A fierce wind howled across the battlefield, sweeping away the lingering smoke.
Walter and Sally stared in disbelief.
Blood flowed across the uneven ground like a river.
Scattered corpses lay everywhere.
Just moments ago, over a hundred mages had stood strong and confident. Now, all of them were down. Not one was left standing. Even the rare few who hadn't died instantly were clinging to life, writhing in pain from grave injuries.
Ethan Hayes had taken on more than a hundred enemies—alone—and completely dominated them?
"Impossible! This can't be real!"
Walter's eyes were bloodshot, his expression a twisted blend of shock and terror.
This wasn't some herd of pigs—it was over a hundred trained magic knights. And now? Gone in an instant, right before his eyes?
How was he supposed to explain this when he got back? Tell his superior that one man did it all?
Who would believe that? No one outside of those present here could possibly accept it!
"Whooo..."
The swirling winds around Ethan faded. The glowing crown above his head and radiant wings at his back dissolved into the air.
He had exited his spirit assimilation state.
Just as Walter suspected, this wasn't an easy feat. These were more than a hundred enemies, not mindless beasts. Killing that many required stamina—and magic.
Though Ethan made it look effortless, never once did he allow his mana to rest. He knew speed was his only absolute advantage.
The moment he slowed, even for a second, he'd risk getting hit. A stray spell might not be deadly, but it would be enough to disrupt his rhythm and give the enemy time to regroup.
Old warriors once said: strike first, strike fast, and strike hard.
Against overwhelming numbers, the key was momentum.
The bold fear nothing; the reckless are feared by all.
Instilling fear in just a portion of the enemy could crush the morale of the whole force. Even the brave would hesitate when gripped by the dread of death.
Ethan exhaled sharply, sweat dripping from his brow. His grimoire hovered in front of him as he stared at the three remaining enemies.
"You're next."
Walter and Sally instinctively took a step back.
Who wouldn't, after watching a single man massacre an entire battalion?
"Heh heh... You're really something, pretty boy," came a sultry voice from above. "But do you still have any magic left to deal with us?"
Hovering not far away was a beautiful blonde woman sitting on a broom. She wore robes reminiscent of a mystic, her long golden curls catching the light.
She looked strikingly similar to Vanessa from the Black Bulls—or perhaps both came from the same mysterious place... the Witch's Forest.
"Catherine, be careful! He killed all of our people!" Walter warned.
Though she had been watching from nearby the entire time, even Catherine had doubted what she saw. But now, there was no denying it. This handsome young man had taken down a hundred mages—on his own.
He hadn't done it through sheer brute force, true, but results didn't lie.
Still...
"Gray Curse Magic: Decay Delight!"
Catherine opened her grimoire, releasing a cursed magic aura. Several glowing purple spheres shot toward Ethan.
Walter and Sally flinched in shock.
She attacked him first?
Who in their right mind provokes a death god like him?
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The cursed orbs whizzed through the air.
Ethan, of course, wasn't going to just stand there. Each sphere radiated a negative energy—possibly lowering his agility, clouding his senses, or affecting his reflexes.
Any of those would be dangerous.
Thud!
The purple orbs chased Ethan relentlessly, and while none landed a direct hit, Walter suddenly grinned.
"His speed's dropping. Sally, get ready!"
He had instantly seen through the situation.
Slaughtering that many enemies must have drained Ethan's mana. His peak speed had clearly been compromised.
And without speed on his side, he could be beaten.
"Alright then! Gel Magic: Sticky Salamander!"
"Spatial Magic: Rift Blades!"
They joined the fight without hesitation.
A massive lizard-like creature formed from jelly-like goo erupted from the earth, spewing fire. Razor-sharp spatial blades sliced through the air toward Ethan.
Catherine also advanced, continuing her cursed assault from above on her enchanted broom.
Ethan was surrounded on all sides.
But just then...
A blazing red flash erupted from his right side.
Where nothing had been moments ago, a second grimoire now floated beside Ethan—its cover blazing crimson, engraved with a four-leaf clover, just like the first.
Two four-leaf clover grimoires.
"Wind Creation Magic: Wind Dragon!"
"Fire Creation Magic: Flame Dragon!"
"Combined Magic: Twin Dragon Fusion!"
The air trembled as both elements merged in Ethan's hands. Though fundamentally different, wind and fire twined together seamlessly, shaped by Ethan's will.
Wind fueled fire, amplifying its power.
The two dragons became solid, massive forms, shielding Ethan from the oncoming attacks and barreling toward his three foes.
"Gel Magic: Sticky Salamander 1.6!"
Boom!
A larger, frog-like creature rose to block the twin dragons. Its transparent body wobbled under the impact.
Sally stabbed a syringe-like device into it, and the creature's color shifted from pale purple to bright pink in an instant.
BOOM!
The twin dragons slammed into it the next second.
But the explosion Ethan expected didn't come.
Instead, the dragons were sucked into the jelly-like mass, their bodies dissolving slowly as they were absorbed.
Still, the massive creature wasn't unscathed—it too began melting down under the intense power of the combined magic.
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