Patriot's body was towering and unyielding, like a mountain peak. Though he was only three meters tall, in the minds of the numerous soldiers, his figure was magnified infinitely.
Every step he took.
It was as if he were stomping directly on everyone's hearts. Some soldiers were already beginning to waver.
In contrast, the colonel had completely lost his composure.
He yelled at the top of his lungs, flustered and exasperated.
"Fire!! Fire at him!! I refuse to believe one man can withstand the firepower of our entire regiment!!"
This colonel was not the original commander of this elite independent regiment but had been forcibly installed. The former commander had been demoted to a battalion commander, while this colonel was the son of a certain marquis. He had indeed been on a battlefield, but mostly just for show in battles that were already guaranteed victories. Despite being over thirty and holding the rank of colonel, he had barely been to the front lines. Such officers were not uncommon in the corrupt Ursus of today.
The descendants of high nobility were sent to the battlefield for a bit of polish, then they would steal the merits of commoner heroes who had no connections.
*Huuu...*
A deep breath escaped from Patriot's mouth. The heat sinks all over the power armor were constantly venting white steam to dissipate heat.
It was an elite independent regiment, after all.
Their firepower was still quite fierce.
Although Patriot's defense was nearly impregnable with the various buffs stacked, maintaining such a defense required a massive amount of Originium energy. Even for someone as strong as Patriot, his internal Originium energy was showing faint signs of depletion under the constant bombardment.
"Let's attack, Mr. Patriot!"
Lucas Reeve shouted.
"Mm."
These young soldiers were unaware of Patriot's power. After all, Patriot was an ancient figure. The previous generation of soldiers who fought alongside him had either died in battle, become officers, or retired to their hometowns. Even most of Patriot's former subordinates were now in their forties.
These young soldiers lacked an understanding of the legendary, invincible Wendigo.
Suddenly.
Patriot pulled back the greatshield he had been using to defend against the artillery fire. The unparalleled strength in his body erupted at this moment. With a powerful swing of his left arm, the greatshield instantly flew like a boomerang, cutting through the air and speeding toward the entire independent regiment. Then... the propulsion system on the back of the power armor roared to life, and Patriot's heavy, massive body became incredibly light, transforming into a sharp sword that charged into the army's ranks, braving the artillery fire.
"Not good!! Fire! Fire!!"
For a moment, the colonel grew anxious. He never expected Patriot to be so ferocious. By the time the enemy charged into the crowd, he had already fled to the rear of the army, all his initial bravado gone.
Because he was in the middle of the crowd.
The artillery units could not fire indiscriminately. Otherwise, their cannons, which couldn't distinguish friend from foe, might end up killing their own comrades before inflicting any significant damage on Patriot.
In the crowd.
Patriot truly began his slaughter.
Even the powerful artillery couldn't damage Patriot's power armor, to say nothing of the feeble crossbows and melee weapons. When the crossbow bolts struck his armor, they simply bounced off and snapped. When various melee weapons hacked at his body, their blades all shattered. They were completely helpless.
It was like a lion entering a flock of white rabbits, beginning a merciless massacre.
"Hm?"
"It's the Black Serpent again, as expected?"
Lucas Reeve's gaze pierced through the crowd, locking onto a nondescript adjutant at the very rear of the army. The aura of this adjutant's soul was identical to the Black Serpent's.
Another Serpent's Scale...
However.
Although these Serpent's Scales were numerous and annoying, they seemed to lack any combat prowess. They could only possess others and, aside from their soul's resilience, had no other tricks up their sleeves.
Lucas Reeve and Patriot controlled the body together, leaping over the crowd and charging straight for the rear of the army.
At this moment.
The colonel was so frightened by Patriot, who was charging over like an unstoppable beast, that he was rendered speechless.
His hands trembled, showing none of the bearing of an elite independent regiment's commander.
"Quick, block him!! He's coming! He's coming!! Quick!! You all, quick!!!"
However.
Such pleas were useless, as these ordinary attacks had no effect on the current Patriot. They did less damage than a mosquito bite.
The all-black figure covered in crimson patterns, Patriot now looked like a demon crawling out of hell, completely terrifying the colonel out of his wits.
"Don't you come near me!!"
