Alopecion and the entire hunting party were momentarily stupefied by Daru's response.

They all stared dumbfoundedly at him for a few moments before the balding S-ranker's patience finally snapped.

Alopecion, with a trembling voice, ordered:

"False Witness…lead all the B-rankers and teach this idiot the ropes for me, will ya?"

Zach shuddered in excitement and pride.

This was a great chance to build connections with such a prominent family, no?

Coming from a relatively mediocre one himself, False Witness had worked hard since he was young, finding great satisfaction and worth in asserting his dominance against those inferior to him and skillfully impressing the strong with his wits, charisma, and sensibility.

Alopecion might be merely an S-ranker, but his family was one of the most influential in the southern region of cluster 4, having already produced four S-rankers and two SS-rankers.

They also owned a few thriving businesses and were incredibly rich.

Being a trusted underling of the future leader of such a family wasn't bad, no?

This would also give him some leverage in securing Sylphina's heart and the approval of her family.

If he could affiliate himself with two lineages of such prominence, then he would get to rule with them, even if he had to obey a few people.

Wasn't this the chance he had long been waiting for?

With an excited grin, False Witness unhesitatingly claimed the role for himself, earning himself the ire of the other B-rankers.

But why would he care about their worthless opinions when there's nothing to gain from doing so?

With a resounding voice, he roared:

"Everyone, you guys heard the boss! Unfortunately, despite my warnings, this guy still decided that he wanted to learn the hard way. We'll teach him! Follow me!"

False Witness then turned to face Daru.

"No hard feelings, brother! I'm just following orders. Die for my boss, hahaha!"

In the next moment, all six B-rankers charged.

The anger in the balding S-ranker's heart faded a little at the sight. Alopecion couldn't help but appreciate Zach.

Initially, he doubted the abilities of this B-ranker whom Sylphina insisted be joined into the hunting party, believing the other one recommended by his family was more competent.

But the female A-ranker was a vital part of the operation. This lone request of hers was impossible to turn down.

Fortunately, False Witness proved that he was more than worthy of his spot, turning out to be the perfect underling.

The guy instantly understood what should be done without Alopecion explaining too much, resulting in him being able to save face.

As much as the balding S-ranker wanted to personally slaughter the irritatingly overconfident B-ranker, it was far too dangerous to fight with his barely double-digit hitpoints, and it would be both an utter tragedy and embarrassment if he lost to this random Okuni bastard due to a lucky strike.

Reasoning that he was spent after an intense battle with a high-level field boss would only make him look even more foolish, even if people didn't dare say it to his face.

After all, if he was spent already, then why did he pick a fight and even dare to threaten to kill someone?

He would be a laughingstock if word got out, and his father would once again accelerate the rate at which his hairline receded.

Luckily, False Witness was a smart and observant guy, leaving Alopecion pondering whether it would be wise to take the guy under his wing.

His father had always reminded him to build a small faction he could trust in the Myriad Sword Realm, after all.

Perhaps it would be wise to start with this False Witness guy?

At the very least, the bastard seemed to be trustworthy and decisive when it came to handling dirty work…

He could definitely use the help of such a nasty individual.

Alopecion and the three A-rankers watched from the sidelines—a hint of guilt in Sylphina's eyes.

She knew very well she had indeed been saved by this B-ranker, Okuni, yet she had decided to betray him after weighing the pros and cons of everything.

Their families invested quite a lot in this operation.

She feared a failed return, shivering at the mere thought of what her aunts and uncles would say.

The bastards have been at her father's throat the entire time, and even just a single failure from her would give them ammunition.

Meanwhile, False Witness had already reached Daru, slashing his sword a short distance away from his target.

"False Cutter!"

A stationary slash mark then hovered in the air slowly, phasing through Daru's sword.

Had he recklessly moved forward to meet Zach's blade, he would've been cut due to his being unable to stop his own momentum on time.

No such thing happened.

However, the other five B-rankers were right behind False Witness, taking the lead and overtaking the charismatic goon after his initial attack.

Three of them then lunged at Daru while the other two continued dashing forward.

"Die, idiot!!" roared the attackers.

They were confident that one couldn't possibly handle five, and so made the mistake of not timing their attacks in a sequence.

Daru was able to easily dodge their attacks with a backward somersault, counterattacking with a red slash mark that descended upon the converging B-rankers.

His attack cleanly hit two of them.

To Alopecion's horror and bewilderment, an unexpectedly high value floated above the heads of the struck B-rankers:

[-245!]

[-260!]

The damage they suffered snuffed their hitpoints directly to zero.

