Chuck stumbled backward, eyes wide with horror, the color draining from his face. The oppressive aura in the forest thickened like a suffocating fog.
"T-this… this isn't just a bandit attack… it's a slaughterhouse!"
A man with greasy red hair and a twisted grin stepped forward, his rusted axe glinting with dried blood. Magic energy crackled faintly around him — low-tier, but deadly in numbers. His mana was laced with malice.
"That's right, little lambs," Kerr sneered, his gruff voice mocking. "This is how the Crimson Fangs built our reputation. We bleed towns dry. And don't worry, little flowers…" — his eyes drifted to three terrified girls in cloaks, their grimoire satchels trembling at their hips — "you won't die just yet. For you, I've planned something… special. You'll still bleed, of course, but I'll make sure your pretty faces stay intact. My boys like trophies."
Laughter exploded from the trees. More figures emerged — ragged cloaks, weathered armor, rusted swords and chipped staffs. They were at least twenty strong, each a former knight or failed magic user turned outlaw. The twisted remnants of society.
"Good job, Kerr!" shouted a booming voice. "Guess that silver tongue of yours wasn't useless after all!"
A towering brute crashed through the brush, his physique monstrous, with a patchwork of scars and enchanted tattoos across his arms. Around his thick neck hung a grotesque necklace — it wasn't just bones, it was children's skulls, each one crudely carved with runes, remnants of forbidden rituals.
Mana pressure burst outward like a storm.
The younger Magic Knight trainees — barely out of the academy — staggered. Some fell to their knees. Their grimoires flickered in fear, pages refusing to respond.
Chuck felt his knees lock. He had trained under a Third-Class Knight from the Clover Kingdom for two years… but this? This was real war. And they were just boys.
"We're… we're going to die here," one boy whispered, shaking.
"No…" another growled through clenched teeth, gripping his grimoire tighter. "We're Magic Knights… even if we fall… we fight!"
But doubt was already seeding despair. How could a handful of fledglings fight hardened, bloodstained bandits who'd turned their mana into weapons of terror?
Suddenly, a cold wind swept through the forest — but it wasn't natural.
The bandits paused.
From the shadows between two trees, a cloaked figure stepped forward, mana flaring like black lightning. His grimoire hovered beside him, pages turning on their own.
"Crimson Fangs," the figure said calmly, voice sharp and deep. "You've spilled enough blood."
Kerr blinked. "W-who the hell are you?"
The man pulled back his hood, revealing silver hair and a cold stare.
"I'm a squad member of the Black Bulls," he said, mana crackling from his hand. "And you're going to wish you stayed in the shadows."
****
"Captain Reddy! We've hit the jackpot this time—look at the grimoire in that kid's hand! It's got four leaves!"
Kerr pointed at Yuno, his voice trembling with awe and greed.
"The same as the First Magic Emperor...?" Reddy murmured, his beady, rodent-like eyes glinting with avarice.
Yuno stood tall, but his jaw clenched. That gaze—like he was a slab of meat—made his skin crawl.
"What a disgusting look," he muttered, stepping back behind Hao Fan instinctively. The other teens, sensing the change in energy, followed suit.
There was something feral about Hao Fan now—something unshakable.
"You're Kerr, right?" Hao Fan spoke calmly, flashing a bright grin. "You're right. A surprise is coming."
He stepped forward.
SHING!
From thin air, a scarlet grimoire materialized and opened beside him. With a deep rumble, a massive black sword crashed into the earth—its surface gleamed with crimson etchings, absorbing mana like a void.
Hao Fan gripped the Demon-Slayer Sword with both hands. His muscles tensed, a storm of green and blood-red light swirling around him, coiling like dragons at war.
He dashed forward—straight toward Reddy.
"EARTH CREATION MAGIC: TITAN WALL!"
Reddy's instincts screamed, and he poured all his magic into summoning four towering walls of reinforced earth. They slammed into the ground in a cross-shaped barrier, encasing himself and Kerr in an earthen fortress.
Two seconds passed.
No impact.
"...He didn't break through?" Reddy whispered, sweat dripping down his temples. "Was that all a bluff?"
