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Rachel had still been careless and fallen straight into Rex's trap. No, Rex's deception had simply been too convincing. The strength he displayed at first was only slightly greater than before the meal, successfully lulling Rachel into underestimating him. After a single strike scattered the threat overhead, the One-Handed Sword swinging down naturally had much less power behind it. Rex seized that chance to unleash his full strength, catching Rachel completely off guard. How could he possibly fail?
Rex had successfully exploited Rachel's arrogance. His full strength, combined with the holy light, made for a stunning spectacle. Every blow rang out with a thunderous crash. The bluestone paving shattered inch by inch, sending dust flying. Rachel had already been driven to the edge of the Training Grounds. Seeing Rachel finally regain a steady footing under his fierce assault and prepare to counterattack, Rex's eyes flashed with satisfaction. He immediately stopped attacking and stood still.
The point of this match was whether he could last ten moves and earn permission to leave Gilneas.
"Ten moves are up."
Rex stopped decisively as he spoke, panting heavily. Keeping the initiative with one attack after another looked easy, but every strike had consumed a tremendous amount of his stamina. A Hero Rank fighter was still a Hero Rank fighter, after all. His strength had increased to a terrifying degree, yet he still had no hope of defeating Rachel. Rachel had defended against every blow of his stormlike assault.
Seeing what Rex had done, Rachel walked over to the weapon rack, put down the One-Handed Sword, then turned and left. A moment's carelessness had allowed Rex to seize the initiative, but just as Rachel was about to counterattack, he had decisively refused to fight anymore. Yes, he had simply stopped fighting. It left Rachel burning with frustration and no way to vent it. The expression on Rex's face in particular made Rachel turn and walk straight away.
Ultimately, Rachel was still bitter about that earlier lapse in judgment.
"Does eating your fill make you stronger?" After Rex and King Genn left, a guard responsible for cleaning the Training Grounds looked at the wreckage and muttered to himself. Clearly, he had also overheard Rex's claim that he had not eaten enough.
Naturally, Rex knew nothing of this. He now had a bellyful of questions that he needed Rachel to answer.
Although Rachel was somewhat annoyed with Rex—anyone would have found his habit of quitting while he was ahead irritating—Rachel still answered his questions in detail. One thing particularly concerned Rex: Rachel's strength was clearly inferior to his, yet although Rachel had been at a disadvantage during their fight, Rex had not enjoyed the overwhelming edge he had imagined. His plan to suppress a Hero Rank fighter through sheer, terrifying strength had fallen through. Naturally, he wanted to know why.
"A higher grade of energy." After returning to his residence, Rex kept repeating those words. Rachel's explanation had been comprehensive, but after all that discussion, Rex had distilled it down to that single phrase. Upon reaching Hero Rank, both holy light and magic underwent a qualitative transformation. Even the body would be washed by the elements of the world, becoming more suited to one's class.
The holy light Rex could currently wield could not negate a severalfold difference in strength. But once it advanced to a higher grade of power, that would become easy.
That was what made Hero Rank fighters so powerful. For Rex to contend with one at the ninth rank, a one-on-one fight was completely unrealistic. Ganging up on them was the way to go.
Not long after he returned to his residence, word arrived from Dalaran. They had agreed. Naturally, they were not offering ninety thousand gold coins. Although Dalaran had the money, they would not be that generous. Provided Gilneas sent troops this time, Dalaran would afterward dispatch a squad of mages, led by a ninth-rank mage, to serve as teachers in Gilneas.
This was good news. It meant Rex could deploy his troops. That very night, he sent someone to find a blacksmith to forge him a heavy Greatsword. It did not need a sharpened edge; as long as it was heavy enough, it would suit his purposes. Now that Rachel had praised him as unmatched in strength, Rex naturally intended to make full use of that advantage. Ever since leaving the Training Grounds, the image of the Heavy Iron Sword had kept circling through his mind. With no Ashbringer available, he would have a heavy sword forged to serve as his weapon.
The heavy sword was crudely made, with nothing resembling fine craftsmanship. Its shape was essentially a long strip, though it was slightly better than a rectangular iron block. At least it had a pointed tip, and both sides of the blade had been ground down. It was hardly attractive, but Rex tolerated it since it had been made on short notice. Even so, it had taken more than two days. He really had no more time to waste.
The Knights of the Round Table had already assembled and completed all their preparations. Dalaran would handle logistics; the Knights of the Round Table only needed to supply the troops.
Naturally, this trip to Dalaran would not take them through Ambermill or the Hillsbrad plains. They were ostensibly going to provide relief. Having Rex march his own troops there would be far too beneath him. What were Portals for, if not occasions like this?
Rex arrived in Pyrewood Village early and watched the Dalaran mages begin setting up the Portal.
A Portal capable of letting two thousand people pass through required a considerable amount of magic. That was not something a handful of mages could manage. But mages were practically the only thing Dalaran still had in abundance. In particular, there were the two Hero Rank archmages from other races, including Kael'thas. They would not risk their lives in actual battle, so what else was all that magic for? This was precisely the time to use it. Rex believed Rhonin had also returned to Dalaran, giving them another archmage. Setting up a Portal would be a trivial matter.
This time, however, Rex never made it to Dalaran. While the Portal was still being prepared, a piece of news made him abandon that destination and head to Southshore instead. The Portal's destination was changed as well.
The orc army was rampaging through the Hillsbrad Foothills, sweeping aside everything in its path. Dalaran dared not fight, and after one show of force against it, the city had armed itself to the teeth. Since Dalaran was too difficult to attack, Southshore was another matter. Prosperous Southshore had few troops stationed there to defend it. It was the orcs' target, and now the destination of Rex's reinforcements.
The defense of Southshore had officially begun.
(End of chapter)
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