The sun had barely touched the rooftops when the capital of iron was torn apart by chaos.
A loud growl shook the city. Windows shattered. Stalls overturned. Screams filled the air as people fled in all directions.
Out of the dust came a massive shadow, black fur streaked with veins of red, four burning eyes gleaming with madness. The Four-Eyed Demonic Wolf, a mutated C-rank beast, had just found its way into the Kingdom of Iron.
Its every step left cracks on the stone road. Guards rushed in to contain it, spears drawn, formation tight, but before any command could be finished, the beast leapt.
Its claws tore through shields and armor, flinging men aside like dolls. Blood splattered the cobblestones as soldiers screamed.
From afar, Nezeku turned sharply, his senses catching the tremor before anyone else.
"A beast… inside the capital?"
He didn't hesitate. Tossing aside the small bag he carried, he sprinted toward the commotion.
When he arrived, the street was in ruin. Fires burned in scattered stalls, and wounded guards lay groaning on the ground. The wolf towered above the wreckage, growling lowly as it sniffed for its next prey.
And then, a small voice.
A child sat frozen amid the destruction, tears streaking her face.
The beast's four eyes turned to her.
Muscles tensed. Claws dug into the ground.
It lunged.
Nazeku's body moved before thought could form. His cloak fluttered as he dashed forward, aura flaring faintly under his feet.
He grabbed the girl in one swift motion, but the beast's claw caught him across the shoulder.
Pain burned down his arm, warm blood trickling beneath his clothes. He hissed through his teeth but didn't stop.
"Get up," he said calmly, setting the girl on her feet. "Run that way. Don't stop."
She hesitated, trembling.
"Go," he repeated, softer this time.
The girl ran, stumbling, disappearing into the crowd.
Nazeku turned back toward the beast, his expression calm but his eyes sharp.
"Mid-tier C-rank. Mutated type. Tough hide… and terrible breath."
He cracked his neck slightly and flexed his arm, putting on the new gauntlet he had just bought .
"Let's see how far I've come."
The beast roared, a sound so deep it rattled nearby windows. Then it lunged, faster than its size should allow.
Nazeku ducked, aura flickering faintly along his skin. He slipped past the first swipe, then another. His movements were fluid, precise, too calm for someone facing death.
The wolf attacked relentlessly. Each strike split the ground, claws carving deep scars into stone. Yet Nazeku moved like water, evading by inches, his expression unreadable.
Inside, his mind raced.
Overextended with every strike. Heavy but unbalanced. Power without control… how boring.
The wolf lunged again, he sidestepped. It twisted, he ducked under. Its tail whipped toward him, he leapt over it, landing lightly.
People watching from the distance could hardly believe their eyes. A young man with no emblem or armor, weaving through a demonic beast's rampage like a phantom.
He wasn't attacking. Only reading. Measuring. Waiting.
Finally, the beast howled, veins bulging with rage. Its aura flared red energy coursing through its limbs. It charged again, twice as fast.
Nazeku's faint smirk returned.
"Now that's more like it."
He exhaled slowly.
Aura began to gather around his arm a silver-blue shimmer, pulsing with rhythm. The energy crawled down his forearm, forming a tight layer around his gauntlet.
The wolf's claws came down, he met its eyes.
Time slowed.
"Aura Fist…"
He stepped forward, sliding beneath its chest as the claws grazed his hair, and his fist shot upward.
…Impact."
The punch landed square beneath its ribcage. The sound was deafening, a blast of air followed by a quake that cracked the ground.
A golden shockwave burst through the beast's body, tearing upward and exploding out through its back.
For a brief moment, its four eyes went wide, then dimmed.
It collapsed, lifeless, shaking the street with its fall.
Nazeku stood over it, chest heaving, his right gauntlet cracked and smoking from the aura output. Blood ran from his shoulder, but his expression was calm.
He looked at the corpse once more and exhaled.
"One hit. That's all it took mmmm."
Pulling his hood up, he turned away, leaving before the dust had settled.
Moments Later
When reinforcements finally arrived, the scene was silent.
The beast was dead, its body torn open, the ground beneath it scorched from aura residue.
The guards stared in disbelief.
"Who did this…?"
"There are no signs of a fight."
"Only a single large hole ?"
They searched for a name, a witness, anyone. But the mysterious warrior hero, was long gone.
That Night,
Nazeku sat in his room, arm bandaged, the broken gauntlet laid beside him on the table. The moonlight slipped through the window, silver and quiet.
He leaned back, eyes half-closed.
Two weeks of training. One beast down.
A faint, amused smile crossed his lips.
"Guess I'm improving."
Silence lingered as he stared at the cracked metal once more.
The body is the weapon… The aura is the blade.
His gaze hardened slightly.
"And I'll make both sharper."
The night deepened, and the city slept unaware that a Bronze-rank kid had just slain a mid C-rank beast with a single blow.