Chapter 2

"Raging crimson, born from the ancient dragon's breath of fierce flames—devour! Flames of Purgatory!"

As the man in the blue robe finished his incantation, a whirlwind of flames erupted.

In an instant, the entire field of vision turned red, and a terrifying scene, reminiscent of a scorching hell, appeared in the forest, where no trace of fire had been felt before.

"Did it work!?"

"I can't tell! But there's no way anyone could survive that flame!"

While observing the scene brought about by the flames, the two men exchanged words.

One was the man in the blue robe who had summoned the flames, and the other was a man clad in thick leather armor.

What met their eyes were the lush trees of the forest and, amidst them, an unnaturally created black space.

Several trees, charred black by the flames summoned by the man in the blue robe, stood desolately in the space where embers still smoldered.

But there was no sign of the person who should have been there.

Anyone caught in such flames would have no chance of survival.

Normally, a charred body should have been lying there, but in the newly created burn area, no such figure was to be found.

"Search!"

The man in the blue robe called out.

The battle was not yet over. The men instantly tightened their focus and spread out to guard their surroundings.

They understood that if they let their guard down, they would be the ones hunted.

"Too slow."

A voice, as if to say it was trivial, sounded.

In the next moment, the man in the leather armor was attacked from behind.

The man in the leather armor immediately turned around and successfully blocked the attack with the broadsword he held, thanks to his constant training.

The sword moved before he could think, intercepting the enemy's strike.

The sound of metal clashing echoed.

The man who had blocked the attack in a split second was shocked when he tried to see the enemy's form.

Where his gaze was directed, there was—no one.

However, the proof of the enemy's attack—the short sword—was indeed there.

It was still pressing against the man's sword with great force.

"This is Sword Magic—!?"

Though they had been informed of this information beforehand, hearing it and seeing it with their own eyes were two different things.

A sword, free from human hands, flying through the air and mercilessly killing people.

Such an absurd story would be laughed off as a tall tale by most who heard it.

The men had also been skeptical until just a moment ago.

But now, they understood that the information they had been given by their client was undeniably true.

"Damn, it's fast!"

The short sword flew through the air.

Without giving the man in the leather armor a moment to breathe, it attacked from right to left with incredible speed.

The man was immediately put on the defensive.

"Coward! Show yourself!"

Seeing his companion in trouble, the man in the blue robe shouted.

"Coward? Hmph, I don't want to hear that from the ones who tried to burn me alive with fire."

The owner of the voice snorted and said this.

"But if you want me to come out, I'll come out."

With those words, a man appeared from the shadow of a charred tree.

Average build, average height, black eyes, black hair—his appearance was quite ordinary.

Except for the violet cloth wrapped around his forehead, he had an aura that would make him easily lost in a crowd.

He wore a slightly short violet robe.

At first glance, he looked like a magician in light armor, but for some reason, a broadsword was attached to his belt.

He did not seem to have a staff, which most magicians invariably carry.

"Coming out so boldly!"

The man in the blue robe raised his staff and began to chant.

He probably intended to finish the fight while his companion was dealing with the short sword.

He judged that as long as the other was controlling the sword with magic, he wouldn't be able to use other spells.

"Take this!"

After a short incantation, the man in the blue robe cast a fireball spell.

A flaming ball the size of both hands appeared in the space indicated by his staff and silently flew toward the youth.

The youth, who was controlling the sword with magic, had no time to cast a spell to defend himself.

Even if he tried to dodge, the fireball would attack at an incredible speed.

A magician who had not trained in physical techniques would have no way to avoid it in a split second.

"Got it!"

The man in the blue robe was confident of victory, but the next moment, he was speechless at what he saw.

Just before impact, the youth in the violet robe swept his arm, and the fireball the man had cast disappeared.

"What, what did you do!?"

This was completely incomprehensible to the man in the blue robe.

The short sword controlled by the youth was still skillfully cornering his companion.

In other words, as long as he was controlling the short sword, he shouldn't be able to use other spells.

