Almost everyone present had already heard about what Squad 1777 had gone through this time. Due to a conspiracy on the battlefield that was confirmed to involve Azure insiders, they had returned with nearly every member wounded—and short seven teammates.
Therefore, all of them could guess who Han Qingyu was speaking to as he faced the sky.
In the past, because of his ancestral snake-roasting skills passed down for eighteen generations, Han Qingyu was always the one tasked with the cooking whenever the squad held a barbecue. Whenever he skewered the meat crookedly or roasted it too rare or too well-done, he was always teased and complained about.
This time it was crooked again. And he had apologized in all seriousness.
Some of the people present understood and were deeply moved at once... silently watching the three figures standing at the cliff's edge. Those who didn't understand Chinese urgently looked around for someone to ask, begging for a translation.
Even so, their hushed discussions were kept down to low whispers.
"So earlier, The King used his source energy to create a tremor, suppressing the fire and smoke for a moment, right? In just that one instant—before I could even see them make a move—things had already ended up like this."
The speaker gestured with his chin toward the stone cliff on the opposite side, where all three generations of the Alphonse family were still hanging against the rock face.
"Yeah, just that one moment. Two consecutive steps, finished far too quickly. The smoke and flames actually served as cover for their strike. I bet none of the three Alphonses saw it coming, so they were pinned there instantly."
"So strong!"
"Yeah!"
Just like the Alphonse family deathsworn who were now frozen in place by fear and helplessness, everyone here had heard that Han Qingyu and his small squad were exceptionally formidable.
Most of them, however, had only ever heard tales until witnessing the scene just now, finally realizing just how terrifyingly powerful they truly were.
No wonder this group could accomplish the legendary feats spoken of. What was fierce about them was not only their combat power, but also their character.
Whether you called that character reckless and impulsive or blindly stubborn... there was simply no denying that, as soldiers, their recklessness and stubborn blindness were profoundly moving.
"Whew! Think about it—who wouldn't want comrades like that?! Unbelievably strong, and bound so deeply by loyalty. If someone harms you, even if it were God Almighty himself, they'd strike him down for you before a grand army."
An elite soldier in the crowd suddenly sighed in admiration.
"Yeah." His teammate beside him nodded in agreement, paused, then turned to look at him. "To be honest, I believe The King."
"I believe him too. It's just a pity there's no evidence right now. Sigh, I wonder what will happen to Major Qing and the others afterward for doing this?"
The soldier spoke with worry in his voice, gritting his teeth as he finished.
Plotting to murder one's own people on the battlefield was the single thing soldiers could least tolerate or accept. It was utterly despicable, entirely vile.
*Pfft!* At the cliff's edge, Han Qingyu coughed up a mouthful of blood as he lowered his head.
It had only been a few hours since he returned here from the front lines; his injuries hadn't fully healed, and after that sustained burst of power just now, his body was struggling to hold out.
Wu Xu and Rusty Sister were in much the same state, both in rough shape.
Yet even so, though the Alphonse family deathsworn saw this from behind them, not a single one dared step forward to test them. Right now, a blade stood planted in the ground before them.
Though The King hadn't said a word, they knew that anyone who crossed that blade would die.
They were indeed deathsworn, and they had fought to the death moments ago, but the situation before them left them completely powerless. Helplessness eroded the will far more than fear ever could.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his right hand as he looked up, Han Qingyu glanced down at the dead iron straight sword in his hand.
All he had left now was this sword in his right hand. It was He Tangtang's blade.
Wen Jifei came sprinting over from behind. Reaching the cliff's edge, he gestured, measured the distance, and gave up. Handing the other blade in his hand to Han Qingyu, he said,
"You do them both."
This one was Young Master Shiheng's blade.
Han Qingyu took the blade. With dual swords in hand, he looked across the chasm once more.
When their eyes met, Denis began struggling violently once more. Looking down at the commander's uniform he wore, he shouted with a trembling voice, "How dare you?! You..."
