Valka stepped forward slowly, his two-handed sword dragging across the ground, carving a shallow line through the earth.
Each step made the air feel heavier, pressing down on the battlefield like an invisible weight. The woman could feel it clearly now—her chances were shrinking with every second.
"…Tch," she muttered, tightening her stance as crimson aura flickered around her unsteadily.
The woman rushed in without hesitation, her claws aimed directly at Valka.
There was no time to think—only instinct and desperation.
Valka didn't even step back.
With a single motion, he deflected her strike effortlessly, the impact sending a sharp metallic shock through the air.
Then—
He swung his two-handed sword, the blade cut through the air with overwhelming force.
The woman's eyes widened—She barely raised her claws to block.
BOOM!
The impact sent her flying backward, crashing through the ground as her crimson aura flickered violently.
Valka lifted his blade slowly, his expression calm and unreadable.
"Hehehe~ to think you're still barely alive… anyone else would've already been dead by now."
The woman forced herself up, trembling, blood staining her body as she struggled to stay standing.
"…Before I die… I'll take you with me."
At her command, countless daggers and blades rose into the air, hovering and turning to aim at every member of the Ironfangs.
Her crimson aura flickered weakly—but the killing intent within it burned brighter than ever.
"…Heh… this is my gift," she whispered.
But one dagger suddenly shot forward—faster than expected.
The woman's eyes widened. She didn't react in time.
THUNK!
It pierced her shoulder.
"Ughh!" she gasped, staggering backward as pain surged through her body.
Her control shattered in an instant. The floating daggers and blades lost their stability and began falling to the ground one by one, clattering loudly against the earth.
She immediately grabbed her injured shoulder, gritting her teeth as she tried to steady herself.
"Ha… ha… To think I'd die here… from lowly bandits… so this is my fate…" the woman whispered, still clutching her injured shoulder, pain etched across her face.
Her breathing was uneven, her strength fading fast.
"Here. Take this again—if you can still survive," the bald man said coldly.
With a flick of his wrist, he threw another dagger straight toward her.
But before the dagger could be released—
A spike of ice shot through the air at terrifying speed, the bald man's eyes widened.
"Wha—?!"
It was already upon him.
WHOOSH—!
Valka reacted instantly, He swung his greatsword down—
KRAAANG!
The ice spike shattered against his blade, the force pushing him back a step as frost cracked and scattered across the ground.
Valka clicked his tongue, steam rising faintly where cold met his aura.
Kael picked up a sword from the ground, testing its weight before giving it a light swing through the air. Then he began walking toward the woman.
"Hm… I think you're not going to die from that injury."
Without hesitation, he reached out his hand, a faint cold aura spread from his palm—
The woman's wound instantly began to freeze, the bleeding slowing down until it completely stopped, ice sealing it shut.
"So you were hiding your strength, huh! But the outcome won't change," Valka said coldly, tightening his grip on his greatsword.
Kael didn't even look at him.
He simply ignored Valka's words, focusing on the woman instead.
Then Kael turned his gaze toward them.
The drifting particles began forming countless lines—too many to count, overlapping and twisting through the battlefield.
Yet even with so many lines, in Kael's eyes, everything moved slowly.
Valka's stance, the bald man's breathing, even the shifting intent of the surrounding fighters—all of it felt stretched, like time itself had been diluted.
"Hey… this is my first fight against people whose lives are at stake. That should make this a good fight."
Kael shifted into a stance.
He pointed the sword forward—straight toward them.
His eyes sharpened, gaze steady and unshaken, locking onto his opponents like a blade itself.
"Hahaha!"
The laughter of the men erupted across the forest, echoing through the trees.
"Are you serious?! Where did you find the courage to joke like that? Or are you just scared now?! Hahaha!"
Their mocking voices blended together, full of confidence and ridicule.
But Valka didn't laugh.
His eyes stayed fixed on Kael, sharp and unreadable.
"…Something's wrong," he muttered under his breath.
