Struggling as a Villain

Their only goal was to reach the Duchess while defending against her attacks.

This was a commonly known training drill of the defense force of the battalion.

"It\'s a three-circle!" One of the groups braced themselves by raising their shield and activating their barriers.

Those who excelled in the Barrier skill among the four fundamentals were on the team. And along with them, were those who had awakened a fortifying skill.

The leader of this group had the skill known as \'Command Call\' which elevated the strength of his allies by boosting their magical prowess.

The bearded man yelled at the top of his lungs as he activated his skill, and the large shield before the group suddenly increased in size.

Bellarine narrowed her eyes as he increased the intensity of the Flame Bird she had conjured.

The talons of the bird scratched against the shield, the overwhelming heat burning the nearby trees and grass. Yet the soldiers withheld the force by applying every ounce of their strength to fortify their defense.

Bellarine smirked, however, before she could get serious and started to chant verbally, Bennet jumped in,

"That would be enough, Commander."

Bellarine rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers; erasing the flaming bird from existence as all the soldiers fell to their knees. They were panting audibly while they looked pale because of ether exhaustion.

"I apologize for my impudence, Commander, but aren\'t you going a bit too hard on the soldiers today?"

Bellarine huffed, "If you think so then go ahead and train them by yourself."

She turned around and was about to leave, when suddenly Bennet asked, "You are still upset because of what the Pope said?"

Bellarine paused, clenched her fist, and asked, "Do you know how many battles I have won for this nation and humanity?"

Bennet remained silent for a moment, before he answered, "Thirteen."

"Yes, you are correct." Turning towards him, she added, "Even though I had a small child waiting for me at home, I went out with the uncertainty of whether I would ever return or not. I kept my duty as my first priority and did everything in my power to maintain peace."

With a scoff, she added, "What did I get in return for all my services? The label of a traitor."

Bennet lowered his eyes hearing that. Even though it wasn\'t him who called her a betrayer, he felt bad just to hear it.

Bellarine sighed and told him, "But well, it\'s not because of that sly fox that I am going so hard on them," Her eyes traveled towards the several groups of soldiers lying around the battlefield.

Although they were tired, the way they supported each other and gathered their strength to get back up showed that they were just tired, not defeated.

"I am preparing them since I have a very strong feeling that we are going to face a very large force in retaliation. So we should rather be prepared for the worst."

Bennet didn\'t ask the source of her information since he trusted her instincts more than any source. She had proven herself time after time, and by now, Bennet would blindly jump onto a battlefield if his commander asked him to.

"As you command, master."

—-------**--------

The facility sprawled across the outskirts of Las Vegas, hidden in the shimmering haze of the desert. From above, it looked like a high-tech compound camouflaged within the endless sands, its sleek, angular structures a stark contrast to the nearby city\'s chaotic glow.

Surrounded by tall perimeter walls, the base bristled with defenses—watchtowers, armed patrols, and drones circling overhead.

The main building, a towering monolith of steel and glass, caught the harsh desert sunlight, reflecting it like a blade. Helipads and vehicle bays were tucked into the corners, blending into the cracked, sunbaked ground.

Even from the air, the base\'s presence felt ominous, a hidden fortress guarding secrets under the guise of the desert\'s harsh expanse.

Laila and Akira were plastered against the window as they marveled at the huge headquarters of the clan.

Emily and Richard couldn\'t hide their surprise as well. This base was far larger and more imposing than the capital.

Bella was surprised to see how aggressively Lena had developed the base as she praised the silver head, "Good job, Lena. I could see that you have focused on the defense quite well."

There was no hiding spot from the defense military of the base.

"It\'s all thanks to your guidance. You always said that a good defense always provides extra time for us to prepare."

Bella nodded slowly as they all finally landed on the runway, and soon, the plane came to a pause.

Richard and the others were wearing orange uniforms as instructed and they covered their faces before Lena said, "Just a few minutes."

As she said, a few soldiers entered and saluted, "Welcome back, Leader."

Experience exclusive tales on empire

Lena nodded before she told the two, "These are the runaway war criminals. Bring them to the headquarter\'s cell."

The two soldiers\' eyes widened slightly hearing that as one of them asked,

"The Special Cell, Your Leadership?"

The said cell was known as a torture hole, where only those criminals who had committed grave crimes, such as betrayal, for example.

Lena\'s eyes narrowed as she asked, "Do I need to repeat myself?"

The two soldiers flinched before they immediately began to work.

They tied each \'prisoner\' with chains before guiding them outside.

"Welcome back, Leader." Outside the plane, a certain bespectacled man awaited Lena with a smile on his face.

The silver head gave him a nod, "Howard."

Bella recognized that name but she didn\'t react since she was playing her role quite brilliantly.

Well, she didn\'t want her brother to wear this dress and get cuffed. However, considering that they need to keep their identity hidden, it was a necessary step.

They were guided through several doors, and the sound of numerous doors unlocking made it apparent that the Crimson Claw\'s main headquarters was quite secured.

"Stand here until you get scanned." Richard was told since he was standing at the front.

Richard silently remained standing as he heard something approaching…a ray?

He didn\'t move since Lena was told that there would be nothing harmful or painful in this procedure.

"Hmm? Huh?!" The soldier suddenly gasped, urging the nearest one to ask, "What happened?"

The soldier, tasked with maintaining meticulous records of the prisoners\' statuses to ensure they could be utilized as needed in the future, gasped audibly as his eyes widened at the screen.

"T-Th-The system failed to record his magical energy…" His voice trembled, his fingers tightening around the edges of the desk. His face turned pale, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he stared in disbelief at the screen.

It displayed nothing but a blank interface, occasionally flickering with static lines as though mocking their attempts to extract data.

The soldier who had brought Richard and the others to the facility growled impatiently, his frustration evident. "Just reboot the damn system! There must be some bug or glitch!"

The assessment chief, an older man with a stooped posture and a reputation for precision, hesitated as his hands hovered over the keyboard. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, his normally calm demeanor unraveling

\'This has happened only once in the past…\'

If the system wasn\'t bugging then it only meant one thing.

This prisoner was above S-rank…

Making the soldiers jolt, a domineering voice interrupted them, "Leave the assessment."

They turned to look at the Vice-guild master who stood there with a cold look.

The long black-haired woman approached the soldiers. Her cold red eyes and intimidating aura made the air seem heavier.

Standing near the prisoner, she told them, "Just bring them to the cell."

The soldiers immediately nodded, before he urged, "Come on now, let\'s get going."

Richard\'s brows rose as he felt something familiar from this woman. Something he felt from Rena but this woman hasn\'t unlocked her potential yet.

However, he didn\'t linger there for long and followed the soldier as he directed them.

The Vice-guild master was following the prisoner while her gaze swept through them.

Finally, she caught the sight of a black ponytail swaying with each step she took. The presence she extruded, the elegance she held…everything was familiar.

The woman couldn\'t stop herself from smiling as she muttered under her breath,

\'Welcome back, Leader.\'

—------**-------

A/N:- This earth arc would be like five to six more chapters long. Many things will change and come into light.

I hope you all are enjoying the story so far..and if you are then drop a comment or review. See you tomorrow .