"*Ursus Profanity*"
However.
Of course, Lucas Reeve's target wasn't him.
As he charged over, he didn't even bother to speak, simply thrusting his spear through the Serpent's Scale's body.
With his body pierced, the Black Serpent tumbled like a rag doll for a long distance before coming to a stop. Just before this body died completely, the Black Serpent's hateful eyes stared deadly at Lucas Reeve, as if wishing he could immediately slice Lucas Reeve into ten thousand pieces and swallow him mouthful by mouthful.
"I will be back!! Lucas Reeve!!"
"I will definitely be back!!"
The Black Serpent roared incessantly as this body was dying. Lucas Reeve had no desire to pay him any mind, even adding another spear thrust that ran the Serpent's Scale's body through.
As for the side.
The commander, who had been so arrogant just moments before, now stood beside Patriot, as tiny as a chick. Just a fraction of Patriot's aura was enough to scare the colonel witless.
The surrounding army, which had been preparing to attack, had now all stopped.
They knew that the enemy could now kill their colonel with a single thought. They were utterly defeated. An elite regular army of more than two thousand men had lost to a single person... Some of the older soldiers who had luckily survived were already planning to retire immediately if they made it back alive. This battle had left an indelible shadow in the hearts of these young soldiers who had never experienced fighting a Demon.
Powerful...
So there really are people this powerful in the world.
One man against a thousand.
"Tsk..."
Lucas Reeve looked at the terrified officer before him and clicked his tongue in disdain.
"Mr. Patriot, are you sure this is a colonel? Why is his face as pale as some rich woman's boy toy? He doesn't have much meat on his bones either."
Patriot sighed. "Just the descendant of some great noble. It's very common in Ursus."
This sigh seemed to be Patriot lamenting the decay of Ursus today. As a former military legend, Patriot knew, of course, how many commoner heroes had achieved countless glorious feats of arms. And what happened to them...?
Their merits were forcibly stolen.
If they were lucky, these commoners might be given a minor official post, like a company commander or something. If they were unlucky, fearing that the theft of their military honors would be exposed, these commoner heroes were secretly assassinated by the noble lords.
To fight for this country, only to die at the hands of this country's great nobles—it was ironic, to say the least. Patriot himself, who had achieved tremendous merits for Ursus, was in the same boat. With his military record, he could have easily been a corps commander, but in the end, he remained just a Captain. After all... Patriot's achievements were simply too illustrious. If he were to be made a corps commander, he would pose a huge threat to the great nobles who were accustomed to banding together.
But within the now-stabilized clique of great nobles.
Although they fought amongst themselves, they shared a common principle: they would not allow a threat of the same level to emerge...
"Don't kill me!! Don't kill me!!"
The colonel, who was in his thirties, was now utterly terrified.
"My father is a Marquis!! A Lieutenant General!!"
"Tsk..."
Lucas Reeve glanced at him with disdain, and then, his long spear instantly pierced through the man's body. He couldn't be bothered to waste a single word on this kind of fop.
"Your commander is dead.... I'll give you five minutes. Leave at once!"
After killing the foppish colonel, the surviving soldiers scattered, not wanting to stay here a moment longer. For the younger soldiers, this battle might have become a shadow they could never erase from their hearts for the rest of their lives. They would probably be too scared to sleep with the lights off at night.
"Phew..."
These soldiers fled quickly.
Lucas Reeve let out a huge sigh of relief and immediately deactivated the Knight of Owner state. Buffing three pieces of equipment at once was quite draining even for Patriot. In fact, Patriot was already feeling a bit weak now, the Originium energy in his body nearly depleted. It had to be said, an army was an army. The modern advanced firepower was simply too fierce. If it weren't for the fact that the Raythean armor made by Jessica's family was also sufficiently tough, had he been using his old armor, he definitely wouldn't have been able to withstand it, even with Lucas Reeve's Knight of Owner.
At this moment.
The Reunion Movement in the distance was in a complete uproar.
The Shieldguards couldn't contain their emotions at all.
"Holy crap!! The Captain!!!"
"The Captain and Mr. Lucas Reeve's combination is too strong!!"
"So what if it's a regiment!!! Our Captain and Mr. Lucas Reeve's combination is invincible! Bring an army and we'll kill them for you to see!!!"
