The moment Kazien and Alvin crossed deeper into the forest, a suffocating aura thickened around them. The trees were tall enough to drown out the sky, their branches twisting together like skeletal arms. The scattered remains of crushed vegetation showed just how large the monster herd was. The air still carried the metallic scent of fresh blood.
Neither of them slowed down.
Their sharp footsteps echoed quietly over the forest floor—until an enormous shadow streaked between the trees.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the ground beneath them. A plume of smoke and debris burst upward as the soil cracked open. Birds scattered into the sky with frantic cries. The shockwave knocked leaves from the branches and sent them swirling violently around the two figures.
The blast was the monsters' first response.
And it triggered their full aggression.
From every direction, glowing eyes flickered between the shadows. Dozens—no, hundreds—of monsters emerged all at once. Their screams blended together into a hideous roar that reverberated inside the forest.
Kazien did not flinch.
"Alvin," he said calmly, his hand already tightening around the hilt of his magic sword, "just use your magic arrows. We're wiping all of them out."
"Gladly," Alvin replied, his green-mint eyes blazing with fury. "I'll blow them up with fire arrows."
A small smirk curved on Kazien's lips. "Hahaha—then let's make this battle something spectacular."
"Of course, my dear." Alvin raised his bow, drawing back the shimmering magical string. "These monsters preyed on innocent people. They deserve nothing but destruction."
Sizzle! Sizzle!!
The fire arrow that Alvin shot was so fiery. The heat spread outward, as if burning the air around them.
Kazien moved first.
Zrash!
His light-element magic sword flashed with blinding brilliance as it sliced through the forest. The blade cut so cleanly through the first monster's neck that the creature didn't even have time to scream. Its head fell silently before the body collapsed a second later.
Zrash! Zrash!
He moved like a streak of light through the monsters, weaving through their massive bodies with astonishing speed. Every step, every swing, every pivot was executed with perfect precision.
Bodies fell around him like raindrops.
At the same time—
Fsh! BOOM!!
Alvin released his fire arrow. It whistled through the air with terrifying speed before piercing deep into a monster's chest. A brilliant explosion erupted at the point of impact, engulfing the creature in flames.
Then the flames spread.
Crack! Crack! Bang!
Trees snapped and toppled as the blast sent shockwaves outward. Fire consumed the surrounding branches. Smoke spiraled upward, turning the once serene forest into a blazing battlefield.
Kazien laughed as the firelight flickered across his face.
"My future wife is indeed the best! I will attack them all!!"
He vanished.
To the monsters, he simply disappeared. But in reality, he propelled himself forward with such force that even the wind struggled to keep up.
Zap!
He reappeared right in front of the next monster—a giant wolf-like creature with horns sprouting from its skull. Before the monster could even raise a paw—
Zrash!
Its torso split in half, the clean cut glowing with traces of light magic.
Zrash! Zrash! Zrash!
Kazien moved like a phantom dancing among the flames, each slash killing in a single strike. His sword made arcs of glowing light that carved through monster flesh like it was nothing.
The forest rang with agonized screams and the crackling of burning trees.
"Hahaha! Is that all you've got? Come on then—give it your all, sweet monsters!" Kazien taunted, his voice filled with wild exhilaration.
Above them, Lidaz circled in the sky, watching everything unfold with wide, unblinking eyes.
From his vantage point, the battle wasn't a fight.
It was a slaughter.
It wasn't even close.
I almost pity them, Lidaz thought as he folded his wings and glided lower. Master Kazien and Master Alvin are far too strong… These poor monsters never stood a chance.
Back on the ground, panic rippled through the monster herd. The surviving creatures tried to flee, realizing the hopelessness of attacking these two unstoppable beings.
But Kazien wasn't going to let them escape.
"Trying to run away?" Kazien whispered coldly as he raised his sword.
Alvin landed beside him with a soft thud, his boots skidding slightly along the scorched earth.
"My dear," Alvin said, panting softly from the effort of releasing so many arrows, "don't let a single one survive. If even one gets away, they'll return and kill others."
Kazien nodded once.
"Leave it to me."
He closed his eyes briefly. His magical energy surged outward, spreading through the air like a shockwave. Light swirled around him, forming glowing rings that hovered above the ground.
Then—
Thousands of arrows made of pure light materialized above Kazien. Each arrow hummed with intense energy, vibrating with the deadly sharpness of condensed magic.
The monsters looked up, frozen in terror.
Kazien opened his eyes.
"Die!"
Zip! Zip! Zip!!
The arrows rained down like a storm.
Each arrow struck with deadly precision, piercing through monster hide, bone, and flesh as easily as air. Screams rose in a horrifying chorus, echoing through the once peaceful forest.
ROOOAR—GAHHH—SKREEEE!!
Groans and howls filled the air as the creatures writhed, stumbled, and fell. Blood splattered across the trees and ground. Smoke and dust mixed with the smell of burning fur.
Lidaz watched from above, letting out a soft cry.
Merciless… Master Kazien is truly merciless today.
The ground shook with the force of the massacre. The glow from Kazien's arrows lit up the forest like stars falling from the heavens.
Soon, silence began to overtake the chaos.
One by one, the monster screams faded.
Until none remained.
The forest was still again—too still.
Kazien lowered his hand. The last traces of light dissolved into the air like dust.
Alvin walked toward him, stepping over charred leaves and broken branches.
"My dear… I'm glad we came in time. If we arrived later, the monsters would have surely attacked another village."
Kazien wiped the blood from his cheek using the back of his hand. "I know."
He didn't smile. Not this time.
The corpses of the villagers were still fresh in his mind.
Burned homes. Torn bodies. Children who didn't even have time to scream.
Kazien clenched his fist tightly.
Burned homes. Torn bodies. Children who didn't even have time to scream.
Kazien clenched his fist tightly.
"They killed innocent people. And from now on… I won't let it happen again."
Alvin approached him and placed a hand on his arm.."I'm with you. Wherever you go, whatever you do… I'll always be with you."
Then, Kazien healed and stored all the monster bodies they had killed in his storage dimension. He was convinced that all the monsters he had killed would be useful to the people affected by the disaster.
But suddenly a rumbling sound was heard from a distance, followed by the ground and trees around them began to shake.
"Alvin, something very big and fast is rushing here? Prepare yourselves!"
Hop! He managed to avoid the attack by jumping to the left.
What was that? His movement was so fast!
"My dear, what was that? I can't even-"
"Alvin, watch out from your left!"
Zap!
Alvin managed to dodge the attack using his blink.
Crack! Bang!
The trees began to fall due to the sudden attack launched by the mysterious creature. But one thing they were certain of was—that the real battle was about to begin.