It had been two days since the bloody encounter with Rasputin's troops led by Petroski. Team Jaguar still maintains its spirit. They buried the fallen knights in the forest and made simple tombstones made of stone. Every true knight hopes to meet his death on the battlefield. Every single one of their souls did not go in vain.

Their deaths had confirmed one thing for the knights of Florence. Their strength was unequal. Even if Romeo and the other elite knights train harder than the average knights.

"Heuk!" Juliet coughed. A few drops of blood flowed from between her teeth. She staggered a little but struggled not to fall. She promised not to whine because of this.

Her experience of being tortured by the Rasputins in her past life made all of Edgar's kicks and fists seem trivial.

Edgar clenched his fists—making quite a noise. He just gave Juliet a punch. This was the umpteenth duel. Edgar always wins.

Juliet wiped the blood flowing from her lips and they both looked at each other.

"Are you done, Julian?" said Edgar a little breathlessly. He also had quite a bit of trouble with Juliet's running speed. All members of the Jaguar team know that Julian Dubois has not yet served one year in the military. But she was able to fight like a veteran. The attack was quite powerful. Although there are occasional lack of precision and too many unnecessary movements.

She hasn't been able to defeat any of Florence's elite knights. But she was already able to fight on a par with them. All her war experiences in her previous life had helped her in this.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of swords clashing was heard almost every minute in their camp. Silence was created only when they ate and rested. When Edgar dueled Juliet, the other knights did the same.

"Not bad Julian! Your speed is a threat to your opponent!" Edgar commented.

Dug!

He then hit Juliet in the stomach, until finally she coughed again and bent her legs.

"But your defense is lacking. You have to remember to protect your vital body parts. It's useless to have a cursed weapon if you have too many openings."

Edgar raised his sword and slashed it at Juliet's head. The girl who now looked like a man jumped back. The more she practiced fighting, the more her instincts honed. After nearly thirty hours of trying to beat Edgar—she was beginning to guess at his fighting style.

"Not bad, Julian!" Edgar smirked. He got more and more excited as his opponent grew stronger.

"If you don't want to be crippled, try to overcome this one," Edgar slashed his sword through the wind again. His eyes seemed to gleam, showing that he was not at all compassionate. When it comes to war—no one will be willing to be nice.

Juliet closed her eyes—absorbing the instincts she still hadn't fully honed. She wasn't mature, yet reliable enough, she might never become as strong as them. But Juliet has Apollon that gives her strength. She felt one with Apollon, as if the sword was an extension of her arm. She didn't know how a weapon could fit her so well. It was very light, like she was swinging a branch.

Juliet has not been able to bring out Apollon's true power. Like Demetria with the ability to crack the Earth and Vulcan with its Lava slash. Even Romeo said that Demetria had not reached its maximum limit.

When she managed to dodge Edgar's attack, she slipped quickly by slightly jumping behind Edgar's body. She was about to stab Apollon into the back of Edgar's head who was just about to straighten himself. Edgar was a tall man around 190cm with jet black hair. His long arms and legs made his attack range even more lethal.

Juliet pushed and sat on Edgar's back and poked Apollon a few inches next to his ear. Blood dripped from the incision in Edgar's ear. Juliet smiled breathlessly.

"I win!" She said with her eyes sparkling with a swell of satisfaction.

Edgar smiled. He shook his head as he tried to get up.

"Nice move, Julian. I couldn't have guessed that. But in the next duel, I might win again," he smirked as he straightened his sore neck.

Juliet plopped down on the grass and lay on her back. She tried to collect air into her lungs while resting.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Romeo walking towards him.

"How did you beat him, Julian?" he asked as he sat down next to her.

"Like you said, I have to observe my opponent," Juliet was still trying to catch her breath. Her voice was slightly muffled indistinctly.

She hasn't rested enough. Bruises were created all over her body. Around her right eye was bluish, her lips were bleeding, her left cheek was swollen and her jaw still felt difficult to move. Luckily she was a vampire so she didn't have to chew to eat. Her physical condition was quite bad. They didn't hesitate to beat her up, making her even more immune to the pain.

She hoped all the blows to her face wouldn't leave a mark. She still wants to get married. A lady who had a blemish on her face will find it difficult to get a husband. Unlike the men. Scars on the face may be considered attractive. It was a sign of their toughness and courage. While if it was women who experience it, they may be considered careless and unable to take care of themselves.

"Observation, that's what you emphasized to me..I knew every time Sir Edgar attacked me with his sword when I was lower than his—it took him less than two seconds to get back on alert. That's when I attacked from his blind spot," Juliet explained.

"Good job, Julian. Now heal your injuries..I'll talk to you guys later," said Romeo.

***

"Less than two days we'll be at Taverin," Edgar muttered. He was sitting around a campfire in the Jaguar team's humble camp. Although they often stop practicing their fighting skill—they still travel. It's just that their trip was a little late because they had to treat their injured comrades.

"What are our next steps?"

"We're going to meet with general Maxwell, to discuss what information he's managed to gather about our enemies," Romeo responded.

"We will also report about our shortage of men, and about Caesar Petroski," said Romeo again.

Juliet sat around them, pressing her bruised face with a wet cloth dipped in river water. She wanted to take a shower, but she seemed to have to endure a few more days. At least she could wet her hair and wash her face.

The girl glanced one by one the faces of the Florence knights. Damian wasn't there. Though he hardly ever leaves Romeo's side.

"I have an order for you guys, maybe I will also press the generals for this," Romeo spoke again. This time his tone was more serious.

"What?"

Before long, Damian came in a bit of a rush. He carried a medium-sized metal urn in his arms. Julian immediately noticed the smell in the urn. It was human blood. Even though the vampires of Florence had committed to only drinking human blood every three days.

"Sir Romeo, that—"

"Human blood, this is our dinner,"

"But it hasn't been two days since we last drank it," Juliet reminded him.

"I've decided, during the war, the Jaguar team is only allowed to drink human blood. We have to make sure we are stronger than Rasputin," Romeo said earnestly.