Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 239

Chapter 239: Ace [2]
“Commander, the Alpha Squad is here!”

A deep voice echoed through the area as a burly man strode into view, each step heavy with authority.

His eyes swept the battlefield, locking onto a familiar face.

“Milson,” he called out, his voice low but unmistakable.

Milson looked up, meeting his gaze directly.

“…Uncle Roger.”

Roger’s eyes narrowed as he shifted his attention to the man standing beside Milson, Ace, who was casually complimenting a little girl, completely unbothered by the surrounding chaos.

Roger squinted, studying him carefully, then his eyes widened in recognition. A hint of disbelief flashed across his face.

He turned to the Sigma Squad commander. Their eyes met.

The commander gave a grim nod.

Roger took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and shouted:

“Everyone, into formation! For the Kingdom! Charge!”

Liu Mei took the dagger back from Ace’s hand, her fingers brushing his with an unusual softness. Then, without a word, she stepped forward.

Ace didn’t stop her.

Instead, he grabbed Milson by the collar and pulled him back.

“Don’t try anything foolish. Just watch,” he said calmly. Then, glancing at the boy beside him, he added, “Yifeng, prepare to support your sister, be fast.”

“Understood, Master,” Shan Yifeng replied, already seated cross-legged, his fingers swiftly tracing formation lines across the dusty ground.

From across the field, Roger watched in confusion as Liu Mei advanced alone.

“What? He’s sending a little girl?” he muttered. “Is he trying to make us hesitate? Gain sympathy?”

He gritted his teeth, then barked, “Charge! Don’t hesitate! A few lives lost for the sake of many is a sacrifice worth making!”

“HUA!” the soldiers roared, their boots pounding against stone as they surged forward like a wave of steel.

Ace only sighed, shaking his head.

If he really wanted to save lives… he should’ve led the charge himself.

Liu Mei’s steps were light, almost playful. Her delicate face curved into a wide, joyous grin as she twirled her twin daggers, the steel singing in the air. She infused them with soul force, an ethereal glow danced along the blades, humming with lethal energy.

Then, she moved.

In the blink of an eye, she was among them.

The first row of soldiers didn’t even have time to scream. Heads flew from shoulders, landing with sickening thuds, rolling several meters across the bloodied ground.

Gasps broke out from the ranks behind as the front line collapsed in an instant.

Liu Mei laughed, not a mocking laugh, but a pure, exhilarated one. Like a child who’d just found a new game.

Her steps were graceful, her movements fluid and precise, each strike a dance of death.

And yet, she looked beautiful doing it.

Terrifyingly beautiful.

Even the most hardened soldiers hesitated. Not out of mercy, but out of fear.

Was this really a little girl?

Commander Roger’s knees buckled as he watched Liu Mei tear through the front lines like a phantom of death.

“L-Legend Rank… she’s Legend Rank…” he muttered, eyes wide with terror, his voice barely more than a whisper. Sweat poured down his face as the color drained from it.

The Sigma Squad commander clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Troops! With me!” he bellowed. “Alpha Squad, your commander’s clearly out of shape. Follow me!”

The soldiers hesitated, but the authority in his voice spurred them to action.

Liu Mei’s smile widened as she heard that. Her eyes shimmered with joy. Another dance partner.

She darted forward, a blur of silver and red.

“Commander Ifrit!” the soldiers cried as they saw their leader leap forward, blades drawn.

“You lot!” Ifrit shouted mid-air, never breaking stride. “I’ll hold her off! Retreat as far as you can!”

But the sharpest cry didn’t come from his men.

“NOOOOOO!”

It came from Roger.

The Alpha Squad commander spun around and made a break for the exit, his armor clattering in panic. His face twisted in fear, his breath ragged as he stumbled over his own feet.

Too late.

Shan Yifeng, still seated with legs crossed and a brush in hand, waved lazily.

“Not so fast, old man.”

A glowing pattern beneath Roger’s feet flared to life. Runes pulsed, and invisible walls sealed off the escape.

Roger slammed into the barrier with a grunt. He whirled around, eyes wild, veins bulging. “W-What the hell is this?!”

Shan Yifeng smiled like a child toying with a bug. “A sealing formation, of course. You looked like you might run off before the fun started.”

“Don’t just stand there!” Roger shrieked, turning to his soldiers. “What are you looking at?! Kill that boy! How hard can it be?! GO!”

But the Alpha Squad soldiers hesitated.

This wasn’t a battlefield anymore. It was a graveyard waiting to happen.

Yifeng rested his cheek on his hand, watching them with lazy amusement.

“Hmm… now I’m curious,” he said cheerfully. “Will your men die for you, or just stand there and watch you squirm?”

Roger’s lip trembled. His authority had vanished.

And in its place, only fear remained.

“A soldier should be ready to die… isn’t that what they say?” Ace’s voice was calm, almost bored, as he stepped closer.

“They say a real soldier dies with dignity. You seem to have missed that part.”

The disappointment was evident in his tone.

The commander collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face. “Please… please, I have a family. My daughter… she has no one! I-I don’t want her to starve! Please spare me! She still believes me to be her hero!” he sobbed, voice cracking under the weight of despair.

Ace looked down at him, expression unreadable.

“You’re not pitiful. Just pathetic.” he said.

Roger’s expression twisted from fear to rage. With a sudden, desperate cry, he lunged forward and drove a dagger deep into Ace’s stomach.

Blood poured from the wound. Ace didn’t flinch.

Roger let out a crazed laugh. “Young man… you were too soft!”

But the laughter died in his throat.

Because the body he stabbed… wasn’t there anymore.

It shimmered, then vanished like smoke.

“C-Commander?” a voice whispered weakly. One of his own men, Roger had stabbed him.

Roger turned, face pale, dagger still in hand.

“How… how…?”