I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

Just as Cassius was preparing to lead his troops to wipe out the bandits inside the church.

"BOOM!!" The window on the third floor suddenly shattered!

A burly figure, carrying splinters of wood and glass, leaped down and crashed like a meteorite five steps in front of Cassius.

Killian Connor, nicknamed "Bloody Hand," has a bounty of 50 crowns.

It is said that his hands are extraordinary; they can not only withstand attacks from gun blades, but also tear chunks of flesh from other people's bodies with his bare hands.

He earned the nickname "Bloody Hands" because his hands were often stained with the blood of his victims.

Because of the exceptionally bloody methods used in the murders, the bounty on his head was extremely high.

At this moment, he was shirtless, and beneath his messy brown hair was a face etched with violence.

Clearly, the interruption of his peaceful dream greatly displeased him.

He slowly moved his fingers, his joints making a soft clicking sound.

"It's been a long time since I've experienced the feeling of tearing flesh apart with my bare hands. I wonder if the skin of your Imperial soldiers is exceptionally tough."

Killian's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper being rubbed.

Cassius's pupils contracted slightly, and he raised his hand to stop the soldiers who were about to step forward: "Everyone, stand back! Don't make a move, this person is dangerous!"

He could sense that Killian was extremely dangerous, especially his hands; they were no joke, and if his body touched them, a piece of flesh might really fall off.

"You all stay out of it." Killian licked his lips, his eyes fixed on Cassius. "I'm going to dismantle this Imperial officer myself."

Before he finished speaking, he sprang up, his right hand forming a claw as he lunged for Cassius's throat, the sound of the wind being cut sharp and piercing.

Cassius felt a chill run down his spine. His intuition told him that if Killian touched his body, he would suffer the same fate as described in the intelligence reports.

He took a sharp half-step back, dodging Killian's attack, and at the same time used the momentum to spin around, his Imperial longsword flashing a cold light as it slashed towards the opponent's shoulder!

Killian didn't dodge or evade; his left hand gripped the blade like an iron clamp!

Cassius tried to retrieve the Imperial sword, but found that the blade was firmly held by Killian and he could not pull it out no matter what he did.

Cassius pulled back with force, but the sword remained completely still.

The brief stalemate had already created an opening, and Killian's right leg swept out like a whip, striking him heavily in the abdomen.

Cassius groaned as he flew backward two meters, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"What a pity." Killian casually tossed the longsword away, and it stuck into a mound of earth some distance away.

He looked down at his unscathed palm: "Your weapon is useless against me."

Cassius coughed as he got up and borrowed a spare longsword from a soldier next to him.

Because Cassius's sword was completely ineffective against Killian, he also had to guard against Killian's hands touching his body and tearing away chunks of flesh.

Therefore, Cassius fought very hesitantly and in a very sorry state.

The battle between the two sides reached a stalemate.

He believed he had trained quite a bit, and that the difference in strength between him and Killian shouldn't be that great.

However, no matter what he did, his sword could not cause any harm to the opponent.

Is it simply because Killian is exceptionally gifted and has thick skin that neither guns nor swords can harm him?

Do not!impossible!

Suddenly, memories of Clock Tower Town flashed through my mind: one was Lieutenant Zod, and the other was Captain Curtis of the Holy Kingdom who caught Major Winona's sword with his bare hands.

Zod's composure in stopping the blade, Curtis's nonchalant interception of Winona's slash.

They must have used some kind of technique or martial arts secret to strengthen their bodies, making them as hard as steel.

Only then can the attack of the gun blade be blocked.

Clearly, Killian was far inferior to Zod and Curtis in terms of ease and control.

Even so, Cassius was no match for Killian.

Cassius had a premonition that he too must master such profound physical techniques in order to have a chance to catch up with Zod.

Otherwise, the gap in strength between him and Zod will only widen further.

The desire to catch up with someone was so intense and urgent that it burned through Cassius's nerves.

Even if it meant risking his life, he wanted to know, desperately wanted to know.

When Kylian lunged again, Cassius did not dodge in advance this time.

He held his breath and focused intently until the moment Killian touched or was about to touch his body, at which point he would dodge or parry with his sword.

He used all his senses to feel the difference between Kylian's steel-like hands and his own body.

Yes, it is very risky. If one is not careful, parts of Cassius's flesh and blood will be torn off.