"N-No…how could…"

"You murderer! I'll report this, you hear me?!"

In the next moment, the two dispersed into the winds as red cubic particles, losing a precious life.

False Witness and the other B-rankers broke into a cold sweat.

Their remaining hitpoints certainly weren't as high as the damage that the seemingly unimpressive, red slash mark inflicted.

The ones who died could've very easily been them!

However, how could they retreat now?

False Witness, for one, wasn't willing to back down, not when the stakes are this high for him.

He wasn't someone who would cower away from massive opportunities.

Not only could he impress Lynn if he pulled this off, but he would also potentially secure a spot by Alopecion's side.

Gripping his sword tighter, Zach roared a war cry, attempting to manipulate the other B-rankers to step forward with him.

"That sword skill must be the bastard's innate one! I don't believe he could secure another at such an early stage, follow me!"

False Witness courageously charged the next second.

The other B-rankers naturally didn't want to appear cowardly, and so were also forced to charge at Daru.

That's right, he should be out of sword skills now!

There should be nothing to fear!

Daru wasn't out of sword skills, for sure, but he didn't need them to defeat the weaklings in front of him.

Based on the earlier exchanges, he could simply overwhelm them with raw physical attributes.

Without hesitation, he rushed at the four approaching attackers.

His cold gaze made their hearts waver.

"RRAAH!" False Witness roared, lunging at Daru, but his attack was easily blocked with a simple rising slash that sent him flying and skidding back to where he came from.

"There's no way…" one of the A-rankers, Solbrand, muttered in disbelief after seeing the red damage value floating up above Zach's head.

He still suffered damage despite not being struck directly?!

Alopecion was no idiot, and he, too, noticed the rather unnerving result of False Witness and Daru's clash, exclaiming as the other three B-rankers were easily taken out in a series of exchanges before his very eyes:

"Who the hell are you?! How are you already this strong?!"

Two seconds later, only he, the A-rankers, and False Witness remained.

Zach now realized they were no match from the start, and so he simply stood protectively in front of Lynn.

It was fine…the bastard in front of them wasn't a murder machine based on his naive words earlier…

He could be reasoned with.

Or so he thought….

Daru, after disposing of the three, turned and gazed coldly at Alopecion, who was instantly intimidated.

The balding S-ranker took a few steps back, sweating coldly.

"Damn you, don't you dare! I would destroy the likes of you if only I had full health!"

Daru merely ignored the threat and madly rushed at Alopecion, ignoring his classmates.

"H-Hiih!"

In the next moment, the S-ranker completely lost his composure and began to flee.

The A-rankers were torn but ultimately decided to help.

Well, two of them…

Solbrand and Aureus courageously blocked Daru's path.

However, they, too, would perish in a single hit. The two were only planning to dissuade him.

"B-Brother Okuni, can we leave it at that? We already lost a lot, plus you got all the rewards! Let us go and let us let bygones be bygones, what do you say?" asked Solbrand with an awkward grin and a slight stutter.

Unfortunately, Daru was in no mood to spare the main culprit.

The bastard dared make an attempt on his life? Then he should be ready to lose his, right?

The two A-rankers trembled, overwhelmed by their nerves.

Daru sneered in disdain.

The two didn't attack him, plus they were pathetically shaking in fear. It was beneath him to take the lives of such weaklings.

He merely jumped over them and resumed his pursuit, calling out to the fleeing S-ranker.

"Hmph! And you call yourself the leader? Why don't you take responsibility for your actions, huh? Those B-rankers lost their lives carrying out your orders. Yet, you shamelessly run to save your own skin!"

"Shut up!!" retorted Alopecion, discarding his dignity and a few more strands of hair.

He could threaten everyone here to keep things a secret. It would be more disastrous if he lost a life.

Unfortunately, "Okuni" was catching up and was already beginning to perform a familiar series of short, strange, zigzagging steps.

"T-There's no way you…Hiih!! You four nitwits! Protect me, quick!!!"

But the other four were too far, plus they suddenly found it difficult to sacrifice themselves for the sake of such a pathetic leader.

And so, Alopecion could only roar a defiant "NO!!" as two Okunis came for him from the left and the right.

He tried to defend himself.

However, it was too late.

Daru had already cleanly cut his head off, causing his vision to blackout just moments after the world "turned upside down".

With an icy "Hmph!", Daru waved his sword once, as if to shake off blood, before sheathing his tachi and turning to look at the other four, leaving them a reminder:

"Pull the same crap on me again and see what happens. I won't be so lenient next time."

Lingering his gaze a second longer on Sylphina and False Witness and making the two shudder, Daru left.

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