Reggie's Death!

In the blink of an eye, the sound of bodies hitting the floor echoed through the hall.

Reggie and Cedric stood frozen, their gazes locked on the fallen soldiers, their expressions blank with disbelief.

Harry walked calmly towards them, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, his steps measured and deliberate. The bodies of Reggie's elite soldiers, each one a trained warrior; lay scattered around him, defeated with a swiftness that seemed almost unreal.

"After waiting so long," Harry mused softly, "we're finally getting to the point, aren't we?"

His voice was eerily calm, almost as if he were remarking on the weather, rather than the carnage that surrounded them. "You brought this upon yourselves."

Reggie, still trying to process the scene, felt a cold sweat break out on his brow. Harry's strength was beyond anything he had anticipated. His mind raced, searching for an explanation. How could this have happened? How had he missed it?

Harry's gaze was steady, unflinching. "I didn't want to do this. Honestly, I didn't. You helped me once, Reggie. I could've killed you many times before this, but I didn't." Harry's smile faded slightly, replaced with a flicker of something almost regretful. "But you chose to push me. You chose to come after me. So now, I'm only doing what I must."

Reggie's heart pounded as he felt the weight of Harry's words sink in. The man before him, someone he had once called an ally, was no longer the person he thought he knew.

"What the hell are you?!" Reggie's voice trembled with a mix of anger and fear. He glanced at Cedric, who was still processing the chaos, and then made a quick, almost desperate decision. He met Cedric's eyes and gave a subtle nod. Without another word, both men lunged forward.

The two top knight apprentices, who had once been the pinnacle of strength in Ethan territory, now faced someone who had surpassed them in every way. With the full weight of their training behind them, they charged at Harry, their weapons raised high, ready to strike.

But Harry didn't flinch.

Instead, with a fluid motion, he drew his sword; a golden blade that seemed to hum with an otherworldly energy. As he lifted the weapon, the air around him seemed to crackle, as if the very space were bending to his will.

The moment the blade left its sheath, there was a flash of light, blinding and radiant.

"'Gale Sword!'" Harry's voice rang out, filled with a commanding power that resonated deep within the bones of everyone present.

The force of the strike sent shockwaves through the hall, so intense that the floor beneath them cracked open like dry earth beneath a hammer. The pillars of the hall buckled and splintered, sending debris flying in all directions. It was a single, devastating blow, a display of raw power that none of them had ever seen before.

Reggie and Cedric were launched backward by the force, their bodies slamming into the stone walls. The world spun around them, and they could taste blood in their mouths. The long swords they had been wielding shattered in their hands, their blades rendered useless by the overwhelming strength of Harry's strike.

They hit the ground hard, gasping for air, their vision blurry, the taste of blood mingling with the dust of the collapsed pillars. It felt as though their bones had been crushed under the weight of the blow.

Alfie stood frozen, his mind racing, trying to comprehend what had just happened. He looked from Harry, standing calmly amidst the wreckage, to the fallen Reggie and Cedric, both of whom were choking on their own blood, their faces twisted in shock and disbelief.

His mouth went dry, and his heart thudded in his chest. "What… what did I just see?"

All around them, the remaining soldiers hesitated, unsure whether to advance or retreat. Alfie's gaze shifted between Harry and the fallen knights, still processing the overwhelming display of power. He could feel the shift in the air, a palpable sense of danger, something he had never sensed before.

A low murmur spread through the room as the remaining knight apprentices slowly began to piece together what had just occurred. Even Alfie, who had always prided himself on his instincts, couldn't quite grasp the magnitude of it all, though one thing was clear.

Harry wasn't just a knight apprentice. No, this was something else entirely.

Cedric's voice was shaky, filled with a horrified awe. "Knight... How is that possible?"

His words hung in the air, the truth of them settling into the silence like a heavy weight. In the entire Ethan territory, there was only one knight, Baron Ethan himself. He was the only one who had earned that title, the only one whose strength had been enough to earn the respect of both allies and enemies alike.

And now, before them, was a man who had not only reached that same level of power but had surpassed it. A 'new' knight had appeared, and he was young, impossibly powerful, and now standing in front of them like a god amongst mortals.

"No... no way," Cedric stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief. "This can't be real."

Reggie, still gasping for air, his body aching from the impact, stared up at Harry in a daze. His mind was reeling, struggling to piece together the impossible. "Where did you… where did you get the Aura Technique?" he muttered, his voice low, almost a whisper. "Madam Glenda… or..."

His gaze flicked to Alfie, who still seemed dazed by the turn of events. A sudden realization hit Reggie, and his eyes widened in horror as he made the connection.

"Could it be..." he whispered, a sickening thought creeping into his mind.

Alfie was standing just a few feet away, looking just as confused as he was. But there was something in his eyes, something that made Reggie feel a cold shiver run down his spine.

"You!" Reggie spat, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Alfie, then back at Harry. "You've been playing me this whole time, haven't you?"

Alfie took a step back, his confusion deepening. "What are you talking about?"

But Reggie ignored him, his gaze fixated on Harry. He finally understood, and it terrified him.

Harry had been playing a long game, biding his time, pretending to be loyal while secretly plotting to take everything. Reggie had been blind to it all; blind to the true threat standing before him.

And now it was too late.

"You were the one who stole the Aura Technique of Baron Senda's family!"

Reggie's voice cracked with shock, his eyes bulging wide as he looked at Harry. He staggered backward, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword, but it was clear he was lost—utterly defeated by the revelation.

