Awakened: SSS Ranked Soul king

Soon three groups, amounting to around 600 slayers, made their way down the various outposts, converging in the middle just before the keep's gates.

The fog was still ever-present, so there remained a separation of around 3–5 kilometers between them and the gate.

"Hold!" one of the members of the Aaron family called out, forcing the army of slayers to come to a halt in front of the fog.

Everyone there was armed to the teeth, with echoes and weapons forged from steel and engraved by the Valors. Their cooperation was truly godsend.

"That's the leader, Robin?" Guilliman asked, standing beside Victoria near the front of the army. Since they couldn't find a safe way into the keep, Victoria opted to stay back from the strike team and coordinate with her original team. Having worked with them before, she knew who was who—and that young man with a buzz cut was clearly Sire Robin, the leader of the Aaron camp and a level 9 slayer.

Beside him were Mason and several others, all incredibly strong.

"Yeah, that's him…" Victoria smirked bitterly.

Guilliman wasn't the only one who got a rude awakening about how strong these nobles were. The fight was a sight to behold, in all honesty. Some of them were even stronger than the average slayer at red. She wouldn't have picked anyone else to lead such a siege.

"The Valors are here too," Morgan muttered, causing everyone to turn toward the troop of around 150 slayers clad in the most spectacular armor, their swords glistening like metallic silver.

Due to being attacked by the fog, the main forces of the Valors had been reduced to a mere 30 individuals, so they didn't admit many slayers into the outpost. However, those they did take in were armed to the teeth and helped bolster the group's strength.

So even though they had the fewest slayers, they were still the strongest group in terms of individual strength—especially with that monster, Logan, in the lead. Rumor had it that his power level had even reached Red not too long ago, making him by far the strongest person here. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

"They've grown stronger."

As everyone in the Aaron army drooled over the equipment the Valors donned, Barthold's gaze was fixed on three towering figures in the army. His brothers—on the front lines—were now nearly the size of their father. They had grown so much more powerful.

"They can't compare to you anymore, man—you could probably solo them," Guilliman said, patting Barthold on his side. Among all three, he was confident that Barthold, who was still at level 7, could take on these level 8 fighters. Not only had he seen more growth than them, but his aspect also allowed him to fight opponents who were much stronger than he was. And unlike them, his attacks reflected his aspect.

"Hehe, maybe." For the first time in a long time, Barthold felt confident around these three. He didn't feel the least bit oppressed by their presence—hanging around Victoria had worked out.

While they looked at the army in front, several shadows slowly emerged from the dark side of the forest and made their way to the formation.

The Nu

These guys always looked the same—they had no visible arms, completely shrouded in dark clothes that coveted everything including their faces. They looked like vampires half the time but this was their thing.

Who could truly complain

Meanwhile, the men behind them numbered around 145; they were, of course, better equipped than the Nu, being clad in armor provided by the Valors. Together, they totaled about 220.

Not long after they arrived, the three army commanders met and decided what to do in the coming battle. Although they had spoken previously, they still had to confer again for clarification's sake.

Minutes later, they disbanded and returned to their respective armies, passing down orders.

"Lady Victoria, I must seek your help in this," soon Mason came to their group and bowed respectfully. In the past, he had thought her to be some random roaming noble from another shelter—in fact, he still did. However, her strength could not be underestimated. In a one-on-one with her, he would surely lose; only Carlson and Robin could have the confidence to put her down among them at this moment.

Then there was the rest of her team. Carlson had reprimanded him not so long ago for attaching these guys to his hunting team, though he couldn't quite tell if he was truly upset—since all he had were praises for them and insults for him.

"Spit it out," Victoria said with a jovial smile. She had a feeling they would call upon her for help even after she had clearly stated her reluctance.

"We need you to help guard our strike force while we provide support," he said with a downcast look on his face. The way Victoria looked at him was almost mockingly, as if to say, "I told you so."

"That's not a problem, Sir Mason—you know my price, don't you?" Victoria's lip curled into a smile. She had left the strike force after becoming strong enough for a reason. She wanted leverage over the Aaron family's top guys; at first, they didn't think anything of it, but when she made that suggestion, they couldn't help but take a step back.

Victoria was campaigning support for Thane Blacksteel, which was somewhat surprising since no one was allowed to draw their family into shelter politics. But then again, it made sense—the Blacksteel lord had asked them not to initiate contact, but if they did so themselves, it was acceptable, right? It was a gray area. Still, seeing her bring Thane into this, they could rest at ease. He wasn't really power-hungry, so a temporary alliance at the Gate would most likely not spread into the shelter itself. They could consider it without much thought—if Thane came back alive.

"We know the price; Sire Robin will have an audience with Lord Thane when he comes back."