Reinhard's defeat

The moment Reinhard stepped outside, he saw that a vast army clad in black had completely surrounded the Great Sage Hall.

At the center of the ranks stood thirteen men in black cloaks, swords at their waists and scarlet eyes gleaming as they stared at him with chilling coldness.

Reinhard swept his gaze across the troops and discovered that most of the soldiers around him had those same eyes.

The only difference seemed to be the patterns in their eyes! After observing them quietly for a while, Reinhard began to understand the significance.

Those with pinwheel patterns were probably ordinary soldiers, since they were by far the most numerous.

Those with four tomoe were likely captains or officers, as there was generally one of them in every squad of ten.

Those with five tomoe all wore black cloaks and were probably higher-ranking officers.

As for the thirteen men standing in the center, Harut could tell at a glance that even the weakest among them had six tomoe.

Moreover, every one of them radiated an aura that even he found oppressive, and the young man he had fought earlier was right there among them.

Reinhard drew a shallow breath.

"Gentlemen, I do not know how our Dragon Kingdom has offended you enough to make you wage war without a declaration. Our Dragon Kingdom has always been a peace-loving nation!"

Yet the entire plaza outside the hall remained silent. No one answered him.

An autumn breeze stirred gently, carrying a potent air of deadly menace.

A moment later, one of the thirteen men at the front of the army stepped forward, his golden eyes bearing seven tomoe.

Uchiha Retsuyō calmly regarded the man who stood at the pinnacle of this nation's fighting power.

"You have done nothing to offend us. Our emperor