The mercenary leader jumped back in shock and drew his own sword. He pointed it at Suzanna, but did not attack. Instead, he kept backing up toward his own men.
There were a lot of swordsmen in the world, but a senior swordsmaster was still rare. Tiger of Tawau mercenary could hold Blackwater City because of three senior swordsmasters. A small mercenary group could never afford to hire a senior swordsmaster. Suzanna’s combat power was very pure and bright, and any swordsman could tell that this was a sign that she was close to a breakthrough.
The mercenary leaders all took a step back. Their glances fell on Suzanna, then back to Anfey. Country of Mercenaries was a place of the survival of the fittest. Usually, the leader of a group was the most powerful person, or else it would be hard to control his mercenaries. If the deputy leader was a senior swordsmaster, how powerful must the leader be? A master swordsman or an archmage?
Anfey held up a finger arrogantly and flicked it. Suzanna returned her sword to her sheath and walked back to stand behind Anfey. Anfey must be even more powerful than Suzanna if he could command a senior swordsmaster.
"Calm down, everyone, we are allies!" Ozzic called.
"That’s what you think," Anfey said. "I don’t think you qualify as my ally."
"Don't be so arrogant. We have thousands of men outside," one of the leaders said.
"Is that a lot?" Anfey asked. "I did not tell you earlier, but it wasn’t a cavalry squadron that attacked us. It was a two thousand elite riders led by Kumaraghosha himself. If my men can defeat them, we can defeat you as well."
"What?" Ozzic asked, shocked.
"I told you. You said there was another reason. You see now? They must have done it!" Elizabeth said quietly.
"There are a lot of villages near the Transverse Mountains. Why did Kumaraghosha attack Moramatch?" If it was just him, Anfey wanted to put these mercenaries into their places. However, he could not act based on his emotions. Even kings had to fear other, more powerful beings, let alone a small mercenary group that was just started. He didn't want unnecessary conflict. He wanted to instill some fear into these mercenaries without shedding any blood.
"Why is that?" he repeated. "But I led my mercenaries on a mission that destroyed a Griffins Aerial Squadron. Kumaraghosha had to take this town to prove his innocence. Clearly, he failed."
"It’s impossible," Ozzic whispered. Griffins Aerial Unit was not as terrifying as Dark Moon Magic Legion or the Roaring Dead Legion, but it was still a formidable army. Defeating them might be possible, but destroying them was nothing short of a miracle. Ozzic did not believe this mercenary group could manage it.
"I didn't need to lie. You will be hearing about the news very soon," Anfey said slowly. "I am telling you this because I want to give you a warning. We are all mercenaries, and I don’t want any bloodshed."
The mercenary leaders glanced at each other. They were not sure about Anfey’s strength, but they didn’t want to retreat like cowards. They were unsure whether the things Anfey boasted of were true or not. Ozzic had told them about Alibaba mercenary group, and they knew that it consisted of about twenty mages. The mercenaries still had hope because of their advantage in numbers.
"You need to earn my trust. Right now you are not worthy of staying here. Christian, send our guests away."
Christian knew Anfey. When Anfey was trying to scare his opponent, it meant that he didn’t want to do anything. If he was playing nice when he was being threatened and reprimanded, he was about to kill.
Christian rose into the air and retrieved a magic scroll from his ring. The strong magic surge coming off of the scroll told everyone that it was a high tier magic scroll. Zubin and Blavi retrieved their scrolls and gathered around Christian.
The mercenaries stared with wide eyes. For them, having a scroll like this might be lifesaving. They would carry it around on their person at all time, and would not use it unless in a dire situation. If Anfey’s men could use scrolls like this on a whim, what else did they have in store? If this was just what they showed the mercenaries, how many more secrets were they hiding?
"Ozzic, are we leaving?" one of the mercenary leaders asked.
"Let’s fight," another said. "We have the advantage." He did not want to back down easily. Ozzic's promise of wealth was still in his mind. He was a mercenary, and threats like this could not scare him.
"Anfey!" Hagan called as he dashed towards the group. "Let me join as well!"
Anfey turned and frowned. He knew Hagan’s power and limits very well. Hagan was not an idiot, and he knew better than to trouble everyone during a fight. Anfey knew Hagan should know better, but he couldn’t outright deny his request. If he agreed, Hagan might cause trouble. He could only nod slightly, and let Hagan decide for himself.
"Under the name of Beast God, I summon you!" Hagan waved his hand, and a cloud of white powder appeared. The powder swirled in the wind, and a loud roar was heard. In a few seconds, a twenty-feet tall creature appeared out of thin air.
The beast appeared very ferocious. Its head was that of an alligator, but a hundred times larger. As it roared, rows of jagged teeth shone. Clearly, the beast was large enough to swallow a cow whole. Its red eyes shone mercilessly, and its body was covered by hairs as sharp as needles. Its body was thick and strong. The sharp nails on its claws were almost two feet long. If the claws hit a person, it would surely cause terrible injuries.
"A behemoth!" one of the leaders called out in terror and scrambled backwards.
The other leaders dashed away from the behemoth as well. Ozzic stumbled back and stared at the creature in horror.
"Fight for me!" Hagan ordered loudly.
The behemoth stepped forward, and the ground shook under its paws. It waved its claw, and a sixty foot tall ancient tree was cut in half by its sharp nails. The tree fell to the ground and crashed one of the dwarf residents. The behemoth proved that it was a real, living thing, and not an illusion.
Ozzic retreated quickly. The mercenaries placed at least a hundred feet between themselves and the behemoth before stopping. The behemoth was on par with creatures like dragons and titans, and hadn’t been sighted in years. For humans, only grandmaster swordsmen and archmages could put up a fight against a behemoth. Others could hardly be a threat to the creature.
Even a senior swordsmaster was rare among the mercenaries, let alone archmages and grandmaster swordsmen. The behemoth’s appearance had crushed the only bits of confidence the mercenaries had.
Anfey had prepared for a surprise because of Hagan’s sudden change, but he was shocked as well. Hagan saw his companions’ shock, and was very satisfied. In the past, he had always hidden when there was a fight. Now he had a chance to show his power. The behemoth walked towards the mercenaries slowly. The ground shook as if there was a giant heart beating under the earth.
"This is all a misunderstanding!" Ozzic called in terror. "Please give us a moment!"
"Hagan, take the beast away," Anfey ordered. The behemoth was too shocking, and he was worried whether Hagan could control it. If he had lost control of the behemoth and it turned on them, they would turn into a laughingstock.