But Cassius couldn't care less about anything else; this was the quickest way to realize the fundamental difference between his opponent and himself.

Moreover, in terms of speed, he was no worse than Killian; after all, he was a sergeant major who had experienced the baptism of war.

The second time, the third time... He teetered on the edge of death, all his senses stretched to the limit, each clash of sword and claws like a questioning for answers.

After passing each other five times, cold sweat had soaked through the back of his military uniform.

Finally, he felt an invisible "membrane" covering Killian's hand, hard and dense.

This is what is known as life energy, or the body's potential, although Cassius does not yet understand the concept of potential.

This is the biggest difference between him and Kylian.

Immediately afterwards, he noticed a similar but faint warm current flowing under his skin.

Once Cassius can sense the presence of life energy, his next step is simply to imitate what Killian does.

At this moment, Killian was unaware of the enormous changes that had occurred in Cassius's body.

Kylian was clearly unaware of anything amiss. His sixth attack was aimed straight at Cassius's right shoulder, his claws whistling through the air as he prepared to be bathed in a bloodbath.

This time, Cassius did not dodge. He suddenly stretched out his left palm and clamped Killian's hand tightly with his hardened hand.

Killian stared at Cassius, his face clearly showing disbelief; his hands were as hard as steel.

Cassius twisted his wrist violently!

A sharp, cracking sound of bones breaking suddenly rang out.

The arm, twisted at an eerie angle, went limp. Killian immediately clutched his own limp arm, and a mournful wail pierced the sky.

Cassius lowered his gaze to his palm; the energy was still pulsating. A bolder idea flashed through his mind:

"What if we concentrate that hidden power within our bodies onto the blade and then release it?"

He took a deep breath and transferred the potential he had been focusing on in his hands to the blade, releasing it through the blade.

He lightly swung his sword, and a sword aura flew out, slashing at Killian's chest.

Killian collapsed to the ground, his wailing abruptly ceasing.

……

……

Just moments ago, Cassius was being overwhelmed by Killian, and was even restrained in order to avoid Killian's attacks.

How did they suddenly defeat the Killian head-on? This sparked a discussion among the soldiers watching from the back ranks:

"Is this still Sergeant Cassius?"

"I was just worried sick for the sergeant!"

"His strength seemed to have increased suddenly, it was unbelievable, and he suddenly defeated the bandit leader with a bounty of 50."

"Have you noticed? I seem to see the shadow of Lieutenant Zod in Sergeant Cassius's back."

"There's no way around it, Lieutenant Zod has been too outstanding. He led us to a very impressive battle in Clock Tower Town as soon as he joined the Imperial Blade."

"No wonder, because Lieutenant Zod is so dazzling, Sergeant Cassius seems too ordinary."

"However, Sergeant Cassius is no ordinary man either."

……

The discussion continued until Cassius swung his sword decisively, ending the life of "Bloody Hand" Killian.

"What are you discussing?" Cassius coldly interrupted the soldiers who were still talking. "Hurry up and wipe out the rest of the bandits."

"Yes!" all the Imperial soldiers replied immediately.

Cassius glanced at the remaining bandits who were confronting the imperial army, his eyes filled with a murderous aura.

The remaining bandits froze the moment they caught a glimpse of Cassius out of the corner of their eye, and dropped their weapons.

"This person is terrifying, they're going to be killed!"

"Run! The commander has been killed!"

"The commander is gone, run!"

"What happened? I just arrived."

"What's wrong with the commander?"

"Run!!"

……

They turned and ran wildly down the mountain. Some of the bandits in the back were confused and wanted to ask what was going on.

But he was pushed to the ground by the fleeing bandits and then trampled by the crowd.

Panic spread among the bandits. When the bandits at the front fled, the bandits in the back, seeing the front fleeing, also dropped their weapons and began to flee.

The firing positions and defensive fortifications built on the mountainside were of no use whatsoever.

If the remaining bandits had been able to organize a tiered defensive line based on the existing fortifications, they wouldn't have suffered such a complete defeat.

If that's the case, Cassius's army will inevitably suffer heavy casualties if they try to take it head-on.

Meanwhile, some bandits will have enough time to make their escape.

But this didn't happen. All the bandits rushed down the mountain, as if they were competing to see who could run the fastest.

Even if bandits run fast, can they outrun bullets?

By dawn, the bandits had all been wiped out by the imperial soldiers.

