What others called "quickly ending battles" seemed utterly mundane to Kunard. After all, he always finished fights in an instant.

But to Karimea and the others, it was different. They’d never seen Commander-in-Chief Kunard Flanade fight before—this was truly an eye-opening sight.

*Boom!*

Kunard raised his hand. An explosion erupted instantly among the enemies ahead. Yet strangely, its range and intensity seemed far below his status as an S-Class Ability User. Even more bizarrely, that seemingly half-hearted blast shattered every Preyas limb within its radius, splattering green blood everywhere.

Utterly incomprehensible.

Kunard Flanade. S-Class "Infernal Blaze."

Why did that Infernal Blaze look no different from ordinary flames?

"Everyone fall back. I’m about to stretch my legs—don’t get caught in the crossfire," he said.

With a single sweep of his arm, a massive wall of fire surged along the frontline. It blocked the Preyas advance and bought time for the Combatants to retreat.

The fire stretched across the entire 400-meter front, its height scorching the undersides of battleships hovering above.

"You have thirty seconds. Retreat now," Kunard ordered.

"...Yes, sir!" Karimea didn’t hesitate this time. "Full retreat within thirty seconds! Move!"

No one hesitated. This battle was far beyond the reach of their C-Rank, B-Rank, and even the few A-Rank fighters.

"Infernal Blaze burns small, flares weakly, but lasts long. Its temperature far exceeds ordinary fire, dismantling any material or living structure in an instant upon contact."

Kunard strode through the fire wall, speaking as if to himself—or to the army of Preyas before him:

*You’re in trouble.*

Sadly, the average Preyas Combatant couldn’t understand human speech.

So...

They attacked Kunard instantly.

*Whoosh—*

Infernal Blaze erupted around him, melting every strike.

"Oh. I forgot you couldn’t understand me."

The flames around Kunard flared violently, surging forward under his power.

*Screeches!!*

Wherever it touched, the ground ignited—even without fuel. Preyas caught in the blaze were engulfed head to toe in seconds. Within two or three heartbeats, they collapsed as charred black statues, still burning.

In just ten minutes, every Preyas on the ground was annihilated.

There were only fourteen S-Class Ability Users in the world. Among them, ten were merely "stronger than A-Rank," while the remaining four were true superhumans.

Kunard Flanade was one of the world’s strongest.

"Alright. Minions dealt with. If you want victory, show yourselves now—Pulents."

Pulents: High-tier Preyas. One Pulent matched fifty ordinary Preyas.

*Thud!*

A giant foot stomped onto the battlefield, crushing the burning Infernal Blaze beneath it.

"Oh? Not bad," Kunard grinned at the three colossal shadows towering three times taller than regular Preyas. A spark of excitement lit his eyes.

"One of humanity’s strongest warriors."

"Indeed. Far more interesting than the last ones."

"We should eliminate this threat immediately."

The three Pulents spoke in their native tongue—but Kunard understood. They’d made sure he would.

*Thump.*

Kunard had dismissed them as mere giants at first. He’d soloed a Pulent before and won easily. But now... after those words, their auras shifted abruptly. An overwhelming pressure made his heart lurch.

These Pulents were no joke. Far stronger than that half-baked one from before.

Silence fell. Even the battleships overhead had stopped firing since Kunard burned through an enemy hull.

After a long pause, Kunard broke first. He couldn’t afford to wait.

But they attacked at the exact same moment.

*Hmph. Evenly matched, then.*

*Whoosh—*

Infernal Blaze surged toward the Pulents. The lead one swatted it aside like a fly. It then blurred forward, ignoring Kunard’s fiery defenses to strike from behind. Kunard dissolved into flames, dodging nimbly—but the second Pulent slammed into him head-on, launching him skyward. The third opened its maw, firing a beam of white death light that struck true.

"Commander!" Karimea and the others watched, ready to charge in desperation.

But...

*Boom!*

Violet-black flames exploded from the death beam, shattering its glow.

Kunard stood within true Infernal Blaze, glaring down at the three Pulents.

"Seems conventional methods won’t work. Now I understand why the outer defenses collapsed."

His flames flared again, expanding violently.

"Then let’s wager our lives on a proper fight!"

True strength thrived on battle. The fiercer the foe, the greater the thrill. (Well, except for Lixin.)

As he dove downward, the sky darkened.

………………………………………………………………

Silence. Kunard stood alone at the battlefield’s center, battered and bleeding. The wasteland held no living thing but him—if Karimea’s retreat hadn’t been timely, her squad would’ve perished too.

"This battle is over."

He gazed at the three charred husks before him. "Thank you for the fight. I feel... wonderfully refreshed."

The Labrador Peninsula Defense Battle.

Lapthesis: A Pyrrhic Victory.