Reborn as the Last van Ambrose
Chapter 261: Captured

Chapter 261: Captured

Morris and his men immediately drew their own weapons, forming a protective circle around Lianna’s wagon. The odds were poor—six against twenty-four—but they had expected this possibility and prepared accordingly.

"We’re just merchants!" Lianna called out, playing her role despite the growing tension. "We don’t want any trouble!"

"Then you shouldn’t have brought armed guards," the bandit leader replied with cold amusement. "Real merchants hire locals for protection. Imperial guards are a dead giveaway."

The accusation sent a chill through Lianna. Their disguise had been compromised, but there was no time to consider how. The bandits were already advancing, and combat was inevitable.

"Protect the merchant!" Morris shouted, launching himself at the nearest bandit with his sword gleaming despite the rain.

The battle erupted with shocking violence as trained soldiers met desperate outlaws.

Morris raised his blade high and bellowed, "Mountain Cleaving Strike!" His sword dao technique enhanced the strike with devastating earth-based power, the blade cutting through the bandit’s weapon and armor simultaneously like they were made of wood, sending the man flying backward into his comrades.

Willem’s sword specialized in precision over power. "Needle Threading Blade," he whispered, his technique allowing him to find gaps in armor and defenses with ccuracy.

His strikes targeted vital points with surgical precision, sliding through the smallest openings in defense. Three bandits fell to his blade in the first thirty seconds of combat.

Hayes and Chen fought back-to-back, their coordinated sword dao techniques creating a whirlwind of steel that kept multiple attackers at bay.

"Sweeping Winds!" Hayes called out, his wide strikes controlling the space around them, while Chen responded with, "Darting Sparrow!" his quick, precise attacks punishing anyone who tried to close distance.

But despite their superior training and Sword Dao techniques, the guards were severely outnumbered.

For every bandit they dropped, two more seemed to take his place. The endless rain made footing treacherous and visibility poor, turning the battle into a chaotic mess where skill mattered less than endurance.

Lianna drew her own blade, trying to stay near the wagon while the fight raged around her. Without her fire magic, she felt exposed and vulnerable in ways she had never experienced before.

Her sword work was adequate for a noble lady’s self-defense, but woefully inadequate for real combat against desperate men fighting for their lives.

A bandit broke through the guards’ formation, rushing toward her with a rusty blade raised high.

His eyes held the wild look of a man with nothing to lose, and his technique, while crude, carried the brutal effectiveness of someone who had killed before.

Lianna parried desperately, her sword work lacking the refined skill of trained warriors. The bandit’s superior strength and reach forced her backward step by step, each exchange leaving her more off-balance and desperate.

"Some merchant," he sneered, pressing his attack with increasing confidence. "Merchants don’t usually carry quality steel or know how to use it."

Before Lianna could respond, Willem appeared behind the bandit like a ghost materializing from the rain. "Piercing Mist," he said quietly, his blade finding the precise gap between helmet and armor, sliding through with surgical precision.

The man dropped instantly, but Willem paid for the rescue—another bandit’s sword caught him in the ribs, sending him to his knees with blood streaming down his side.

"Willem!" Morris called out, but he was surrounded by three bandits and couldn’t break free to help.

The fight was going badly despite the guards’ superior training. Sheer numbers were beginning to tell, and the bandits were motivated by desperation that made them fight with reckless ferocity.

Hayes went down with a spear through his thigh, while Chen was bleeding from multiple wounds.

Lianna tried desperately to summon her fire magic, but the constant rain made it nearly impossible. The small flames she managed to produce sputtered and died almost immediately, leaving her dependent on sword skills that were clearly inadequate for the situation.

The magical suppression was so complete that she might as well have been a normal person.

Marks was fighting three bandits simultaneously, his sword dao keeping them at bay but unable to press any advantage.

"Flowing River!" he shouted, his technique turning their attacks aside like water around a stone, but he couldn’t maintain the defense indefinitely.

Just as the bandits seemed ready to overwhelm the remaining guards, new voices cut through the sounds of combat like thunder rolling across the landscape.

"Yanyu Dominion Guard! Clean it up!"

A squad of kingdom soldiers emerged from the forest like spirits of the rain itself. Their blue and silver uniforms were designed for the perpetual wet conditions, and unlike the struggling combatants, they moved through the downpour efficiently.

Their weapons glowed blow from water enchantments.

The effect on the bandits was immediate and dramatic. Those who could flee did so instantly, abandoning their wounded comrades without hesitation.

The few who tried to fight were cut down by soldiers whose water-enhanced sword techniques made the rain itself into a weapon.

