Chapter 49: A Nation-Toppling Weakness

Groaning figures littered the street, a testament to the recent devastation. Some writhed on the ground, oblivious to the dirt, curling into tight balls as they thrashed back and forth.

Others lay sprawled, their shattered armor glinting, utterly motionless. All bore the marks of defeat, a shared tableau of utter disarray.

The seven to eight hundred villagers who hadn’t escaped were a minor concern. What truly astonished You was the catastrophic defeat of his elite forces.

These three hundred knights were, without question, considered top-tier within the entire kingdom.

Among them, twelve had reached the Vanguard Breaker tier, fifty-six were Formation Harvesters, and one hundred sixty-seven were Thousand Slayers, with countless others at lower tiers.

In a war between great nations, a knight order of such caliber could easily conquer a significant portion of a country. Yet, their performance this time was utterly unsatisfactory.

Perhaps, You mused to himself, ‘It wasn’t a collective failure of my subordinates. Rather… did I truly underestimate that woman?’

To fell Vanguard Breaker-tier experts as if they were mere vegetables—You knew he couldn’t contend with such power.

A deeper analysis was required: what level of strength had this opponent, whose power he had so gravely misjudged, truly attained? City-Toppling tier… that didn’t quite seem right either.

Moreover, You, ever observant, had noticed that the woman hadn’t even unleashed her full power during the one-sided battle; she had appeared remarkably composed.

After deep contemplation, he reached a conclusion, one that forced him to acknowledge her true might: she had surpassed the City-Toppling tier, ascending to the Nation-Toppling tier!

This realization alone was enough to send shivers down the spine of any faint-hearted individual.

What exactly did ‘Nation-Toppling tier’ signify? Simply put, the most formidable powers in the world were the Seven Great Nations.

Yet, even these seven nations combined lacked the ability to stop someone of Nation-Toppling strength.

A single great nation’s army, roughly 100,000 strong, would be utterly insufficient to bring down such an individual. If this true powerhouse willed it, she could single-handedly obliterate an entire country!

Such power, especially in the heart of the continent, undoubtedly granted one the right to reshape the entire political landscape. At this moment, You drew a sharp, cold breath.

A profound sense of bewilderment washed over him. Why had he encountered such a dangerous individual in this desolate backwater?

Clearly, no ordinary passerby could possess such fighting prowess; You surmised she must have a significant background.

As his observations grew more meticulous, You cataloged several distinct features about Wang, unconsciously murmuring them aloud: ‘She appears to be under twenty, with rather long black hair, dressed in animal hides, incredibly skilled, and she actively protected my sister…’

A chilling hypothesis began to form in You’s mind, stirring his consciousness. These described traits bore an uncanny resemblance to the Demon Leader detailed within the kingdom’s intelligence network.

‘I never imagined,’ he whispered, ‘that I would encounter her here!’

Just as You solidified his burgeoning suspicion, the last knight he had dispatched also suffered defeat, their defense crumbling.

Wang, in an almost sweeping motion, struck down every target her gaze landed upon. None of them died, but each bore injuries, varying from light to severe, depending on the extent of their aggression towards Cai.

With her inner wrath appeased, the bloodshot veins in Wang’s eyes receded, and she largely returned to her usual calm.

Cai, having been protected, remained silent throughout. She kept her head bowed low whenever Wang was near, making no attempt to meet her gaze.

Since Cai offered no objection, Wang took her silence as consent. Following her predetermined plan, Wang firmly scooped Cai into her arms, turned, and walked away, departing the village with an air of undeniable authority.

As Wang carried Cai out of the village, they encountered no resistance. Those capable of stopping her were either too incapacitated to rise or chose to remain hidden in the shadows, with no intention of revealing themselves.

You watched as his sister was carried away, disappearing with her captor into the distant horizon.

With his meticulous plans utterly shattered, it would have been perfectly normal for You to erupt in a fit of rage. Yet, at this moment, he displayed no emotion beyond a simmering displeasure; anger was entirely absent.

Surprisingly, a flicker of joy ignited within You’s heart. He had, quite by accident, just discovered the Demon Leader’s fatal weakness—a vulnerability that could undoubtedly cost her life!

After Wang had departed, he pressed a hand to his face, as if to conceal a sinister expression from unseen eyes. His voice, laced with an icy madness, emerged: ‘The world whispers tales of the Demon Leader, a bloodthirsty monster who delights in the slaughter of humans. Yet, it seems she can also reveal such a vulnerable side!’

In You’s philosophy, those without attachments were the strongest, for they possessed no weaknesses that enemies could exploit with insidious tricks.

Those with attachments, however, were entirely different. Even the mightiest god of war could be reduced to a whimpering dog in an instant, should their loved ones become their Achilles’ heel.

You considered himself one of the former, and he had believed the Demon Leader to be the same. He never could have imagined…

‘She inadvertently exposed her greatest weakness to me!’

The evidence was clear: observing from the shadows was an exceptionally valuable habit. You, even in his loss, had gained something far greater.

He would now devise a plan to exploit Wang’s weakness and ultimately bring about her demise!

Before that, however, he detected a voice near his ear. Even if a third person were present, observing from a bystander’s perspective, they would not have seen anyone standing beside You.

Yet, reality was reality; You had heard the shouted report and began to converse with the ’empty air’ beside him: ‘Soldiers from other nations too? Impossible!’

The ‘other nations’ referred to the remaining Great Nations. You had received no direct orders from His Majesty the King, nor had anyone requested cooperation with foreign powers.

However, intelligence indicated that soldiers dispatched by a second nation had indeed arrived near the village.

Based on this information, You concluded that if he didn’t intervene promptly to command his troops, the approaching foreign contingent might clash with his own knights.

Depleting precious elite knights in battles against other nations was certainly not an outcome His Majesty desired. With no other choice, You reluctantly set aside the nascent schemes forming in his mind to meet with the foreign soldiers.

Afterward, You found himself celebrating his good fortune. As time passed, armies from even more nations arrived in succession.

Eventually, the forces of all Seven Great Nations converged upon this very spot… Exquisite! Simply exquisite!

To slay a powerhouse, it was indeed true that the more allies one garnered, the better! Now, You felt utterly confident.

In his heart, Wang’s demise was imminent! And without a doubt, he himself would be the one to toll her death knell!