Reincarnated: I Became The First Warlord Of The World-Chapter 78

But that was impossible, no way.

A person at the fourth stage of their magical path couldn’t possibly perform something like that.

Even a sixth-stage cultivator would struggle to move like that unless they had a high-tier blessing or access to a family’s secret technique.

Yet Jonathan, a commoner with no background, had just defied that reality right in front of him.

Captain Liam’s thoughts went quiet, something doesn’t add up, he thought.

Either the data is wrong... or Jonathan Hale is hiding more than just power.

He kept staring at the sky, but Jonathan was long gone.

There was no way somebody at the fourth stage of his magical path could be able to perform such a skill like that.

Jonathan leapt into the air with a thunderous force that split the clouds above, and his body zoomed across the sky like a streak of burning willpower. His heart thumped fast, not from fear—but urgency. There was no time to waste. His hometown was under attack, and though Captain Charles and Cora were there—he wasn’t going for them.

No.

He was going for the people. The ordinary, kind-hearted townsfolk who had loved him even when he was a nobody. The elderly baker who gave him warm bread after long training days. The children who called him "Hero Jonathan" when he passed in his old cadet uniform. The schoolteacher who said she’d pray for his protection every night. They were the reason he joined the military. Not the medals. Not the power. The people.

He remembered the day he left for the capital.

Everyone had gathered around the town square, clapping and cheering, some even with tears in their eyes. They believed in him when he didn’t even believe in himself. That joy, that trust—they etched themselves in his memory like sacred vows.

And now they were being attacked.

By Alphacrest.

By the same evil empire that had burnt villages to the ground and enslaved the innocent under the pretense of law and order.

Not today, not his hometown.

Not on his watch.

Jonathan clenched his fists tighter as the wind whipped past his face. His uniform flapped violently from the speed, but he didn’t slow down—not even a bit. Every inch of energy left in his body was being channeled into movement, into the promise he once made:

"If you ever need me, I’ll come back stronger. I’ll defend you all, no matter what it takes."

That promise echoed in his ears now, louder than ever. The once shy boy from a quiet town was no longer just a soldier—he was their shield, and he was flying home.

They were under attack... and he must defend them, he will defend them.

Jonathan increased his steps without hesitation, the ground beneath him barely holding up against the sheer force of his acceleration. Wind tore past his ears, his eyes sharpened like steel as the silhouette of his hometown came into view in the distance.

But what he saw...It nearly shattered him.

Thick black smoke was rising from rooftops. Flames danced wickedly on top of homes he once played around as a child. Buildings were cracked open like broken shells, the streets were a chaos of shattered glass, fallen trees, and rubble. Screams echoed through the air—real, gut-wrenching screams of fear and pain.

His eyes darkened instantly, his breath became slow. Cold, his chest rose and fell—heavily.

They’re already here... he thought, and they’re tearing it all apart.

Without wasting a single second, Jonathan vanished from his current spot and reappeared right at the center of the town square. The same place where he’d once received a medal for bravery during his early days in the force. Now, it was nothing but ruins.

Children were running, some tripping, some crying out for their mothers. Blood stained the bricks. The sky was dim with ash. It was as if a nightmare had swallowed the town whole.

Jonathan’s heart didn’t just harden—it froze. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked.

Evan and the rest had thought he was out of energy after the battle with Jake. But what they didn’t know was Jonathan had a unique internal recovery system, activated when his heart reached peak adrenaline. And it only took him twenty-five minutes to be combat ready again—especially when the battlefield was his home.

He scanned the area and immediately caught sight of the culprits.

Giant white rats, Dozens of them.

Horrid beasts, crawling from the sewers, from alleyways, from collapsed buildings. They were massive—at least eight feet tall with glowing red eyes and sharp claws that scraped against the ground like knives.

The very earth trembled with each monstrous step they took.

They had come in waves. Organized. Merciless.

