The bandits kept running endlessly. They darted and vanished beneath the ground, reappearing and disappearing again with erratic rhythm and direction, their speed unnaturally high. Only after a long while did they finally come to a halt.
"Duy Thai, we've jumped far more steps than usual this time. Do you think we've shaken them off?" one bandit asked, panting.
The fiery armor around Duy Thai's body slowly disintegrated, crumbling away like ashes. He replied in a calm but firm tone:
"Using THO-step can only shake off those hounds relying on foresight. Remember, we are dealing with royal guardians. Our movements are being tracked and observed. From now on, we must tread with even greater caution."
Another bandit snapped, his voice full of frustration and bitterness:
"If we keep going like this, how are we supposed to survive? Life is already unbearable as it is. All we ever did was rob nobles, yet now we're being hunted down!"
Duy Thai's eyes hardened. He spoke with unshaken seriousness:
"They too are enduring upheavals, the same as us… We wait until the King is replaced. Then, and only then, will we strike."
The disgruntled bandit's face twisted with rage. He shouted, his words dripping with contempt:
"You're nothing but an orphan merchant brat we picked up and fed! Now you dare act like you're above us? Who gave you the right to command anyone?"
Duy Thai lowered his head for a moment, silent. Then, with a sudden sharp glare, he lifted his eyes and fixed them on the man. From the earth, chains as black as shadow surged upward, writhing like serpents before coiling tightly around the bandit's body.
"I AM NOT PREACHING…" Duy Thai's voice rose, trembling with fury. "THIS IS MY COMMAND."
His face, once calm, now twisted into a mask of madness. A manic smile spread across his lips, betraying a hunger, a suppressed desire to kill this man he had long held in contempt.
Gradually, the madness faded, his features smoothing into an eerie calm once again. The shadow chains began to sink back into the ground. But the captured bandit was left gasping, his body weak and trembling, as though all his strength had been sucked dry.
The others hurried forward, voicing hurried excuses:
"Perhaps he only fears we'll make mistakes."
"He only thinks of what's best for us, his brothers…"
But Duy Thai paid them no mind. Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Suddenly, the weakened bandit burst into bitter laughter. Tears streaked down his dirty face as he laughed and sobbed at once, his voice breaking in pain and despair.
"You're wrong… acting like this will only bring death upon us all one day!"
Duy Thai halted. Slowly, he turned his head back toward the man.
The shadow chains that had been retreating suddenly constricted with brutal force—
BOOM.
The man's body was crushed to pulp. Flesh and bone exploded outward, scattering grotesquely across the forest floor. Blood splattered in thick pools, soaking the earth in crimson.
Without so much as a glance back, Duy Thai resumed walking, leaving behind only the mangled remains of the man and a suffocating silence.
The rest of the bandits froze in horror. The air itself seemed heavy, filled with dread, as they stared at the carnage. None dared to speak.
In that moment, the absolute authority of Duy Thai was carved into their hearts.