"..."
Lucas Reeve thought to himself: "Stop, stop, if you're going to boast, can you not include me?"
At this moment.
The more desperate everyone had been at the beginning, the more excited they were now. The Shieldguards no longer cared about their usual military discipline, crazily rushing to Patriot's side, cheering continuously. Patriot didn't want to scold them for their lack of discipline either, letting them relax for once.
"Little Talu!! Mr. Lucas Reeve and Mr. Patriot did it!!"
Alina excitedly threw her arms around Talulah. Although she trusted Lucas Reeve implicitly at that moment, she still had a little worry in her heart. However... the power of Lucas Reeve and Patriot completely transcended her understanding.
Talulah also smiled slightly, breathing a sigh of relief in her heart.
Nearby, FrostNova was staring blankly at Lucas Reeve's figure in the distance. Unlike the others who were cheering and celebrating excitedly, she was completely stunned, gazing foolishly without a word. She remembered the scene of Lucas Reeve stroking her head earlier, and her pretty face flushed slightly as she rubbed her own head.
"Damn! A bunch of morons ran off."
The celebrations of their Infected comrades were much simpler. They didn't dare to rush over and surround Patriot like the Shieldguards did. Although they really wanted to, they genuinely didn't have the courage. Some comrades were constantly 'desecrating the corpses' of the ungrateful traitors who had temporarily defected earlier. Some had even stolen many people's rations while fleeing.
Today was no different from a festival for the Reunion Movement.
That night, everyone was cheering, dancing around a burning bonfire. Lucas Reeve and Patriot did not participate. Patriot's strength was nearly exhausted, and he couldn't wait to return to his tent to rest after the battle ended. The same went for Lucas Reeve; his soul was actually quite tired as well. He didn't join the celebratory bonfire and slipped into the necklace to sleep early.
FrostNova, who had been hesitating from a distance for a long time, thinking about how to toast Lucas Reeve to express her gratitude for helping her father, returned to the Yeti Squadron with great disappointment after learning that Lucas Reeve had gone to sleep, and sighed.
Since Lucas Reeve was asleep.
Alina, on Lucas Reeve's behalf, briefly told Talulah about their experiences in Chernobog.
On the other side.
The Yeti Squadron members began to brag.
Those few Yetis who had gone to Chernobog said, "It's not that I'm bragging, but you've probably never eaten this stuff in your life. Tsk tsk... the taste was just amazing. Have you ever had milk tea? It's so sweet. I'm telling you, when we were with Mr. Lucas Reeve in Chernobog, it was my daily routine, rain or shine. A cup of milk tea when I woke up, a cup after lunch! And a cup before bed, all different flavors!"
Da Xiong (Big Bear): "And that bedsheet, it was so soft. Later, I asked Mr. Lucas Reeve and found out it's called a mattress! All the rich people in the city use that stuff. You basically fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow. It was so comfortable I didn't want to get up in the morning."
Yangge: "You have no idea. Petrova and I mingled at Chernobog's high-end banquets every day. Those dignitaries, you know, they had to call us 'sir' when they saw us~ Tsk tsk..."
The Yeti Squadron members were very close, practically like blood brothers.
And the few Yetis who had followed Lucas Reeve in Chernobog immediately started showing off.
It would have been fine if they hadn't, but their bragging made the other Yetis incredibly envious. Some who didn't quite believe it asked FrostNova, but she just nodded silently, which was met with only envious wails.
This banquet lasted for a long time. Many people were so excited they barely slept all night. Before resting, Lucas Reeve made a special trip back to Columbia to thank Jessica. After all, Raythean Industries' power armor had been a great help in this battle.
Jessica never expected that Lucas Reeve would actually thank her, and her former nervousness seemed to return.
"N-no!! We're already family!! Mr. Lucas Reeve doesn't need to thank me!!"
"No... I'm sorry, I misspoke, we're not family!!"
"Ah, I said it wrong again! I didn't mean that I don't see you as family, Mr. Lucas Reeve!! It's just! It's just! It's just!~~~"
Looking at the flustered and adorable Jessica, who seemed to have reverted to how she was a few months ago, Lucas Reeve smiled and patted Jessica's head.