Aziz's lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

"Tch. What a pain," he said, walking forward slowly. "You really made me work for it."

Stomp!

Stomp!

As he got closer, the figure didn't move.

Aziz stopped right in front of it.

He frowned.

Something felt off.

"…Hm?"

He kicked the dark figure lightly with his foot.

The moment his foot touched it, the body collapsed inward. Then dispersed. It was a spell called Grim Mirage.

It vanished like smoke, dissolving into shadows that faded into the air.

Aziz's eyes widened.

"What—?!"

A sharp, cold presence surged from the smoke behind him. He didn't hear any footsteps. And he was tired as well.

So he was late to react.

Amon appeared out of the smoke.

His body was ruined. Burned. Bloody. Barely standing. But his eyes, they were clear.

Focused. They were cold. A huge grin stretched across his face. Amon didn't hesitate.

He stepped in close and thrust his sword forward with everything he had left. The blade was covered with sharp, ghostly shadow, as if it was seeking death.

The blade pierced straight through Aziz's back. Straight into his heart.

Shhk!

Aziz froze.

His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Blood spilled from his lips as he slowly looked down, seeing the dark blade protruding from his chest.

"…You… little… bastard…"

Blood oozing from the thrusted part of body. It had pierced his heart.

Amon leaned close, breathing raggedly, his grip unsteady but firm.

"I told you," he whispered hoarsely, "I won't die… unless I kill you first."

Darkness surged. The shadow around Amon's sword twisted violently.

Aziz's body trembled once. Then went limp.

The light in his eyes dimmed.

Thud!

The lifeless body fell on the ground.

---

On the other side, a few minutes earlier.

Vikara stood calmly amid destruction.

Five humans in light silver armor had confronted him. Their weapons lay scattered. The ground was stained with blood.

Three of them lay motionless. Whether dead or unconscious, it was hard to tell. Their armor was broken, bodies twisted at unnatural angles. One more lay groaning faintly, barely clinging to life.

Only one human still stood.

The man's hands trembled as he held his sword. His breathing was ragged. Fear was clear in his eyes as he faced Vikara.

Vikara sighed in boredom.

"This is getting tiresome," he muttered.

The last one was the strongest among the others, so he took more time from Vikara. Still, Vikara was clearly stronger than him.

The human shouted and rushed forward, gathering what little courage he had left. His sword came down in a desperate slash.

Vikara stepped aside casually. In the same motion, he struck. The back of his hand hit the man's neck.

Thud.

The human collapsed instantly, but he didn't fall unconscious.

Vikara didn't spare him another glance.

Just then, something caught his attention. He looked up.

Far in the distance, multiple massive magic circles were forming in the sky. Red. Blazing. Too many.

His eyes narrowed.

"That direction…" he murmured.

It was where Aziz had gone. Where that human boy was.

Then came the sound.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Explosions echoed through the forest, one after another. The ground beneath Vikara's feet trembled slightly. Even from this distance, he could feel the violent mana fluctuations.

"That idiot…" Vikara clicked his tongue. "Why is he using such large-scale spells?"

His gaze hardened.

"The boy was weak. There was no need for this."

Something felt wrong.

Vikara turned his head back briefly, looking at the four humans lying on the ground.

"…I don't have time for this."

Leaving them behind, he vanished from his spot.

The ground cracked where he had been standing as Vikara dashed toward the source of the explosions, moving at terrifying speed.

Moments later, he arrived.

The forest was ruined.

Trees were shattered. The ground was torn apart. Smoke and dust filled the air, slowly drifting as the mana disturbance faded.

Vikara slowed his steps. His eyes scanned the area. He looked here and there for signs of his comrade.

"Aziz?" he called out.

He didn't get any response.

The smoke slowly thinned. A figure was revealed.

A young human stood there barely.

His body was battered and burned. Blood covered him from head to toe. His clothes were torn, skin scorched, wounds visible everywhere. He leaned heavily on a sword planted into the ground, panting hard, each breath sounding painful.

But he was standing.

In front of him lay a motionless body. A demon's body.

Aziz.

His eyes were wide open, frozen in shock. A massive wound pierced through his chest. Blood pooled beneath him, already soaking into the broken earth.

Vikara's steps stopped.

For the first time, his expression changed.

"…What?"

His gaze shifted slowly from Aziz's corpse to the human boy still standing.

The boy lifted his head slightly.

Their eyes met.

And in that moment, Vikara understood.

This was no longer a weak human. Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.

He clearly remembered that the boy was weak and was at first rank, so it was unbelievable that he was able to kill Aziz.

But there was no reason to delve into it.

Amon, who was barely standing with trembling legs, gazed at Vikara.

"Hehehe~ I killed your friend." With a chuckle, he tried to mock Vikara.

Which actually worked.

Vikara glared coldly at Amon. Just like that, Vikara vanished from his position, directly appearing in front of Amon.

His fist collided with Amon's stomach.

Boom!

Amon bent backward and flew meters away, crashing onto the ground loudly.

"Gaah—!" Amon groaned in pain as a pool of blood streamed from his mouth.

Again, Vikara did the same idiotic thing that other villains do. Rather than killing Amon instantly, he started to question him.

Even though his comrade was dead, Vikara was curious how this boy was able to kill him.

"How were you able to kill him, boy?"

Vikara's red eyes narrowed as he observed Amon's body, and he was able to see the changes.

Amon didn't reply. He was not in a condition to do so.

"Hm… you broke through into Mana Initiate. But that doesn't make sense. How were you able to kill him… or maybe it's just that idiot who didn't take you too seriously and made a mistake."

That was the only conclusion Vikara could make. After all, one should never underestimate their enemy, even if they are weak. One mistake, and they can get killed in one way or another.

Amon lay there, breathing heavily. His eyes were dazed.

He was trying his best to remain conscious.

'Don't… don't fall unconscious… don't'

He tried to tell himself again and again.

His hazy, dark eyes saw the incoming figure of Vikara.

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