Harry's lips curled into a thin, almost mocking smile. "So, you figured it out." He tilted his head, clearly amused. "Not as dumb as I thought."

Reggie took a deep breath, his mind racing, trying to catch up with the new reality that was unfolding before him. "Did you let Alice go on purpose? Was that part of your plan?" he asked, his voice tight, laced with suspicion.

"Ah, you guessed it right," Harry answered, his tone almost cheerful. He stepped forward, closing the gap between them, his presence overwhelming. "At least you're not completely stupid."

Reggie's heart skipped a beat. "But you are wrong about one thing." Harry continued, his eyes gleaming with something dangerous. "It's not like Miss Alice left."

Harry's words hung in the air as he took another deliberate step toward Reggie, his gaze cold as ice. "I killed her with my own hands."

The words hit Reggie like a physical blow. His face drained of color as Harry's chilling confession cut through the tension like a blade.

"And then," Harry went on, a sick smile forming, "I fed her body to the dogs."

Reggie's knees buckled. He looked like he might fall, but he caught himself, his mind reeling, struggling to process the magnitude of what he had just heard.

"I see," Reggie muttered, barely able to get the words out. "So that's how it is."

A sickening clarity washed over him. The fragments of clues he had once dismissed now all came crashing together, painting a grim picture. The pieces of a puzzle he hadn't been able to solve were suddenly laid bare.

He realized, with a sickening lurch in his stomach, how utterly foolish his actions had been. His eyes flicked toward the fallen soldiers and then back to Harry, who stood with an eerie calmness in the aftermath of the carnage.

He had been so obsessed with the family Aura Technique, clinging to it like it was the most precious thing in the world; that he had never even considered the possibility that it wasn't as valuable as he had believed. Harry had stolen the technique from Baron Senda's family, and now, he had no need for the ancient Aura Techniques that Reggie had fought so hard to claim. It was all a game, and Reggie had been nothing more than a pawn in it.

And then it hit him, the news from Madam Glenda. 'It was all a lie.'

Everything that had been feeding Reggie's paranoia, everything he'd believed, had been a carefully woven web of deception. Glenda had used him, feeding him false information to drive him to attack Harry.

Reggie's face twisted in realization as the truth settled in. He had been played. And now, it was too late.

"Harry," Reggie said, his voice trembling as he finally managed to stand upright, "Let me go." His voice softened, his tone pleading. "I was wrong. All of this… it's because of that woman, Glenda. She's the one who made me think you were a traitor."

He looked at Harry with desperate eyes, his mind still trying to hold on to the hope that there was a way out of this. "Give me another chance. We can work together to find her and make her pay for this. We can fix this… together."

Harry's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "Oh, you finally woke up, huh?" His voice was low, but there was an edge of mockery to it. "It seems like you're not 'that' stupid after all."

He took another slow step forward, his eyes fixed on Reggie, his expression hardening. "Unfortunately, it's too late."

Before Reggie could even react, before he could even comprehend what was happening, Harry swung his sword in a single, swift motion.

Reggie froze, his eyes wide in shock. His mouth opened as though he were about to say something, perhaps an apology, perhaps a final plea; but no words came.

In an instant, his body collapsed, the head severed cleanly from his shoulders. It hit the ground with a sickening thud, blood splattering across the floor in a crimson spray.

Al, standing just a few feet away, was caught by the spray. He felt the hot blood splatter across his face, his chest, and the front of his tunic. He stood there, motionless, his eyes wide, his mind too numb to process the scene unfolding before him.

Reggie; his brother, his flesh and blood, had just been killed in the most casual manner imaginable. It was as though Harry had swatted a fly, so effortlessly, so coldly.

Al's heart pounded in his chest, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. "Reggie is dead..." he whispered, his voice barely a breath.

His mind was in shock, unable to fully comprehend the brutal reality of what had just happened. No matter the tension between them, Reggie had always been family. Now, that family was gone in a moment, snuffed out without hesitation.

The whole process; Reggie's death, had been so swift, so merciless. It was as though Reggie had never been more than a nuisance to Harry, something easily discarded without a second thought.

"Standing still on the battlefield will only give others the opportunity to kill you," Harry's voice cut through Alfie's fog of confusion, sharp and unwavering.

Alfie didn't even realize he had been standing there, frozen, until Harry's voice reached his ears. He looked up, startled, as Harry slowly approached him. The blood on Alfie's clothes seemed to stand out even more against the pallor of his face.

Harry stopped in front of him, his expression unreadable. He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Brother Alfie," he said with a knowing look, "you always wanted to go to the battlefield, right? You can't be like this. You can't afford to freeze up when the world is moving around you."

Alfie felt a chill run through his spine at the weight of Harry's words. He was right. But still, he stood there, unsure of what to do next.

"Yes," Alfie said quietly, his voice almost drowned by the pounding of his heart. He swallowed hard, then nodded reluctantly. "I understand."

But inside, something had broken. He was supposed to be the older brother, the one who could protect, the one who could guide. Yet here he was, standing like a servant before Harry, too terrified to move, too stunned by the horror unfolding in front of him.

Harry turned away, dismissing him as he made his way toward the exit. The events of the day had sealed something irrevocable. There would be no going back. Alfie knew that. But how was he supposed to move forward when everything he thought he knew had just been shattered?

In the silence that followed, Alfie stood alone, his gaze fixed on the bloody remains of his brother, unsure whether to mourn or to simply survive.