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A colossal magic circle blotted out the sky.The entire town was bathed in blinding light.
"Hahaha! See that?" Noren threw her head back in laughter, voice brimming with triumph. "This is the gift your princess has prepared for you!"
Her smile was sharp as a blade. "Unless you're one of the royal soldiers wearing those special gemstone seals… anyone caught inside this circle will have their stamina and mana drained away until nothing's left but bones."
Edgar watched quietly for a moment, then nodded slightly."Not bad. Nicely constructed magic circle."
Before anyone could react, he raised his hand casually — and the Demon Spear appeared in the air before him.
Bzzz—!
A low hum rolled across the square as he pulled the trigger. The air itself screamed. A beam of crimson energy shot skyward and slammed into the glowing formation above.
BOOM!
The sound was like thunder tearing the heavens apart.The magic circle — once pulsing with vast power — shattered like fragile glass, collapsing in an instant.
Even more shocking, the crimson beam didn't stop there. It tore straight through the fiery clouds overhead, punching a hole clean through the heavens.
For a long moment, no one moved. Everyone — even Hawkeye and Noren — stared in stunned disbelief, pupils contracting as if they'd seen a ghost.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
Edgar tilted his head toward Noren, a faint, mocking smile tugging at his lips."Guess your magic circle was a little… flimsy."
Noren froze, then snapped, her voice breaking with rage."What are you idiots standing there for? Attack!"
The kingdom's elite troops snapped out of their daze, weapons raised — but before they could charge, the Spirit of the Stars stepped forward, hands lifted gracefully.
"Sixth-tier spell — Sea of Trees!"
Woom—!
A brilliant sigil spread across the ground, and the earth itself began to roar.
Cracks split open beneath their feet.In the next heartbeat, countless black shapes burst upward — massive vines twisting and writhing as they tore through the streets, sweeping in every direction with unstoppable force.
Buildings shattered like toys. Streets vanished beneath the onslaught.
It was as if a monster had awakened to devour the town.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
"Princess Noren! Lord Hawkeye! Help—"
Their cries were cut short by screams as the vines crushed everything in their path. Blood sprayed. Bodies vanished beneath the chaos.
"A sixth-tier spell…? Just who is that woman?"Hawkeye's eyes narrowed, heart hammering. He didn't have time to think. His body moved on instinct, vanishing from sight.
Swish! Swish!
At the same moment, Satsuna and Anna flashed through the battlefield like streaks of light, cutting through squads of soldiers before they even realized what had happened.
Slash! Slash!Limbs flew. Blood sprayed in thick arcs.The air filled with screams.
"Ahhh—!"
Like reapers born from nightmares, the two women moved through the chaos, cutting down lives as easily as breathing.
"T-They're monsters… Those two women—how can they be that strong?!"
Even the royal knights guarding Noren trembled, faces pale with fear.
"Don't panic!" Noren barked, forcing steadiness into her voice. "This isn't over yet!"
She took a deep breath, using a voice amplification spell to issue rapid-fire orders to regroup and counterattack.
Edgar watched her with mild amusement — then began to clap.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"Impressive," he said, tone laced with sarcasm. "A true military genius. Still giving commands under this kind of pressure."
He tilted his head. "Let me guess — your next move is sending Hawkeye after me, right?"
Noren's face tightened.
In the next instant, a gleaming arrow cut across the battlefield, slicing through smoke and chaos, flying straight toward Edgar.
Crack!
Edgar raised his hand and caught it effortlessly — the arrow crumbled into dust between his fingers.
"He… caught my arrow?"Hawkeye's voice trembled in disbelief from his hidden perch. "With his bare hand? What kind of joke—?"
Then he heard a low, mocking voice behind him.
"Or maybe," it said softly, "you're just too weak."
Hawkeye's eyes widened. He spun around instinctively, flicking his wrists — dozens of throwing blades shot into the air behind him without even looking.
BOOM!
With a thunderous explosion, countless hidden weapons were obliterated by a surge of magical light.
Edgar stepped out of the smoke, smiling faintly."Your technique's much better than Braid's.If you had a hero's weapon, maybe—just maybe—you could've traded a few blows with me."
Hawkeye said nothing. His bow bent like a full moon.
Whoosh!
An arrow charged with magic sliced clean through the air—
Crack!
Edgar flicked his finger. The arrow shattered instantly, bursting into a spray of mana that tore apart nearby rooftops.
Through the swirling dust, more arrows flashed, each one trailing a killing intent so sharp it seemed to twist the air itself.
In the blink of an eye, Hawkeye drew his sword and closed the distance—barely a few feet between them.Arrows and swordlight intertwined, all aimed straight for Edgar's vital points: eyes, throat, heart…
"Doesn't matter how strong you are," Hawkeye's cold voice echoed."Remember this—you die by your own arrogance."
Edgar was indeed stronger than him.But once someone fell into Hawkeye's carefully laid assault pattern, escape was impossible.It had won him countless battles.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Arrows ricocheted off invisible barriers of magic.Sword met fist.
A metallic crash rang out—then Hawkeye's eyes widened in horror.An overwhelming force surged through his blade, splitting the skin between his thumb and forefinger. His sword flew from his grasp.
"You—"
That was all he managed before a fist filled his vision, growing larger and larger—then darkness swallowed everything.
In that final flicker of consciousness, he saw that demonic figure lower his fist with calm indifference.Only one thought echoed in his mind:
"It wasn't arrogance…He just never saw me as worth noticing."
On the other side, Noren and the kingdom's knights froze.
They couldn't believe it.One of the kingdom's three great heroes—Hawkeye—was dead. Just like that.
"Princess Nova, we should retreat!"
"Yeah… that man's a monster!"
Terror spread through the ranks. Even the bravest knights were shaken.
When Edgar's gaze turned toward them, Noren's composure faltered.
The magic formation was destroyed.Their soldiers lay dead or dying.Hawkeye had fallen.
The outcome was already sealed.
She bit her lip hard and forced out one word:"Retreat."
The knights looked relieved, ready to obey—
—but before they could move, Edgar raised his hand.
"Did I say you could leave?"
"Dimensional Matrix—Cut."
A blinding flash.
Slash! Slash!
In a heartbeat, the entire squad of royal knights was sliced apart—literally in half.
"Ah—!"
Noren's scream choked in her throat as her body was yanked forward, suddenly face-to-face with Edgar.
"Well, hello there, Princess Noren."
He gripped her by the neck and lifted her off the ground.Her face—so much like Freya's—made his fingers twitch with amusement.
When it came to sisterly resemblance, Noren and Freya easily outshone even the Miyan twins.
"The kingdom… won't forgive you," she gasped, kicking helplessly.
She blacked out before finishing the sentence.
By the time Edgar returned with Noren in hand to meet up with his group, the entire royal army had completely collapsed.
With their commander captured, no amount of training mattered anymore.
"Master, should we chase them down?"Shana's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Do as you like." Edgar shrugged with a grin. "I've got something more important to take care of."
Glancing at the unconscious princess, Shana hesitated for a moment—then got to work.
After all, watching others level up was nothing compared to doing it yourself.And these elite soldiers? Pure, top-tier experience points.
"..."
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