Losing Experience

A blade made of pure dark mana flux was pointed at Hanzo while he lay in defeat, beaten by his own strategy, which had been perfectly mirrored. At that moment, Hanzo had completely lost and accepted his terrible fate, being underprepared to fight the legendary evil. His life flashed before his eyes as he surrendered to the fate described in the Scroll of Deviance.

His right hand went numb, blood flooding his face from the head wound, and slowly, Hanzo began to lose consciousness. Yet, he didn't yield. He still fought against his failing body, trying to hold onto every detail about Schordinger—his appearance, combat abilities, weaknesses, and why he seemed human on the inside. In those fleeting moments of awareness, Hanzo vowed to remember, to hunt him down if he survived this ordeal.

"It's over... It's over, hahaha," Hanzo let out a final, hollow laugh.

Pitying him, Schordinger withdrew his blade of mana and stood tall. He never intended to kill Hanzo, viewing him only as a minor obstacle, easily removed with a single decisive strike. Unlike the other warlords, Schordinger did not thirst for blood, glory, or the thrill of a killing spree. He simply did what was necessary, leaving once his objective was fulfilled.

Hanzo, witnessing Schordinger's decision to spare his life, felt a wave of confusion. What was he planning? Forcing his body to stay awake, he strained to observe Schordinger's next move. Yet after a moment, Schordinger did nothing but stare at him. At this point, Hanzo was lost—unsure of Schordinger's true objective—and decided to play along.

"What are you doing? Come on, finish it!" Hanzo groaned, shifting his body as he leaned against the wall behind him. "What is it? What do you want? Is this how you humiliate your enemies? By staring them to death?" His voice cracked, and a wave of despair washed over him.

Throughout the battle, Schordinger remained silent, never uttering a word, and countered every move Hanzo threw at him. As time passed, the battle grew increasingly one-sided. Schordinger had no intention of wasting time, effortlessly matching Hanzo's speed and overpowering him with raw strength.

But Schordinger had one clear motive for staring deeply into Hanzo's soul. Slowly, he extended his arm towards him, leaving Hanzo bewildered by the unexpected gesture. Confused by his enemy's offer, Hanzo smacked Schordinger's hand away and forced himself to stand on his own.

"No, thanks." Hanzo hobbled away.

Truth be told, Schordinger hadn't intended to help him stand or humiliate him with his stare after the fight. He turned to watch Hanzo struggle to shift his weight as he walked away. Schordinger quickened his pace, catching up to Hanzo, who moved slowly. Once he was in front of him, Schordinger drew his seldom-used sword and threatened him.

"Isn't it enough? You humiliate me with those eyes of yours!" Hanzo replied in an angry tone.

"Don't get me wrong."

Using his gaze, Schordinger pointed to the prize he should have received. He had no idea what the prize was, as it had been newly developed in this era, where humans could overextend their curiosity and create something wild. Nothing from the past could compare to the new technology of this age.

The two-wheeled vehicle had a unique rectangular body shape adorned with light strips all around. At first glance, Schordinger had no idea what lay behind the curtain until he realized there were wheels beneath the body. He assumed that anything with wheels was designed for transporting people from one point to another, which he found beneficial for his mission.

Hanzo, on the other hand, was so frightened that he forgot the trinket he was supposed to give to Schordinger upon his defeat. His imagination of Schordinger relentlessly taking his soul quickly faded, leading him to assume that the legendary figure was not as savage as history had portrayed. The Schordinger standing before him was, in fact, a complex individual with thoughts and a rational mind.

"You! How could I have been so ignorant? You've probably never seen this before." Hanzo said, slowly walking towards the vehicle, which he assumed was the trinket meant for Schordinger. "No, you probably didn't realize that this is just our ordinary mode of transportation."

Regardless of its perceived value, Schordinger still wanted to claim his prize. "Doesn't matter. Show me how it works."

Hanzo then retrieved something from his chest that Schordinger was supposed to dig for, an act of violence that people always feared. The object hidden within Hanzo's chest was a uniquely shaped key used to turn the vehicle on. He threw the key to Schordinger, who caught it perfectly.

"Insert it into the hole with the corresponding shape. Rotate the right handle to make the two-wheeled vehicle move forward, and pull the hand trigger to stop it. That's all there is to it," Hanzo explained.

Schordinger sheathed his sword and walked towards the two-wheeled vehicle, completely ignoring Hanzo. In one swift motion, he hopped onto the vehicle and started it up, following Hanzo's instructions.

The two-wheeled vehicle roared to life, illuminating the surroundings with its installed lights. As it powered up, the body expanded, revealing the wheels beneath and disabling the automatic stabilizer. Schordinger planted one leg on the ground to keep the vehicle steady. He slowly rotated the handle, feeling the vehicle move, and pulled the trigger to test the brakes.

"Then, for the final part, I'll send you above the ground. Consider this the next trial Don Valentino has prepared for you." Hanzo made his way to the control box on the wall.

As he walked slowly, Schordinger seized the opportunity to deliver his last words. "Warrior."

"Hanzo is fine."

