Bang—Boom!
With an earth-shattering explosion, the gate of the Kailan Manor, forged from refined iron and sturdy enough to withstand the impact of small magical beasts, finally collapsed under the relentless pounding of a battering ram.
"Brothers, charge! Kill them all! Everything in the manor is ours!"
"Blood Axe" Buck raised his massive, bloodstained axe high into the air, unleashing a beast-like roar. His muscular frame, as robust as a wild bull, surged with the powerful Ether of an Enlightener at its peak, emanating an overwhelming sense of oppression.
Over a hundred mercenaries stormed in like a raging flood, brandishing various weapons, shrieking and howling. To them, the Kailan Manor was no longer a noble estate but a treasure trove filled with gold and women, ripe for looting.
However, what greeted them was not the panicked civilians and fleeing guards they had imagined, but a rain of death descending from the heavens.
"Release!"
At the command of Kail, cold and resolute, the family members who had been lying in ambush on both sides of the courtyard walls exerted all their strength, toppling heavy decorative boulders, artificial mountains, and massive redwood furniture.
Rumble!
The stones and furniture, borne on the howling wind, crashed into the tightly packed mercenary ranks like miniature meteors. Screams, the sound of bones splintering, and dying wails intertwined instantly. The dozen mercenaries at the forefront didn't even have time to see the scenery within the manor before being crushed into pulp.
This sudden blow immediately stalled the charge of the Black Wolf Mercenary Group.
Before they could recover their senses, a second wave of attacks followed.
"Light the fire! Throw it!"
From the second-floor windows of the main building, rows of flaming oil bottles and liquor jars were hurled like fireballs, precisely falling into the densest clusters of mercenaries. With the shattering of glass, flames exploded violently, swallowing a dozen mercenaries in an instant and turning them into screaming, rolling fireballs. The acrid stench of burning flesh and blood-curdling cries transformed the courtyard into a living hell.
"Don't panic! It's just a petty trick of a ragtag group!" roared "Blood Axe" Buck. Ether energy erupted violently from his body, forming a powerful gust that blew the encroaching flames away. He scanned his surroundings, searching for the leader behind this battle.
And that was when death emerged from the shadows.
"Fire!"
Under the command of Captain Ed, the guards ambushed in the lofts and warehouses on both sides of the main path launched their assault. Arrows and crossbows fired like venomous fangs, shooting with precision from every possible angle and reaping the lives of the bewildered mercenaries descending into chaos.
Standing atop the tower of the main building, Kail overlooked the battlefield like a monarch surveying a chessboard. His Ether Vision captured every detail of the battleground—the position of every enemy, the flow of energy, and each defensive gap—all with crystal clarity.
"Amy, relay my orders to Captain Ed. Concentrate fire on the guy wielding the small flag on the left flank. He's one of their sub-leaders."
"Yes, Young Master!" Amy, having overcome her fear, eagerly waved a small flag in her hand and swiftly conveyed Kail's instructions through prearranged semaphore signals.
As the command was issued, a dozen arrows and crossbow bolts focused their aim and struck, silencing the sub-leader, who collapsed without a sound, pierced like a porcupine. His fall threw the regrouping mercenaries back into disarray.
"Well done!" Vix whistled in Kail's mind. "Kid, I admit, your brain works better than your brawn. But don't celebrate too early—the real challenge is coming."
Just as Vix predicted, "Blood Axe" Buck was utterly enraged. Watching his men fall one after another to crude traps and sneak attacks, unable even to locate the enemy leader, filled him with unparalleled humiliation.
"Arrgh! You worthless scum!" Buck roared furiously. Ignoring the small fry around him, he locked his blood-red eyes on the highest point of the main building. "No matter who you are, come out and face your death!"
The ground beneath his feet cracked abruptly as he launched himself like a cannonball straight toward the main building, shattering every defense and distraction in his path. His colossal axe, enveloped in a layer of thick, crimson Ether energy, seemed poised to cleave the entire building in two.
"Just in time." Kail's lips curled into a cold smirk. Leaping nimbly from the tower, he landed gracefully on the open ground in front of the main building, ready to confront the charging Buck head-on.
