The Back Garden

"That's the bad news."

"The enemy has as many as sixty or seventy powerful figures in the Heroic Domain. If they were scattered, they could cause fundamental damage to the Empire's rule."

Frueda looked at the handsome emperor before him in a deep voice, a hint of a smile in his tone, "The only good news is that Your Majesty's arrival has united the entire empire and drawn the enemy here, who are eager to fight us to the death!"

"This!"

Suddenly, Nimble, who was about to detain the prisoners, let out a cry of alarm that lost all composure. Gilkinef, his heart sinking, frowned and looked over, only to see that the five prisoners had already coughed up blood and were lifeless.

"Your Majesty, Lord Frueda, I..."

"This is none of your business, get out of here."

Seeing the bewildered Nimble, Gilkinef waved him away. The wise and rational [Blood Emperor] would not be swayed by emotions. If it was not his subordinate's fault, how could he blame him?

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With Nimble gone, only the Emperor and the Imperial Archmage remained in the hall.

Gilkinef leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his temples, showing a rare look of weariness in front of his teacher, Frueda.

He slowly stated the empire's current total military strength.

"The Empire has a total of eight knightly legions. Excluding the Seventh Legion, which was destroyed, there are still seven legions remaining. Each legion has about ten thousand men, and their average strength is at the Silver Rank Adventurer, which is one rank lower than the enemy's strength."

"Next is my Imperial Guard, consisting of eighty men. They are the elite of the empire's elite, indispensable to the empire's future, and top-tier elites with a high probability of entering the Heroic Domain. Their strength is equivalent to Gold Rank Adventurer."

"The Royal Air Guard knights riding tamed Magic Beast Egret Horse, approximately fifty in number, and Platinum Rank Adventurer overall strength."

"The Emperor's personal guards— the Silver Guard— are even fewer in number, numbering only eighteen. They are all Silver Rank Adventurer or above, and their captain is a figure from the Heroic Domain."

"Next up is the Magic Chanter unit trained by Professor Frueda of the Imperial Ministry of Magic. When they are gathered together, they can rival a Knights Order."

As he spoke, Gilkinef's tone grew increasingly somber, and his expression darkened slightly.

" Of the Four Imperial Knights, only Nimble can be trusted right now."

"Finally, there's Professor Frueda, who could single-handedly wipe out the entire Imperial army."

Gilkinef straightened up, looking solemnly at Frueda, who was stroking his beard and lost in thought, and said with a hint of dejection, "I never imagined that an empire ten times stronger than the previous emperor would still need my teacher's intervention."

"The world is like a vast and boundless magical realm; no one can predict how things will develop in the future."

Frueda, who had watched Gilkinef grow up, gently shook her head and comforted him, "Your abilities have already overwhelmingly surpassed those of all previous emperors. There's no need to blame yourself anymore; just do your best."

Gilkinef raised his head, looking at the guardian deity who had protected the empire for over two hundred years, his tone cold and ruthless.

"Although the enemy is powerful, even ants can kill an elephant. The army of over 70,000 gathered here is twenty times the number of the enemy."

"As long as the opponent remains within the realm of humanity, victory will ultimately be ours."

"The only problems are the number of casualties and whether we can kill their leader Hanzo of the Salamander."

As long as victory can be won and the enemy army annihilated, Gilkinef doesn't mind the knights' sacrifice, but the difficulties that will follow are also something he must consider.

It's important to know that the enemy's initial departure point was the Re-Estize Kingdom's fortress city [Ye Lantier], so the Re-Estize Kingdom must have been behind the enemy.

Thinking of Lana, the Golden Princess," with whom he was engaging in a battle of wits from afar, Gilkinef couldn't help but ponder the deeper meaning behind it all.

(The Slane Theocracy is also under attack from the Re-Estize Kingdom. These suddenly appearing powerful individuals are definitely not warriors from the declining Re-Estize Kingdom. It's possible that the Re-Estize Kingdom has already been replaced by these ninja warriors.)

Having already guessed the truth of the matter, Gilkinef took a deep breath and looked at Frueda.

He knew perfectly well that if Hanzo of the Salamander, who was above Frueda, were to be defeated and escape, the Empire would face endless bloody retaliation.

"Master Frueda, the arduous task of keeping an eye on Hanzo of the Salamander is entrusted to you."

Frueda nodded, accepting the task. He also looked forward to relying on the strength of the Knights Order to defeat Hanzo of the Salamander, capture him, dissect his body, and study why the other was stronger than him.

(Perhaps my path to magical transcendence lies with these mysterious ninjas.)

As the two continued to talk and discuss countermeasures, not far away in the military camp of Amegakure, Hanzo of the Salamander sat imposingly in the central command tent, with rows of kneeling Ninja Army officers below him.

He noticed the unusual movement of the mother insect on the table, glanced towards the direction of the imperial fortress, and said indifferently, "The mission sent to assassinate the emperor with five Elite Jonin has failed."

The Konoha Science Academy has developed a method for information gathering and reporting based on the insects of the Aburame Clan — the Chakra Positioning Insect.

If a ninja swallows a tiny locator worm, no bigger than a grain of rice, the mother worm can sense the worm's state and, according to a pre-arranged program, release a potent toxin that can kill the ninja instantly.

When the larvae die, the mother larvae can sense it and will make a soft squeaking sound.

"The fact that he could kill five Elite Jonin suggests that the Emperor has a threat to Kage Level beings by his side. The most likely candidate is that the Imperial Guardian Frueda, has also arrived at the front lines."

Following the system of Konoha, a strategist from Amegakure said at the opportune moment, "Lord Amekage, please be extremely careful in the upcoming battle."

"Battles can change in an instant, and sometimes it's not up to me."

Hanzo of the Salamander waved his hand, saying confidently, "We've already sent ninjas to infiltrate the Empire's army and have a general understanding of their situation. The next step is simply to figure out how to win decisively, minimize our losses, and ultimately take over the entire Empire."

"To catch the thief, first catch the king."

Another advisor replied succinctly, "As long as Lord Amekage captures the Emperor or the Imperial Archmage, the remaining Knight Legion will most likely surrender."

"The next operational strategy will be formulated in accordance with this objective."

Hanzo of the Salamander's tiger-like eyes swept across the entire area. "Gentlemen," he declared, "Let this land become Amegakure's backyard!"