Over one hundred gladiators, the best of the best, formed several lines in the field behind Jean’s mansion. Their wounds were briefly tended to. Captain Caeso and Decimus’s personal guards stood around in alert. Loaded crossbows and half-unsheathed swords were tightly gripped onto.

Jean stood tall in front of the gladiators. For a moment, all eyes were on her. The heated glare of a hundred men, each with the blood of dozens on their hand, was menacing, but Jean shrugged them off. She was responsible for more deaths than these gladiators combined and then multiplied by a thousand. Intimidate her? That was like a child teaching a medical doctor human anatomy.

And she wasn’t afraid to show who she was in her glance. A Roman warlord experienced in war who stares daggers? As long as that phrase wasn’t literally true, it would hardly be a cause for suspicion.

Facing her cold eyes, all the gladiators couldn’t help but lower their head, even Lucus. Ever since Jean walked into the field, the man estimated he could rip Jean in two in just seconds in a fair fight, but now he wasn’t so sure. The instincts he developed in the forests of Germania told him to lay low. The Roman general has the ability to overpower him.

Satisfied with the show of obedience, Jean finally started speaking.

“My name is Legatus Decimus, and your former owner, Legatus Caius, has gifted all of you to me. If anyone has a question, give voice to it at this moment.”

Only a fool would speak out now.

“Good.” Jean nodded. She held her hand up, and four armed guards walked over to the gladiators. Each of them carried a plate with dozens of blue veils on top. Every gladiator picked up a veil.

The men looked at Jean in confusion.

“This veil contains a serum that can make you a better warrior than you have ever been. Stronger. Faster. You will be able to single-handedly take down an army.” She didn't mention a word about the potential side-effects.

The men exchanged glances. Jean could tell a few of them were planning on chugging them and forgetting about the rest. Gladiators weren’t known to be the best tacticians, so she immediately followed up.

“Before any of you try something stupid, I must warn you. I would be a fool to give a bunch of slaves such powers if I don’t have any assurance. Make a move if that’s what you desire, but it will be at your own expense.”

She had to say it. There was certainly a risk in making gladiators super-soldiers, but at the same time, she didn't have a much better choice. Decimus refused to use his own men because he didn't believe loyal Romans should die so meaninglessly. Jean didn't do it because she knew that would be suspicious, especially to Caius. There was no reason for Decimus to come all the way to Syras, only to give up on his plan.

As weak as he was in front of her, Caius was no fool. Jean was able to deceive him and force him to yield with absolute intelligence and overwhelming force, but if he got a clue...this was someone who could reach the same conclusion as she did about the Protector Corps as a native. Underestimating him could be a fatal mistake.

“If you make a move on me, then enhanced or not, I will have you crucified. I guarantee you, in the name of my forefathers, that I will have you die screaming. But if you remain loyal to me, I will gift you whatever you desire, whether it is gold, feasts, or a woman’s touch.”

She closed her mouth and stared at the men, waiting for their choice.

The gladiators froze for a moment, unsure of what to do. Sensing the hesitance, Caeso waved his hand, and all the Roman guards suddenly took a step forward. The sound of armors clashing together woke the gladiators up. They suddenly realized the choice was never theirs to begin with.

Lucus was the first to take a deep breath and empty the veil into his mouth. He no longer cared anymore. Plus, gladiators have always been bloodthirsty cut-throats who were more than happy to risk their lives for a piece of reward. This Roman Legatus merely upped the stakes.

Following the example, the other gladiators followed.

“Ahhhhh!” Suddenly, Lucus the forerunner let out a scream as he collapsed on the ground. His body was bright red as the serum ravaged through him, ridding him of any weakness and transforming him into the perfect soldier, well, at least as perfect as possible given the circumstances.

As a Reapress, Jean could see what her guards couldn’t. Lucus’s brain was the first to be rewired. His pain receptors were altered. He could still feel pain, but the more pain he felt, the more enraged he would be. Cellular respiration was brought onto a whole new level. Countless new cells were generated to mend old wounds across the man’s body.

More importantly, the man’s muscular limitations were unlocked. Normally, when someone lets off a punch, unless that person has been engulfed in rage, he would always keep a portion of his force in reserve. This was regardless of skills or experience. It was just the primal human instinct of survival. But the serum turned that off.

Berserkers. The serum was making berserkers.

The natives of this world were already physically powerful. As a gladiator, Lucus and his peers were even mightier. Take away their fear of pain and fear of injuries and unlock all the strength in their bodies...this was turning them into walking, breathing killing machines.

All of the potential-digging has its price, as do all things. Even if the gladiators just stayed like they were, they only had a few years to live. The more they fight, the sooner they would fall.

Jean didn't give a damn. With her in the story, she doubted if this world could even survive a few years. She has a tendency of leaving a trail of broken worlds behind her.