Then came the screaming.
"AHHHHHH!!"
"HELP! HELP ME!"
Kerr and Reddy turned to the commotion outside, expecting cheers of triumph from their comrades.
Instead—
"The first one!"
"The second!"
"The thirty-second—NO!"
Reddy's heart stopped.
"That's our men!"
Outside, Hao Fan was everywhere. A blur. Each swing of his Demon-Slayer Sword sent a bandit flying through the air. They soared, screamed, and crashed back to earth—bones shattering on impact.
"The fifty-second!" Hao Fan called with a grin. "Left side, clear. Now for the right!"
He reappeared in front of the trainees. The earth behind him was littered with motionless bodies. Above, the sky rained bandits.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
One after another, they fell like broken puppets.
Ding! You have killed a Third-Class Mage (Red Name). +100 Points!
Ding! Second-Class Mage defeated. +200 Points!
Ding! First-Class Mage slain. +300 Points!
...Total Points Earned: 6600
Hao Fan's heart raced. 6600 points... just from trash mobs?
He turned to the trembling cluster of enemies on the right, eyes burning with anticipation.
"Still so many points left to collect."
****
"He's looking at us—THE DEVIL IS LOOKING AT US!"
"Don't panic! Use everything you've got!"
"WOOD CREATION MAGIC: MILLION ARROWS!"
"FIRE CREATION MAGIC: ROARING FLAME DRAGON!"
"WATER MAGIC: OCEANIC GEYSER!"
"WIND MAGIC: FIERCE STORM BLADES!"
A kaleidoscope of spells lit up the sky. Fire, water, wind, earth, and wood magic collided mid-air, creating a symphony of destruction. The wave of mana surged toward Hao Fan with the weight of a natural disaster.
Even Yuno flinched.
"This magic… it's overwhelming!"
Kerr trembled. "No way he survives that…"
"YOU CALL THIS A FAT SHEEP?! YOU PICKED ME A DEMON!"
SMACK!
Reddy struck Kerr hard enough to knock out a few teeth.
But Hao Fan?
He stood calm.
He raised his Demon-Slayer Sword, bracing for impact.
"Let's test your strength," he said.
BOOM!!
The first barrage hit, and the sky went white. Dust and flame engulfed the battlefield.
But within the chaos—green and red light flared.
Eight Inner Gates: Second Gate – Gate of Healing… OPEN!
Muscles bulged. His power surged. His hair shimmered silver, his aura blazing with untamed mana. He held the Demon-Slayer Sword firmly, absorbing the spells crashing into it.
Then, like a tidal wave snapping back—
"RETURN TO SENDER!"
With a single upward slash, Hao Fan reversed the tide of destruction.
BOOM!
The entire wall of magic rebounded, rushing back toward its casters.
"What?! NO—"
The Raptor Bandits didn't even have time to scream before their own spells annihilated them. Arrows pierced their comrades. Water geysers drowned them. Fire and wind incinerated everything in a vicious crossfire.
Ding! 50 Third-Class Mages defeated. +5000 Points!
20 Second-Class. +4000 Points.
8 First-Class. +2400 Points.
Total: 11,400 Points!
Hao Fan landed softly, the world around him charred and silent.
Total Accumulated Points: 18,000
He grinned.
"Is this what power feels like?"
****
The surviving teens stared at him, mouths agape. A moment ago, they had all been prey. Sacrifices. Now they were watching a one-man apocalypse.
Someone whispered.
"Is he... a god?"
"No," another said. "He's something else."
****
Meanwhile, inside his fortress of earth, Reddy was a mess.
"GIANT WALL! GIANT WALL! GIANT WALL!"
He kept stacking layer after layer of magic walls, his mana draining with each cast.
"I—I'm not safe. I'm not safe!"
****
"CAPTAIN, HELP—"
Kerr collapsed outside the walls, his eyes rolling back in terror.
But Reddy only screamed back, "SAVE YOURSELF!"
He didn't care about anyone else now.
From within the dirt cocoon, he whispered, "Please... let it be over."
But Hao Fan raised his sword again, his eyes glinting.
"Let's see how much you are worth."