A Faction of my Own

With most of the forces clearing larger cities with more survivors, a town like Rikport could be described as nothing more than a lost cause. With no lives to save, the only purpose for the small town's rebuilding would be to salvage whatever products it did have.

Which meant absolutely nothing to most of the people involved. The glory of killing a single demon commander is a fair achievement, but the minimum requirement to do so is a huge cost. Three whole platoons were wiped off the face of the earth and they still didn't know how strong the demon commander was, due to the fact that it was a one-sided skirmish.

But rallied behind a named hero, Noah of the Holy Sword, a hero that already planned on going there in the first place that is another story. In his short time in this reality, his party has made waves in the battlefield. It is said that he can take on a demon commander with ease, blessed by the gods his holy blade shines true in the midst of battle.

Standing behind his four-man party is close to a hundred soldiers.

"Is that man not being carried by his party members? The spellcaster has the path of a sage does he not?"

"I've fought with the Holy Sword before, he's the real deal." The man's friend covered his mouth.

"On a fast rise at such a young age, anyone would be jealous. But do not downplay the achievements of the very heroes that defend our borders, if you yourself can not even take up arms."

Elite soldiers, those capable of using internal energy. Even among them a ranking of ability is in order, gaining internal energy is one thing but using it efficiently is another.

This is where the difference between those of the noble caste and a soldier or transferee would be shown. Those of the noble caste have access to years of refined techniques sitting in their archives, training with internal energy from a young age and manifesting it before reaching the age of 16. They are those that can change the nature of their internal energy through rigorous training and the use of techniques that have a history of being effective.

The transmigrators who manage to awaken their paths are capable of matching this but what of the common soldier or just a person who couldn't open their path in the first place? These people are caught in the dirt and while considered elite they are at the bottom of the list when it comes to those who have awakened their internal energy.

A party filled with those who have a path, Noah's party was a capable one.

"Get behind me!" The large one with a tower shield stated as he blocked a gigantic orb of energy. His shield had a faint glow to it seemingly forcing the energy to bounce off of it.

"Noah!! Go take on the commander, the rest of you rally behind Briggo! I'll set up some buffs!" Niko the mage barked orders.

"On it, Taz stand guard for Niko. I'll be heading out." Noah replied right before a bright white light emanated from his legs. In a split second his body disappeared and seemingly reappeared right next to the horned demon.

"Yeah, yeah." Taz the spearman stated in a lazy manner. His spear was burning with a crimson glow.

The threat of a demon commander is not just based on its individual power, it is also based on the fact that they can summon demonic servants around them. Classified by numbers starting at Class-1 which can create close to thirty lower tiered demons, they are a potent threat to mankind.

The demon commander in the town of Rikport can be described as a Class-2 demon commander. Monsters spawned off from its shadows as it battled, at class two the number is not only doubled but the fact that the commander can spawn them almost as fast as the people can kill them will make it a losing battle of attrition. Normally this will be enough to over power their foes. 

The forces that the demon commanded should have been enough, but if they were playing rock paper scissors then his rock just met paper. Paths classified under the "Holy" bracket, can be said to be direct counters to demons. Holy energy which is an energy source that can only be accessed by such a path are the most potent kind of power against these creatures.

As a holy swordsman, even without using his internal energy Noah's blade is almost always glowing brightly with holy energy.

The physical capabilities of a demon, especially that of a commander far exceeds that of a common man. Even elites would need to have some sort of advanced footwork technique to keep up with a demon, this was something that Noah had learned during his first month in the frontlines.

With access to funds that most people could only dream of, Noah gained access to these advanced techniques. Making him a rival to the noble caste even without his holy energy.

On one side is a vanguard with almost a hundred soldiers beating back the forces of a demon commander, on the other is a lone hero holding a demon commander back all on his own. A spectacle that only those in the frontlines have seen before.

Noah darted around the battlefield trying to pry open the defenses of the demon. Due to his superior speed the demon was on the backfoot.

A punch from the demon would crush him, a single dodged punch blew a crater onto the ground.

Noah was waiting for one thing, one small slip up from the demon would lead to its demise. His glowing blade was the anti-thesis to the demon's existence, all he needed to was to land the decisive blow.

The tides of battle would not change as the one-sided bout would end with Noah decapitating the demon commander. His group stood victorious as they decimated the remaining enemy forces.

"Rest in peace people of Rikport, rest well knowing that we have served justice."

---

There were no demons in the town of Rikport... To be perfectly honest I was a bit disappointed but I guess the kingdom hasn't fallen after all. Signs of battle and the rotting corpses of a few demons were present.

While it wasn't a noble thing to do I still decided to head for the mercenary's guild or at least where it once stood. With my soldiers standing guard outside I managed to find the stock room.

"JACKPOT!" There it was, a total of sixty-two magic crystals shining in my hands. I expected more but this was more than enough for what I wanted to do. 

"Let's head back, Our camp will be filled with some new allies soon."