Chapter 23 Cultivator Army

At a hill, Thalanil was laying prone with his rifle. His men were in the same position as him. Their eyes were locked at the camping cultivators. The cultivators laughed and ate to their heart's content without knowing that a pack of wolves was staring at them.

"Breathe properly. Steady your aim. The one who can get the most headshot will be served by the most beautiful server."

That made them chuckle.

Thalanil was grinning too. "Fire!"

TRATATATATAT!

Two hundred firearms blazed fire as they shot a barrage of metal projectiles at the cultivators. They didn't have time to react before the bullets blasted their heads. In one round of fire, the group of cultivators was killed.

"I see some stray bullets there," Thalanil said. "Maybe I should send you directly to the cultivator's face to improve your aim."

His men laughed. The cultivators wouldn't do anything even if they do that. They were just too clueless.

"Sir, Nesterin commands us to gather."

Thalanil stood up. "Looks like we got more targets to shoot. Let's go."

His company-sized unit left the hill. It didn't take long for them to do so as Nesterin told them to prioritize mobility. He understood why. As long as they could ride their carriage before the cultivators pounced on them, they still had the chance to survive. He had experienced firsthand what the lack of mobility could do.

A few hours, later. Thalanil arrived at a valley where the other also gathered. He get off his carriage and greeted his friend: "Gormon, Zeno. How's your hunt."

The both of them smiled.

"Those cultivators are so dumb. I give them a gun and told them to pull the trigger. They did and blasted their own head. HAHAHAHA!"

Thalanil couldn't hold his laughter too. He couldn't believe that he was scared of cultivators before. Looking back, he was really stupid at that time. Cultivators weren't that scary.

Nesterin walked to them, and Jharteel followed from behind.

"It seems like the operation has gone well," He commented.

"It's been pretty well, sir."

"Except the parts where we have to hold our farts to take aim."

The five of them laughed.

"Alright, stop joking," Nesterin said. "Our men are watching us. We should set a good example for them. Hax wouldn't hesitate to kick us out if he knows we lack discipline."

"Why are you gathering us, sir? Is there a big group of enemy?"

"There is. They are currently camping in the valley behind this hill."

"Then it's best if we act now. They are vulnerable when they camp."

"I know. But they used armor. You know when a cultivator started to wear an armor, things get serious. Have you seen a cultivator wear armor before?"

They shook their heads.

"Even when a sect is at war with each other, they don't wear armor. I don't know why this is the case. Maybe magic armor is too expensive."

"Hey! What are you norms doing here?" Three cultivators riding on a horse approached them. Unlike the cultivators in the valley, these three didn't wear any armor.

"They must be the scouts," Jharteel whispered.

"Let's catch them," Nesterin said.

Three minutes later, three cultivators with holes on their limbs were tied on the ground. Nesterin, Jharteel, Thalanil, Gormon, and Zeno sat on a wooden chair surrounding the three. A dozen soldiers stood guards with pistols in their hands.

Nesterin stood up and kicked one of them. "Who is your boss?"

The man stared at him with rage. "You norms will pay for what you've done."

"I heard that a lot. But this is the first time that came from a cultivator."

"That's right. I don't know what you filthy norms used to hurt me. But you better release me and my friend before you get hurt."

"I think you misunderstand," Nesterin said. "We shot your limbs with bullets. Even if we untie you, you wouldn't be able to walk. What are you going to do? Wiggle your way to the valley?"

Thalanil almost burst into laughter, but he bit his lips.

"Tell me what are you doing here?" Nesterin asked.

"I don't have to answer you, norms!"

Nesterin sighed. "Let's just kill them and ambush the enemy while they camp."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Nesterin and Jharteel climbed the hill and peeked at the camp. The cultivators ate lamb and bulls for their breakfast. The servants attended to their master, boiling water and cleaning equipment for them.

"We have sabotaged the entire trade routes for weeks, but we never saw this large group before," Jharteel said.

"That means this is not an everyday occurrence."

"We should attack right away. It's only a matter of time before they realized that their scouts are dead."

"We can't. They bring a lot of norms with them. Send someone to pretend as a servant. Let them have a talk with the servants. Who knows maybe we can get some information out of them."

A few hours later, a man with servant attire returned to the hill and told Nesterin everything he knew.

"The Royal Army?" Nesterin said.

"This army came from the capital? What should we do? Should we attack them?"

"This is too big for us. I don't think our small rebellion is enough to fight the royal family yet. All the sects in Avatar Kingdom answer to the royal family. Removing us is easy."

Nesterin bit his lips. "This is bigger than I thought."