"A snot-nosed brat? So you're the one in charge?" Buck paused in surprise upon seeing Kail, then burst into disdainful laughter. "Has the Kailan Family run out of people? They've sent a blind kid to his death!"
Not taking Kail seriously, Buck swung his giant axe with the force to split mountains, striking down with unmatched ferocity.
But Kail didn't meet the attack head-on. With a deft maneuver, relying on techniques honed in a past life as a secret agent, he narrowly dodged the lethal blow. The axe struck the ground, sending shards of stone and dust into the air.
Amidst the chaos, a black vortex emerged once more in the depths of Kail's eyes.
"Energy Drain!"
An invisible force enveloped Buck. He felt a portion of his Ether energy, released in his earlier burst, inexplicably siphoned away by the strange blind boy.
"What the hell?" Buck was startled but quickly dismissed it as inconsequential. What he didn't realize was that for the ravenous Kail, every trace of energy was a precious feast.
The battle continued. Buck's attacks were wide and ferocious, each strike capable of killing Kail instantly. But Kail, relying on his superior combat techniques and precise predictions through Ether Vision, danced on the edge of the blade, constantly turning dangerous situations in his favor.
With each dodge and every close encounter, Kail greedily absorbed Buck's power. The energy he had extracted earlier from the guards and Declan now coursed through his body, compressing, refining, and breaking through the barriers of his bottleneck bit by bit.
"Damn rat! Is running away all you've got?!" Buck grew increasingly alarmed and irritable as he struggled to land a hit. He could feel his strength gradually ebbing away, while his opponent slipped through his grasp like an elusive eel.
Finally, he lost all patience.
"Die! Blood Axe Storm!"
With a furious roar, Buck channeled all his Ether energy into his axe. Spinning at high speed, he transformed into a crimson whirlwind of death, closing off every avenue of escape as he barreled toward Kail. This was his ultimate move, capable of shredding opponents of equal strength into pieces!
"Now's the time!" The moment Kail had been waiting for finally arrived.
Instead of retreating, he advanced. The energy he had been building to its peak within him exploded at this precise moment!
Boom!
The bottleneck shattered with an audible crack! A new, more powerful aura surged from Kail's body.
Enlightener (Initiate) High Tier!
"Your time has come."
With his newfound strength, Kail's speed and reflexes underwent a qualitative leap. He no longer dodged but instead found a nearly impossible angle to slip through the gaps in Buck's Blood Axe Storm.
Buck was utterly horrified. He hadn't expected his opponent to break through during the fight! He tried to change his attack, but it was too late.
In Kail's hand appeared a broken longsword he had picked up from the ground. Infusing it with his newly purified Ether energy, the blade emitted a faint white glow.
He didn't resort to any elaborate techniques. Using the simplest, most direct, and most lethal method, he thrust the broken sword into Buck's unguarded back, exposed by his high-speed rotation.
Schluk!
The sound of the blade piercing flesh was unmistakable.
The blood-red whirlwind came to an abrupt halt.
Buck froze in place, slowly lowering his gaze to the sword tip protruding from his chest. His eyes brimmed with disbelief and unending regret.
"How… is this… possible…"
Those were his final words.
Kail withdrew the broken sword, letting Buck's enormous body collapse to the ground with a resounding thud.
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone ceased their actions, staring blankly at the blood-soaked young man holding the broken sword and the body of the once-indomitable "Blood Axe" Buck at his feet.
The leader was dead!
This realization spread like a plague through the hearts of the Black Wolf mercenaries, shattering any remnants of their morale.
"The boss is dead! Run for your lives!"
No one knew who shouted it first, but the mercenaries scattered like terrified rabbits, dropping their weapons and fleeing as fast as they could, as though wishing they had more legs.
Kail didn't order a pursuit. Instead, he stood silently, letting the mountain wind disperse the thick scent of blood in the air.
This battle had changed the fate of the Kailan Family.
He walked over to Buck's body, crouching to rummage through his belongings. Soon, he found a letter, sealed with wax, made from fine parchment.
On the envelope was a sigil he knew all too well—That Twisted Crimson Eye."