Aaron had no idea, nor had anyone told him, what the consequences of making eye contact with the Sharingan were. It wasn't as if such a peculiar Sharingan had ever appeared in this different world.
"Rasengan."
As Aaron emerged from the darkness, his eyes glazed over and his body seemed frozen as if struck by a pressure point, Li Xi's hand clenched, and a small, white glowing ball materialized in his palm.
This was Li Xi's first time using the Rasengan after obtaining it. The high-concentration, spinning chakra formed a small ball in his hand, which he directly struck against Aaron's chest. Aaron's clothes exploded outwards in a spiral, and he was sent flying more than ten meters away, spinning like clothes in a washing machine.
The moment he was sent flying, the confusion in Aaron's eyes cleared. Before he could even assess the situation, he was struck by the Rasengan and, gravely wounded, fainted once more.
"What happened, Brother Li Xi?"
From Li Xi's appearance to him striking down the intruder, Galidos and the others had only just witnessed what had transpired. They realized someone had stealthily infiltrated their defenses right under their noses, and a wave of dread washed over them. If their laxity had allowed an intruder to reach the princess, their mission, reputation, and even their lives would be forfeit.
"Found a rat. Knocked it out. I have a feeling tonight is a bit off. Be careful."
Li Xi's agitated heart hadn't calmed down even after taking down an opponent. The tense atmosphere in the air persisted, suggesting the impending events wouldn't be limited to this one individual. Li Xi couldn't explain the source of his anxiety, so he could only urge Galidos and the others to be cautious.
"That's Aaron, who calls himself the Shadow of the Sun. I didn't expect him to be here too." Ivan walked over and recognized the intruder with a single glance. As fellow infiltrators, he was well-acquainted with his peers.
Bruce and Alyssa exchanged a look, finding the same shock reflected in each other's eyes. Aaron was no ordinary individual, no mere rat. He was a renowned infiltrator in the mercenary world, with twenty years of experience and no previous failures. Yet today, he had been subdued by Li Xi in just one strike.
It was clear that Li Xi, who had gained such a formidable reputation in such a short time, was not someone whose fame was undeserved.
"We'll inform our men immediately to heighten their vigilance." Since Li Xi had a bad feeling, they dared not be careless.
Unfortunately, there was no time. Before the three could issue any orders, shouts of battle and screams of agony erupted from beyond the outer wall, the sound wave reaching them with ten times the usual intensity.
"Brother Li Xi, you go protect the princess. Leave this to us." Galidos knew disaster had struck and immediately instructed Li Xi. Then, he assigned roles to Bruce and the other two: "You three, go out and command. Signal if there's an emergency."
"Alright."
Bruce, Ivan, and Alyssa, also worried about their team members outside, rushed towards the outer wall.
Li Xi also wanted to go, but glancing back at the open window on the highest floor of the ancient castle, and the small head peeking out to watch the spectacle, he returned with a Shunshin no Jutsu.
"What's wrong?"
Felin watched Li Xi disappear and reappear, and the clamor of battle outside made her slightly worried.
"Nothing. With me here, everything will be fine."
Li Xi stood on the highest floor of the rooftop, using his Sharingan and the secretly activated Dragon Eye vertical pupils like human searchlights to survey the surroundings of the ancient castle, preventing any further infiltrations like the one just encountered.
Fortunately, no one else had managed to breach the outer wall for a considerable time. Li Xi then focused his gaze beyond the wall, taking in the great battle unfolding.
Instead of the usual dozens of attackers per day, there were now over three hundred. These attackers were not acting independently but were organized into small groups, forming basic combat units. With a burly man wielding a large cleaver leading the charge, they engaged in a desperate, life-or-death struggle that immediately overwhelmed the Mammoth Mercenary Group, the Red Rose Mercenary Group, and the Dark Shadow Mercenary Group.
Usually, their battles involved some holding back, some "fishing" for advantage. The three mercenary groups had assumed today would be no different. However, the moment they clashed, they realized their opponents were fighting in earnest. The three mercenary groups, caught off guard, were immediately routed. One side was holding back, while the other was fighting to kill and was also superior in combat strength and preparation.
In such a confrontation, the three mercenary groups instantly lost over a hundred men. This was no longer a situation of mere injuries; the men who fell were at best severely wounded, with about half of them dying outright.
