Ever since the 'assassination' a year ago, the emperor has also learned to be smart. No matter where he goes, there is a group of Imperial Guards following him, and he has a dedicated personal guard in the palace. He goes out very rarely, and every time he does, he lets Budo provide protection.
And this time...
"Lancer! This time I will be protecting The Emperor personally, so if any villain dares to attack The Emperor's carriage, you must punish them all!"
"Yes!"
Although Lancer really wanted to say, 'Honest might make a move at any time, it's better to be careful', but he couldn't provide any evidence, so it would be meaningless to say it. Besides, the emperor's trip this time was not just for fun; he was 'touring the whole country', which could also be understood as declaring his sovereignty over the empire.
Generally, such events, except for the one when he first ascended the throne, happen every five years. It's impossible to postpone or cancel it because of Lancer baseless 'suggestion'. This is also the largest event for the Imperial Guards.
As the ace legion guarding the imperial capital, the average strength of the Imperial Guards can be said to be the strongest in the empire. However, the imperial capital has not experienced combat for hundreds of years, and it is fortunate that Budo family is in charge of the Imperial Guards, otherwise this army would have long been corrupt.
At this time, Lancer served as the vanguard of the team, responsible for leading about 1/10 of the Imperial Guard soldiers to clear the way ahead.
But in fact, this task is not very difficult. After all, everyone is already familiar with the emperor's tour. When the time is almost right, the local governors, no matter what they usually do, will at least step up their efforts to rectify the situation at this time. And any bandit organizations with some connections will also restrain themselves during this period, because even if they have no respect for the so-called emperor of the empire, the strongest man in the empire will also be in this team, and no one will seek death.
So generally, Lancer and his team would at most encounter some ordinary bandits. What would be the fate of such scum when they meet the most elite soldiers of the empire?
Without a doubt, they would be crushed to powder.
"Clean up the battlefield! The Emperor's carriage will be here soon! Don't let The Emperor's eyes be soiled by these filthy things!"
"Yes!!"
If at first, when Lancer was transferred back to the Imperial Guards, most people didn't have a real sense of his strength, then during this tour, they finally saw Lancer strength in a real sense.
Although every time he commanded them to mainly surround these bandits and let him solve the problem, it inevitably gave a sense of 'show of force', his strength was real. Almost no battle would last more than 10 minutes. Even the bandit group of over a hundred people in front of them, whose numbers were not much different from their own, did not delay Lancer for too long.
When Lancer fiercely swung his long spear away, the corpse of the bandit leader fell to the side, and his expression of not being able to rest in peace made people feel a chill.
However, Lancer, who had folded his spear, frowned as he watched the soldiers under him clean up the battlefield.
Something is not right! It's too abnormal!
Although they had already left the radiation range of the imperial capital, it shouldn't be possible to have so many bandits along the way, right? According to Budo, before the current emperor ascended the throne and before he inherited his father's position, he served as the 'vanguard officer'. The most frequent he ever encountered was only two battles in one day, but what about him now?
It wasn't even noon yet, and this was already the third wave of people. He did suspect that these people were being manipulated, but the reaction of the bandit leader before he died didn't look like it no matter how you looked at it...
If this was just a simple feeling of doubt, then the feeling of being spied on that started a few days ago made him feel a chill all the time.
'What on earth is going on?'
"Captain! The battlefield has been cleaned up!"
"Okay, then we'll get ready to leave. Has the person who went back to report not returned yet?"
"Not yet, but he should be back soon..."
Lancer nodded to his subordinate's report and didn't say much more. Although the person responsible for reporting, or rather the messenger between the two sides, was an expert with a speed-type Imperial Arms, it was possible that he was delayed on Budo side. This was not unheard of, so he simply ordered the others to continue to rest.
But Lancer, who was resting with his arms crossed, suddenly opened his eyes!
No! This is very wrong! The time is too long!
Although he hadn't been with Budo for a long time, the other party's rigid personality was like a business card. Even if he had something to do, Budo would not drag it on for so long! He would definitely send someone to report in advance!
"The whole army, move out!"
"Crash~!"
Following Lancer command, the Imperial Guard soldiers who were resting, squatting or leaning against trees, all stood up straight.
"Turn around! Return to the main force!!"
With Lancer order, everyone turned around and mounted their horses.
Lancer, riding on his warhorse, was at the front of the team. The closer he got to the main force, the deeper his ominous premonition became. Logically, with Budo protecting the emperor's side, everything should be foolproof, but why was he so uneasy?
Suddenly——————
'Not good!!'
