CHAPTER 35: SYSTEM MISSION [II]

No, it wasn’t that he vanished.

Azel simply moved so fast it looked like he had teleported.

Even Gerome’s sharp eyes failed to follow the blur that was Azel.

His figure was a streak of blue aura darting past the trees in the way and into the chaos of the forested road.

Lorraine gasped audibly behind him, her fingers clutching the edge of her dress so tightly her knuckles turned white.

She felt guilty that she had to let the man who hired them fight like this, besides if she couldn’t do this... how did she hope to return home to take revenge on her aunt?

Was she always going to remain this weak?

Azel was oblivious to her thoughts as he rushed forth.

For a brief, silent second, everything froze.

Then his aura sense erupted outward like an explosion of invisible pressure.

He could see them — five archers hidden among the trees.

From the subtle pull of their muscles and the faint creak of bowstrings, he knew their arrows were drawn and ready to fire.

Fifteen mounted bandits charged forward from the dirt path, steel flashing in their hands while three mages hung back, spells being prepared from them.

One of the archers loosed an arrow.

It tore through the air, aura laced into the shot, making it whistle like a spear splitting the sky.

Azel raised his hand.

He caught it mid-flight.

The arrow’s violent aura flared against his palm but was immediately overwhelmed by his own energy.

With a flick of his wrist, he reversed it, hurling it back toward the tree.

It struck the archer clean in the skull.

His head whipped back violently before his body tumbled lifelessly from the branch, crashing to the ground below with a dull thud.

It all happened in less than a split second, showing how powerful Azel was.

The other archers panicked and fired in rapid succession, a rain of glowing shafts screaming down toward him.

Slow.

Compared to the ruthless training Steven had put him through for situations like this — arrows that cut like bullets, fired at bone-crushing speeds this was child’s play.

Azel flowed between them effortlessly, sidestepping where necessary, tilting his head just enough for one arrow to graze past his cheek, and snatching others midair before sending them spinning back.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Each arrow found its mark, and each archer fell from their perch with a lifeless scream, their foreheads being pierced at amazing speed.

[Enemies Defeated: 5 / 20]

The mages behind the charging riders realized something was horribly wrong.

Their hands blurred through incantations, gathering spirals of wind and arcs of flame.

A sharp Windbolt cut toward Azel like a guillotine, slicing the air as it descended.

He merely tilted his body, letting it whistle past him.

It carved into a tree trunk behind him, severing it cleanly in two as it toppled.

Two more spells followed — one fire, one wind, both roaring straight for him.

Two blue shields shimmered into existence, snapping forward just in time to block the spells.

The fiery explosion scattered harmless embers across the road, and Azel turned his head slightly, catching Lorraine’s distant figure.

She stood firm on the carriage platform, her arms raised and covered in blue mana.

From where Azel stood, her face was blurry and he doubted she could see his face as well — but Azel smiled at her thankfully regardless of that.

The shields cracked, then shattered, but it didn’t matter.

He was already moving.

Azel reached for his blade.

The weight of the sword was comforting in his grip, familiar, like an old friend.

His aura condensed around him, spilling outward and shaking the ground beneath his feet, tiny fissures splitting across the dirt road.

The bandits slowed their charge for a split second, their horses instinctively neighing and faltering from the sheer killing intent rolling over them.

He inhaled deeply.

"Third Style — Dragon Claw."

A single step forward.

His sword swung horizontally, cutting through air, aura roaring forth in a wide emerald arc.

It was like watching nature itself unleash its fury.

The bandits didn’t even have time to scream.

The green wave tore across the road, carving through mounts and riders alike.

Horses screamed before they were reduced to mangled flesh, Bandits who were unfortunate enough to let their legs dangle from the sides had their legs severed at the knees in perfect symmetry.

People with shorter horses got cut from the stomach, it was destruction...

Blood sprayed high into the air, raining crimson over the dirt as torsos tumbled limply from their saddles.

Azel didn’t flinch though.

His eyes were calm.

His blade returned to its stance fluidly as if this slaughter were nothing more than practice swings.

[Enemies Defeated: 13 / 20]

The remaining seven bandits — two mages and five sword-wielders hesitated, fear beginning to gnaw at them.

It was too late for them.

Azel raised his sword high, his aura flaring violently, shifting from emerald green to deep violet, the air distorting from the raw power surrounding the blade.

"Fourth Style — Dragon’s Descent."

He brought it down.

A colossal pillar of violet aura erupted from his sword and split the world open.

The road quaked violently, a deafening roar echoing as the aura wave swept forward.

Everything in its path — trees, earth, men, and beasts alike was obliterated in a flash.

The violet light engulfed the remaining bandits, consuming them utterly before dissipating into an eerie silence.

Ash drifted down like snow where once there had been twenty armed killers.

Azel exhaled, lowering his blade and resting it against his shoulder.

His breathing was steady, not even winded.

The only thing that remained of them was their blood that doused the Earth.

[Urgent Quest Completed]

[Protect the Sub-Heroine and Her Father]

[Rewards]

[System Shop Feature Unlocked]

[100 Fate Points Acquired]

[5x Fate Tickets Acquired]

Azel blinked as translucent screens floated into his vision.

[Congratulations. You have unlocked the System Store.]

[By Using Fate Points, you can now purchase skills, items, and accessories tailored to your needs.]

[New Features Unlocked:]

[Sort Function: Categorize and filter store contents instantly.]

[Spin Function: Spend Fate Tickets by spinning the wheel for randomized high-value rewards.]

He raised a brow. "Finally."

Lorraine’s voice broke his concentration. "S-Sir Azel!"