A veteran exclaimed to Cassius, "Sergeant Cassius, that was a brilliant battle! These bandits are just as well-equipped as us. If we had attacked head-on, the casualty figures would probably have been much worse."

"Thanks to your wise decision, no one in our army died in this battle; only a few soldiers were slightly wounded by bullets."

"Especially your battle with the bandit leader, I almost saw the figure of Lieutenant Zod, the 'Empire's Eagle'."

The veteran spared no praise for Cassius.

The great victory in this battle was not only due to Cassius's courage in making such a risky combat decision, but also because Cassius truly demonstrated the military spirit of an Imperial soldier.

At a crucial moment, he took the lead and defeated the bandit leader, Killian.

"I wish it were..." Cassius gave a bitter smile, "but the gap between me and that man is still huge!"

"Report!" A soldier stepped forward: "Sergeant Major, we have discovered military supplies and equipment that our troops had looted in the warehouse beneath the abandoned church."

"Take me to see it."

Led by the soldier, Cassius arrived at the underground warehouse of the abandoned church, which contained not only military supplies looted by the Imperial transport convoy, but also piles of grain.

"All military supplies, equipment, and captured bandit weapons are loaded onto trucks and taken back. As for..."

Cassius stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, "As for the grain hoarded by the bandits, it should belong to the nearby villagers. Let's return that grain to them!"

"Do we still need to register?" the soldier asked.

"No need," Cassius waved his hand.

Once registered and stored, it becomes the property of the empire. Forget about taking it out and returning it to the nearby villagers.

Cassius didn't think he had that much influence or authority.

The soldier hesitated for a moment: "According to military regulations..."

He knew the army's regulations, and he was afraid of taking responsibility, especially for such a basic mistake that he knew perfectly well made.

Was I not clear enough?

The soldier trembled with fear: "Yes...yes, I understand!"

Then another soldier standing nearby hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to remind Cassius: "But... the villagers there deceived us, and we were almost led into a bandit trap by them."

Cassius's face darkened, and he spoke with an undeniable air of authority: "Isn't it because of our dereliction of duty as Imperial soldiers that these bandits were able to take advantage of the situation and threaten the people of the Empire? Do you still have any honor as an Imperial soldier?"

If the investigation were to proceed strictly according to the Empire's laws, countless innocent people in that village would be implicated and imprisoned for treason.

How many families will be torn apart by this tragedy?

In reality, most ordinary villagers often face violence, coercion, or bribery, and in order to survive, they simply don't have many choices.

Of course, he wouldn't report this matter, nor did he intend to tell anyone.

Even if he is responsible, he should take full responsibility.

As for the shepherd's bounty, Cassius certainly wouldn't give it to him, but he also had no interest in causing him trouble.

"Yes...yes! I understand, Sergeant Cassius!"

The soldier wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes; at that moment, Cassius's figure stood before him so majestic:

"I understand. I will go right away and make sure to return the lost grain to every villager."

At that moment, the soldier realized for the first time just how heavy the honor and responsibility he carried were.

The soldiers of the "Imperial Blade" legion are not only fighting for the empire to win war after war and gain glory after glory.

More importantly, they bore the heavy responsibility of protecting the empire's people from any security threats.

The troops then spent some time cleaning up the battlefield and taking inventory of the lost supplies.

Cassius gazed at the rising sun on the horizon, filled with emotion: "Lieutenant Zod, this time I have finally lived up to your trust."

To be honest, Cassius had been feeling uneasy ever since he received the mission. He was worried that he would not be able to complete the task entrusted to him by Zod, that he would let Zod down, and that failure would bring shame to Zod.

Now, he could finally stand tall and report back to Zod.

……

……

Today was another peaceful and uneventful day.

Zod arrived at the office quite early, though by the standards of the past few days.

He leisurely made a cup of coffee, placed it on the table, leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs on the desk, and listlessly read the newspaper.

In the past few days, no one has come to him or given him any annoying tasks.

Of course, Zod was unaware that the people at the Imperial Blade Corps command had been working overtime all this time, and even his superior, Captain Spent, was constantly being called to meetings.

Nobody had the time or energy to pay attention to Zod.

Thanks to this, Zod enjoyed a leisurely time drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.

Just when he thought today would be another peaceful day.

"Knock knock knock!" A knock on the door interrupted Zod's beautiful and peaceful morning.