"Stop!!"
As soon as Lancer voice fell, strange light spots suddenly appeared at the front of the team, including him!
"Boom!!!"
Accompanied by a huge explosion, a full ten square meters of land instantly exploded, and the remains of countless soldiers and horses fell everywhere...
——————
"Boom!!!"
The huge explosion in the distance made the emperor sitting in the carriage frown.
"Budo, what happened ahead? Did Lancer and his team encounter a difficult opponent?"
"Your Majesty, it should not be. Based on the estimated range of the explosion, it's not far from us. It shouldn't be Lancer team, and the messenger hasn't arrived either... The situation is unclear, I will send someone to investigate!"
Although the sudden explosion was indeed unsettling, thinking that his closest friend and the strongest man in the empire was by his side, he put his worried heart back.
Undoubtedly, the convoy had stopped moving when the explosion sounded. When Budo walked out of the carriage, everyone subconsciously straightened their bodies.
"Have the Third Cavalry squad go and find out what happened!"
"Yes!"
A squad wearing leather armor instead of iron armor received the order and immediately mounted their horses and rushed forward. Budo himself stood by the carriage with his arms crossed, personally guarding it.
Time passed, and everyone around them raised their guard to the highest level, until...
"Clatter~clatter~"
Accompanied by a series of urgent hoofbeats, two fast horses had arrived.
The soldier on the horse in front pulled the reins to slow down the horse when he was still some distance away from Budo, and he himself jumped off and knelt on one knee.
"General! Our vanguard was attacked! Captain Lancer is seriously injured!"
The first reaction Budo had when he heard his subordinate's report was disbelief. After all, he knew this subordinate of his very well. The other party's strength was beyond doubt, and his Imperial Arms was a defensive one. Logically, even he couldn't easily kill him.
"Great General... please be careful, this time... the attackers... there were several Imperial Arms users... Although we found them in advance, we were outnumbered... cough, cough~!"
Seeing the bruises on the ground and smelling the familiar smell of blood, his expression was extremely ugly.
Although he had suspected before that this 'Lancer' was a fake, he looked like the real person no matter how you looked at him, especially the armor he was wearing, which he was very familiar with, even the scratches on it were exactly the same.
"You go get treated first, I already know the situation. Those thugs will not be able to harm The Emperor!"
In the eyes of others, Budo crouching down was to check Lancer injuries, but in fact... it was.
Budo wanted to see how badly the person in front of him was injured. Although it was just a casual touch, the other person's right arm was broken, and several ribs were fractured. It also seemed like he had serious internal injuries, and most of the wounds on his body were burns and scratches, but only the chest had traces of a blunt force attack...
"Budo, what happened?"
"Your Majesty, our vanguard was ambushed by the enemy. Please stay in the carriage for now. The thugs might be hiding in the surroundings, so please be careful!"
The empire's reliance on standing for a thousand years was the forty-eight Imperial Arms left by the founding emperor. However, as a thousand years passed, many of these Imperial Arms were destroyed in battles, and some even fell into the hands of civilians or criminals. Although Budo was confident that he could defeat all enemies, it was not easy to protect the emperor. As long as the other party was inside this carriage-shaped Imperial Arm, he could be a little more at ease.
And at this moment, another sound of horse hooves came from a distance, and from the sound, it seemed like there were quite a few people.
According to the cavalry squad earlier, they continued to move forward to the location where Lancer and his team were attacked, which was the explosion site. Logically, they shouldn't be back so soon, which means the comers are not friendly?
Budo serious expression immediately narrowed his eyes.
And the Imperial Guard soldiers around them had long since raised their spears and drawn their swords, and took up a defensive posture. But before they could make a move, Budo, who was standing in the center of the crowd, suddenly raised his hands...
"Crack~!"
Accompanied by a series of cracking sounds, countless electric sparks shot up into the air with him as the center!
Everyone was startled by Budo strange movements, but the Imperial Guards trusted Budo completely. They believed that Budo would never shoot without a target.
Just a few seconds later, with a huge roar, a giant creature fell into the middle of the formation. From the charred body of the creature, it was clear that it was Budo target.
But under this exaggerated injury, which would be fatal to an ordinary person, the creature just shook its head, and then roared and rushed towards Budo again. But Budo just extended his right hand towards the monster with muscles all over its body and a bright red color, and his left hand was aimed at the ground.
"Haa!!"
Accompanied by a low shout, the giant beast was instantly pushed away by the rampaging lightning, and the ground beneath everyone's feet shook violently...
"Snap~!"