Especially those struck by the cleaver wielded by the burly man leading the charge – there was no escape from death. Li Xi personally witnessed a Mammoth Mercenary Group beast cavalryman, relying on the thousand-pound weight of his mount, charge forward, only to be cleaved in half, man and beast alike, by a single swing of the cleaver.
That beast cavalryman was undoubtedly a Level 5 expert. His timing and accuracy were impeccable, a perfect textbook display. But in the face of absolute strength, all finesse was mere show.
It was understandable, therefore, that the three mercenary groups, accustomed to their usual relaxed and somewhat languid demeanor, were completely bewildered by such a situation.
"Why are you fighting to kill?"
This simple oversight allowed the hundreds of attackers to rush to the base of the outer wall.
The burly brute leading them, wielding a massive cleaver, chose not to fly over. Instead, he brought the weapon down on the old outer wall.
This cleaver, weighing several hundred pounds and imbued with a thick aura of battle qi, faced the weathered stone of the ancient outer wall, which had not been repaired for a long time. A single strike was all it would take to break it open.
"Boom!"
The cleaver, accompanied by the owner's wild laughter and confident pronouncements of victory, did not strike the severely weathered stones of the outer wall. Instead, it was intercepted by a greatsword no less heavy than itself.
At the crucial moment, Bruce leaped out from within the wall, blocking the attackers who were attempting to breach it. The indomitable Level 6 Warrior's defense was peerless!
"Barbarian Keichi." Bruce's hands tingled, and he felt the force from the cleaver, which was no weaker than his own. He called out the attacker's name, recognizing him as a rare master.
"It is I. I've long wanted to test your legendary defense, the peerless defense. Are you truly as formidable as the legends say?" Barbarian Keichi had absolute confidence in his strength, disbelieving that anyone of the same level could withstand his axe.
"Leading an assault on the princess's manor is a capital offense."
It was because Bruce managed to intercept Keichi, the leader, that Alyssa and Ivan had the time to stop the attackers who were attempting to fly over.
Upon seeing their captains arrive, the men of the three mercenary groups rallied their morale. They knew this was no longer the casual skirmish of days past. They began to unleash their true abilities, engaging the attackers in a desperate struggle. Both sides were employing lethal techniques; it was time to fight.
Nearly two thousand people were engaged in a chaotic melee. It wasn't the organized charges and flanking maneuvers seen on television in Li Xi's previous life. It was simply a free-for-all, with small teams clashing fiercely.
The different battle qi, like the colorful glow sticks at a concert, emitted dazzling light in the darkness.
"How beautiful."
Princess Felin rested her chin on her hand, watching the battle outside with an appreciative gaze. Stripped of the piercing sonic booms and screams, the area outside the wall was indeed rendered in a riot of color.
However, this all came at the cost of life and death.
It wasn't that no attackers managed to leap over the wall. But after the twenty-four-member spellcaster team led by Zuo Lin emerged, the attackers who had breached the wall were reduced to fireworks before they even landed, dissolving into dismembered remains that rained down upon the now-freezing ground. It was anticipated that the flowers here next spring would bloom more beautifully than ever before.
Two full squads of spellcasters did not go out to assist the three mercenary groups. Instead, they stood at the entrance of the ancient castle and began chanting incantations. Magical energy surged, and with the waving of staffs and the scattering of incense, a petal-like barrier rose and then enveloped the ancient castle where the two princesses resided.
Felin watched the magic barrier close and said with disinterest, "Master Zuo Lin is being overly cautious. My sister did not erect a barrier outside because it was unnecessary. The ancient castle we reside in has at least five layers of barriers; there's no need to waste precious magic on this."
"Don't say that. Master Zuo Lin is doing this for your safety. A little magic is nothing compared to your safety."
Li Xi, who had long anticipated this, felt no emotion. He believed Felin had understated the number of barriers. Even without them, these attackers wouldn't have been able to enter the castle.
Galidos had already entered stealth mode and was now cleaning up attackers on the outer wall. Once he spotted them, the attackers wouldn't even know how they died. They would only realize their throats had been slit when they felt a chill. This was the power of an S-class mercenary!
