Tying up all the loose ends

[give me power stones please!!]

"Hmm! This bastard child! Giving himself away...Oh, never mind, I'll kill you anyway!" One of the mercenaries shouted and rushed at me quickly.

"yeaaagh!!" The man gave a guttural cry and with a quick movement he stood up from the fire and unsheathed his sword but...

It was slow, yes, slow, too slow.

But why? His movements were perfect and the way he drew his sword was quick and efficient...

Oh yeah, I guess I'm that strong now, huh?...

"Haa!! The distance between us was twenty meters and the guy closed it in 3 seconds...

Practically a turtle to me.

When he was a meter away from me, he pushed off with his right leg and jumped.

His sword was diagonally pointing right at my shoulder.

I was able to observe in great detail how his sword approached my body and yet I still had time to think about how to counterattack.

(slaash!!)

"huh?!"

With a cry of bewilderment the man's sword was effortlessly deflected from my shoulder and falls to the ground leaving his body exposed.

I didn't have to do anything, I just deflected the trajectory of his sword with my own and the inertia did its work.

"!!!" The guy seemed to immediately realize his disadvantageous position and tried to get away from me as quickly as possible, but I didn't give him that advantage.

"Haa!!" With a battle cry my sword swung upwards in an arc, cutting through the guy's body like butter.

Because one of his arms was resting on the ground my sword cut it in half.

First I entered just below his armpit, cut the ribs, the lungs, the liver and my sword came out at the height of his hip on the other side with a jet of blood.

But all this happened in less than a second and with such force that his upper body was sent flying away from his body.

My attack created an expansive slingshot that stained me slightly with blood and the lower part of his body flew out until it crashed near the campfire.

"Okay...who's next?" I muttered as I wiped the blood off my sword.

The other men stared at me with faces of fear, shock and anger but only the largest man of all "the leader" seemed unfazed.

"You fucking son of a bitch!! You killed Gael!!" One of the mercenaries shouted and that seemed to have brought the others back to reality as they quickly surrounded me.

I must admit that they were more coordinated than I thought since in less than a few seconds I was completely surrounded and everyone had their swords drawn.

Only the leader of the group remained motionless as he watched me cautiously, but my instincts didn't alert me too much about him.

"It seems our reward will arrive sooner than expected, huh?! Let's see what you can do against all of us!!"

"attack!!"

The mercenaries screamed and rushed towards me but strangely I was calm.

"Hmm!" Two of them charged straight at me, both of them even slower than the other guy.

Their swords didn't even come close to me, in fact their swords collided with each other as they tried to attack me which I took advantage of to split them in half.

It was a quick movement, without shouts or declarations.

My sword entered one, sliced through his intestines without resistance and exited his body only to repeat the process with the other guy next to him.

(slaaahs!!)

The force of my attack created a tremendous ripple that pulverized both bodies. Even I was surprised by the force of my attack, but I didn't have time to think about it as two more guys were coming at me from behind.

"Damn bastard! Who do you think?!"

This time, one of them seemed more powerful, but nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, all of these guys seemed ordinary.

I'd say all the ones I'm facing are barely intermediate-ranked...actually, that makes sense.

You wouldn't expect to see a Sword King or Emperor in a group of mercenaries, right?

Fortunately, that's not the case with this group.

"I can take them..." I muttered to myself with a smile.

"Uraaah!!" One of them let out a guttural scream, his sword held in both hands, the blade heading straight for my neck.

But it wasn't anything he couldn't avoid. With a single Quagmire, his advance stopped. He stumbled, fell, and when he looked up, my sword was already slicing into his neck.

Thousands of thoughts ran through the man's head.

How did it happen? Where did that Quagmire come from? Who is this child?

But none of them were answered or even given the chance to be uttered before the man's consciousness faded forever.

"Nnngh! Where did that magic come from?!"

The men's advance faltered when they saw the instant quagmire I created. Many lingered and stayed in place as they stared at me.

"B-but how?! Cazeria's proposal didn't say anything about the child being a wizard!"

"Besides, it's magic without enchantments! You saw it!"

Apparently, after I killed four of them in less than a minute, I made them reorganize their priorities as they looked at me cautiously. One second... two seconds... three seconds...

The seconds continued to tick by as I continued to be surrounded by men, but none of them dared to move forward. They had all realized what I was capable of, but...

"Haaa!!" With another guttural cry, a man emerged from the bushes and his sword swung toward my neck in an instant.

(Clack!!)

"Nngh!!"

But with a simple movement, I was able to stop his attack, and his sword, upon contact with Sakka, split in two.

The man didn't have time to react, and his last thoughts were why I could now see his back and why his vision had gone blank before his consciousness faded forever.

"..."

There were five of them now, and they had all stopped trying to attack me; some had even taken several steps back as they stared at me in terror.

But as always, only the two-meter-tall man still sitting by the campfire looked at me with the same unreadable expression as always. But even with all that, I wasn't worried about him.

