CH749 Shadow of the Past

***

’Time is cruel and unforgiving.’

Alex thought to himself as he took a seat on a small, moss-covered rock.

The convoy had stopped to let the horses rest, lest they become fatigued before reaching their destination.

Since they did not know what they would be up against, Alex, his wives, and his retainers had agreed to proceed carefully as they drew closer to the end of their long journey.

It had been two days since they passed through the valley entrance. However, contrary to what the travel time suggested, they had not actually covered that much distance.

The distance from the valley entrance to the major settlement within the Frontier March was little more than half a day’s journey on horseback. However, due to the convoy’s size attracting nearby berserk beasts, the group had been repeatedly delayed as they were forced to deal with the threats.

The current Frontier March had once been a prosperous region.

This fact could still be seen in the archaic infrastructure that remained, not yet completely eroded by the cruel and indifferent passage of time.

Crumbling buildings, now trapped beneath verdant greenery, told the story of a once strategically developed region that had become little more than a vague shadow of its former self.

Case in point was the convoy’s current resting spot.

It seemed an expansive road network once covered what was now the Frontier March. Along these major highways stood waystations where travellers could rest both themselves and their horses.

Although nature had overgrown most of these structures, reducing them to little more than faded remnants of what they once were, the roads still served as the primary transport routes in and out of the region, while the waystations continued to function as key resting points.

Only that neglect and the passage of time had reduced this great infrastructure to nothing more than a shell of its former glory.

’What a pity,’ Alex thought. ’It is a sombre reminder that even powerful, developed empires can fall with time.’

’Then again, it also means weak ones can rise in their place.’ A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Shaking his head, Alex thought, ’We’d better get moving if we want to make it before sundown.’

Alex stood and was about to call for the convoy to resume its journey when his eyes suddenly caught sight of something.

Multiple mana signatures appeared out of nowhere and began moving towards them at a fast speed.

"Beasts incoming," Alex announced.

In reality, he did not exactly need to. The other members of the convoy had already noticed as well.

Kavakan and Mogal were the first to rush out to meet the incoming hostiles— a group of gorilla-like beasts.

The gorillas had wooden, plate-like extensions covering their limbs, chests, and backs that resembled the samurai armour from old films in his previous life.

However, strangely, the gorillas had rocks for heads.

Or rather, their heads looked as though they had been petrified and shattered, with the degree of damage varying from one gorilla to another.

The heads of the stronger individuals appeared more heavily shattered than those of the weaker ones.

’Does that mean they become headless once they are powerful enough? Would that make them Ronin Gorillas or Dullahan Gorillas?’

Random thoughts popped into Alex’s mind as he watched his forces dispatch the gorillas with little difficulty.

Unsurprisingly, Zora, Mogal, Kavakan, and the rune-tattoo-enhanced Silver Wolf Guards quickly took the lead in the kill count.

Alex glanced to his side, where Saul, Eleanore, and Sugud watched the battle without any intention of getting involved, leaving Zora as the only one standing beside him who was actively participating by firing pinpoint-accurate spells from the backline.

Alex had initially not intended to get involved either, but after looking at the sword strapped to his waist, he changed his mind.

’I had better get some practice in. Using the sword is key to maintaining my cover right now, after all.’

"I am going to stretch my arms a little. Please keep them safe," Alex said to Saul.

Realisation dawned on the older man as he watched the young noble grasp the hilt of his longsword.

He nodded without a word.

[Second Step— Phantom’s Viel]!

With the Skywalker Sword in hand, Alex strode forward.

He passed several ongoing battles between the gorillas and his troops, but everyone seemed too occupied to pay him any attention as he walked, almost casually, towards the front lines.

Alex arrived behind Kavakan and Mogal, who were unsurprisingly carving a path of corpses towards the direction from which the armoured gorillas were emerging.

A gorilla suddenly appeared from behind a treeline. It rose to its full height—standing about 3 metres tall—and pounded its chest loudly like a drum before releasing a threatening roar.

Roar!

The roar caused the air to ripple visibly.

Kavakan and Mogal immediately leapt in front of Alex to shield him from the shockwave.

’These guys...’

Alex looked at their backs wryly.

Eleanore had recently torn into them for consistently allowing Alex to involve himself in battles, thereby placing himself in danger—a clear neglect of their duties as his guards and retainers.

Now that Alex was presenting himself as a noble who would soon become the lord of a domain, it would become increasingly inappropriate for them to allow him to face danger head-on when they could intercept it instead.

Which was why the pair were currently blocking an attack that Alex did not even need to defend against. His passive defences were more than sufficient.

In fact, calling the roar an attack was being generous. It amounted to little more than a strong breeze.

The roar from the larger gorilla seemed to invigorate its subordinates, who immediately began fighting with greater vigour.

About half a dozen two-metres-tall gorillas suddenly rushed forward to tackle Mogal and Kavakan, dragging them away and opening the battlefield for Alex to face the gorilla alpha.

The beasts appeared intelligent enough to recognise that Alex was the leader of the furless primates they were fighting and had moved accordingly to create an opening.

Yeah, no... That was unlikely.

It was more probably a coincidence than intentional on the gorillas’ part.

Roar!

The gorilla alpha roared once more while pounding its chest.

Its remaining nostril flared, while the lone eye set within the surviving half of its shattered face regarded Alex with unmistakable disdain and challenge.

’Oh? A challenge? Soldiers versus soldiers, general versus general, is that it? Fine. Challenge accepted.

"It just so happens there are a few moves I want to try out.’

A grin unknowingly spread across Alex’s face.

’You should be able to survive long enough for me to test them, right?’

His eyes flashed with an equally taunting and disdainful gaze as he unsheathed his sword and tossed the scabbard onto the ground.

***