"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

"Hahaha… Kill anyone who resists!"

"Spare no resources!"

"And bring me the heads of those two adventurers. These damn guild members are getting too nosy. It's time we teach them a lesson."

"Yes, Leader! We won't let a single one of them live!"

"Buzz!"

Following the command, three men wielding magical weapons charged toward two distinct figures at the very front.

Unlike the regular guards, these two stood out with their regal appearance and heavy magical gear.

They were clearly mage-class adventurers affiliated with a guild.

"Damn leeches… You think you can do whatever you want?" one fumed, pointing his finger.

"Die!"

A chaotic tornado erupted instantly in front of the approaching bandits, forcing them to retreat.

But the bandits weren't ordinary people either. They quickly began chanting counter-spells.

"Mother Earth's Umbral!"

A thick protective earth shield materialized just in time, shielding the trio from the razor-sharp winds of the tornado that could've sliced through them like butter.

As the spells faded, the bandits emerged with twisted grins and dashed forward again, aiming to take down the two adventurers.

It was a 3 vs 2 skirmish—on the surface.

But in the shadows stood their leader, a mage with a sharp gaze, overseeing everything. He didn't need to enter the fight himself. Whenever intervention was necessary, he simply sent one of his clones—an illusionary copy made possible through his mastery of cloning magic.

A satisfied grin spread across his face as he watched their ambush unfold like a well-rehearsed play. The guards were overwhelmed, commoners subdued, and panic rippled through the caravans.

All around were helpless individuals, who stoof on their knees with arrows aimed to their bodies. They watched helplessly as their belongings were pillaged from the wagons, powerless to do anything.

Everything seemed to be going perfectly for the bandit leader—until his sharp eyes caught something unusual near the back of the caravan line.

There, under the pale glow of the moon, were brief flashes of something metallic glinting intermittently.

"Ahh!"

A sudden, blood-curdling scream shattered the rhythm of the raid. But it was cut off almost as quickly as it began.

A chilling silence followed, heavy and unnatural.

Then another scream pierced the night.

"AHHH!"

And then another. And another.

One after another, the cries of his men echoed through the air, each one more panicked and desperate than the last.

The leader's eyes narrowed. He recognized those voices. Those were his men.

Someone was slaughtering them.

His expression twisted in anger and unease as he shouted into the darkness:

"Who's there?! Show yourself, coward!"

There was no response.

Only the continued sound of merciless slaughter echoing through the dark.

"F*ck!"

The bandit leader, cloaked in a dark robe and mask, was seething with frustration.

Without hesitation, he conjured an energy clone and sent it forward to investigate.

Slowly, cautiously, the clone crept toward the source of the chaos, tension rising with every step.

By now, other bandits and even the subjugated commoners noticed something strange—something wrong.

Their leader looked extremely tensed.

Uncharacteristically so.

Even the two mage-class adventurers and the three bandits locked in combat had paused, their instincts screaming that something unnatural was approaching.

And then—

"Ahhhhhh!"

A chilling shriek tore from the bandit leader's mouth as his clone burst like a bubble the moment it neared the unknown.

Everyone froze. The sound—the terror—in his voice was unlike anything they had heard before.

The same bandit leader who had commanded their forces with smug confidence, now screamed like a pig being dragged to the slaughter.

Because he had seen something no one else had.

In that final moment, his clone had felt overwhelming helplessness—an oppressive force that crushed his magic like brittle glass.

It was like standing before a devil.

"RUN!!"

He shouted hoarsely with pure panic in his voice, before bolting into the shadows—vanishing like lightning, as if his very life depended on it.

Everyone stood frozen, speechless at the surreal scene unfolding before them.

But then.... something even more horrifying happened.

"Shiiiin..."

A sharp, high-pitched sound cut through the night air.

Something shiny, something unstoppable, tore through the darkness like a streak of silver lightning, heading straight toward the bandit leader as he fled.

And right before the badits' astonished, helpless eyes, the gleaming object struck.

It Pierced clean through his back.

"Mmffgh.."

The bandit leader let out a bloody muffled groan ... then fell with a thud.

Not only that, his flesh shriveled in an instant turning him to a mummified corpse, as if his very life force drained away in the blink of an eye.

"Oh my god!"

Gasps echoed all around.

The glowing object that had ended him so effortlessly now hovered midair, suspended as if tugged by some invisible force.

A shiny white spear.

A deadly weapon, dancing above the battlefield like the harbinger of death itself.

The weapon slowly drifted back, vanishing into the shadows from where it had come.

And then... from that same darkness, a pair of glowing crimson eyes emerged.

Like one of a Devil's

"Step. Step. Step."

The figure stepped forward.

Surprisingly, he was a young man. His face strikingly handsome, serene, almost tender. Snow-white hair cascaded down, glowing faintly under the moonlight like divine radiance.

Each of his steps was calm, deliberate… almost casual.

Yet his mere presence sent tremors through the hearts of all who watched, especially with that lethal magical spear held loosely in his grip.

A force of death, cloaked in elegance.

"He... he killed a Two-Leaf mage in an instant! The leader didn't even got the courage to fight back!"

"Yeah… he just ran. Like he saw something.. Impossible."

"Why wouldn't he? Did you see that spear? That thing is not normal."

"But still… the leader could've used magic, right? He could've defended himself!"

"No... Something's definitely wrong. Something's really off about this young man."

The trio of mage-bandits whispered amongst themselves, trembling, confused and afraid.

Their confidence had crumbled.

And it wouldn't be long befoe they know the reason for their leader's despair.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.