The screams have spread across the field. Even some of the guards took a few steps back in fear. Gladiators were no stranger to death. They were used to killing their opponents and reaping the victory with holes on their bodies, so what type of pain could bring them to their knees?

Suddenly, one of the gladiators’ screams came to a stop. The next second, his entire body exploded. Flesh, skins, and bones splattered toward all directions, cloaking the gladiators all around. But there was no blood. All the blood in the unfortunate soul has been evaporated by the boiling energy responsible for his untimely end.

Jean watched quietly. Even if every single gladiator here blows into a cloud of flesh, it wouldn’t be worth revealing her true identity for.

After four more casualties, the 95 survivors finally stopped screaming. They opened their eyes, and all of a sudden, all the men in the room took a step back in fear. What eyes were those...it was as if they were staring into the eyes of beasts, not those of men. There was neither thoughts nor concerns, only endless, blinding rage.

“Halt!” Jean suddenly demanded loudly. “Kneel!”

The gladiators, or rather the berserkers, were mighty, but Jean estimated their CAS to be around 180. That was enough to single-handedly slaughter a squad of high templars, or even take down a runed S-3 with their bare hands, but against Jean the Reapress…

The berserkers, one by one, bent their knees. The Aggressors must’ve put something in the serums, because as soon as they thought about ripping their way through Jean, they could feel an impending doom about to descend upon them.

They have made a deal with the devil, and now, their souls were no longer theirs.

“Good. Serve me well, and your service will be awarded.” She turned back to Caeso. “Keep the rest of the gladiators with us. Have them well-treated. They will be the next badge of berserkers.”

Caeso nodded and saluted as Jean left the room.

---

On the same day, Jean announced to Caius her decision to leave Syras and return to her capital city of Cayden.

“At least stay here for a few more days! I still have to show you the wonders of the city!” Legatus Caius’s invitation was half-hearted.

“Tempting, yet I have more important affairs to attend to.” Jean glanced at the surroundings to make sure their conversation was quiet. “Have you done what I told you to?”

“Yes. My men have been going through the empire, spreading words about how Emperor Marcus made an attempt on you and how the Aggressors have begun to favor you.”

“And the effects?”

“At least now you will have reason to wage a justifiable war on the Emperor.” Caius frowned. “But I don’t understand your reasoning. Isn’t it better to take the Emperor by surprise? Take him out with one swift strike.”

“Perhaps, but I would never gain the support of the people and maintain my throne if even my own men believe I am a spineless usurper. But if I am waging a war of vengeance, one that is strictly initiated by the Emperor, most of my men would choose to obey the orders.”

Jean replied fluently, but as most things she say, that was hardly the truth. A swift strike would be nice, and with the intel she could gather with the observers and a few tricks, she might be able to take out Emperor Marcus. After that, disloyalty would only be a small bother. Jean Turner was never one to ask for the consent of others to rule. She seizes power, and she keeps it by force. If people started raising questions, then the only thing she had to worry about was what to do with their bodies.

But she wasn’t here to conquer. She was here to maim and kill, and that would be a lot more complicated if she took over quickly and quietly. An all-out civil war within the Empire, on the other hand...whoever ends up with the throne, the one thing for sure was that the body-count would be sky-high. Win or lose, the Empire would suffer.

“Be careful with your agents. They might turn against you.” Jean suddenly raised a warning. “That will make things very awkward for us.”

“Relax. My agents know what they are doing. Betrayal is death.”

“Yeah? Is that why there is an Emperor’s Shadow in the corner right now?”

Caius’s expression barely changed before a figure suddenly leaped out from the corner, blade in hand. Before he could reach for his weapon, the figure flew back into the corner as quickly as he leaped out. A fatal wound in his heart. His cloak fell on the ground right next to its now lifeless owner.

Jean returned her blade into her sheath. Caius’s assassins made everything as real as possible when they made a move against her life. Even the blade they used as cover was truly a magnificent one.

“One of your agents in the city ratted you out when an Emperor’s Shadow investigating these rumors showed up on his doorstep and broke nine of his ten fingers. My guards took care of him. Fortunately for you, the Emperor’s Shadow didn't manage to send a message back to his master.” Jean tilted her head. “But as I said, you must be careful. I don’t want to return to Cayden and discover that I have lost my greatest ally before the war even began.”

Caius glanced at the Emperor’s Shadow before nodding in understanding. He has already decided to triple the security the moment Jean was out of his mansion. He was lucky Jean was here. If she wasn’t, with the casual security around this place, the Emperor’s Shadow could slit his throat in his sleep.

But if he tripled the guards, even a handful of Emperor’s Shadows couldn’t find their way in without being noticed. They were cloaked, but that cloak was just a visual one. When crossbow rounds rain down upon them, none of that would matter anymore.

