(Arc: Revenge) The Attack

The obsidian walls towered over us and absorbed the light around. The guards at the entrance monitored the area with an ironclad expression; they donned red armor and wielded poleaxes. Something was amiss, the city felt empty. We had no other choice but to move forward.

Even if it were a trap, our group was the apex of the five families and we couldn't afford to run away. Entering the city was an easy task as the guards were akin to children compared to us. The vicinity was truly deserted as not a single soul was in sight; this confirmed it, this was a trap. Using the limestone path as our guide, we steered towards the center of the area.

The houses and infrastructures were also desolate; no one has been here for years. How much planning did Von Ellis do. Despite me hating the man to the core, I had no choice but to acknowledge his genius. As our progress inside the walls continued, the environment kept changing.

The number of buildings kept decreasing until we were essentially in a forest again. With a raised palm, I stopped everyone dead in their tracks. The Keller head and successor along with the Laurier head and Andre changed their stances. The other members who couldn't utilize magic were unaware of what was under way.

"This is a mirage. Our opponents are lurking around us," I said.

"Come out of hiding you cowards, I can tell that there's six of you."

The surroundings began trembling and the trees dissolved into blue particles that faded away. The setting reverted to an urban landscape. Our group was encompassed by six figures wearing amused expressions. My gaze was instantly drawn to one man in particular and his piercing red eyes fueled my anger; they belonged to none other than Von Ellis.

The other five assailants seemed different from us, everything from their mannerisms to the way they dressed was odd. Our clothes looked bare compared to theirs, their garments were composed of multiple layers of fabric along with detailed embroidery; they must hail from Xarxia.

All of them looked to be in their twenties. Their strength was noteworthy as they were at the tenth stage of energy circulation and their swordsmanship along with their magic were also up to par. This really put into perspective how strong Xarxia was. If their youngsters were so strong, how otherworldly were the leaders?

From their point of view, their plan was unfolding as intended and they had the upper hand; however, they were simply in the palm of my hand. By using my superior control over energy, I could easily conceal my strength; even someone stronger than me wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Additionally, I stopped using the energy solidification spell, so I was left armless. My body was exuding strength comparable to the seventh stage. In Von Ellis' eyes, I had made no significant improvement and was not someone to be wary of. If I hadn't taken those measures, they would have ganged up on me and even I would have been in a world of trouble.

"How did a weak rat like you manage to live?" Von asked.

"You're so weak but you still came here, I applaud your foolishness," a woman said.

The six of them burst out laughing while I maintained a neutral facial expression.

"I'll take the ant."

Everything was panning out as expected, the man who had spoken was the Ellis patriarch. On our side, each father-son duo teamed up against one opponent. I would be left face-to-face with my archenemy. Five of the battles were underway and only the two of us remained motionless.

"Aren't you scared?" he asked.

"Why would I be? Because of your ugly face?" I jokingly asked.

"Don't you understand your situation? Your family can't save you here. You may be under the impression that because you outnumber us, you have the upper hand; however, that is far from the case. We are all at the tenth stage. Can you even begin to fathom the amount of strength that you wield at that level?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," I replied with a wide grin.

Shockwaves were released as I unleashed my strength level. The five Xarxian fighters gazed in my direction in utter shock, but thankfully, they couldn't do anything as they were subject to an onslaught of attacks. My plan had worked to a T. I activated energy solidification and a pitch-black limb appeared. Von Ellis' eyes were void of thoughts, his mouth was agape and his weapon was dangling from his loose grip. He was in the presence of a true monster.

"H-How are you so strong..."

"Enough chatter, you look a bit too...what's the word I'm looking for...connected. How about I cut you into tiny pieces."

Using my jet-black arm, I gripped the hilt of my sword and unsheathed it; the blade was imbued with energy turning it pitch-black. The weapon released a horrific aura which reminded my opponent of the mistake that he had made. Despite regretting his actions, Von was anything but a coward and he prepared himself to launch an attack.

A wide grin manifested on my face. I instantaneously vanished into thin air in front of his very eyes. His head weaved around in panic while he relentlessly swung his blade. Out of the blue, he stopped moving his arm. Not that he didn't want to, he simply couldn't. His eyes swiveled only to find a fountain of blood instead of his appendage. The agonizing pain hit him at once and he couldn't retain his calm; his mouth opened and released a blood-curdling scream.

My body rose from the ground at twelve o'clock. With a swing of my blade, I lacerated his legs and proceeded with removing them entirely. Blood was spewing out of the stumps and at this rate, he would die prematurely. Fortunately, Ian Keller bestowed me with just the spell to fix that.

"Oh where would I be without dear Ian," I sarcastically said.

I placed my hands on his stumps and unleashed fire blast to cauterize the wounds. His spine-chilling scream reverberated throughout the city; I may have burned him for too long. His body was covered with dry purple skin. His face went blank and he had palpably given up.

"Don't worry, after I've dealt with your goons, we'll start having fun."