"Come on... Have you already lost all motivation? It's still fifteen to one. You outnumber me, right? You still have a chance!" I announced as I crouched slightly, putting myself in a vulnerable position. But as I had anticipated, no one dared to make the first move.

"Come on! What the hell is wrong with you? He's just a kid, and there are more of us! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Suddenly, a middle-aged man spoke from the crowd as he got into a fighting stance.

"Good! Finally, someone with pants here!" I said with a mocking smile.

"Tch... You're Paul, right? I must admit, your sword skills are extremely surprising. I don't know what kind of trouble you had in the capital that Darius himself wants you dead, but it's not like I care. Now you've attacked my team, and this is personal!" The man shouted solemnly, and the other mercenaries shouted "Yes!" as they regrouped around me.

Apparently, this guy is some kind of moral support here...

"My name is Parraf the Cheetah! And now I'll kill you, you damn brat!"

The man announced in a solemn voice, and a moment later, he lunged at me.

"Hmm, interesting," was all I could mutter.

Parraf... he was definitely strong, but not too strong.

He's definitely faster than the other mercenaries, and he's obviously more experienced, but still...

His sword still seemed incredibly slow to me...

Don't get me wrong, his stance and everything is good, but his speed... I'd say it's an advanced rank but a very weak one.

"yeaaagh!!" Our swords clashed and a metallic sound shook us both, but with the help of Flow and a little gravity magic I remained immovable.

"a-ah!, you're a monster!!" Parraf screamed in terror as he tried to get away from me only to have a stone bullet pierce through his skull in a split second.

His skull exploded instantly and blood soaked my clothes and face...

I honestly held back my urge to throw up right there so as not to lose the intimidation factor.

Then, in less than a second, Parraf body collapsed in front of me and the astonished gaze of the other mercenaries.

"This makes six...fourteen to go," I muttered as I looked at the men around me.

"Th-this kid...he's a monster!!!" One of the men screamed and tried to escape but his head quickly fell off with a soft movement.

"hmm?..." My gaze turned towards the campfire and there was the leader of all who had already stood up from his place and was unsheathing his sword.

"All those who defect now will be killed by me! So think carefully if you want to turn around now!!" The guy's voice echoed through the place and the mercenaries stood glued where they were.

"Hmmm... I honestly didn't expect you to defeat Parraf so easily... you are certainly very powerful," the man muttered as he began walking towards me.

"Hah! That was nothing! That guy's technique was horrendous! What he did could barely be called a long sword of silence!" I declared in a mocking tone and I could clearly see a vein pop on the guy's forehead.

"Heh...it seems that's the case...and what about you?!, will you stay there still?!, he's just a kid!, if we all attack them as a group we'll win!, now there are fewer of us!, think about what you can do with 100 gold coins!" The man shouted and seemed to shake New determination into the mercenaries because they got into fighting stance again

"Hah!...I...I'm moving to Millis and I'll finally be able to sleep with as many bitches as I want!!"

"Charge everyone!!"

"Don't let him get away!"

The mercenaries shouted at the top of their lungs, this time attacking me all at once But apparently the leader stood there watching me.

"Hmm...I think it's time to put it to the test" I muttered to myself and a blue aura surrounded my body.

I could see out of the corner of my eye how the chief's calm expression faltered and he crossed his arms.

In these two months I had been practicing more and more my battle aura and now I had enough confidence to use it against swordsmen...or so I think.

"Die!!!" Three swordsmen pointed their swords at my neck, shoulder and hips respectively.

A shiver ran down my spine and...

(pluuunng!!)

As if metal had struck metal, a deafening sound was released from my body as the swords collided with me.

But I for my part felt nothing, the swords even bounced off my body and the mercenaries froze at the scene.

I could see that even the leader's eyes widened at this.

"My turn!" I declared and with a blur my image disappeared from the mercenaries' gaze.

"w-where did he go?!...yeagh!!

A guy muttered and in a split second his body was split in two, he didn't even process what happened and he was already dead.

"C-catch him!"

"Don't let him escape!"

The mercenaries began to scream before their heads separated from their bodies in a fraction of a second.

It was a full-blown carnage, hundreds of human organs, bones and tissues began to fly through the air, staining me and impregnating the smell in my clothes to my disgust.

And in less than a minute the fourteen mercenaries were reduced to one.

Despite the carnage that the leader of all these men had just committed, he remained immovable in his place. Honestly, his attitude is starting to bore me...

"A-it seems you've defeated them all...although that's good, it means the reward will be all mine" the man said in a calm voice, but I could hear a faint trace of fear in it.

"Yes, whatever you say, let's get this over with, I'm sleepy" I muttered with a smile and the man gritted his teeth and after a few seconds he let out a laugh of contempt.

"Jah! You're right! Let's get this over with! My name is Conti of the majestic hill, I am a Sword Saint and the end of your path..." Conti murmured with a confident smile, or so he tried to pretend.

And before I could answer the guy lunged at me and threw a long Sword of Ligth at me...

