

An energy arrow passed through his previous spot. 

The bear-headed Underworlder frowned as he turned his gaze underneath. Just right above the mouth of the crater, he saw a beautiful elven woman holding a long bow in her hands. Her eyes were ice-cold as she looked at him expressionlessly. 

"Are you alright, Sir Ramiel?" Aenwyn asked as she looked at the bloody figure beneath the crater. There was a huge dent in Ramiel's armor which made him struggle to breathe. Aenwyn jumped down the crater and pulled out his body. 

"I-I'm fine... Cough! Cough!" Ramiel spat a few more mouthfuls of blood. He grabbed the upper portion of his armor and pulled apart the dented portion. "T-That guy is tough to deal with. You should be careful, Miss Aenwyn." 

Aenwyn stared at him and muttered indifferently. "I should be the one telling you that." 

"Watch out!" Ramiel shouted when he saw that the bear-headed Underworlder was preparing to attack again. 

"You don't need to warn me!" Aenwyn disappeared from her spot. Her figure blurred as she reappeared above the bear-headed Underworlder. She pulled the string of her longbow, releasing a condensed energy arrow. 

Suu!