The outliers.
No one knew exactly why they hated or attacked humans. Some said it was for food, others for the thrill of the hunt, and some believed it was fear—fear of what humanity could become. But judging by the expressions on the faces of the outliers currently storming the battlefield, it looked like they simply enjoyed the violence.
Especially the Nomands and Barbarians.
The Nomands were humanoid in shape, but that was where the resemblance ended. Their skin was a deep shade of blue, and they had four arms instead of two. Their strength scaled with their height, and even the shortest among them towered over a grown man.
But what were they known for? Their lust.
In that regard, they preferred other races to their own. However, in the absence of other species, they turned on themselves. Their urges were so depraved, it wasn't rare for them to assault their own kind—siblings, elderly, males—it didn't matter. If caught on the battlefield by a Nomand, it wasn't uncommon to become a victim of rape. Their having four arms only made matters worse.
Then came the Barbarians.
Also humanoid in stature, but once again, that's where the similarity stopped. Their skin was crimson, and their bodies were covered in tribal tattoos that glowed faintly. Their strength and ability to resist the cold weren't based on their muscle but on the markings on their bodies. Each tattoo represented a win, a ritual, a kill. The more they had, the stronger they were.
And what were they known for? Their love for battle.
The Barbarians could have easily breached the front long ago, but they never did. They didn't want conquest. They wanted war. They occasionally sent small waves just to release stress. They even waited between assaults, giving the humans time to rebuild and regroup, just to fight again.
But this...this was different.
The two tribes, known to crave different things and despise each other, were now fighting together. Attacking with overwhelming numbers and coordinated fury.
A tribe of lustful creatures and a tribe of battle-craving warriors, the combination wasn't palatable for any army.
Thankfully, this was what the war horses were for. With their burning lances pointed out, the army charged in. However, it looked vain as more outliers filled up the space.
The disregard for their lives could demoralize any army, no matter how many times they fought.
Thankfully, they weren't alone.
RAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR—
With the roar of dragons, massive shadows swept over the vanguard like guardian angels and rained fire. Crimson flames together with the burning flames from the army increased the heat intensity, burning weaker outliers with just the heat.
The Vanguard didn't stop. They were never meant to stop. Mounted for momentum, they pierced through the fire and bodies.
The strategy was brutal, yet effective. They moved continuously. If one missed… the next wouldn't.
Baines, together with the new recruits, were stationed at the back of the formation. Meaning, he only got to kill stray outliers; others hadn't been able to kill.
"AHHHHHHH!" Shouts and screams resounded in the background as Baines spotted his first enemy. A 4th star nomand.
Around the nomand's bosom, two saggy flabs hung. It was clear; this was a female.
She also spotted Baines's look on her and widened her four arms with a big smile. She didn't seem to care about his rank; she just had to catch him, and it would be over.
'This would be the first time,' He tightened his grip on his lance. This was going to be the first time he was going to take a life. It was something he had always prepared, but no amount of preparation was enough for reality.
The sound around his disappeared. In his field of vision, it was just him and the nomand. He didn't stop, and he got closer.
The nomand grinned wildly, about to grab him, when a lance showed in its body.
What could this nomand do against a 5th star?
Nothing.
Ptshsch...
Together with the sound of piercing its body, its blood flowing through his lance, and the life slipping from its body, Baines watched all of it.
"Huup..." He heaved heavily, and everything came back to him.
The loud and bloody battlefield. He didn't have to contemplate as another outlier came running at him.
His lance gleamed again as he pierced through the outlier. Then another.
Five...Ten...Fourteen...
The more he pierced through the outliers, he got more accustomed. The sensation of killing the former let him to become calmer.
He heaved and looked around.
A 5th-star barbarian was smiling at him.
'5th star,' He gazed at the barbarian and around him. A good number of recruits were still around him, while some were already killing outliers.
Without hesitation, he jumped off his warhorse.
"Battlefield commander," One of the recruits shouted in panic, hurrying to hold Baines' warhorse before it ran away, however, it just stood in its position.
Baines pulled out his sword burning with sword aura and closed the distance with the barbarian. The barbarian responded with a fist to his face, which Baines calmly dodged and pierced with his sword.
Bang...
The barbarian grunted at the attack and struck its own on Baines's chest.
Bang...
Likewise, there was no movement.
'So, a body coated in aura is this strong?' Baines mused. The barbarian's attack felt more like an itch to him.
Whirr...
'Hm'
The markings over the barbarian glowed, revealing red aura claws. It smiled at Baines, as if telling him, round two.
'Alright, let's test out other things a 5th star can do.' He charged at the barbarian, and a flurry of attacks was exchanged.
As he fought, he noticed that, though the sword aura of a 5th star could deal damage to a 4th star, it wasn't the same for a 5th star. Any 5th star would acquire similar skills, meaning there was no advantage over another. It was then left to techniques and skills one knew, techniques like those he learnt during the training period and skills like constructing with aura.
'It all comes down to sword intent.' He mused as he watched the slightly frustrated barbarian. After unlocking its claws, it had expected to get his enemy, however hadn't been able to inflict another damage.
'Will to cut.'
He knew the will came from one of the absolute techniques he had with him, and it just felt right with him. He focused his will on his sword. No visible change was made, however,
The barbarian stiffened.
In a fit of rage, he roared out some incomprehensible words and lunged at Baines.
And just like he had done, Baines moved and attacked its arm, just for it to detach.
At that moment, he understood that it meant it in a literal sense; Cut.
The barbarian screamed for its missing arm. With a final swing, Baines beheaded the Barbarian.
"Phew..." He exhaled. From this fight, he was able to figure out a lot of things, and ultimately the way forward.
He turned to mount his warhorse when,
Grrrrrrrr...
A 5th star male nomand with other lesser nomands grunted at him.
"Oh, yes, yes, come." Baines's eyes widened as he beckoned for the enemies to come at him.
The subordinates around him tensed. For most, this was the first time hearing him speak, but the situation didn't make it memorable.
Like a battle-crazed fighter, he ran into the gathering nomands and began swinging his swords. Once in a while, it seemed like he was teleporting, his sword on flames, and his blade passing through the outliers like butter.
The more he killed, the better he killed the next. From one sword swing to kill one, to killing five with a swing.
After twenty minutes, the outliers around him were no more.
He mounted his horse with his to observe, his gaze landing on the barbarians.
But unfortunately for him, more people than he would have liked had seen his previous stunt.