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

Alone, carrying a simple bag, Zod hurried along the planned, secluded forest path toward the border between the Holy Kingdom of Baines and the Trade Federation of Lombardy.

The firelight and roar of the city of Sarlom behind us were gradually blurred and distant by the sparse woods and wilderness, until only a faint red glow remained on the horizon.

He deliberately avoided all the main roads and towns that might have checkpoints, and only traveled through the desolate wilderness and forests.

After traveling a long distance, he was certain that he was far from the battlefield between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.

He found a sheltered rock hollow and paused to rest briefly.

He loosened his collar and took a deep breath of the cold, damp air of the wilderness.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass; there was no smoke of gunpowder, no stench of blood, and none of the lingering deathly aura of a battlefield.

A long-lost, almost unfamiliar sense of relaxation welled up in Zod's heart, something he longed for.

He closed his eyes, almost drowning in this moment of "freedom".

However, this relaxation lasted for less than a minute.

A very faint sound, but definitely not from the natural environment, pierced Zod's heartstrings, which had just calmed down.

Zod froze instantly, all his senses heightened to their peak in that instant.

He slowly peered out from behind a large rock to observe, and just one glance nearly caused his heart to stop.

A black torrent was silently and swiftly surging toward Zod.

That was the army of the Holy Kingdom.

The group of soldiers, dressed in uniform Holy Kingdom military attire and carrying rifles, advanced rapidly towards Zod like an encirclement.

The low rumble of countless feet pounding the ground, and the suppressed metallic clang of weapons colliding rhythmically with each step.

The long procession seemed to stretch endlessly, accompanied by artillery and various supplies.

Years of military experience allowed him to make an instant judgment. Based on the depth of the formation and the scale of the supplies, he roughly estimated that the opposing force consisted of at least one Holy Kingdom Division, and no more.

Zod wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and cursed under his breath, "Damn it, I just wanted to pass through the Holy Kingdom's border, did they really have to mobilize an entire division?"

However, Zod quickly dismissed this conjecture.

No, their target certainly couldn't be Zod.

Zod's meager strength was not enough to warrant the deployment of an entire division.

It couldn't possibly be to go and support Tono Village, which he just wiped out!

However, Tono Village is just a small village, and it is unlikely that it would need the strength of a division.

Judging from the direction this division is heading, there can only be one place they are supporting: the city of Sarlom, where the fighting is currently most intense.

Unfortunately, the marching route of the division in front of him was blocked on the only way he could escape.

Of course, it's probably no coincidence that the division would appear at that point, because the Holy Kingdom's garrison in that direction was the weakest.

If it's just a division of reinforcements, Colonel Xavier should be able to handle it!

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Zod immediately nipped it in the bud.

He believed that with Colonel Xavier's abilities, there would be no problem. The "Imperial Blade" Legion was the Empire's "sharpest blade" and would not be easily defeated by a reinforcement division.

Zod's only concern now is himself; his current situation is far more critical than Xavier's.

He was traversing the heart of the Holy Kingdom alone, and had no time to care about or sympathize with others.

Since this path is blocked, let's try another one!

Although it would be a longer route, Zod was not entirely unprepared.

When Zod planned his escape route, he had already reserved multiple alternative nodes and detours, precisely to deal with such emergencies.

Soon, a new path clearly emerged in his mind.

There was no time to lose; he could not afford to waste any more time.

While his mind raced, Zod had already taken advantage of the darkness to bypass the route taken by the Holy Kingdom's army and turned to disappear into a sparse grove of trees to his side and rear.

If you continue south-southwest through this forest, you should be able to find a narrow animal trail.

The path was narrow and rugged, making it unsuitable for large-scale troop deployments or movements.

Therefore, based on the Empire's prior intelligence, the Holy Kingdom did not deploy any valuable troops there.

Especially with the fierce battle raging in the city of Sallom, they were even less likely to waste their troops in such a remote corner.

This was exactly what Zod needed: a path that would allow him to bypass the Holy Kingdom's blockade undetected under the cover of night.

……

……

But as Zod detoured and approached the beast trail, before he had even stepped inside, he saw from afar that a sentry post had been set up at the pass.

Moreover, there were many people around the checkpoint, and the Holy Kingdom's army could be vaguely seen gathering.

If the earlier encounter with the division rushing to the aid of Sarlom could be attributed to coincidence, then...

At this moment, even on such a remote and almost forgotten animal trail, temporary outposts and assembled troops have appeared.

Zod's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally dead.

He could no longer convince himself that this was simply a matter of the Holy Kingdom strengthening its local defenses.

He could not be certain whether the Holy Kingdom's army on the entire southwestern flank was being mobilized on a large scale.

But the reality is clear: even in a remote corner that can hardly be considered a military stronghold, the Holy Kingdom is sending more troops.

Combined with what he had witnessed earlier—the Holy Kingdom's reorganized divisions marching towards the city of Salrom—...

So, what about the rest of the city of Sarlöm?

If we consider the worst-case scenario...

Suddenly, an unprecedented sense of crisis surged into Zod's heart.

It's like a noose around your neck.

When it's not tightened, you won't even notice it's there.

But by the time the rope suddenly tightens, it's too late to break free.

Zod never relied on luck.

His sense of crisis was far more acute than that of ordinary people, because he had no concept of glory and he was more afraid of death than anyone else.

It was this fear that kept him alive until now.

He won't wait until the noose tightens before he starts struggling.

He must start taking action now.

According to the original plan, should we find another way to escape the Holy Kingdom's borders?

Do not!

Not to mention that it would take a long way to get to the next weakly defended spot, there wouldn't be enough time.

The current situation speaks for itself; even this desolate animal trail is now garrisoned.

The Holy Kingdom will most likely not let the next location slip by either.

Even if he spends most of the night trying to get around it, what awaits him there is likely to be another obstacle he cannot overcome.

If time drags on until dawn, Zod will not only be unable to escape the Holy Kingdom's borders, but he may also be unable to return to the "Imperial Blade" legion.

If he gets back too late, he won't be able to explain the time gaps in his account.

Neither Spent nor Xavier had given him any secret missions. What explanation could he have for leaving his unit alone and disappearing for such a long time?

At that point, he would truly be at a loss.

In fact, if the worst-case scenario is taken into account, the battlefield of Sarlöm is like a huge black hole of war.

Zod appears to be standing on the edge of the black hole, but it's only a matter of time before he's sucked into the center of the vortex.

He alone could not possibly escape the tightening net before him.

He had to rely on the strength of the "Imperial Blade" legion, as well as the strength of the soldiers under his command.

On the battlefield, one person's strength is ultimately too weak.

Zod must meet up with Cassius and Hitis as soon as possible and report what he has seen to Captain Spent.

The captain then reported the situation up the chain of command, making Colonel Xavier understand the perilous situation facing the "Imperial Blade" regiment.

Given Colonel Xavier's experience and wisdom, I believe he will make the right decision.

As for reuniting with Cassius and Hitis, there shouldn't be much of a problem.

The route they took to Saallom was personally planned by Zod.

Organized troops move much slower than individuals, and troops need to consider many factors such as safety, concealment, and terrain, often having to detour through difficult-to-pass sections of road.

Zod, on his own, could easily take a shortcut to catch up with the Holy Kingdom's army, as long as he avoided them.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war.

He immediately turned around and retraced his steps, following the route he knew by heart, and hurried toward Cassius and Histis.