Captain Edward's Shows His Strength

All of them ran fast and ran towards the forest surrounding the road. They knew that it wasn't the battle in which they could meddle. 

Slowly, the purple smoke enveloped Luna and her uncle, its poisonous tendrils attempting to invade their bodies. However, just as the deadly smoke closed in, a powerful aura erupted from within them, forming an invisible shield that repelled the poisonous cloud and prevented it from causing any harm. 

"Is that all you can do?" Luna teased the scorpion-masked lady. "Hmm, there are many more to come." They started to fight ferociously while the other two started to attack the old uncle beside Luna.

While the battle in the poisonous smoke became more exciting, the people from the caravan and soldiers were running quickly, trying to go as far as they could.

"Wait, we are surrounded." Captain Edward, who was ahead, quickly noticed a group that seemed to have surrounded them. It was clear that the enemies didn't want anyone to leave this place alive.

From the shadows, a veiled group of enemies emerged, swiftly surrounding the soldiers and the caravan. The moment they revealed themselves, the atmosphere shifted drastically. A fierce and terrifying aura blanketed the area, suffocating and heavy.

It was immediately clear they were no ordinary foes. Though there were only twenty of them, each radiated the unmistakable strength of a first-rate master. Among them, however, two cloaked figures stood out—their auras far more mysterious and oppressive, making everyone's heartbeat quicken with unease.

Ash, among the group, also noticed and used his eye's ability to see what kind of strength these two had. The moment he used his ability, the names and levels of these two mysterious enemies appeared in front of him.

[Sean - Level- 11]

[Blood Drake - Level- 12]

Both of the names appeared in red, showing that they were very dangerous for him to confront directly.

He recalled the structure of martial artist levels that he had come to understand. Each realm spanned three levels:

Level 1 to 3: Third-rate martial artists.

Level 4 to 6: Second-rate martial artists.

Level 7 to 9: First-rate martial artists.

Above these was Level 10, representing the half-step innate realm—a threshold just shy of true transformation. Beyond that were Levels 11 to 13, the innate realm, a domain reserved for martial artists who had truly transcended ordinary limits.

Only a few days ago, he learned about the innate realm from his master. The innate realm is the true transformation of life level, even increasing the life span of humans to two hundred years.

But right now it wasn't time to feel excited about it, as they were now currently facing two innate realm masters and eighteen first-rate martial artists together. All of them were in deep shit right now.

"No one is leaving this place alive. Go kill them all." The strongest-named Blood Drake, covered in a cloak with the strongest aura, ordered the group.

The eighteen of them nodded, and instantly, with swift speed, filled with killing intent, they attacked them without any hesitation.

But just as they attacked, suddenly three arrows, like lightning, pierced three first-rate martial artists that attacked, instantly killing them without even giving them a chance to react.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

This sudden change caught all of them unguarded as they looked towards Captain Edward who didn't seem to care about the shock of everyone as his eyes were only the two innate realm enemies. 

Ash quickly used his ability to check Captain Edward's rank, his eyes narrowing as the information appeared before him:

[Edward - Level 10]

Although it was only Level 10, it was still displayed in red, a clear indication of the immense strength Edward possessed. The red marking reinforced what Ash already knew—Edward wasn't someone to be underestimated, especially in battle.

Their eyes collide, and immediately the two innate martial artists understand that they might have taken this group lightly; at least the captain in front of them is very strong, although he hasn't fully broken through the innate realm.

"Oh, I didn't expect there was someone like you among the weaklings." Blood Drake said as its only visible cold eyes looked towards the captain.

"Kill others; I will take care of him." He commanded, and with that, he also made his move. Captain Edward also fired arrows, but clearly, they were different, as the arrows glowed with flaming energy that seemed to raise the temperature around them.

Boom!

Both of them collided and created a large explosion, shaking everyone to the core seeing their strength. But they were glad as it seemed Captain Edward wasn't losing at all and was equally powerful.

"Kill!"

The cloaked enemies roared, quickly shaking off their surprise. Their mission was clear—to kill the soldiers and the others. It wasn't the time to be caught off guard by someone this strong being part of such a seemingly weak group.

On the other side, Captain Edward's strength brought a surge of confidence to the soldiers. Inspired by his presence, they faced the enemies with renewed bravery and determination.

Ash wasted no time. He swiftly notched an arrow onto the bow given to him by the village chief. Utilizing his sharp eyes, fast reflexes, and inner strength, he fired with deadly precision, targeting the advancing foes.

His arrows were sharp and precise, but it wasn't easy to penetrate the thick inner energy of first-rate martial artists, still, it gave them trouble, which the soldiers and some guards who came with Lady Luna exploited.

He didn't expect to kill them in one shot; instead, he created trouble for his enemies, giving chances for soldiers to land a perfect hit. His timing was perfect as he, like a hawk, was slowly tearing his prey apart in the middle of a chaotic battle.