The remaining soldiers, witnessing the defeat of their last Tier V combatant, hesitated for a moment before dropping their weapons in surrender. The outpost, once a battlefield filled with chaos and destruction, now fell into an eerie silence. Reign, exhausted but victorious, stood amidst the fallen warriors, his dual blades at his sides.

Aethion's voice echoed in Reign's mind, "Well, you've successfully completed the side mission. This will definitely put you in the good grace of the Irason Kingdom, your reputation will certainly grow amongst the populace and you will be taken seriously by others."

"This will allow you to command greater respect, as well as to meddle with those who have high positions in the kingdom."

Reign nodded, acknowledging the accomplishment. As the adrenaline of battle began to fade, he felt the toll it took on his body. The injuries sustained during the intense confrontation now asserted themselves, and he knew that he needed to rest and recover.

He wasn't seriously injured or anything, but he had truly gone all out without relying on his mark or transformation. Reign had a feeling that he could do so, that he could win this battle without having to rely on either of the two, and he was right.

'Alright, the only thing left right now is to place the flag of the kingdom on top of the highest tower in the outpost, that is the signal we have agreed to.' Reign said as he took a flag out of his inventory before looking around him, only to drop the flag suddenly.

'Where .. where is the tower?'

Unfortunately for Reign, the previous battle was truly earth-shaking, and because of that, most of the outpost was in ruins, including all the tall buildings like the towers that were present.

"Just plant it at the entrance, that should be enough," Aehtion told Reign who nodded with a sigh before moving to the entrance of the outpost to plant the flag there, only to notice a person hiding nearby.

Reign glanced vigilantly before suddenly erupting with his lightning and arriving in front of the person he sensed in less than 2 seconds.

"I'm from the Irason Kingdom!" The person that had been in hiding proclaimed as he stared at Reign with slight apprehension.

"Why are you here then, did they send you to monitor me?"

"No sir, I was sent to check out just what was going on as we heard the sounds of battle, people noticed that the entire outpost was shaking and that some buildings were falling down even from afar."

"I came from a nearby guard post that was established to keep an eye on this one, to make sure those bastards from the Elais Kingdom wouldn't do something without us noticing."

"Oh, I see." Reign said before dropping his guard a bit.

"How were you sure I wasn't one of them?"

"Well, sir, you are a human, we have already been notified that a human mercenary was going to attack the outpost, and we also know the people inside the outpost, we know their identities, and you are not one of them."

"Alright, I'll make this quick then."

"The enemy is defeated, and the outpost has been taken, notify those who are with you and have the council members send some men to reclaim the outpost and get the prisoners, I will stay here until they arrive to make sure nothing goes wrong."

The soldier nodded at Reign before running back to the guard post from where he came from to notify people of what happened while Reign immediately went back.

He had already placed the enemy commanders in mana-restraining chains. He got them made back in Doncaster and they worked perfectly on Tier V combatants.

Reign stood amidst the ruins of the outpost, keeping a vigilant watch over the defeated enemy commanders. The soldiers from the Irason Kingdom, alerted by the messenger, were on their way to reclaim the outpost and secure the prisoners. As he waited, Reign couldn't help but reflect on the events that had transpired.

Aethion's voice resonated in his mind, "You've handled this situation quite skillfully, my friend. The Irason Kingdom will undoubtedly appreciate your efforts. This victory will open up new opportunities and alliances for you."

Reign nodded, acknowledging the potential benefits of his success. The outpost, now under the control of the Irason Kingdom, would serve as a strategic point in the ongoing conflict. The defeated enemy commanders, though restrained, still harbored a lingering air of hostility.

The soldiers from Irason arrived shortly, led by a group of council members who approached Reign with a mix of curiosity and gratitude. The leader of the group, a seasoned warrior with a weathered face, extended his hand in appreciation.

"Reign, was it? We've heard of your deeds, and I must say, your assistance has been invaluable. The outpost is now in our hands, and the enemy's elite forces are neutralized. You've earned the respect of the Irason Kingdom."

Reign accepted the handshake, his expression calm and collected. "I'm glad I could be of help. The enemies are restrained; you can take them into custody now. The outpost is secure, I didn't plant the flag on the highest tower since, well, I guess you can already see why."

Reign said as he glanced back at the ruins of the outpost.

The council members nodded, signaling for the soldiers to take charge of the defeated enemy commanders. The prisoners, though bound by the mana-restraining chains, glared at Reign with defiance. The Irason soldiers began the process of securing the outpost and attending to the wounded.

"What of the group that was coming here to attack, has it been taken care of?" Reign asked as the council member at the front shook his head.

"You have actually defeated them faster than we thought, sir Athlaston and the others have left to ambush the enemy, but I don't know if the battle has started yet or not."historical

"Knowing sir Athlaston and those with him, they will probably wait for the perfect moment to strike, they might still be waiting for that moment."

"I'll go check in on them, make sure everything is going well." Reign said as he sighed.

"No, you don't have to do that, sir." Another council member said from the side.

"We can see that you are injured and tired, please do rest, sir Athlaston is not weak, and neither are those with him."

"If the strength of the enemy is above theirs, they will return and gather more men to strike them, there is no need for you to risk going there in your current state and potentially get injured, not to mention that they might not recognize you at first and even attack you."

Reign chuckled before shaking his head.

"Trust me, I'm not in that bad of a state, not to mention that these guys were tough, and they were only here to be a distraction, the ones that are the true force are definitely stronger, there is a chance that they might notice Athlaston and his men before they strike."

"I just don't want to see an old man die for nothing, especially not if I can help him." Reign said as the council members all sighed before nodding at him.

"Here is the map of the surrounding area, you already know where the enemy is."

"Stay safe sir."

"No problem." Reign said as he nodded at them before moving. In a couple of seconds, he had already disappeared from their sight, and the council member who told Reign that he should wait, as well as another one, glanced at each other with slight unease.

A couple of minutes later, the two met right outside the outpost.

"We need to warn them, if that man arrives, he might be able to actually take them down with Athlaston." One of the two said as the other nodded at him.

"I agree, I didn't expect that man to actually still have strength left after taking this outpost, if someone of his strength makes his way over there, our plan will definitely be put in jeopardy."

"Oh, and what plan is that?" Reign asked the two as he sat on the wall right above them, looking down at them with a smile on his face.

"Yo, I came back because I forgot something," Reign told the two shocked council members who were seemingly frozen in place, neither one daring to move a muscle.

"So, would you mind telling me just what you are doing, what kind of plan did you make, and oh, how much is the Elais Kingdom paying you to be double agents?"

The two men glanced at one another before quickly running. Unfortunately for them, they were both just Tier IV combatants, compared to Reign, a peak Tier V, they were simply far too weak to actually even think of running away.

"Now, shall we go to the other council members and explain to them what is going on here?"

"You can fill me in during our walk back to them, alright?" Reign asked with a smile as the two stared at him in great fear.