Butcher of the Forest (Part 1)

"Hah! You really think you're scary!? We're the Red Claw Bandits!" one bandit said, holding on to that false courage, I can see his legs shaking.

"I could go across dimensions and still find nobody who gave a shit." I said.

"Grundel would make quick work with fuckers like you!" one of the bandits yelled. Looks like they never knew about Grundel's death yet.

"Oh, Grundel? That orc bandit? Oh yeah, I met him. A big boy indeed. Too bad he's dead." I said nonchalantly.

"Dead? No way in hell he's dead! Not to a brat like you!"

"Whoa, I never said I killed him." I said, putting my hands out. Although it is true I did kill him, but I expected they won't believe me.

"It's alright, you can meet him soon...after I kill you." I said.

The bandits can no longer take this threat. With their veins bulging from their heads.

"Kill that fucker and his pets!" the bandit yelled and they started running with many weapons varying Longswords, Maces, Axes, War Hammers, Spears, and more.

In a moment, Gris, Noire, and I dashed forward at the army. I swung my two blades at the bandit closest to me and cut his head off with my wind blade and cut his head in half with my lightning sword with a stupid look on his face.

[Rank D target slain. 50,000 EP acquired.]

Gris and Noire, being the speedy puppers they are, tore the throats of 8 bandits in an instant.

[8 Rank D targets slain. 400,000 EP acquired.]

The bandits who were watching back there who saw the nine bandits swiftly killed in front of them blinked on what happened, but it's a battle now.

You got no time to think. If you wanna kill, expect to be killed.

*SLASH!*

*BRA-KOOM!!*

10 more bandits were slain by my lightning sword and the discharge struck 20 more.

[10 Rank D targets slain. 500,000 EP acquired.]

[Notice. 135 targets are affected by the curse.]

"Schwarze, go on the offensive and use your Dark Magic." I said. Although it'll remove his Concealment skill if he attacks, but as long he keeps moving and above ground, he'll be fine. He'll have to worry about projectiles.

Schwarze summoned 5 Tier III Dark Magic spells called Shadow Spear. A Dark Type projectile shaped like a spike which is 3 feet long that can pierce multiple enemies. The bandits look up and saw the owl and looked in horror.

"It's a Despair Owl! Run!" one of the bandits said. The bandits tried to scatter, but Schwarze fired the Shadow Spears down upon them.

*Bwoosh!*

"GYAAAGH!"

"AARRGH!!"

The spears struck down and exploded upon impact, killing 10 and knocking 35 back.

[10 D rank targets slain. 500,000 EP acquired.]

"Die, bitch!" one bandit yelled wielding a mace. I pivoted to the side, dodging to the side. What the bandit did is to hit the ground.

I thrust my hand into the bandit's open mouth, causing him gag. I went into his ear to retort.

"You first." I said. The bandit gasped and I ripped the bandit's lower jaw. The bandit fell to the ground, gurgling. I lifted my foot and stomped on his skull with great force. The bandit's brain matter splattered as a result along with blood inside and his eyeballs popped out.

[Rank D target slain. 50,000 EP acquired.]

I smiled at the gory display of his death, despite the violent games like Reaver, Cosmic Death, and Cogs of Conflict, the sound of bones crushing, brains being splattered, screams of pain. Hehehehe...it's nothing compared to where I am now.

*Slice!*

A slicing sound was heard behind me and I hear a message.

[Warning. You have been struck in the back. You are bleeding profusely.]

[Now regenerating...]

Bleeding? Behind?

"Hehehe...you ain't so tough. You're just a kid. Kihihi." one bearded bandit laughed with a twisted smile on his face.

*WHAM!!*

But in that instant, his smile became pressed by something with a resounding metallic impact. Something large, spiky, and metallic. His head became more distorted as the metal object advances further. His teeth slowly fly out of his jaws, his eyeballs slowly protruding further outward, blood shooting out of his nose. He had been struck in the head with a mace.

*SPLOORGHK!!*

The mace that I picked up that struck him as I turned around pulverized his head. A spray of blood, pieces of his brain and skull was scattered upon the other bandits. The deep wound on my back quickly closed up, stopping any bleeding.

[Rank D target slain. 50,000 EP acquired.]

"That didn't even faze him?!" the bandit said stepping back.

"Rank S...now."

[Acknowledged. 500,000 EP paid. You are now Rank S.]

[Notice. An unknown Unique Skill has been acquired.]

I smiled wickedly, sadistically, filled with desire to kill more. Those bandits that once had malicious smirks to kill, to pillage, to violate has been distorted to frowns of fear and confusion. They had never expect anyone to kill many, from a child no less.

I turned to their frightened faces with me grinning ear to ear, covered in drops of their blood.

"Where's the leader?"

[The S rank target is 1000 feet away behind the cursed troops. It is stationary.]

'Good.' Is what I thought. I just have to break through their ranks.