"Is that English? Or French?" Han Qingyu turned to ask Shen Yixiu. "What did he just say?"
"Sounds like a bit of both." Rusty Sister wasn't entirely sure either. "I think he said we can't kill them."
"Oh." Han Qingyu nodded, turned back, and pointed his finger to count... saying at the same time, "One, two, three. Killing the three of you today means the Alphonse family still owes me at least four lives."
Though Denis and Eric didn't understand his words, they could roughly tell what Han Qingyu meant from his gestures. Father and son exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with despair.
Just then, pinned to the stone cliff on the right by the black spear, Charles Alphonse's body slowly ceased its struggling. His neck went limp, and his head slumped forward.
He was dead.
Han Qingyu looked, then turned his gaze toward Wu Xu.
Wu Xu looked blank for a moment, then came to his senses. "I... I'm sorry."
Between left and right, he had stabbed the wrong side once again.
The Binggu Spear was thrust into Charles Alphonse's left chest, piercing straight through his heart. If not for his life source energy passively sustaining him, he would have died on the spot.
"..." Han Qingyu turned around toward the back.
Rusty Sister began translating his earlier words earnestly.
Not far behind them, the Alphonse family deathsworn had stirred into a brief commotion, but now fell silent under Han Qingyu's turning gaze.
Han Qingyu looked at them. "It seems some of you understand Chinese. That's fine. Those of you who return, remember to tell Alphonse that his life is something I'll come to claim sooner or later as well."
His tone was not the least bit intense—there wasn't even a ripple of emotion.
Yet the moment he finished speaking, everyone present either froze in place or gasped sharply.
"Did he just say he's going to..."
"Kill Alphonse."
That was a recipient of the first generation of the Starlight Azure Medal—a living legend who stood at the absolute pinnacle even within the ranks of super combat power. And Han Qingyu said he would seek him out and kill him.
"Is he still resolved to settle this with blades? Why doesn't he take this chance to force a confession and make the Alphonses admit to their crimes? Looking at those two Alphonses, they might actually talk."
"Even if they talk, it's useless—a confession extracted under the blade. Even if they confess now, they can easily retract it later, and doing that would only let them live. As for evidence, they could just fabricate false leads..."
The speaking soldier's voice cut off. He whipped his head around, looking behind him.
There, source energy surged. Jackson, supreme commander of the coalition on the Perimeter Xilang Peak battlefield, was rushing over at high speed accompanied by two adjutants, waving his hands and shouting at the top of his lungs as he ran:
"Stop! Do you know what you are doing, The King?! I order you to stop..."
Almost everyone present turned or tilted their heads. Then, they saw Jackson arriving on the scene at any moment, and heard his shouts.
"This situation..."
"At least one of them is already dead."
In unison, the crowd turned back, casting their gazes once more upon Han Qingyu.
At this moment, Han Qingyu was also looking in the direction Jackson was coming from.
Watching with an expressionless face.
"General Jackson is telling you to stop, Major Qing! Please halt immediately! Things are heading toward an irreversible—" A frontline commander at the scene shouted a translation, fearing Han Qingyu might not understand.
Han Qingyu turned slightly and glanced at him.
The commander shut his mouth.
After a brief pause, Han Qingyu's gaze swept onward, finally settling in a certain direction.
There, the entire squad of Squad 1777 was sprinting toward them.
Han Qingyu looked at them.
Under his gaze, the members of Squad 1777 gradually slowed to a halt in the distance, looking at him, and also toward the stone cliff behind him.
Almost every member of the squad grew red around the eyes.
Han Qingyu's eyes held a faint smile as he turned back around.
And as he turned, he swung his arms in a natural, fluid motion.
This was perhaps the clearest, most distinct execution of the Rusty Sister Dimple Slash Major The Qing had ever performed...
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, amidst General Jackson's rapidly approaching shouts of command, the dead iron straight sword in his right hand flew from his grip.
The warblade went whirling away.
Then, the dead iron straight sword in his left hand flew.
Across on the stone cliff, screams rang out.
Chapter 354