He remembered it clearly—the moment he was forced a step back by that single ice spike.
That wasn't normal, and now… Kael's stance felt different—Too calm. Too precise. But not perfect like he never touch a sword.
Valka's grip tightened on his sword.
"…Everyone. Be careful."
The laughter stopped.
The air turned heavy again as Kael took one slow step forward—still calm, still focused.
The woman leaned against the tree, her vision blurring as her energy faded.
"Ah… he really is an idiot…" she muttered weakly.
Then—
Kael vanished from where he stood, in the next instant, he appeared beside one of the men—His blade was already thrust through the man's neck.
"Ugh—! Ugh—!"
Kael pulled the blade out of the man's neck.
The body dropped instantly—motionless—blood pouring onto the ground.
For a moment, no one moved.
"…What?" Valka's eyes narrowed. "How did he get there… without anyone noticing?" he whispered.
Valka didn't hesitate.
He swung his massive sword with full force—
BOOM!
A violent shockwave tore through the ground, blasting dirt outward in every direction. Dust and debris filled the air, swallowing the battlefield in a thick haze.
The dust choked the air, blinding everyone.
"W-What happened?! He should've been dead!"
Then—
"Ugh—! Ugh—! Aghh—!"
One by one, the men began to fall, their screams tore through the haze, sharp and sudden—cut off just as quickly.
Bodies hit the ground in different directions, unseen, unheard until the impact, panic spread.
"Where is he?! Where—?!"
But there was no answer, only the sound of something moving… faster than they could see.
A shadow flickered through the thick dust—barely visible, like something moving between frames of reality.
Then—
SHUNK.
Another body dropped.
No footsteps. No warning. No visible attacker.
Only the sharp sound of a cut slicing through the air, and the quiet collapse of a man who never even saw it coming.
The battlefield fell deeper into chaos as unseen strikes continued from within the dust.
As the dust slowly settled, the battlefield came back into view.
Valka's gaze sharpened.
In front of him stood a shadow—motionless, but with faint, glinting eyes that reflected what little light remained.
Then the dust fully cleared.
It was Kael.
Standing calmly, his blade dripping with blood, not a single trace of urgency in his expression.
"AHHH! AHHH! Brother Valka!" the bald man screamed in terror, stumbling backward as the realization hit him.
Valka's eyes slowly scanned the battlefield.
What remained was silence.
Corpses lay scattered across the ground—motionless bodies surrounded by blood staining the grass, tree roots, and fallen leaves. The once-chaotic encirclement had turned into a graveyard of stillness.
For the first time, Valka's expression changed, a bead of sweat slowly slid down his forehead.
"…W-who really… are you?" he asked, his voice lower than before.
Kael looked at him calmly, blood still dripping from his blade.
"…Kael." He said flatly.
Valka's grip tightened, his expression darkening as he stood amid the silence of corpses.
The name meant nothing—and yet everything about the scene told him it shouldn't be ignored.
"Hm? Should I try telekinesis… like that cat girl?" Kael whispered to himself.
He raised his hand slowly.
A faint surge of energy began to gather around him, flowing outward in controlled streams.
On the ground, scattered daggers and swords trembled.
Then—
They lifted, slowly at first, then all at once, hovering in the air as Kael focused, testing the flow of his power.
"W-what…!?"
Valka's eyes widened as he watched the weapons rise into the air under Kael's control.
"That… that ability… it's the same as the Red Assassin's…" he muttered, voice tense. "No… his control over energy is even more refined… perfect…"
A cold thought crept into his mind.
"…Wait."
His grip tightened.
"D-don't tell me… He's a Pseudo-God Level…" Valka whispered under his breath, sweat forming again on his forehead as he stared at Kael with rising caution.
"The ability can only be used by others when taught by the original user… or if a new authority is created," Valka whispered under his breath, eyes locked on Kael.
His expression darkened further.
"…But that means—either he has direct connection to the Red Assassin…"
He paused.
"…Or he's something worse."