"Imperial Army!"
"Someone's attacking the mountain stronghold! Assemble!"
"Kill—!"
Seeing their mountain stronghold surrounded by government troops, the bandits showed no intention of surrendering. Instead, they charged directly at Selene's position, seemingly aiming for a "capture the leader" strategy.
Hmph, "Close the gates and go Esdeath!"
"Hmph, a bunch of ants!" Esdeath scoffed as she sensed no real danger from these attackers, indicating that they were all weaklings.
For the weak, Esdeath decided to have some fun with them!
In an instant, Esdeath disappeared from Selene's side, raising a leg and delivering a powerful kick toward a bearded bandit who seemed to be one of the leaders.
Boom!
The bandit's face instantly turned red as he crossed his arms to block Esdeath's kick, trying with all his might to absorb the impact.
But how could he possibly do that? The next moment, his legs were driven into the ground, buried up to his knees.
The residual force exploded outward, shattering the ground around him and sending debris flying!
"How can she be this strong..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Esdeath followed up with a spinning kick to his chest. A scream, accompanied by the sound of bones breaking, echoed as his body was sent flying into the surrounding forest, crashing through dozens of trees before finally coming to a stop.
This sight immediately deflated the bandits' charge.
Seeing this, a bloodthirsty smile appeared on Esdeath's face as her entire body seemed to tremble with excitement.
"The hunt begins~!"
With those words, Esdeath became like a tiger among sheep, both beautiful and deadly.
Meanwhile, Selene's Imperial Guard recruits began engaging the bandits in close combat.
The sound of a horn echoed through the air. In the first encounter, the Imperial Army immediately displayed a stark contrast in combat discipline compared to the bandits.
The heavily armored infantry units moved forward in a coordinated advance, shields locked together. Behind the shield wall, groups of archers, crossbowmen, and gunners unleashed a barrage of arrows, bullets, and shells, easily suppressing the bandits' disorganized attempts at ranged attacks.
(At this point, it's worth noting that in both the manga and anime, the soldiers attacked with a combination of bows, firearms, and cannons. It's a bit strange, but let's go with it...)
Whoosh! Bang! Boom!
From a bird's-eye view, under the Imperial Army's onslaught, the bandit forces were quickly wiped out in large swathes.
But this was to be expected. Unlike Selene's professional soldiers, the bandits were mostly just a ragtag group of village hunters. They might have been capable in solo fights, but facing organized government troops, they quickly lost their advantage.
In the same combat area, due to the huge gap in combat power, formation, and equipment, the densely packed bandits in the rear could only watch helplessly as their "brothers," with whom they had been drinking and celebrating just moments ago, were slaughtered.
"Brothers, follow me! Kill these Imperial dogs!" A bandit leader, seeing his side starting to lose, pushed his way through the crowd and charged forward with a heavy axe.
But...
Behind the shield wall, several spears struck out like venomous snakes, piercing his chest. His already worn and torn leather armor was no match for the sharp spearheads.
The next moment, the bandit leader's heavy axe fell to the ground with a clang as he staggered and collapsed into the dirt, his fate uncertain.
"Kill—!"
Seeing their "brother" slain, several enraged bandits charged forward with spears aimed at the Imperial soldiers. However, their spears broke in two against the Imperial soldiers' steel shields.
The Imperial spearmen remained expressionless. As veterans who had long grown accustomed to killing, they showed no mercy. With a slight exertion of force, they drove their spears into the bandits' abdomens. The thin cloth armor offered no protection, and with a twist of the spear, the once formidable bandits fell lifelessly to the ground.
This scene was just a snapshot of the battlefield. On this small hilltop stronghold, surrounded and forced into a direct confrontation with the government troops, the bandits had no chance to exploit their hit-and-run tactics. Their defeat was only a matter of time.
When the sense of helplessness reached a certain point, and the Imperial Army's formation remained unbroken, the tide of the battle began to turn.
As the saying goes, "the first bird to stick its head out gets shot." Those leading the charge were indeed the bravest of the bandits.
But when these warriors were slaughtered by the Imperial Army's sharp spears and unyielding shields, the more hesitant bandits in the rear naturally began to sober up.
The most critical factor in any rebellion led by a disorganized mob is a surge of emotion.
When blood is boiling, people can temporarily ignore the fear of death. But as that "let's fight to the death" emotion fades, the human survival instinct kicks in, urging the brain to take flight.
Watching her soldiers gradually mop up the battlefield, Selene nodded in satisfaction. She hadn't intervened because she wanted the recruits to get a taste of blood. If they couldn't achieve a decisive victory with such an overwhelming advantage, it would be disappointing.
Glancing at Esdeath, who was still gleefully slaughtering bandits, Selene, sitting on her horse, shook her head with a helpless smile. "Still the same as always..."
But Selene had no intention of stopping her. As long as Esdeath followed her lead on the big decisions, she wouldn't interfere with her sadistic tendencies. After all, such interests were beyond Selene's control.
At that moment, a bearded middle-aged man, lying atop the bandit stronghold's rooftop, held a black, blade-like gun. Through the scope, his attention was locked onto Selene, who was positioned at the rear of the Imperial formation.
This weapon was a "Chimera," a special armament designed to combine the properties of a gun and a blade for close combat and long-range attacks.
"So, you're the Imperial Army's top commander... Losing focus on the battlefield is a deadly mistake!"
As a faint orange glow flickered along the black blade, the man didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. A sharp whistle pierced the air as the bullet flew straight toward Selene.
In the next moment—BOOM!—a fiery explosion enveloped Selene's position.
"Commander!?" The sudden explosion caused Gensa, the yellow-faced man beside Selene, to panic. According to Imperial Guard regulations, if the frontline commander died, their personal guards were to be executed. And he was her personal guard!
"Are you...?" As the dust cleared, revealing Selene completely unharmed, her armor spotless, Gensa swallowed nervously. "Is she even human? She just took a cannon shot to the face!"
"Relax, I'm fine... But who would have thought such an interesting thing would be hidden in a mere bandit stronghold."