"Next, please." I said to them. I then dashed forward to the closest bandit with my Lightning Sword. The bandit raised his wooden shield, reinforced by iron. However, that won't save him, not one bit.

I swung my Lightning Sword vertically at the shield and sliced it in half, cutting his arm in the process.

"AAAAAGH!! My arrrmm!" the bandit shrieked in pain as he clutched it, but he had no time to suffer for I swung my newfound mace at his legs.

*CRACK!!*

The bones in his legs were broken in multiple places and he screamed louder, but in a higher pitch this time. High enough for him to be a soprano. I swung my mace again to splatter his skull again.

[Rank D target slain. 50,000 EP acquired.]

"How many are left?"

[267 hostiles remain.]

"Gris, become wind and decimate the cursed enemies." I said.

"Woof!" Gris barked and gained distance from the bandits. He went on a crouching position and wind began to swirl around him. The bandits used the chance to attack Gris, but the wind was too powerful, pushing them back.

"This wind! Why is it so strong!?" the bandit yelled in frustration. But that frustration became their downfall.

Gris growled and the wind swirled violent around him more densely. Like a tornado to be exact. The bandits were blown back a few feet. One of the bandits recovered and saw Gris surrounded by the tornado.

But that was the last sight he saw until Gris vanished from his view.

Gris who vanished from one side, reappeared on the other side. He moved so fast, the explosion of wind came after.

The explosion came at a horizontal cyclone, shredding numerous of bandits to ribbons and sending others flying in other directions.

[50 Rank D targets slain. 2,500,000 EP required.]

[217 hostiles remain.]

"Noire, summon your clones!" I said.

Noire howled and her shadow expanded 5 times her size. Black masses of darkness then emerged 10 clones of herself.

"It can summon clones...did we...make a mistake?" one bandit said, having second thoughts. Noire then jumped at the bandit's throat while her clones follow suit for other bandits.

"AAARGH!! Get it off me!"

"Help me!"

"Aaaagh!"

Screams of pain and terror fill the air and fear began to settle to the unharmed.

"We lost a lot of our guys as we're taking on one kid?" a bandit said in a trembling voice.

"S-scatter! Forget the kid and get to the village!" one of the bandits said. They managed to gather what courage they got before fear took over and tried to run around while I was relishing the image of bandits being decimated.

The bandits began running past me, but they didn't know I have another monster in play.

"Viri, use Great Wind Blade." I said.

Viri who is relatively far from the battle flashed its core and starts barreling to my direction. When it sees the bandits running with their weapons with fear in their eyes, Viridesca summoned a fired a Tier V Wind Spell, Great Wind Blade. Great Wind Blade is a large projectile that slices through enemies, dealing damage. It also deals damage to those who blocked it, but not by the usual 50%, it deals 70% damage by blocking.

The crescent shaped projectile flew by and bisected the runaway bandits who are running.

[20 D rank targets slain. 1,000,000 EP acquired.]

[197 hostiles remain.]

"What was that? Those guys just got sliced in half." the bandit said.

*CRUNCH!*

A gruesome sound was heard and the group looked at me caving a bandit's rib cage in with my mace. The bandit fell hard and went limp. His mouth was agape and dripping with blood as he fell backwards.

[D rank target slain. 50,000 EP acquired.]

"Like I said..." I said, taking out my mace. "You're dealing with me now, bitches!"

{Meanwhile...Hyoran's POV.}

Ever since Kain told me to run without him, I ran without looking back. I know that if we run, we'd bring the bandits with us and the villagers won't have time to prepare. I looked back to see if anyone is behind me, but there is none.

I continued running until I reached the bridge and crossed it. I'm getting closer to the village and I can see the guards in front of the gate.

"Hm? Oh, Hyoran. Where's Kain?" the guards said to me. I stopped to beg.

"Please! Where's Mr. Olken?! Kain is in trouble!" I yelled, begging them.

"Kain is in trouble? Did he encounter a powerful monster?!" one of the guards said.

"No, it's worse! A large group of bandits came by! They're going to raid this village!" I yelled. The villagers that are going as usual looked at me and the guards when they heard about my screaming.

"Bandits? Attacking our village?" one villager said.

"We should inform Village Chief Olken just in case." another one said.

"Hyoran, we don't take the bandit problem lightly, even for kids." one guard said.

"It's not a joke! We must save him! Please!" I pleaded.

"Okay, he's in his hut." he answered and I ran immediately. I ran faster as every second we take, Kain is in greater danger. I ran past the villagers who are slowly picking up on the bandit problem, but is unsure about it since we never had it for years.

As I continued running, I see Mr. Olken walking back to his hut.

"Mr. Olken!!" I yelled out to him.

"Hyoran?" Mr. Olken said as he turned to me surprised. I skid to a stop and tried to catch my breath.

"Kain...is in trouble...bandits!" I said, panting. "We're being raided!"