"Hmm!" Without flinching any further, I caught the guy's attack with gravity magic which left him suspended in the air.

"W-what?!!" Conti screamed in fear as he tried to struggle.

"Sorry, I have friends to protect," I muttered, and with a flick of my fist, Conti's body was reduced to a pulp of flesh and bones.

How stupid...

After having faced a North Emperor...

Conti and his group never stood a chance against me, even if I was able to use my gravity magic and reduce them to a pulp and avoid all of this...

I guess I needed to get something out of my system, right? Although you might not notice it, my body feels more relaxed now...

Ughh...I don't want my way of relaxing to be killing people, damn it!!

I looked around at the carnage I had just caused, touched my face and felt the dried blood on my skin, hair and clothes...

"uggh...this is going to be a long night" I muttered to myself and when I was about to wash myself a familiar figure came out of the forest.

"Roxy..." My voice came out breathlessly as I saw the woman in front of me and became aware of the state I was in.

I was completely covered in blood from head to toe and a human carnage was right behind me.

Roxy stared at me for a few seconds and then looked at the dismembered bodies behind me.

(sigh) "I thought you might need some help so I came...but I see you've got it all under control" she murmured.

"W-well...you could say yes, but I went a little too far" I replied avoiding his gaze.

She raised an eyebrow and formed a ball of fire in her hand and threw it at one of the corpses.

"Help me reunite them" was what she said and so we began to cremate the bodies.

It took us about a full hour to do it, completely in silence, and when we finished, all that was left were piles of ash and bones.

"...you won't be able to get all of that off by yourself, let me clean you up" Roxy declared as she looked at the state I was in and I just lowered my head in resignation.

In order to do this I took off my robe and the shirt I was wearing, Roxy took them and submerged them in water in a tub that she created with earth magic.

She left my clothes soaking and then She took off her hat and her own robe, leaving only her white shirt.

This sight was too much for my poor heart so my cheeks quickly turned red.

Unfortunately Roxy noticed this and she just sighed while shaking her head.

"Honestly...I never thought you'd be that kind of person...look at the mess you've left behind," she muttered as she began to scrub my blood-sticky hair with water.

"S-sorry...I got carried away, even I'm surprised" I mumbled while avoiding his gaze

"Yeah, it shows! I've never seen you get so dirty fighting before!" She grumbled, and her scrubbing got harder and faster.

"a-ouch! Yes, yes, I know! Don't wash me so hard!" I grumbled back as I hunched over.

"Heh...I know, I was just messing with you." she said and I could see a mocking smile on her face.

She continued washing my hair for a couple of minutes, a puddle of water and blood formed under my feet as I gathered my thoughts.

Roxy's touch on my head was anything but gentle, she treated my poor head like it was a piece of clothing...

After a while I could feel my hair feeling soft again and with a self-satisfied sigh, Roxy removed her hands from my aching head.

"Well...your hair is done...but your body" she murmured, I looked at myself and my chest, arms and legs were the same shape.

"I'll wash your back, you take care of your chest..." She murmured softly and I nodded.

With a sponge that Roxy had brought, I began to scrub my chest, neck, and armpits, but she hadn't moved.

"Roxy?...Is something wrong?" I muttered, looking at her out of the corner of my eye.

"a-ah! N-nothing!" She stuttered and she slowly brought her hands to my back.

But unlike my head she started to scrub my back more gently, almost as if she were embarrassed.

Also, her hands ran over my shoulders and lower back too many times, in a way that felt like she was admiring them...

"a-ah!, we should hurry, right?..." She declared out of nowhere and her rubbing returned to its usual roughness.

She seemed to notice the way she was cleaned me...

"..."

"..."

The place went completely silent, only the sound of the sponges scrubbing my body could be heard.

"You must have been frustrated for a long time to let yourself get carried away like that, right?" Roxy's voice broke the silence momentarily and the sponge in her hand reached my waist.

"Yeah...now that I think about it it's the truth, I guess I needed something to hit right?" I muttered and suddenly took her hand.

She froze immediately and I began to guide her hand around my stomach.

I don't even know why I did it, but I did it.

"P-Paul?...Is something wrong?" She murmured softly, I could hear her voice trembling slightly even though she tried to hide it.

"It's nothing, I'm just guiding you," I murmured and intertwined our hands.

She froze again, my fingers were between hers and we stayed like that for a few moments and then...

She closed her hand and we were holding hands firmly

We didn't say anything, we just stood like that and she moved slightly towards me, And her other hand also rested on my waist, now she was technically hugging me from behind.

"You know...I never had a chance to thank you for everything you've done for us..."What you've done for me," she murmured softly in my ear.

"I-

"shh...I know, but still not everyone would do what you do for us..."You are a great leader Paul" she declared and I turned to look at her.

Our eyes met, she had a beautiful smile on her face and I blushed involuntarily which caused a laugh from her.

"Get dressed, we still have a long trip..." She murmured, moving away from me, but I could hear some regret in her voice.

Oh shit, this girl has me in the palm of her hand.