The three group leaders were still locked in a fierce battle with evenly matched opponents outside the wall. The attackers were all powerful professionals, especially Barbarian Keichi, who was fighting Bruce to a standstill. The sonic booms from their clashing weapons kept anyone within a ten-meter radius at bay.
Alyssa, wielding a fan made of secret gold, danced through the crowd, her every move targeting the opponents' weak points: the throat, groin, temples, chin, nasal cavity, the back of the head. A hit in any of these areas would undoubtedly be a nightmare for their enemies.
Ivan, as acknowledged by Galidos as the strongest among the three, wielded two curved blades that never missed their mark. His methods were particularly similar to Galidos', especially his stealth and disappearance tactics, suggesting he was of the same profession: demon hunter.
As the battle stabilized, the situation entered a stalemate. The attackers, initially gaining a few hundred meters due to the element of surprise and reaching the outer wall, were now being pushed back by the three mercenary groups.
Furthermore, the number of fallen attackers began to slowly increase. Their numerical disadvantage was their greatest weakness. On average, one attacker had to face five mercenaries from the three groups. Even with limited space to fight, they were outnumbered three to one.
Seeing this situation, Li Xi knew the battle outside the wall was stabilizing. He shifted his gaze further afield, feeling a sense of unease that someone was observing everything from the distant darkness.
However, the night was too dark, and the distance too great, exceeding Li Xi's line of sight. He couldn't see anything, or perhaps there was no one there. Li Xi began to suspect he was being overly paranoid.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Bang!"
A shadow clone appeared.
Li Xi commanded, "Go outside the wall and help the three mercenary groups. You don't need to engage the attackers; just use the Mystical Palm Technique to heal the injured."
"Understood."
The shadow clone vanished and reappeared outside the wall, beginning to heal the injured with the Mystical Palm Technique.
Li Xi didn't have the shadow clone engage the attackers with the three mercenary groups not out of a refusal to help, but to avoid external accusations of him taking credit.
As the battlefield situation changed, the attackers would eventually be apprehended. Not only were the items on their persons valuable, but each of them was a wanted criminal with a price on their head. The three mercenary groups, currently holding the advantage, were fully capable of capturing them. Therefore, Li Xi's intervention at this point would be highly suspicious of seeking to steal credit.
If the three mercenary groups had pleaded for Li Xi's assistance, then intervening would have been acceptable. Having the shadow clone heal the injured now was merely to help them conserve their strength for the remaining nineteen days of battle.
A mercenary with a broken arm was gritting his teeth as he bandaged his wound. Such an injury would typically require a priest, a shaman, or holy water for treatment after the battle. Non-fatal wounds like this could not be treated during active combat.
It could be said that surviving until the end of the battle offered hope of survival. If one did not survive until the end, it was simply bad luck. Delicate spellcasters were unlikely to risk battle conditions to rescue people on the front lines.
The mercenary was tightly holding the cloth strips on his arm with his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead from the pain, yet he did not cry out. Truly a strong-willed warrior.
"Let me."
A palm radiating a faint green light covered the wound. The mercenary miraculously discovered that his wound was rapidly healing, even the broken bones within were reconnecting.
In just a few breaths, upon closer inspection, the wound was completely healed, and the sharp pain had vanished.
"You're good to go. Try fighting."
The mercenary looked at the familiar face before him and realized that the person who had treated him was none other than the legendary mercenary they had been discussing, Lord Li Xi.
Naturally, someone like Li Xi would be a topic of discussion. Setting aside his past achievements, simply arriving here to protect the princess was enough. They were all mercenaries, and being stationed outside the wall was already an object of envy for other mercenaries who couldn't secure such a task.
Their leader, Lord Bruce, being able to reside within the castle walls, outside the ancient castle, and living alongside S-class mercenary Galidos every day, was an even greater honor.
But this legendary mercenary? On the first day, he was assigned a room next to the princess. According to hushed rumors from their boss, the princess had actively thrown herself at him, yet he had refused, maintaining his integrity by staying on the rooftop daily.
Initially, they had some reservations about this behavior. In their view, a princess throwing herself at someone and then being rejected was being overly fussy. If it were them, they'd have a child already.
But now, seeing that he was not only protecting the princess but also lending his abilities to heal them, they realized he was a truly upright mercenary, a mercenary with true compassion, and the role model they should aspire to.