As Kuro and Arthur reached the village gates, the air still reeked of smoke.
"It smells like gunpowder," Arthur muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"But that can't be," Kuro replied, his tone exaggerated, tinged with disbelief.
They both squinted through the thick haze. A figure slowly emerged from the smoke—a boy, no older than seventeen or eighteen. His long violet hair veiled his eyes, and he wore a sharp, formal uniform. There was something unhinged about his expression—detached, devoid of emotion.
The village entrance was now crowded with anxious onlookers. The boy stopped, and when he spoke, his voice was deep, cold, and utterly hollow.
"I am the second Divine Knight of my Lord. The bodies of two of our soldiers were found yesterday beyond this forest. Hand over the sinners, or the consequences will not be in your Favor."
His voice echoed like a curse through the still trees.
"We don't know anything!" shouted a male elf guard, stepping forward.
Kuro and Arthur watched from the sidelines, tense.
"Lie," the boy whispered.
In an instant—so fast no one could follow—he was in front of the guard. He gently touched the elf's hand.
"Sulphur," the boy muttered.
Then he backed away.
Kuro and Arthur blinked in disbelief at the boy's sheer speed.
Suddenly—
WHOOSH—BOOM!
The guard's hand erupted into flames. His scream pierced the air as he ran around in agony.
"AAAAAAAHH! FIRE!"
Kuro and Arthur sprinted toward him, but it was too late.
BOOM!
An explosion tore through the air. The guard's body was engulfed in fire and reduced to ashes before their eyes. Kuro's stomach twisted in horror at the grisly sight. The other guards stood paralyzed, frozen in fear.
Artoria, now in the form of a little girl, collapsed to her knees. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
Arthur's rage ignited. He charged at the boy, his eyes glowing bright grey.
"You little piece of shit!" he roared, launching a powerful punch.
WOOSH—
But the strike stopped abruptly, inches from the boy's face. Arthur's eyes widened—his foot was caught in something. He glanced down. A swamp had formed beneath him, dragging him into the earth.
"This was solid ground just a second ago—what the hell?" Arthur's thoughts spun wildly.
WHACK!
A high-speed kick slammed into Arthur's side.
BANG!
Another came from the opposite direction, but Arthur blocked it with his arm.
No one noticed Kuro close the distance. From the boy's blind side, Kuro launched a full-force attack.
CRACK!
A hammer-like fist struck Kuro square in the chest. He felt his lungs compress violently as he was sent skidding across the dirt.
BLURP!
He vomited on impact, gasping.
"If I hadn't increased the hardness of my bones, my lungs would've been crushed," he thought, trying to stay conscious.
Arthur was now knee-deep in the swamp, struggling to move. "Shit, what do I do?" his mind raced.
The boy casually walked over to Kuro, who was still on his knees, wheezing for air. He gazed down at him—unfeeling, unreadable.
Then Kuro raised his head. Their eyes locked.
For the first time, the boy's expression cracked—shock.
"W-Why is a god with the elves?" he asked, taken aback.
Kuro didn't answer. Instead, he grinned.
"I'm the one who killed the soldiers."
The boy narrowed his eyes. "But you seem too weak for a god. All I sense is brute strength."
Then he raised his leg and slammed a brutal kick into Kuro's abdomen.
Kuro fell back, blood spilling from his mouth.
"F*ck… this brat is too much for me," he thought with a grim smile.
"But I was just buying time… for Arthur."
The boy turned just in time to see Arthur already upon him, launching a punch enhanced by gravity.
But the boy didn't flinch.
He caught Arthur's fist with his bare hand.
Arthur's eyes widened. It felt like punching reinforced steel. He instinctively jumped back.
"What the hell is his Gift?" Arthur thought, panicked.
"How did you get out" The boy asked,
"Why the hell would I tell you' Arthur jolted,
He picked up a small rock and infused it with gravity, making it a hundred times heavier. Then he threw it like a bullet.
But the boy vanished.
TAP.
A soft footstep behind him. Arthur turned.
CRACK!
A punch collided with his face, sending him skidding.
Everyone in the village was stunned into silence. The guards still didn't move.
The boy broke a thin branch from a tree.
"Glass," he whispered.
The twig didn't change appearance, but something had shifted. He swung it at Arthur.
Arthur's instincts screamed. He barely dodged, but the twig grazed him.
TIP. TIP.
Blood dripped from a thin gash on his arm.
"How the hell can a twig cut?" he thought in shock.
Kuro struggled to get up again, panting.
"So… this is how it works," he smirked weakly.
"You can alter the properties of matter, right?"
The boy turned his gaze toward Kuro. "Indeed. You're clever…. But still too weak."
He dashed toward Kuro and launched another punch—aimed to kill.
Kuro shut his eyes, bracing himself— he knew he can't dodge,
CLANG!
He opened his eyes in disbelief.
A tall man stood before him, wearing a long black overcoat. He had short, spiky yellow hair and he was wearing a solid white mask with narrow eye slits. The boy's punch had landed squarely on his chest—yet the impact rang like metal on metal.
The boy backed away instinctively. His expression shifted—wary, even frustrated.
Arthur, stared at the man in awe.
"W-Why are you here?" the boy demanded, voice laced with doubt.
The man's tone was amused, playful.
"Who knows?"
He turned toward the boy. "Go tell your Lord the soldiers were killed by a stray animal."
The boy's eyes narrowed. "But why?"
The masked man turned to Kuro; his grin hidden behind the mask. "Because it's… somewhat true." Then he let out a deep laugh.
"But man—" he looked directly at Kuro's Eyes, "—that crazy old man was right after all. Ha! Ha!"
His laughter echoed as he stared into Kuro's eyes.
"Interesting," he whispered.
Then he turned back to the boy.
"Now go."
The boy hesitated, eyes narrowed—but ultimately turned and disappeared into the woods.
The masked man walked casually back toward the forest.
"Wait! Who are you?" Kuro called out, desperate.
"You can call me Handyman… for now," the man replied, still amused.
"…What?" Kuro and Arthur said in unison.
"HAHAHAHA!" The man's laughter echoed as he vanished into the trees.