The masked man closest to Seraphina sensed the incoming attack at the last second and twisted aside, the blue-coated hatchet grazing past his face and embedding itself deep into a tree trunk behind him.

THUNK!

Amon didn't wait for the return.

He was already sprinting.

Eliana, Marcus, and Aisha were right behind him, spreading out to avoid clustering around Arnold and Seraphina.

Six masked enemies.

Two exhausted defenders. Yet fighting sharply.

And now.

Their four friends came to join the battle.

The masked men momentarily faltered as Amon's group burst into the clearing.

Arnold noticed them first.

"Stay sharp!" he shouted, parrying two daggers at once. "They're faster than they look!"

A masked figure lunged at Arnold with alarming speed.

CLANG!

But Amon slammed into the side, kicking the attacker off course.

"Thanks. Also, four of them are at Mana Initiate rank. But for some reason they are weak compared to how strong they should be. While the other two are just first rank," Arnold said loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"Don't mention it," Amon said, summoning his hatchet back into his left hand.

Suddenly he remembered Hector in the dungeon—how he was weak compared to a true Master rank. It was mostly because of breaking through by force or some other method.

'If they want to kill someone… why are they sending such weaklings?' The question lingered in his mind. Something was not right.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he focused on the fight for now.

The fight erupted instantly.

Aisha leaped in first, claws extending from her gauntlets. The beastwoman spun low, slashing at an enemy's legs.

SHRRRIP—!!

The masked man jumped back to avoid having his tendon ripped.

Aisha clicked her tongue. "Tsk, fast bastard."

Her eyes sharpened dangerously.

She chased after him.

Marcus charged the enemy attacking Seraphina from her right.

His spear glowed with bright mana.

"Break!"

He thrust.

BOOM!!

The impact shook the ground, pushing the masked attacker backward several meters.

Seraphina used the opening.

Her golden blade sliced through the air with blinding heat.

CLANG—!!

The enemy barely blocked it, sliding backward, feet digging into the dirt.

"Thank you," Seraphina said without turning.

"Stop thanking me on battlefield," Marcus snapped, but relief flickered across his face.

Eliana stayed behind, bow drawn.

She breathed in, focused, mana swirling at her fingertips.

Multiple arrows of wind manifested at once.

"Multi-Shot," she said cheerfully.

SHHHHFFF—!!

Three arrows shot out simultaneously toward three different enemies.

Two were dodged.

The third embedded into an attacker's shoulder.

THUD!

He hissed, staggering.

"Got one!" Eliana shouted.

Amon, meanwhile, was already locked in combat.

The same dagger-wielding man who had fought him inside the airship appeared in front of him again.

"You again…" the man hissed through his mask.

Amon smirked, gripping his weapons tightly. He was going to kill this bastard.

"Yeah. Missed me?"

The attacker dashed forward.

Amon raised his hatchet to block.

CLANG—!!

The impact numbed Amon's arm. The enemy swung again, faster, sharper.

Amon ducked under the slash.

His hand coated in darkness.

[Shadow Clutch]

A black tendril shot out, grabbing the opponent's ankle.

"Wha—?!"

Amon yanked HARD.

The masked man stumbled.

Amon jumped in, knee first.

CRACK!!

He smashed the attacker's jaw with a flying knee.

Then instantly swung his sword. A cut appeared on the man's chest.

The masked man tumbled across the ground, rolling over dirt and roots.

Amon's hatchet raised above came down cleanly.

Crushed!

The blade of the hatchet crushed the man's skull in one attack.

Splash!

Blood sprayed in the surroundings.

Amon exhaled sharply.

'It's fun to kill someone like this. Tearing their head with a hatchet.'

"One down."

The man's body fell on the ground lifelessly.

He was a rank one, so it was easy for Amon to kill him.

Meanwhile, Arnold and Seraphina were pushing forward.

Arnold parried two daggers at once.

Seraphina danced between their blades, her sword glowing hotter, faster.

Both moved with frightening synchronization.

Slash. Parry–Mana flare. Shockwave—

The forest floor was torn apart wherever they stepped.

The ground cracked from their steps. Debris flew in the air.

But the masked enemies didn't fall back.

They attacked harder.

Faster.

More desperate. As if driven by a single goal to eliminate their target. Which was not just Seraphina, but Arnold as well.

Every second, more killing intent focused on her and Arnold.

Seraphina's aura flared violently, golden heat shimmering around her.

She pushed her whole weight on her left leg, then kicked off the ground. A spiderweb crack formed beneath her.

She dashed like a golden flash.

Slash!

The enemy didn't get a chance to dodge.

His head fell on the ground with a thud.

Thud!

But she didn't stop. She moved toward Marcus, who was now handling two masked men. His breathing was heavy, body tired, but he was still somehow handling them.

Arnold from the other side moved like a beautiful star. His body radiated silver starlight.

With precise movement, he ended his enemy in one final attack. The enemy groan in pain and fell down.

Aisha had already killed her opponent and stood above him. It was not an easy fight for her either, since the enemy was at Mana Initiate, but still she killed him.

Eliana had defeated her opponent as well. Her blue eyes observed the surroundings, the tall green trees, which were literally the territory of elves.

Something that made her calm and feel like home because of being a race that loves nature. But instead of enjoying the beautiful nature, they were fighting.

Blood sprayed on the ground, trees, and plants. Five lifeless bodies lay there.

Then the last enemy was also killed by Marcus.

Thud.

The body fell, increasing the number.

Though Eliana didn't mind it, since the dead ones were enemies, the poor trees and forest were getting dirty because of them.

"Well, that was easy," Amon said, coming beside Eliana and standing silently.

She turned toward him. "Yeah. Were they thinking it would be easy to kill us… or rather kill Seraphina?"

Marcus, Seraphina, Aisha, and Arnold walked toward the two of them.

"The professors were fighting someone truly strong," Seraphina said. "There might be a possibility… that there is another strong one."

"I agree with you," Arnold said.

---

While the group was talking,

Some distance away from them.

On one of the tree branches sat a feminine figure wearing the same hood. Her legs dangled like a child's in the air.

"Hehehe~ They are strong. Guess enough of wasting time. I should just enjoy myself and kill all of them slowly."

Her voice was cold and amused.

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