Previously, he’d deliberately kept his commanding aura suppressed, but now, taking command again, just releasing a portion was enough to make ordinary soldiers feel awe.
Ian’s voice rang out with authority: “For the next three months, I will be your only superior. I have just one requirement: obey my orders. Anyone who dares to break military law will face only one outcome—execution!”
The word "execution" landed in everyone’s ears, making their hearts involuntarily tremble.
Yoon Zhengyang and the others stared in astonishment at Ian. To them, he seemed like a completely different person—so dignified and imposing that they couldn’t even think of resisting.
As for Liam Liang, he was secretly shocked. He’d always looked down on Ian for never having served in the army, even hoping he’d fail to control the unit. Unexpectedly, this short speech was so authoritative that, glancing around, Liam saw most of the men already subdued.
"This guy is a born commander!"
Thinking this, he felt a bit dejected and jealous. He couldn’t beat Ian at the academy, and even here in the army, he still couldn’t measure up.
Ian’s voice continued: "But before we head to the battlefield, I’ll give you a chance to challenge me. If anyone can last ten moves against me without defeat, I promise you won’t have to obey my orders in the future—you can do whatever you want."
As soon as he said this, several people’s eyes lit up—including Liam Liang.
He’d broken through to Grandmaster a month and a half ago, and in his view, Ian couldn’t have broken through much earlier. Even if he couldn’t win, surely he could last ten moves?
With that thought, Liam stepped forward, staring straight at Ian. "You mean it?" he asked in a deep voice.
"No jokes in the army!" Ian nodded solemnly.
A sharp ring of steel echoed as Liam drew his sword.
He took another step forward, eyes blazing with battle intent. "Alright, I'm willing to learn from the captain!"
The soldiers quickly spread out, clearing a space.
Ian and Liam now stood several meters apart, facing each other.
The other eight Grandmasters watched intently, eager to see what their young captain could really do.
"Take this!"
With a shout, Liam activated his domain, instantly enveloping Ian, who stood several meters away. Then, gripping his sword with both hands, Liam strode forward and slashed down at Ian's head.
Liam's domain covered about eight meters—pretty good for a Human-Rank Domain.
His domain dulled the enemy, while boosting his own speed and some strength.
This combination let his overall combat power rise by thirty percent.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold off three Strongarm Bull Devils yesterday.
After months of fighting on the battlefield, Liam's swordsmanship had shed all fancy moves—now it was all about momentum, force, and speed.
This downward slash carried a fierce, unstoppable aura.
If it were any other Grandmaster who hadn't seen real combat, they'd probably be suppressed by his momentum and only able to show about eighty percent of their true strength.
But Ian was different.
Facing Liam's sword, Ian stepped forward.
It looked like a simple step, but Liam's momentum was suddenly blocked, his movement stalling for a moment.
In that instant, Ian threw a punch.
With a loud bang, Liam was sent flying.
The eight other Grandmasters watching all twitched at the corners of their eyes. Even with Liam taking the initiative and activating his domain, he was still blasted away with a single punch.
Both of them were early-stage Grandmasters, but the captain's strength was just ridiculous.
Liam rolled to his feet, wanting to attack again, but after a moment's hesitation, he withdrew his domain and conceded.
Months of battlefield experience had changed him. He knew there was no way to win if he kept going, so it was better to admit defeat cleanly.
"Anyone else want to challenge me?"
Ian's gaze slowly swept over the remaining eight Grandmasters.
But they all averted their eyes, pretending to meditate. Who were they kidding? Even if they were a bit stronger than Liam, the gap wasn't that big. Liam had every advantage and still got taken out in one move.
They'd probably end up just as badly if they stepped up.
Why go up just to embarrass themselves when defeat was certain?
Seeing no takers, Ian nodded in satisfaction and moved on. "Alright, second matter!" he said. "The sole purpose of Special Patrol Team Two is to kill Devils. Besides earning your regular military merits, I'm making you a personal promise: for every Devil soldier you kill, I'll reward you with ten taels of silver. Take down a hundred-man commander, that's a hundred taels. A thousand-man commander, one thousand taels. And if you somehow manage to slay a ten-thousand-man commander, I'll give you a hundred thousand taels!"
On the Blood River Battlefield, where death could come at any time, almost every soldier loved wine and women—but that took money, and their regular pay was nowhere near enough. So when Ian announced these rewards, the ordinary soldiers were fired up, and even the eight Grandmasters besides Liam looked tempted.
Watching morale surge through the ranks, Liam couldn't help but sigh again. First Ian established his authority, then he tempted them with real incentives. The man was just too slick. Liam was sure more than ninety percent of the unit was already won over; as for the rest, even if they had doubts, they definitely wouldn't dare disobey his orders.
With this mix of stick and carrot, Ian had fully seized control of Special Patrol Team Two, forging them into a disciplined, motivated blade for the coming three-month life-and-death contest against Lance Xuanyuan on the Blood River front.