Yet, the fireball the man in the blue robe had cast had disappeared. No, it had been erased.

"I didn't do anything special?"

In contrast to the flustered man in the blue robe, the youth said this nonchalantly.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

The moment the youth muttered this and directed his gaze, a short sword pierced the man in the blue robe's chest from behind.

"A... why...? ...ha..."

The man in the blue robe, still facing his companion who was fighting the short sword, looked at the short sword protruding from his chest.

Blood from his lungs flowed back and spilled from his mouth.

"Y... you...?"

He hadn't thought the youth could control two swords at once, and the short sword that pierced his completely unguarded body made the man in the blue robe fall with a look of shock.

"Hey! Hold on!"

The man in the leather armor called out, but there was no response.

The short sword that had been pulled out of the man in the blue robe's body attacked the man in the leather armor.

He had been struggling to defend against one short sword.

With another sword added, it would be difficult to continue defending.

"Damn!"

The man in the leather armor instantly realized his disadvantage and turned to flee.

Abandoning his companion and running away was the most appropriate choice in this situation.

From the start of the battle to this moment, the youth had held the initiative.

He had finally understood the overwhelming difference in strength.

But it was already too late to realize this. They should have noticed before the youth attacked.

The best choice for them would have been not to oppose the youth.

Now, even if they turned their backs, there was no guarantee they would be spared.

The two short swords controlled by the youth chased the man through the trees.

It was like a pair of predators hunting a desperate herbivore.

The short sword, which had caught up in an instant, attacked the man in the leather armor from behind.

Just as the man's life was about to be extinguished, a killing intent descended from above the youth's head.

"Ultimately, just a magician. If I can get close—!"

A swordsman who had been hiding in the trees before the battle, seeing the moment when the short swords were far away, attacked.

The two short swords controlled by the youth were chasing the man in the leather armor, far away.

A magician who had not even learned basic self-defense techniques had no way to resist a sword swung down from close range.

The companion's magician had been defeated, and the other was in a dire situation, but the man had waited for the perfect opportunity and attacked with all his might.

In the blink of an eye.

The man's prediction of certain victory was completely off.

"Leaking so much killing intent, and you thought you were hiding?"

The man saw the youth, who had drawn his broadsword and blocked the overhead strike.

"When did you...?"

The man, who had not expected to be blocked, opened his eyes wide and his voice wavered.

He had no idea when the youth had drawn his sword.

"Damn! But what can a magician do at this distance! No matter how skilled you are with Sword Magic, once I close the distance, it's mine!"

Saying this, the man launched a series of sword strikes.

These were not just sword strikes. The man, a master of the Fang Blade Style, had buried many famous mercenaries with his skilled swordsmanship.

His sword techniques were far beyond those of ordinary swordsmen, and a magician, who was practically a layman, would have no chance.

That's what should have happened. But—

"Strong...!"

Words slipped out of the man's mouth.

Swiping from the side, cutting from the shoulder, pushing with force, and delivering rapid strikes.

Quick attacks to manipulate, feints to confuse, and the advanced techniques of the Fang Blade Style he had mastered through training.

The youth handled them with a cool expression.

"Who are you, bastard!"

The man began to show signs of panic.

The strength of the youth, which he had only just realized after their swords clashed, and the fear of his own situation.

Cold sweat ran down his back as he felt the youth easily deflect his full power.

"A magician... to have such skill...!"

Facing the man whose attacks had stopped, the youth raised his broadsword, ready to strike.

"You wouldn't understand, but—"

The youth, unable to hide his displeasure, spoke.

The moment his broadsword in his hand wavered slightly, the man's neck was sliced horizontally.

"I never once called myself a magician."

As the man's vision darkened, he heard the youth's voice. It was the last thing he heard in his life.

2019/07/16 Typo correction: "shadow of a large tree" → "shadow of a charred tree"

2019/07/16 Typo correction: "Damn, fast!" → "Damn, quick!"

*Thank you for reporting the typos.