[Sorry for the late upload and I apologize for my inability to post two chapters today. Things I couldn't control came up so I apologize for this once again. Please forgive this poor author abd continue to vote for this book. It really helps i making a happy author. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the chapter!]
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[Ace POV]
The emperor and I's descent from the sky to the ground was rather eventful.
When we were still up in the sky, observing the settlement from above, I could see that a lot of people had already noticed our presence. We weren't flying that high in the sky anyway, so it was expected.
The emperor's huge wings, together with Blue's massive body being side by side, also played a part in getting us noticed faster.
It didn't matter much, though, since we were planning to enter the settlement openly and not sneak around.
As the emperor and I slowly descended to the ground, a group of men clad in leather armour awaited us. Due to the armour they wore and their organised movements, I was impressed by the men at first sight.
This impression only increased when I entered the settlement through the main gate.
After finally touching the ground, the emperor retracted his wings while I dismounted Blue and jumped to the ground, under the watchful eyes of the emperor's men, who immediately saluted him the moment they saw his feet land.
Seeing that some of them seemed familiar with the standard soldier's salute, while a few others seemed unfamiliar, I started to notice a few things.
From the way a few of the men in front of me executed their salute with extreme familiarity, it was not difficult for me to tell that they were soldiers back in my world.
Perhaps they weren't soldiers, but they should have worked in a line of work similar to the military. I was more inclined to believe that they were the personal soldiers of the emperor, considering how it looked like it was a sin to even breathe loudly in his presence.
What I was curious about, though, were the numbers I had roughly seen in this settlement.
Were they the same for the other settlements as well?
But how?
Based on my experience when I entered the challenge trial ground with my teammate, only 50 people were allowed to participate at a time, and the numbers I just saw from above in the sky were surely not 50.
How did the emperor, and perhaps most other emperors and kings, the new rulers in the true world, go about this limit and bring in such a large number?
It surely couldn't be a coincidence, but unless I asked the emperor himself, I knew I wouldn't be getting the answers to these questions anytime soon.
In any case, it is better to focus and not bother about the present situation, like the one I am currently in.
With this in mind, I gave the emperor's men another glance as the emperor, Blue, and I made our way into the settlement through the main gates.
Something else I noticed about the emperor's men was the unfamiliarity with saluting among some of them. They actually tried to do it and did it decently, but their lack of familiarity became increasingly clear when they saluted alongside those who knew how to do it right.
It was like seeing a comparison between a newbie and a veteran. It seemed like the emperor had added a few people who had normal lives before the apocalypse, but judging by the pressure they were emitting, one could tell that they were at least capable of something.
In fact, it seemed like all of the emperor's men were capable, and this became clear when I entered the settlement.
I first focused on the settlement's military power, as that was something I was practically interested in.
The results of my observations made me realise that the military power of the emperor's settlement, even on the surface, exceeded my expectations.
Initially, I thought that the two rank 1 warriors I saw among those who greeted us when the emperor and I descended would have a special position in the settlement due to their power and rarity. But I quickly realised how mistaken this assumption was when I finally caught a glimpse of the settlement's military power.
I would say the military power of the settlement can be divided into two categories: the ranked and the unranked military. One can already have an idea of both militaries based on the names alone, and there was a reason why I named them like this.
The ranked military here actually comprises ranked humans, while the unranked military naturally comprises unranked humans. This self-made system was due to a simple reason.
For one, I found out that the emperor divided his men into groups. There were groups for patrolling and groups to be stationed in one place. It was not like only two people would patrol a particular street or two people would be stationed in a particular place. It was done in groups, and this made things clearer to me.
Starting with the unranked military or group, the reason I named it such was because the group comprises mostly unranked humans with a ranked human to lead it.
If it was only one group like this, it would not have affected me much. But the more I walked down the streets of the settlement under the emperor's lead, the more I found out that this group was actually plentiful. I never knew there would be so many ranked humans in the settlement, and this was only on the surface.
The unranked humans themselves were also impressive because, from what I could sense and tell, the weakest among them should be level 10. In the little time I've spent in the settlement alone, I've seen more than a hundred unranked humans.
If this was impressive, the ranked military or group was even more so.
Although they were fewer in number, and the numbers in a group never surpassed four, the amazing thing about this group was that they were all ranked humans. Even if they only had common jobs, this was still impressive.
As I was getting lost in my thoughts, the emperor called me out and brought me back to reality. "Let's go and check out the training grounds, lad," the emperor stated and changed directions.
Seeing this, I let out an audible "mhmm" and followed his lead, with Blue walking behind me, curiosity in his eyes as well.
It didn't take long for us to reach the training grounds.
The training grounds here were actually just a very large clearing filled with various equipment and objects. At the moment, in a particular part of this training ground, there was an area filled with topless men forming two half circles.
In the centre of these half circles, two men were currently fighting. From the way they fought, I could tell they were amateurs, but this meant nothing to the men who were cheering them on and screaming their lungs out.
As the emperor and I approached the training grounds, the cheering grew louder, and the excitement in the air was palpable. I could feel the power source emanating from the crowd of soldiers and spectators gathered around the makeshift arena. The two men in the centre of the half circles were locked in combat, their bodies covered in sweat and determination.
I observed the fighters, trying to gauge their skill levels. It was manifest that they lacked formal training, but their passion and tenacity made up for it. Their moves were unrefined, but they fought with everything they had, exchanging punches and kicks with a mix of grace and raw power.
The crowd erupted with cheers and shouts as one of the fighters landed a solid blow, staggering his opponent. Sensing an opportunity, the staggered fighter quickly recovered, his face determined as he retaliated with a swift counterattack. The fight intensified, both men pushing their limits, fueled by the epinephrine coursing through their veins.
The onlookers were captivated by the spectacle, engrossed in the ebb and flow of the battle. The atmodimension was charged with stimulation and anticipation, as everyone held their breath, waiting to see who would emerge victorious.
Suddenly, a loud voice boomed through the training grounds, silencing the crowd. It was the emperor, his presence commanding attention. The fighters immediately stopped their bout, turning their attention toward the emperor and me.
"Impressive display of determination and strength," the emperor's voice resonated. "But let's see how true warriors handle themselves."
As he finished speaking, two men who looked like seasoned warriors stepped forward from the sidelines, their presence exuding confidence and experience. They looked old, but they exuded way more vitality than the men around.
The two men entered the arena, facing each other with a focused intensity.
"Interesting," I muttered as the two men rushed off to face each other.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel