CHAPTER 120: THE RETURN OF EVIL

"Hasta la vista, noobs."

BANG!

The sound cracked like thunder, echoing through the battlefield’s suffocating fog.

A confused mage stumbled, numbness spreading down his arm before a searing pain detonated across his body like wildfire.

’What was that blast?’

He glanced down, seeing warm liquid soaking through his robe.

’what’s this?’

His trembling hand flew instinctively to his chest but his fingers sank into torn flesh. Blood pumped between them, spilling from a hole that hadn’t been there a second ago.

’What the—’

The thought never finished. His knees buckled. His eyes rolled back. His consciousness flickered and faded, snuffed out like a candle in a storm.

Thud.

Deep inside the chaotic black fog, Auren exhaled steadily, his expression unreadable.

’Calm down, Auren... this isn’t earth anymore.’

He kept his weapon raised—the Magnum Krakaboom, gleaming faintly with inscribed runes that pulsed like embers in the haze.

His eyes locked onto his next target. His voice, when it came, was cold enough to bite through steel.

"I warned you. You didn’t buy it. Now pay with regret."

BANG!~

"Agghk!"

The crack rang out, and another mage dropped. It was a 12.7 mm runesteel bullet that tore through his skull. Blood and brain matter sprayed across the ground in grotesque fireworks. Fortunately, it was well hidden by the black fog.

Inside the black mask, Auren’s eyes moved to its next target.

BANG!~

"Who—aggrgk~!"

A crawling mage tried to conjure a shield mid-prayer.

His artifact sparked, briefly shimmering a thin barrier around his body. It held for less than a heartbeat before shattering under the sheer force of Auren’s upgraded MK round.

The bullet drilled through, silencing him forever starting from the head.

’I should get some triple kill voice line now.’

Auren’s lips twitched as he shifted to his next target—a bulky one.

’This one’s gonna be tougher.’

His body flowed with practiced precision, boots barely disturbing the smoke as he shifted position.

The Magnum swung in his hands, muzzle aligning with a knight thrashing wildly nearby. The knight had been thrown from his horse. His armor dented, sword flailing as if his rage could keep death at bay.

’This one needs some extra love.’

BANG!~ BANG!~ BANG!~

AAGHK!

The knight lurched.

One shot pierced his side after breaking through his armor. Another lodged in his chest. The third punched through his helm.

"I...I will kill y-yyyou.."

Even so, he groaned, struggling to rise. His vitality and enchanted protection bought him seconds of borrowed life.

But seconds were not enough.

THUD.

Auren steadied, eyes narrowing.

His next round burned with a rune-carved focus. The bullet slipped past enchantments, bypassed layers of defense, and shredded the knight’s life bar to zero.

BANG!~

Another mage’s body slumped to the dirt, lifeless.

The fog thickened with the metallic tang of blood and the acrid sting of burnt powder. The cracks of Auren’s gunshots echoed like war drums, bouncing off the stone walls of Austerra’s border.

At last, one mage staggered upright, his lungs straining for breath as clarity returned.

A necklace glowed faintly at his throat—a relic warding against disorientation. His eyes widened, horror dawning as he scanned the battlefield.

"You crazy bastard!"

He didn’t hesitate. With a swift gesture, his hands traced a rune in the air, wind surging at his command.

[WIND BLAST]

Bwoooosh!

The fog ripped apart, whipped away in a spiral.

For the first time, the battlefield lay revealed. The mage’s blood ran cold. Three of his comrades sprawled dead on the ground. He was the last one standing, alongside only the shield knight still mounted on his horse.

"What happene—"

His words were cut short by another deafening crack.

BANG!~

THUNK!

The knight lunged, raising his shield just in time and shielded him. Sparks flared as the bullet clanged against enchanted silver plate, leaving a deep, sizzling scar across its polished surface.

Tsk.

Auren cursed under his breath.

His spree was stalled. Without hesitation, he triggered his stealth skill. The shadows swallowed him whole, his outline fading as he darted to a new position.

The shield knight steadied his breathing. "Are you alright?"

"T-thank you," the mage stammered, still shaken but alive.

Together, they spurred forward.

The knight’s shield hissed with residual heat where the bullet had struck, but it had held. His eyes hardened with resolve.

"Be careful," he warned, voice clipped. "He may just be a level 27 knight, but it seems he’s channeling the power of a powerful artifact."

It was powerful indeed, evident in the lifeless body they left behind.

The mage wiped blood from his lips, fury overtaking fear. "I can see that. But if he’s in range... it’s our turn to wreck him."

His palms sparked, a magic circle forming as he prepared his next spell.

"Where is he?" the knight demanded, his observation skill rippling through the smoke. Yet his eyes found nothing.

"We’re about to find out."

The mage raised his hand, words laced with authority.

[EYES OF THE SKY]

Wooooom~

His pupils glazed, then shifted. He saw not through his own eyes but through the gaze of a magical bird made of his own mana circling above.

From that vantage, the battlefield spread like a painted map.

He spotted it: faint trails in the dirt, a dust wake, the footprints of a stealthed figure sprinting toward the eastern wall.

"There!" he shouted while pointing to a direction. "He’s heading east!"

The knight gritted his teeth.

"Can you stop him?" His legs glowed with speed enchantments, muscles tightening as he accelerated and leaving the mage behind.

"I’ll try."

He thrust his staff forward, tracing fire sigils in the air.

[FIREHAWK]

From the glowing circle, three blazing hawks erupted, wings aflame and shrieking like metal torn in half.

They dove toward Auren in synchronized fury.

Auren’s lips curved.

’Nice fireworks.’

He slipped sideways, movements sharp and confident. The hawks swooped past him and detonated against the ground behind.

Kiiieee—KABOOOOM!

BOOM!

BOOOOM!~

The ground split, flames roaring skyward. Heat seared Auren’s back, but he barely flinched.

They think that’ll stop me? He smirked, boots igniting as he activated his MJ boosters. With a burst, he shot upward, soaring over the inferno.

"Byeee!" he mocked, his laughter swallowed by fire and smoke. After all, he had experienced harder and deadlier one through the Vulkris.

But his path wasn’t clear.

"Where do you think you’re going, cheeky bastard!"

The knight thrust his shield high and cast his CC skill.

[SHIELD WALL]

A colossal barrier of glowing silver materialized above the battlements. Its light was blinding, stretching wide to block the escape route.

"Tsk."

Auren twisted midair, angling to slip around the edge. His boots flared again, hurling him to the right.

The knight grinned grimly.

[SHIELD WALL]

[SHIELD WALL]

[SHIELD WALL]

[SHIELD WALL]

Not one shield. Dozens.

Another wall of shimmering energy locked into place. Then a second. A third. One after another until thirty radiant barriers stood tall, stacking across the air like a perfectly choreographed cage of light.

Auren’s eyes widened.

’What the heck?!’

The borders trembled. Soldiers and mages emerged from hiding—scores of them.

Archers lined the towers. Spells shimmered at their fingertips. At least fifty strong soldiers were there, united, and waiting for this moment.

The trap had been sprung.

[WIND CHOKE][DARK BIND][VINE GRIP]

Magical chains lashed around Auren, constricting his limbs, sealing his mana channels, dragging him from the sky like a broken bird.

"Finish him!"

From atop the wall tower, the commander’s voice boomed, and the heavens ignited.

The soldiers unleashed their fury.

[FIREBALL][ICE SPEAR][WIND STRIKE][GALE FANG][BOULDER THROW]...

The air roared. Explosions lit the battlefield in a kaleidoscope of fire, ice, and stone.

Every single spell was aimed at him.

KABOOOOOOOOOM!

...

Far across the battlefield, on the western side opposite Auren’s desperate struggle, Mardonio reached a tunnel hidden beneath rubble.

The secret passage led into the forest, away from Austerra Castle. It was their last hope of escape.

He adjusted Robert’s unconscious body on his back, but froze.

Figures stood at the tunnel entrance.

Waiting.

"You..."

Mardonio’s voice cracked.

Rage coursed through his veins as he lowered Robert to the ground. His vision burned red. He stared at the silhouette before him as though seeing the devil who had annihilated his family.

Beside him, Austaire clutched his arm. Her nails dug into his skin, silently begging him not to move. Her eyes widened with fear, dread, and something darker—revulsion.

Because standing there was no stranger.

He was the nightmare they thought buried. The cause of their suffering.

The man at the tunnel’s mouth smiled, as though amused by their shock. Behind him, shadowed figures lingered—powerful, confident, and cruel. Their grins glimmered with villainy.

The leader stepped forward, revealing himself.

Tall. Broad. His golden hair caught the torchlight like molten fire.

His golden eyes gleamed like a predator’s. Scars carved deep lines across his face, arms, and legs.

His black armor glistened with regal menace, trimmed with crimson. Red boots struck the stone like war drums.

A massive crimson blade connected to chains rested across his back, humming with restrained violence.

His aura pressed down like a storm, choking the air from Austaire’s lungs.

His lips curled into a smile.

"Oh? Why look at me with such fear... my sweet daughter?"

The name echoed in their minds, sinking like a blade into their chests.

The man was none other than the previous Ruthless King—Aurelus.

And in his Divine Frame’s title, there was a new name,

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Title: Hand of Dark Fate

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