"Then Hanzo, don't think for a moment that I'm a merciful Warlord of the Evil Queen simply because I spared your life. Remember this: I've chosen you to be a pawn in her game, whether you like it or not. Soon, everything will unfold as she has planned," Schordinger explained, a hint of menace in his tone.

Hanzo reached the control box and pulled the lever to elevate the ground beneath Schordinger. "Screw that. I won't fall for your scheme, nor will I stand by your side. Next time we meet, it will be the end for one of us."

"And that is still part of her grand design," Schordinger replied as he began to lift off the ground.

As he disappeared, Hanzo stared into his eyes, watching his departure into the heights. Schordinger returned the gaze ominously. A wave of guilt washed over Hanzo, as if he were releasing a savage beast into civilization. Despite only having a fleeting acquaintance with Schordinger through their brief clash, he felt the weight of the moment.

Finally, Hanzo could let his mind rest after enduring the agony of maintaining his consciousness. He sank to his knees, his back leaning against the wall behind him.

Despite his defeat at the hands of Schordinger, Hanzo successfully completed his mission to gather battle data on his foe using hidden snapper devices scattered throughout the room, as well as the armor he wore. Unbeknownst to him, he had managed to survive their encounter, intending to utilise the armor to collect additional data on Schordinger's mana flow, attack power, and other metrics. However, since Hanzo was still alive, the data could not be transferred automatically.

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The platform door opened, bringing the object above ground. An army platoon of The Union surrounded the area, fully prepared for whatever might emerge. Even if the anticipated enemies employed their elite fighters, The Elite Hounds, and used Hanzo of Astarea as a meat shield, they wouldn't hesitate to attack if necessary.

The truth would soon unfold: a military platoon of The Union was about to face the legendary evil of the past and witness his prowess firsthand. They readied their guns beside their faces, aiming and scanning for any signs of the enemy. However, the mana flow was lacking, as if no one had ever been there. They had been briefed about their enemy's use of a ring that could conceal the user's mana flow, making the likelihood of their enemy's presence seem almost nonexistent.

The intense waiting endured by the platoon finally came to an end as the platform, which had promised to bring their enemy to light, reached their level. To their shock, the soldiers surrounding the platform found no one waiting for them—only the two-wheel vehicle that should have been used by their foe had he survived the onslaught of The Elite Hounds.

The platoon stood in confusion, unable to trace the whereabouts of their enemy. The team assigned to monitor that specific foe had lost him at some point during the platform's ascent. The delayed report from the surveillance team sent the platoon into a state of panic. To make matters worse, their communication was suddenly jammed, providing the enemy with a critical opportunity to escape.

As the platoon ran in panic, their enemy, Schordinger, waltzed through the chaos as if nothing had happened. For a brief moment, he removed his mana concealment ring, unleashing a terrifying magical aura that completely paralyzed the soldiers with weak to mid-level mana condensation. Only three out of the twenty soldiers, those with strong wills and robust mana condensation, were able to stand their ground before him.

However, the three who managed to stand before him were not immune to the terrorizing effect of Schordinger's dark aura, resulting in their poor performance against him.

"O brave soldiers who stand before me, I declare that you have passed into the next stage of her grand scheme," Schordinger declared ominously.

The three soldiers, confused and bewildered, struggled to comprehend what their enemy meant. Without further hesitation, they attacked Schordinger simultaneously, each casting the elemental magic they were proficient in: fire, ice, and wind, aiming to create elemental chaos around him.

"Thus, I shall grant you a less painful losing experience!"

Schordinger effortlessly countered their magic attacks, conjuring an overwhelming surge of mana that resulted in a massive clash. Those unable to withstand the force of the collision were thrown off by their own mana flux, leaving only one soldier standing. Judging by his physique, he belonged to the hound-beastman race and appeared to hold a low military rank, as indicated by the dog tag he wore.

Schordinger unleashed his finishing move against the soldier who had survived the clash. True to his vow, Schordinger intended to use his least powerful attack to conclude the fight. However, even this minimal effort proved far too much for the low-ranked soldier to endure. Schordinger delivered a powerful punch to the soldier's epigastrium, leaving him unconscious on the spot.

Looking at his hand, Schordinger contemplated the immense power he bore within himself, a force he struggled to control fully. He hadn't intended for the last standing soldier to fall unconscious, yet the vast power gap had made it inevitable. Schordinger was confident that no organs had been destroyed in the process, but he had nonetheless inflicted a level of pain that would leave the soldier in shock.

Schordinger walked toward the trinket he had earned, slipping his ring back on to conceal his mana flux. To those who had been observing him, he shot a menacing glance, as if daring them to come closer, ready to strike at any moment. The formidable figure watching Schordinger's actions smiled, anticipation coursing through him as he prepared for the inevitable clash of fists.

Schordinger hopped onto the two-wheel vehicle and started its engine. With a swift rotation of the handle, he sped off towards the main revolutionary camp, which was nearly deserted as half the crew was still engaged in a pursuit with the Union's military forces.

Meanwhile, Fiona fought valiantly alongside Buffon, determined to protect the carriage with every last drop of blood. "Jerome, please hurry…" she pleaded.