The Massacre
I fought to free myself and block the attack from the man before he could reach me.
The fierce clash came only after Sophia's arrow struck its target. Her shot had enough power to pierce through the bandit's armor, lifting him off the ground and sending him sprawling backward several meters, pinning him to the earth.
"Too bad you had to face Sophia, poor man," I thought bitterly.
Sophia narrowed her eyes as she notched another arrow. I could vaguely see mana gathering in her right eye as she closed her left. In an instant, another empowered arrow flew, cutting through the air with a sharp hiss and striking an enemy warrior.
Her brow furrowed in intense concentration as her arrow struck the enemy warrior's chest with a metallic clang. The foe staggered back but managed to stay on his feet using the arrow for balance. However, before he could even react, the second arrow pierced his forehead, and the light faded from his eyes.
Meanwhile, I was locked in a brutal duel with a knight wielding a long chain whip. My disadvantage was clear as my sword's reach fell short. I did everything I could to avoid the unpredictable lashings of the whip.
It was evident that my opponent knew how much he was troubling me as he sneered, licking his lips. "I'll make sure to treat your friend nicely before I sell her. Hehehe," he hissed, followed by another lip lick.
His taunts infuriated me, but for now, all I could do was dodge the knight's relentless attacks. I lacked the confidence to overcome someone so seasoned in battle.
It pained me to acknowledge how far I was lagging behind. I tried to think of a way to counterattack, but nothing came to mind. I could only grit my teeth and endure.
The earth wall held firm; no arrows could penetrate. Focusing on Sophia, I watched as her left hand directed the earth wall, maintaining a steady flow of mana to keep it from collapsing. She created a narrow gap in the wall to get a view of the scattered enemies and archers trying to flee.
"Beware, Sky and Earth, heed my call. Strike down my enemies. Do not let them live."
[Rupture Spike]
After a brief delay, the sky darkened, and thunder rumbled. Lightning soon struck the archers on the cliff and the fleeing bandits with swift precision, their screams echoing just before they met their end.
Sophia looked utterly exhausted from the spell, her jaw clenched as beads of sweat ran down her pale face.
At that moment, I noticed the red-haired man standing before Sophia. His grip on her hair pulled her up, aligning her with his towering height. Sophia's pale face turned to meet his gaze.
"How beautiful you look up close. Hehehe," he leered, licking his lips.
"Don't touch Sophia, you filthy bastard!" I was still trying to fend off the knight's attacks.
At this point, I felt a heat rising within me, reminiscent of the mana surge I experienced during the Coronation Ceremony. With renewed determination, I managed to fend off the knight's attack, "You're quite resilient, still holding up."
Breathing heavily after escaping the knight's assault, I clenched the ground, dark aura flowing from my arm, breaking through the fabric of my armor.
"But it seems you've reached your limit, kid. This is the end for you." The knight approached slowly, raising a massive sword from his back.
"Goodbye, boy!" As he swung the sword toward my head, I caught it with one hand.
The knight looked shocked as I held his massive sword with just one hand. My hand, enveloped in dark aura, crushed the blade into fragments. "H-How could you...?" The knight stumbled back, his sword shattered.
I began rising from the ground, my body enveloped in a swirling, dark purple aura. The only emotions I felt were hatred and rage, especially seeing Sophia treated this way. It was my anger that fueled the power of my element.
I walked slowly toward the knight, who stumbled and fell to the ground after tripping over a rock. "You, all the sins you've committed, you will pay for them today." My eyes, now glowing red, stared into the knight's.
The man struggled to free himself from my iron grip, his face turning blue from lack of oxygen. As I whispered, "Perish!" his body disintegrated into dust with no trace remaining.
The bandits, witnessing the destruction, were terrified by my power. They fled, but I quickly entered their shadows and pulled them into their own darkness, leaving no survivors.
I emerged from the shadows and looked toward the cliff... Eight archers remained. I summoned my Dark Element, taking the form of a dragon, to attack them.
The dragon of dark energy surged toward them. "Arrghhh!" They recoiled in fear at the sight of the dragon before being swiftly obliterated by its attack.
Helen, witnessing this, stood frozen in fear at my overwhelming power. In the blink of an eye, I was before her.
I gripped her throat with intense fury. I stabbed directly into her chest, using my hand to extract her Mana Core. Helen, unable to endure the pain, died as I pulled out her Mana Core.
Her lifeless body fell to the ground. I moved swiftly through the shadows toward Jacob, the red-haired man. He was about to touch Sophia, but before he could satisfy his vile desire...
Eizan lifted Jacob into the air, making him release his grip on Sophia's hair.
"How... How could a kid like you defeat a Class B knight?" Jacob struggled to break free from my grasp.
At this point, I could no longer control myself. My emotions erupted as I saw Jacob's intentions toward Sophia.
I halted my ascent at 8,000 meters above sea level. "How dare you, filthy bastard, touch Sophia with those dirty hands?" I released a sharp, dark aura from my body.
"P-Please... A-Apologize..." Jacob was terrified, begging for mercy.
"Die in your regret, Jacob... I will not allow someone like you to be reborn in the future." I stabbed Jacob's heart with the sharp, dark aura, extracting his Mana Core to prevent his revival.
"Arrrghhh...!!!" Jacob's scream vanished as I took his Mana Core.
After killing Jacob, I descended back to the ground and went to Sophia, who had fainted from overusing her mana. I began channeling my energy to her. "Hang in there, Sophia!"