Jonathan’s eyes flashed. His legs moved even before his thoughts could catch up. He pushed forward.

Not a single child would die today.

Not while he was here.

He gritted his teeth as his boots slammed against the burning soil, the rats turning their heads toward the lone soldier standing defiantly before them.

The ground shook harder. The air grew thick with fear, but Jonathan stood tall, unwavering.

This was his home, his people, And he would fight.

Jonathan stood firm in the chaos, his boots planted squarely on the scorched earth. His fists remained at his sides, clenched tight, but unmoving. The ground vibrated beneath him as dozens of monstrous white rats prowled the ruined town, their growls echoing like thunder. Ash floated in the air like snow, smoke clouded the horizon, and the screams of frightened children pierced every corner of the crumbling city.

But Jonathan didn’t move.

Not yet, his eyes were sharp, darting through the flames and broken walls. His body was a statue, but his mind was a storm.

He knew what he was doing.

Attacking these beasts head-on would be foolish. He could destroy a few, sure—but at what cost? He wasn’t just fighting for himself anymore. He had children to protect. Innocents to shield. And the more energy he used fighting pawns, the weaker he’d become when facing the true threat.

He had one goal now—find the summoner.

These monsters weren’t natural. They didn’t behave like wild beasts—they moved with coordination, like they were being commanded by something or someone. Jonathan closed his eyes for just a moment, tuning out the destruction around him. He focused.

The cries, the tremors.

The distinct sound of feet—no, claws—against the broken stone.

But beyond all that, he listened deeper. He shut out the noise and began to trace the rhythm behind it. His ears twitched ever so slightly as he picked up something faint.

A pulse. A rhythm. Like chanting, he turned his head just a fraction to the left. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Yes—he could feel it now, there. Behind the collapsed bell tower.

Jonathan opened his eyes, a fierce fire within them. He was just about to move when—

the summoner noticed him.

As if reacting to Jonathan’s awareness, a burst of dark energy suddenly surged from behind the ruins. It echoed like a deep gong, shaking the foundations of the buildings nearby. Jonathan’s eyes widened slightly as every white rat in the area stopped—then turned.

Toward the children, their red eyes glowed brighter.

Their pace increased. Their snarls became louder, more vicious. Their claws dug deeper into the soil as they rushed toward the young, the weak, the helpless.

Jonathan cursed under his breath. The summoner wasn’t going to let him come close. They were using the children as leverage. If he moved toward the summoner now, these beasts would rip through the townsfolk before he could blink.

"Coward," Jonathan muttered beneath his breath, his gaze blazing in the direction of the dark energy.

The summoner had turned the battlefield into a hostage situation.

And now, Jonathan would have to make a choice—protect the kids... or charge at the puppeteer pulling all the strings.

His jaw tightened. His body tensed, he wasn’t about to let either side fall. But the path ahead had just become far more difficult.

He needed a plan. Fast, because the monsters were already charging.

The moment Jonathan saw the first giant rat lunging for a small boy who couldn’t be more than seven years old, his entire body moved on instinct.

He disappeared from his spot like a flash of lightning and reappeared between the child and the beast.

With a primal roar, he threw a devastating punch directly into the rat’s open jaws.

BOOM!

The impact echoed like an explosion. The creature’s skull twisted violently to the side, its neck snapping with a sickening crack before its massive body slammed into the ground with a thud that shook the dust off the crumbling rooftops. Blood splattered, and the earth trembled from the fall.

Jonathan didn’t wait.

The moment the first fell, his figure flickered again—vanishing and reappearing like a ghost across the battlefield.

The other children screamed and scattered, but Jonathan moved faster than the monsters. For each terrified scream he heard, he responded with a blow. His fists became blurs, coated with raw power and fury. He struck one monster directly in the spine, causing it to writhe and crash into a pile of debris. He somersaulted over another, using its back as leverage to spring forward and slam both feet into the skull of a third rat.