---

Jean, her guards, and her berserkers rode out of the walls of Syras. At a major road outside, she met up with Lieutenant Cassus and the 25,000 men positioned outside the city. Jean could see the marks of battle on a lot of those men. These were men who have followed Legatus Decimus into another world to seek conquest. They have encountered defeat and suffered losses, yet they still choose to follow their lord without question.

20,000 legionnaires. 5,000 equites. 50 Ballistas. With the overall power level of every Roman involved, this was truly an elite army.

The transfer of command went down quietly. Lieutenant Cassus was a senior Roman officer. Apparently, his father served Decimus’s father, and Decimus and him have known each other since they were children. Nonetheless, they treated each other like lord and bannerman.

The army started marching. 500 equites served as the vanguard, navigating in front of the main army by half a day. This way, they could notify the main forces in case the road was blocked. If there was an ambush, they could disengage from the battle and report back easier than foot soldiers. Even in the heart of the Roman Empire, nothing was set for sure

Lieutenant Cassus resided with the main forces, along with Jean and Caeso.

“My lord, the road up ahead is clear.”

“My lord, the vanguard has spotted a band of hoodlums. Captain Teto has sent them on the run away from our projected path.”

“My lord, the vanguard is approaching a village.”

Every hour or so, a squad of equites would ride back and report the situation. Normally, these trivial things wouldn’t bother someone as important as the Legatus leading the army. Lieutenant Cassus handled these affairs. For example, when the vanguard reported about the hoodlums, he ordered a rider to go to the local government and instruct it to handle the band of thugs bold enough to move around near a main road.

Suddenly, Jean eyes widened. Her Reapress side screamed a warning. Her head snapped around.

She was the first to notice, but she definitely wasn’t the last. Across the legion, legionnaires and equites alike turned and looked into the sky. Officers who were about to force these men back on their way turned their gaze as well. Before long, the entire march has come to a halt.

The sky has been cloudy the entire day, but right now, the clouds were turning and twisting violently. Jean frowned and ordered a squad of observers to close in onto that area.

The observers have barely been set into motion when, all of a sudden, a giant spaceship the size of a carrier jumped into this dimension. Two observers in the way immediately went dark. Their comrades could sense them being crushed by the leviathan.

The Protectors have finally came to eradicate this rebellious world! That was Jean’s first impression, but she quickly decided otherwise. She has seen Protector crafts, and everything Protector was pure white from top to bottom. It was past the point of preference. It was a style.

This ship, on the other hand, had a metallic color. Something told Jean the Protectors would rather die than change their color of choice.

In addition, the ship appeared battered. Jean counted at least 15 fractures across the front of the hull. A ship this advanced should have an energy shield, but that was nowhere to be seen.

The ship has jumped in, and it was already at a high velocity. Jean watched as it accelerated down toward the planet she was standing on. She was slightly concerned when observer calculations indicated the spaceship was coming straight for her.

Scanning around the confused Roman legions all around her, the woman in Decimus’s body wondered if it was time to break her cover and get the hell out of here. She had no intention to be buried under thousands of tons of rubble. It was just a pity tens of thousands of Romans and her berserkers would all be lost.

Just as she was about to bolt, a burst of flames suddenly exploded under the spaceship. It was brief, yet it was powerful enough to provide a push against the inertia and the gravity. For a second, the ship halted in the air. It was quickly brought down again by the almighty gravitational acceleration, but its impact on contact would be much lower.

Previously, the vessel could wipe out itself and Jean’s entire army. Now, it could only take out several thousand men around it.

Even better, the blast sent the ship flying away from the main forces and toward the projected path of the vanguards. Jean’s observers followed it as it crash landed near a village. With an army of cavalry, she estimated she could get there within three hours.

And she was definitely getting there.

“Cassus, bring the bulk of the army toward where that ship landed! Caeso, Lucus, rally all the equites and follow me! Messenger, ride to the vanguard at all cost and order them to move toward the crash site and secure it! No one gets in or out of that vessel!”

The orders immediately sent the entire legion into action. Legionnaires on foot moved to the side, making a way for the riders to pass through. Jean’s personal guards had horses, and so did the equites. The berserkers didn't have a ride, and as slaves, they weren’t taught to move mounted. But thanks to the serums they took, they could keep up with the riders on foot.

Leading the strike force, Jean’s heart was full of eagerness. She didn't know who this spaceship belonged to or where it came from, but she didn't need to be a Voyager to tell it wasn’t native to this realm. In other words, it had the power to move in between dimensions. If that was the case, then what else would it be capable of? What would it even hold? Powerful high-tech weapons. The path to interdimensional travel without relying on the Protectors?

If she could seize it...it would be worth more than the entire Roman legion.