Blaze then began heading back to his country, the Fire Nation of Ra.
He was already deep in the forest, making his way toward the border between nations.
*"From here to the Fire Nation of Ra, it takes two days on foot. How can I get there faster? I'm worried that someone might have already entered and gotten ahead of me,"* Blaze thought to himself.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of several people on horseback coming from the east, where the forest was dense with thick bushes and thorns—an area impossible to pass through.
Even if he tried, he would get injured by the thorns. Burning them was also out of the question, as it might set the entire forest ablaze, creating a new conflict between nations. This forest was not only a natural border but also home to rare trees and animals, such as the Aoga Felik bird, a species found only in this forest. If it were destroyed, the Aoga Felik might go extinct.
Blaze thought about this.
*"Suspicious horse riders... I should follow them. But... how?! I don't have a horse to chase them down quickly,"* Blaze muttered.
Then, the sound of a carriage crashing, a horse whinnying in pain, and the desperate scream of a young girl echoed from afar.
*"Aaaaaaaaaaa... Mother... Help me...!"* the voice cried.
Hearing this, Blaze immediately rushed toward the source of the scream.
He sprinted with long strides, enhancing his speed by generating fire explosions beneath his feet, propelling him faster than usual.
Upon reaching the scene, Blaze slowed down and hid behind the trees.
He saw a young girl with injuries on her leg and forehead, blood streaming from a wound on her head.
It turned out that the horsemen he had seen earlier were a group of bandits preying on travelers in the forest.
*"Hehehehehe... Where do you think you're going, little girl?"* one of the bandits sneered.
*"Please... don't hurt me any more than this, I beg you,"* the girl pleaded, her voice trembling from pain.
*"Oh... so that's what you want?"* the bandit scoffed.
*"But first, allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Furta Silva, the forest bandits,"* he declared.
*"We rob and live in the forest, so it's truly unfortunate for you to have wandered in here and become our victim. Hahahahaha!"* he laughed.
Hiding behind the bushes, Blaze seethed with anger, his fire element flaring up involuntarily.
But before he could act, someone suddenly attacked the bandits, kicking one of them in the head mid-air, sending him flying off his horse.
The startled horse bolted, abandoning its fallen rider.
The other bandits, shocked by the unexpected intruder, quickly decided to fight back.
*"Hey! Who are you?! What do you want?! Get lost—we have no business with you!"* one of the bandits shouted.
*"Hah? No business with me? Maybe not, but you attacked someone in this forest, and that is unacceptable!"* the stranger retorted.
*"Shut up!"* the bandit barked, signaling his nine comrades—including himself—to attack.
The battle began.
The bandits wielded different elemental powers:
- Three had fire-based abilities, including their leader, who had just been kicked off his horse.
- Three wielded earth-based powers, specializing in defense rather than offense—a lower-ranking tier in the elemental hierarchy.
- The remaining three had wind-based abilities, including the vice leader, who orchestrated their attacks. Wind users were adept at striking blind spots, making them ideal for surprise attacks.
From his hiding spot, Blaze analyzed the fight, realizing how balanced the bandits' team was.
- The fire users acted as the main attackers, dealing primary damage.
- The earth users functioned as shields, defending their team.
- The wind users exploited enemy blind spots, delivering supporting damage and preventing their targets from escaping.
*"A solid combination,"* Blaze admitted.
But there was no time to admire their strategy—he needed a plan to save the girl safely.
Should he join the fight, or wait for the stranger to either win or lose before stepping in?
To his surprise, the unknown fighter held his own, wielding blue fire.
He fought skillfully and with great agility.
When one of the bandits attempted to stab him from behind, he vanished in an instant, causing the mounted bandits to collide with each other.
In reality, he had already repositioned himself behind the injured girl, asking if she was okay.
*"Hey, little one… Are you alright?"* he asked with a gentle smile, waving his left hand.
*"Yes, I'm fine… just a little hurt,"* the girl replied.
*"But… your head is bleeding. This needs to be treated immediately. Wait here—I'll take you to the nearest medical facility as soon as I finish dealing with them. I promise!"* he assured her.
*"How?! How did you move like that?!"* one of the bandits shouted.
*"You want to know? I'll tell you. Fire produces smoke, doesn't it? Wherever my smoke drifts, I can shift my body to that location. In other words, I can teleport using my fire's smoke,"* he explained.
*"Hah?! That's nonsense! There's no such thing in this world. He must be joking—does he think he's Azazel, the Dark King who manipulates space and time? Ridiculous! Hahahaha!"* the bandit laughed.
With his superior speed and blue flames, the unknown warrior swiftly defeated the bandits, teleporting between attacks so effectively that they couldn't land a single hit on him.
After subduing them, he gently lifted the girl and leaned her against a tree for support.
He then righted the overturned carriage and helped her inside.
The girl struggled to stand and walk toward the carriage.
Just as she was about to collapse, Blaze rushed forward, lifting her into the carriage.
Seeing Blaze suddenly appear, the blue-flamed warrior immediately readied an attack, mistaking him for one of the bandits.
Blaze quickly explained that he wasn't one of them—he was just helping the girl get into the carriage.
After examining Blaze's attire, the warrior decided to trust him.
*"Hmmm… (staring at Blaze suspiciously) Alright, I'll believe you. But if you're lying, I'll deal with you myself,"* the warrior warned.
*"Yeah, yeah, I get it,"* Blaze responded.
*"My name is Mino. Mino Kinkladze. Just call me Mino,"* the warrior introduced himself, extending his hand.
Blaze shook his hand.
*"Oh… I see. Nice to meet you, Mino. I'm Blaze,"* Blaze replied.
Then, he asked Mino where he planned to take the girl.
*"Where are you taking her?"* Blaze inquired.
*"To the nearest medical facility,"* Mino answered.
*"But the horse that pulled the carriage was killed by the bandits. How will we move it?"* Blaze questioned.
Mino then tied the carriage's reins around his own body.
*"If you don't have a horse… then become the horse yourself,"* Mino said.