"Why don't we inform Hax about this?" Gormon suggested.

Zeno nodded. "I agree with that. One sect in Ashbourne is enough to make us busy, I don't think we can fight the Royal Army yet."

"Now that I take a closer look at them, their armor is thick and heavy. And they shine like a magical weapon. That's at least a level-1 magic armor," Gormon said.

"Every inch of a magic weapon cost some spiritual crystal. This is why they don't use armor most of the time. They are too expensive. Wearing them means that they are serious," Thalanil said.

"Send some men to Hax and tell him about this."

A group of men entered the carriage and set off. The two giant bulls dashed. The coachman raised his whip above his head and swung down, making the bulls roared and increased their speed.

Nesterin sat on the hill. The cultivators in the valley finished their meal and drank their water. They took off their armor and put it on the ground. The servants knelt and rubbed it inside out with a cloth.

"They put the armor on the ground and tell the servants to clean it? Do they really want their armor to be clean?" Zeno said.

"They just want to make the norms busy."

"If I pull the trigger now. I would get his head," Thalanil said, aiming his rifle.

"Don't be rash," Nesterin said. "Let's wait for our order and decide what to do after that." Nesterin closed his eyes to rest. The blowing wind on the hill was really nice.

"Nesterin, the messenger is back," Jharteel said.

Nesterin opened his eyes and stood up. He approached the messenger. "What did he say?"

The messenger looked at them one after another. He took a deep breath and set his sight on Nesterin.

"Kill them all."

…

The Avatar Kingdom. Built upon the ashes of many men and women, it rosed into greatness and stood shoulder to shoulder with other low-level kingdoms. Among these men and women, there were six figures that contributed the most. So much so that the people were unwilling to accept their death. In consequence, a strong group arose. They believed that the six figures were still alive, but only in the form of soul. These souls would then possess a body, becoming the avatar of the soul.

Over the years, the soul had been possessing the sons and daughters of the Royal Family. Each avatar had its own role in the kingdom. One rule, two enforce, and three protect.

Adan Falkner knelt, head down, in front of a statue. It was made out of Aeternum Metal. Like the sun, it glistened and was hard not to notice. And similar to the sun, this metal was unbreakable. It was known to be impossible to break by natural causes. This statue was with this metal with the hope that the Avatar would be eternal.

The statue was shaped into a tall man with straight flowing hair. A crown sat on his dignified head. His radiant eyes seemed to pierce into the distance. A finely crafted robe wrapped around its skin.

Adan raised his head. "Adan Falkner, the Avatar of Wisdom. Please give me your vision."

Blue light came out of the statue. It flew and gathered at the tip of the statue's finger. "Arrogance will consume you. Humility will save you. Distant wrath is hollow to compare."

The light disappeared.

Adan Falkner stood and left the hall.

…

Nesterin stared at the messenger. "Are you sure Hax told us to attack?"

"I speak word for word, sir. There is no way I can forget a sentence consisting of three words.

"This is the Royal Army we are talking about," Jharteel said. "Can we really defeat them? Even if we did, what about further retaliation?"

"I don't think Hax is stupid. He must have his reason," Nesterin replied.

Jharteel nodded. "It's hard to believe, but Hax might do have his reason. Or maybe we are stronger than we think we are. Maybe we can take over the kingdom."

"Uhh… Let's not talk about that yet. We need to prepare a plan. Since Hax told us to kill them all then we shouldn't leave any survivors. It's better to take his word to the truest literary meaning."

"You talk like you ever go to school. Anyway, What should we do? Surround them? Lure them into a trap?" Jharteel asked.

Nesterin grinned. "I have a plan in mind. Let me ask you something. Do you know why our ammunition explodes when we shoot them?"

Thalanil and the others got closer. They too were wondering why.

"It's because there is gunpowder inside the bullets. Now, this small bullet contains enough explosion for a cultivator to be distracted and even killed. Imagine if we put enough gunpowder inside a box."

Jharteel jerked his head back. "The explosion will be much greater."

Nesterin nodded. "And we can kill a lot more cultivators at once."

"If that is the case, then what are we waiting for. Let's Prepare the crates and the gunpowder."

"You go do that. Prepare twenty or so wagons and filled them with the box. I want to see a big explosion tonight."

Gormon, Zeno, and Thalanil grinned. The cultivators wouldn't know a thing. They knew how arrogant these cultivators were. They thought the norms were as harmless as a rabbit. Little did they know that rabbits can have rabies.

Jharteel strode towards the wagons. "Come on. Fill this thing with explosives! I don't want to see any empty space in it."