Neo, Kelsey, and Cheryl hurriedly moved out right after finishing their preparations.
Even though they tried to run as fast as possible, the forest and the darkness of night slowed their steps.
Also, while moving, they couldn't help but stay cautious against the possibility of a sudden attack from Magical Beasts. As a result, it took them quite a while to reach the place where they had previously seen the firelight.
Neo: "So there's a village here?"
He exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the wooden fence ahead.
As the group drew closer, Neo said:
"The smell of roasted meat? Mixed in… it almost smells like fresh blood."
Cheryl: "Perhaps the villagers slaughtered animals and are holding some kind of festival?"
Kelsey: "But that wouldn't explain the cries I heard earlier."
Neo glanced up at the watchtower but saw no one there. That alone was unusual.
Neo: "Since we're already here, let's go in and check. Cheryl."
Hearing Neo call her, she immediately understood and used her magic to raise a small stone platform.
The three of them stepped onto it and easily leapt over the fence, entering the village.
The moment they set foot inside, they froze, shuddering at the hellish sight before them.
Fresh blood was splattered everywhere, staining the ground and the walls of many houses.
The entire village was drowned in silence, the only sound being the crackling from a large fire not far away.
At first glance, it looked like a mountain of meat still burning. But Neo, Kelsey, and Cheryl could clearly see that what was burning in the red flames was unmistakably a pile of human corpses. Among them, there even seemed to be children.
"Ugh."
Neo clutched his stomach, vomiting out the remains of his dinner. What he had thought was roasted meat earlier turned out to be the stench of the villagers' burned corpses.
Cheryl covered her mouth, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
Kelsey clenched her fists, shouting in fury:
"Who could have done something this horrific?"
Cheryl: "Over there."
Still covering her mouth, she pointed in one direction.
Not far from the burning pile of corpses stood a figure cloaked in black, its identity hidden behind a mask.
Because the figure blended into the shadows, and the ghastly sight of the corpses drew all their attention, they had overlooked the presence of that person. Only Cheryl, thanks to her special sensing ability, noticed them quickly.
The moment Neo saw the cloaked figure, he roared in rage:
"Was it you who did this?"
The figure calmly replied, their voice unnervingly strange, impossible to discern gender or age: "It was me. But…"
Before the words could finish, Neo charged forward. Swinging his sword, he unleashed a Mana Slash toward the figure. Yet the attack only shattered a wooden chair nearby, as the cloaked one had already dodged aside, muttering under their breath:
"This fool…"
Neo suddenly felt his body lighten, overflowing with strength. He instantly realized Cheryl had cast her magic to support him.
Silently thanking her, he lunged at the masked figure once more, swinging his blade.
"Wham!"
A deafening impact rang out, followed by Neo's body being hurled backward, sent flying through the air.
Just moments ago, the cloaked figure moved with incredible speed, instantly closing the distance between them. As soon as he was within reach, he unleashed a lightning-fast punch, striking Neo hard in the torso.
Even with his armor on, Neo felt a sharp, crushing pain, as if a massive Magical Beast had rammed into him.
Fallen to the ground, struggling to steady his breathing, Neo glanced at the unfolding situation.
Earlier, Kelsey had been right behind him. The moment Neo was struck, she immediately leapt forward to support, thrusting her spear with all her strength.
Her spear should have pierced swiftly, but for some reason, Kelsey felt as though she were stabbing into a heavy sandbag. The motion was sluggish, weighed down, unnaturally difficult.
Cheryl: "Be careful. He's using a defensive magic, layer upon layer of barriers stacked together." From a distance, Cheryl was both healing Neo with her magic and shouting a warning to Kelsey.
At first, Cheryl spoke reflexively, describing what she sensed. But she quickly realized that what she had just identified was a highly complex defensive technique, one she herself didn't fully understand, nor had she ever seen anyone else use before.
As for Kelsey, the battle was moving too fast. By the time Cheryl's warning reached her, it was already a little too late.
The instant her spear slowed, the cloaked figure seized the opportunity to counterattack.
He lowered his body, deflecting the spear aside with his left hand, then drove a precise punch into the area near her left kidney.
Neo, only partially healed by Cheryl's magic, saw Kelsey collapse under the blow.
Terrified and enraged, he clenched his teeth, enduring the pain wracking his body, and swung his sword to unleash a Mana Slash, faster and stronger than before.
With terrifying reflexes, the cloaked figure sprang backward, easily evading the strike.
Though the attack missed, Neo exhaled in relief, knowing he had at least forced the enemy away from Kelsey, who lay groaning in agony on the ground.
Before Neo could do anything else, he suddenly heard a disturbing sound behind him.
Turning back in alarm, Neo saw Cheryl collapsed on the ground. Her body was pinned down, her hands restrained. The one who had ambushed and subdued her was a faceless statue, short in stature, seemingly made of earth and stone.
"Cheryl!"
Terrified, Neo shouted, wanting to rush to her aid.
But then he remembered Kelsey's current state. If he ran to Cheryl, Kelsey would be left completely unprotected, and most likely subdued by the enemy just as Cheryl had been.
Grinding his teeth in fury, he roared at the cloaked figure:
"Let her go!"
The cloaked one sighed in exasperation and spoke:
"F*cking idiot. Charging in without thought, dragging your comrades into danger. And now, defeated, you rage at me?"
Neo: "How could anyone not be enraged by your vile actions?"
He shouted back in anger.
The cloaked figure continued:
"With such intellect, I truly worry for the future of your son."
Hearing something so utterly bizarre, Neo froze, his face blank with shock, and asked:
"My son?"
The two girls lying on the ground also seemed to forget their pain for a moment, their eyes widening as they turned toward Neo.