The explosion hurled Rion downward like a meteor. He crashed through the roof of a burning hut, splintering timber and sending up a choking storm of dust and ash that blanketed the entire village. The ground shuddered.
Bren glanced at Mira; the massive fireball had been hers. From a distance their eyes met. She gave a small, solemn nod. Mira answered with the faintest of smiles. No words were needed; years of drilled teamwork spoke for them.
Bren turned to Lira, voice tight with worry.
"Lira, get out of here. Go to Mira. It's too dangerous."
Lira gripped her staff tighter, nodded once, and sprinted toward Mira.
Bren watched her go, exhaling in quiet relief.
S-rank healer… she only joined this low-tier party because of me. She should be somewhere far safer.
From inside the collapsed hut came a roar that shook the entire village.
"HAAO'O'O'O'O'O'O'!!!"
Through the swirling black dust, two glowing crimson eyes burned like twin furnaces. Rion had not yet fully emerged, yet his presence alone seemed to darken the sky.
Bren's smirk faltered.
"Finally angry, are we?"
The answer came instantly.
Rion exploded from the wreckage, faster than wind, strikes flashing like lightning. A barrage of fists rained down on Bren so rapidly the air itself vibrated. Bren staggered, barely able to track every blow, parrying and countering on pure instinct. The clash of mana and steel echoed across the burning ruins.
At the village edge, Noa stood frozen, fists clenched so hard blood dripped unnoticed from his bitten fingers. His breathing was ragged, heart hammering.
He turned to Kargal.
"This village belongs to us. That dragon belongs to me. Tell me their levels and abilities."
Kargal studied the battlefield with cold precision.
"Swordsman: early seventh circle.
Mage: early fifth circle.
Healer: high second circle.
Tank: large shield and sword, early eighth circle.
Archer…" He turned his head. "…early sixth circle."
Noa stared at the ground, then looked up.
"Can you beat the archer?"
Kargal's skeletal face showed a flicker of pride.
"Of course, Master. Even if he's higher rank, one clean strike is all I need."
Noa's voice grew colder.
"Archers have sharp senses."
"Yes, Master."
"Then I'll create that one opening for you. You will have only one chance."
Kargal bowed.
"As you command. But how?"
Noa rose slowly.
"The healer has incredible recovery but no defense and no offense. The mage is completely focused on Rion; while casting, all attention is on the spell. I can stay hidden and kill both. While I do that… you finish the archer."
Kargal's empty sockets gleamed.
"Understood, Master!"
Noa placed a small hand on Kargal's skull and gave it a gentle shake.
"You saw them through walls. You even read their exact circles. You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"
Kargal hesitated only a moment.
"Master… my thermal vision is different from others. I can see through several layers of obstacles. With it I can also read a person's exact power level."
Noa allowed himself a tiny, chilling smile.
"Good."
He stood.
"Then we begin."
He turned to the goblins behind him, voice dropping into something ancient and commanding.
"You will attack from the front."
The goblins exchanged uneasy glances but bowed, ready to die on his word.
Noa darted forward into the smoke and shadow. Kargal melted into the treeline, gliding silently toward the archer perched high above.
Back in the center, Rion's relentless onslaught forced Bren backward step by step. Bren gripped his sword in both hands, no longer bothering with defense; only raw, furious offense.
"This ends here!" he roared.
Rion saw the opening and took it. His right claw smashed into Bren's ribs. Two sharp cracks rang out as bones snapped.
Yet… Bren barely flinched.
Rion's eyes widened.
Why didn't that affect him?!
In that split second of shock, Bren brought his sword down with every ounce of strength left in his body. Rion tried to leap back, but it was too late. The blade flashed like a falling star.
"SHLAAAK!"
Blood sprayed from Rion's chest in a crimson arc. The cut was clean but not deep; Bren's power had already begun to wane.
Rion gritted his teeth, black mana crackling around his claws.
"DRAGON TALON!"
Five blades of pure black-draconic energy erupted from his fingertips and screamed toward Bren.
BOOOOOM!!!
The blast tore up the earth and sent a pillar of dust skyward. Rion dropped to one knee, breathing hard, a victorious whisper escaping his lips.
"I told you… you entered this fight without victory."
The dust slowly cleared.
Rion's triumphant expression shattered.
Bren still stood, one hand clutching his cracked ribs, blood trickling from his mouth, but completely alive inside a shimmering golden barrier.
Bren managed a pained, grateful smile.
Thank you, Mira…
Rion's gaze snapped to the distant mage, then swept across the burning corpses of his kin and the warriors cutting them down.
Am I… going to lose?
At that very moment…
Noa slipped between the ruined huts, almost within reach of Lira. He pressed himself against a crumbling wall, breathing slow and shallow.
"I can feel them," he whispered, voice utterly calm. "They're standing too close together. That complicates things…"
A mocking voice echoed inside his skull, equal parts scorn and command:
"Scared, Noa? Just go and kill them."
Noa was silent for several seconds, the image of Rion dying flashing behind his eyes.
His gaze fell on a jagged, broken wooden stake lying in the dirt. He picked it up without a sound, testing its weight between blood-slick fingers.
Then he moved.
Noa glided forward in perfect silence until he stood directly behind Mira.
She was completely focused on channeling healing waves toward the distant, battered Bren; every ounce of her attention poured into the wounded warrior, utterly unaware of the small shadow closing in. Lira stood farther off, slightly downhill; perfect positioning for what came next.
A dark, predatory smile curved Noa's lips.
"Time to make your ass speak
The instant Lira's senses tingled, it was already too late.
Noa's left hand clamped over her mouth like a steel trap. With his right he drove the sharpened wooden shard upward, plunging it deep into the soft flesh of her throat again and again without hesitation. Blood jetted in hot bursts, splattering across Noa's face and hair, the rest soaking into the earth.
Lira's eyes flew wide in pure terror. Pupils contracted to pinpricks. Hot tears spilled instantly down her cheeks. Her fingers clawed desperately at Noa's arm, nails scraping skin, but the boy did not flinch. When the stake snapped, he simply let it fall and locked both small hands over her mouth and nose, crushing the life from her lungs.
She thrashed once, legs buckling. A muffled, dying gurgle vibrated against his palms, then nothing. The light behind her eyes guttered out; the final warmth bled from her body into the dirt.
Noa lowered the corpse gently, almost tenderly, arranging it on its side with the care one might show a fallen doll; not a sound betraying the act.
Then, without hurry, without remorse, or hesitation; as calm and methodical as the most seasoned assassin; he turned and began walking toward Mira.
Hello friends, if you like the chapter, don't forget to save it to your power stone and library. Even if it's a promotional chapter, why do you think the activity is low? I'm waiting for your answer in the comments.