Accompanied by countless crushed stones, a huge tentacle emerged from the ground, but it didn't move for a few times before it lost its breath. There was no doubt that it was dead, killed by Budo lightning.
"Do you think two Imperial Arms users can deal with me? It seems I am really underestimated."
Budo had felt strange before. Why did that group of 'attackers' rush over so openly, and what made him even more strange was that according to Lancer, he was seriously injured after being surrounded by several Imperial Arms users, but there were no Imperial Arms users among the cavalry squad in the distance, so he had a trick up his sleeve. He didn't expect the enemy to attack from the air and the ground.
"You damned bastard!!"
And at this moment, a familiar roar made Budo subconsciously turn his head and then saw Lancer, holding a long spear and covered in blood, rushing over with a gnashing of teeth.
There was no doubt that when a person sees a group of people who killed his comrades, he would feel extremely angry. But Budo always felt that something was not right... Wait?! The spear in Lancer hand was not the cavalry spear he usually used? Did he lose it during the previous battle? Or was it because he couldn't use the cavalry spear due to his current injuries?
No!!
When Lancer really rushed to his side, he realized that the 'Lancer' at this time was acting 'rationally', but he was not the same as the Lancer he knew!
'Could it be...'
Without time to think, Budo quickly clenched his fists together, and countless jumping electric sparks appeared between his fists. As soon as these electric sparks appeared, they shot towards Lancer behind him.
"Ahhhh!!!"
In the incredible eyes of everyone, 'Lancer' let out a wail, but everyone saw the 'Lancer' in the electric light revealing a mocking smile, and then the electric light that shot towards Lancer was redirected to the side.
"Bang~!!"
And he himself pulled open the car door and thrust his long spear towards the 'emperor' who had an incredulous expression on his face!
"Get out of the way!!!"
Although he didn't know how the other party managed to disable his Imperial Arms, after realizing something was wrong, he desperately rushed towards the carriage. At the same time, he snatched a sword from a nearby guard and threw it fiercely towards Lancer.
But at this moment————————
A strange opening appeared beside Lancer, and the long sword fell directly into the opening.
"Quick, go!"
A man in a cloak appeared beside Lancer at some point.
"Die for me!!!"
If the usual Budo always had a straight face like a robot, then the Budo with his hair and beard bristling with anger was like a raging lion. Countless electric sparks surrounded his body.
He made a mistake!
He not only misjudged his opponent, but this time, he was not attacked by two but three Imperial Arms users, and what he didn't expect was that Lancer would be one of the traitors.
He didn't know what the other party did, but he knew that the person he swore to protect for his entire life was probably in a bad situation at this time. Although it was extremely rushed, Budo, who was attacking in a fit of rage, was completely wrapped in electric light. A silver snake made of lightning instantly attacked the Imperial Arms user...
But unfortunately, he did not see the enemy's outcome, because both the Imperial Arms user of unknown identity and Lancer had disappeared.
Budo, who no longer cared about anything else, pulled open the carriage door and saw the emperor lying in a pool of blood, his life and death unknown, and the long spear that Lancer had used earlier was stuck in his palm!
And at this time, the emperor was slumped in the carriage, and his purplish-blue lips proved that he was deeply poisoned!
"Bastard!!"
"Bang!!!"
Budo, as the strongest in the empire, was already able to command his Imperial Arms as if it were his own arm, but at this time, he was so angry that he unconsciously activated the Imperial Arms on his body, and the soil and stones on the ground under his feet instantly turned into powder.
"Stop!!"
But at this moment, a fierce shout made Budo subconsciously turn his head, because he felt something.
At this time, countless Imperial Guard soldiers were holding long swords and long spears aimed at the outside of the temporary camp, and outside was Lancer, who was bare-chested and only wrapped in a cloak, and more than ten other members of the vanguard team who were also injured.
The moment he saw Lancer, he almost couldn't control his anger, but his reason told him that the person in front of him should not be the same person who attacked the emperor before. It was not only because the Lancer at this time, although also looked tired, did not have many injuries, and he was also wearing his Imperial Arms. The most crucial point was that the more than ten Imperial Guard soldiers following Lancer also had a bewildered look on their faces.
But even if he knew that the Lancer in front of him was real, he still couldn't trust Lancer.
"Arrest them!"
After saying that, he looked to the side.
"Have the army physician come over!"
He had no time to deal with Lancer problem now. Everything was to prioritize The Emperor's comfort!
And the dozen or so members of the vanguard, including Lancer, had bewildered expressions on their faces. They had gone through so much trouble to get here, why were they being arrested?