Captain Reef of the Yanyu Guard stepped forward, her blade raised as she called out, "Rain of Swords!"

Her sword dao technique created multiple water-blade projections that materialized from the falling rain, striking down from above with deadly precision.

Several bandits fell before they could even raise their weapons in defense.

Another Yanyu soldier swept his blade in a wide arc, shouting, "Drowning Current!" The technique trapped fleeing bandits in whirlpools of weaponized rainwater that rose from the muddy road, holding them fast while other soldiers finished them off.

In moments, the bandit threat was eliminated with an efficiency that highlighted the difference between desperate outlaws and professional soldiers trained to fight in these conditions.

"Drop your weapons," commanded Captain Reef, a stern woman whose authority was unmistakable. "All of you."

Morris and his surviving men complied immediately, though their expressions showed wariness about this new development. They had just witnessed combat techniques that far exceeded anything they had expected from a border patrol.

"Thank you," Lianna said, trying to maintain her merchant disguise despite the circumstances. "We’re grateful for your intervention."

"Are you?" Captain Reef asked with obvious skepticism. "Because from what I observed, your ’merchant guards’ fight with sword dao techniques that are far too advanced for simple caravan protection."

The observation sent a chill through Lianna.

"I hired the best protection we could afford," she said, though the explanation sounded weak even to her own ears.

"Did you?" Captain Reef continued, her tone growing more suspicious. "Professional soldiers with military-grade sword dao don’t usually work as caravan guards. Mountain Cleaving Strike, Needle Threading Blade, Flowing River—these aren’t techniques that sellswords typically possess."

Morris stepped forward slightly, his professional instincts taking over. "We’re experienced mercenaries, Captain. Good techniques command better pay."

"Experienced mercenaries from the imperial military, you mean," Captain Reef said with certainty. "Your fighting formations, your coordination, your weapon quality—everything marks you as current or former imperial soldiers."

"And what about your fire magic?" Captain Reef asked, turning her attention to Lianna.

Lianna’s heart stopped. "I don’t know what you mean."

"I saw the flames you tried to summon," Captain Reef said with certainty. "Small ones, barely visible in the rain, but definitely fire magic. Which, as any real merchant would know, is strictly forbidden in Yanyu Dominion."

The game was up. Their cover had been completely blown by the combat and Lianna’s desperate attempt to use her magical abilities.

"You’re no merchants," Captain Reef declared. "Imperial agents, most likely, sent to spy on our kingdom under commercial pretense."

"That’s not—" Lianna began.

"Save your lies for the interrogators," Captain Reef interrupted sharply. "You’ll have plenty of opportunity to explain yourselves during questioning."

Morris stepped forward slightly, his professional instincts taking over. "The lady is exactly who she claims to be. If there’s been some misunderstanding—"

"The misunderstanding," Captain Reef cut him off, "Is thinking we’re stupid enough to believe your story. Real merchants don’t carry weapons worth more than their cargo, and they certainly don’t employ imperial soldiers as guards."

Yanyu Dominion soldiers moved to surround the survivors, their weapons ready but not immediately threatening.

The message was clear—resistance would be met with lethal force.

"You’ll have opportunity fo explain yourself," Captain Reef said. "Under guard, in our capital, where your identity and intentions can be properly verified."

One of the Yanyu soldiers approached Captain Reef and spoke quietly in her ear. She nodded and turned back to Lianna with increased suspicion.

"I was trying to defend myself." Lianna protested.

As the Yanyu Dominion soldiers prepared to escort them away, Lianna realized that her mission had taken an unexpected turn.

"What about our wounded?" Morris asked, indicating Willem and Hayes who were still bleeding from their injuries.

"They’ll receive medical attention," Captain Reef replied. "Though they’ll receive it in custody."

"And the dead?" Morris pressed, looking at Chen and Marks who had fallen during the battle.

"Will be buried according to your customs," Captain Reef said with something approaching respect. "We’re not barbarians, Captain Morris."

The use of his rank confirmed that their identities had been completely compromised. There was no point in maintaining the pretense any longer.

"How long have you known?" Morris asked.

"Since you crossed the border," Captain Reef replied. "Your forged documents were adequate, but your military bearing was unmistakable. We’ve been following you since yesterday."

"Then why didn’t you arrest us immediately?"

"Because we wanted to see what you were really after," Captain Reef said. "Imperial agents don’t usually travel with such small groups unless they’re investigating something specific."

As they were led away through the endless rain, Lianna couldn’t shake the feeling that her troubles were just beginning.

The rain continued to fall as they were marched toward the capital, and Lianna found herself wondering if she would ever see the empire again.