Upon entering the castle, Ryu activated his Divine Eye, scanning the castle's structure and the locations of the humans within.

If he took his time and searched carefully, he could obtain detailed information, as if he were looking with his own eyes, or even more precisely, as if he were measuring with a sophisticated instrument. However, it required a certain level of concentration and time.

Since he was an intruder, he quickly confirmed their locations roughly. He then found a room where several people with strong magic resided and teleported himself there.

As expected, it was the command room.

They had just received a report that an intruder had appeared and that they had been ordered to call back the soldiers who had gone outside.

"To allow someone to infiltrate so easily, what were the guards doing?!"

"No, according to the report, he uses teleportation magic."

"Does teleportation magic even exist?"

"It's hard to believe, but if it does exist, allowing him to infiltrate… huh? Who are you?"

Ryu: "Maybe the infamous intruder?"

There were five men in the room. Four were gathered around a large table spread with maps, while one was seated at a grand desk at the back. The four were likely commanders from each direction, and the one at the back was the supreme commander.

The men, realizing Ryu was suddenly in the room, immediately moved their hands to their swords, ready to draw them. However, the swords weren't where they should be. Ryu had stored them away.

The man seated at the back spoke.

Man: "What's your purpose for coming here? You could have taken us by surprise if you wanted to. The fact that you didn't suggests you have some other goal."

Ryu: "Who are you?"

Man: "I am General Jarig, supreme commander of this army."

Ryu: "I see. I'm Ryuujin. I came here to advise you to retreat. You've heard it from the fleeing soldiers, haven't you? There's no point in resisting; you'll only increase the number of casualties. It's better to give up and return to your country."

General Jarig: "Humph. You think we'll retreat just because you said so?"

Ryu: "Well, I guess it's not likely. But this situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable. I'm warning you, make the decision to retreat early, before you're completely wiped out. If you don't, it means you're choosing annihilation. It's fine with me, but…"

General: "You arrogant little brat… What can you do alone?"

Ryu: "I single-handedly recaptured three cities, didn't I?"

Ryu was full of sass. The men wanted to attack Ryu, but they were weaponless. Should they attack barehanded? He was alone, they could easily capture him even without weapons.

But a soldier entered the room at that moment, perfectly timed.

Soldier: "Reporting! The intruder, but I couldn't find him anywher…"

The nearest captain reacted swiftly. He drew his sword from the soldier's belt and swung it at Ryu.

But the sword disappeared again before it could reach Ryu. Ryu took a step towards the man who had swung empty and placed his hand on the man's chest, pushing hard.

With Ryu's strength, the man was sent flying, colliding with the wall and losing consciousness.

The remaining three men simultaneously rushed towards Ryu.

They were capable warriors who held the position of captain in a military nation. They were confident in their hand-to-hand combat abilities. They believed they had no chance of losing to Ryu, who looked like a frail boy. But in the next instant, they were all slammed against the wall, becoming motionless.

Ryu: "Make a wise decision."

Then Ryu teleported himself and General Jarig outside the building.

Ryu: "Speaking of which, I heard you prepared some people to welcome me. Go gather them. I'll face them."

The general was shaken by his first experience with teleportation, but he obeyed Ryu and ordered a nearby soldier to call for the warriors.

Eventually, 10 warriors gathered in the square.

One of the warriors asked.

Warrior: "General, who is that?"

General: "An intruder…"

Warriors: " " " " "!" " " " "

General: "Kill him!"

The general gave his order.

However, none of the 10 warriors gathered responded to the order. They were all already decapitated.

Ten elite warriors of the Chagamga army had been instantly killed.

Ryu: "From now on, I will annihilate your Chagamga army. Those who value their lives should retreat. I will spare those who flee. Those who come at me should be prepared to die!"

Ryu echoed his words throughout the city and addressed the general.

Ryu: "General, I hope you make a wise decision as soon as possible."

Ryu approached the soldiers nearby. They hastily raised their swords and spears. But in the next instant, they were slain by Ryu.

Archers fired arrows from a distance, and magic-wielding soldiers unleashed attack magic, but the outcome remained the same, regardless of their distance.

With a single glance, Ryu split the soldiers in two, one after another. There were soldiers clad in full steel armor, but they were bisected as if they were naked. His skill was like a reaper wielding his scythe.

The general had disappeared by now, and soldiers had gathered in the square. The general had given orders to the entire army to kill Ryu with all their might.

Soldiers were being killed by Ryu one after another. In the blink of an eye, the square was filled with bodies, making it difficult to move. Yet, the soldiers kept coming, endlessly.

Ryu spotted the general on the top floor of the building overlooking the square and teleported himself there.

Ryu: "Don't you understand the difference in power?! Why won't you give the retreat order?!"

General: "...If I go back now, I'll be executed for failing the mission. If I flee, my family will be executed. But if I die in battle, my family will be spared."

Ryu: "...What about the soldiers?"

General: "It's the same for the soldiers. They know this, so no soldier from Chagamga will ever retreat."

Ryu: "Then surrender and become prisoners."

General: "No... if word gets out that I became a prisoner, my family will be killed."

Ryu: "...Aren't there soldiers who don't have families?"

General: "Those soldiers have already fled. The soldiers remaining are those who have no choice but to fight and win or die…"

Ryu had heard that the Chagamga Republic was a cruel feudalistic nation with only slaves and soldiers, but it seemed worse than he imagined.

As Ryu pondered what to do, General Jarig unexpectedly drew his sword and attacked Ryu.

However, Ryu stopped the hand holding the sword, and in the next instant, the general's head was severed from his body.

.

Just in case, Ryu once again echoed his voice throughout the city, calling for surrender.

Those who wish to die should come to the central square. But those who choose to surrender and become prisoners should discard their weapons and exit the city gate. I will guarantee their lives, he said.

A few dozen people came out of the city gate in response to his call, but the remaining soldiers mostly headed towards the square and aimed their weapons at Ryu.

They had no choice but to gamble on a slim possibility and challenge Ryu, even after seeing their comrades slaughtered and realizing that they couldn't win. The soldiers were sadly held hostage by their families.

Ryu felt a little pity for them, but he couldn't do anything if they wouldn't back down.

After a few hours, there was no one left alive in the castle…

Ryu opened the city gate, and the Kingdom army entered the castle, but the castle was filled with corpses, a chilling silence pervading the air.

.

Next Episode Preview

Ryu reclaims the fortress and returns to the palace, leaving the rest to the army. But an unexpected event awaits him...

Stay tuned!