Conclusion

As Melzan stood before Rei with an intimidating stare, he told Rei to move.

"In your dreams, old man," Rei shot back, his stance unwavering.

Melzan's expression darkened, his lips curling into a sneer. "You've got guts, I'll give you that," he said, stepping forward as he began to chant. "Wind, show me your power!"

Before he could finish the incantation, Rei struck first. "Wind Blast!" he shouted, sending a surge of wind magic crashing into Melzan. The blast hurled the leader back, tearing his cloak and leaving him momentarily disoriented.

Melzan staggered, fury blazing in his eyes. "You punk!" he roared, unsheathing his sword with a metallic rasp. Without hesitation, he charged at Rei with brutal speed.

Rei conjured an earth wall, blocking the oncoming attack. As Melzan neared, Rei transmuted the barrier into a barrage of earth bullets. The projectiles shot toward the bandit leader, but his reflexes were sharp, his movements swift as he dodged each one with ease.

Melzan grinned wickedly, his scarred face twisted in amusement. "So, you're a qi user who can control elements. How interesting," he said, his tone mocking.

"I'm more powerful than you think," Rei countered, his voice firm.

"Oh? Then let's see if your little friends can handle this."

Before Rei could react, Melzan turned his attention to the group of girls nearby, charging toward them with his sword raised high while chanting a wind spell.

"No!" Rei shouted, throwing himself between Melzan and his intended victims. The blade struck an earth wall Rei had created with devastating force, carving a deep gash.

He then used his wind magic and destroyed the earth wall, expecting help, but he saw that the bandits on the other side were getting killed by the children too.

Melzan shouted, "Everyone, attack the child mages. We will create a pincer attack."

The bandits started coming from the back of the child mages, but Rei created another huge earth wall behind Melzan, Kaiser, and Bandit General, separating them from the bandit mages.

Rei shouted, "Everyone, use pincer attack on the those Bandits." Rei pointed to the bandits who were coming from the rear battle. The child mages turned their backs quickly and started attacking with their magic spell, and the children with melee weapons also started attacking the bandits.

Melzan tried to attack the child mages who had their backs turned, but Rei stopped him using earth wall. Melzan knew it would be difficult for him to destroy the earth wall behind him because the moment he showed his back to Rei, Rei would attack him. He chanted another wind magic as he fought Rei, but Rei used his wind magic, not letting him complete, but he was more experienced and kept on chanting.

Rei knew about the situation he was in and formed a plan, Rei made another earth wall and covered the mages behind him.

Melzan was getting frustrated, and soon the bandit mages broke the earth wall.

Rei said, "Kaiser, we have to run, now."

Kaiser agreed, and Rei and Kaiser used wind bombs beneath their feet to jump through the earth wall behind them. Knowing that Melzan was strong enough to break the earth wall Rei created another earth wall behind that earth wall.

Rei, as expected, was not surprised to see that the child mages used up all of their mana.

Rei shouted, "Retreat, Retreat, Retreat!" The children who were still able to move started carrying the children who were too tired to move and headed towards the entrance of the village. The earth wall broke, and Melzan and his bandits started chasing the children, but there was a considerable distance between them.

As they were running, a bandit threw a dagger that was imbued with wind magic, and it struck the leg of a girl who carried another girl. You saw it and immediately headed towards her. Melzan was heading towards her to kill them.

Rei rushed towards those girls.

"No!" Rei shouted, throwing himself between Melzan and his intended victims. The blade struck him with devastating force, carving a deep gash from his right shoulder to his left waist. Blood poured from the wound as Rei collapsed to his knees, his breath ragged but his resolve unbroken.

Melzan sneered, towering over him. "Look at the so-called genius now," he jeered. "Too dangerous to live. Die, brat!"

Rei said, "Everyone is incompetent."

When Melzan heard those words, he laughed and said, "You are right. everyone is incompetent and just wants to leech over competent people but hey that's the world."

The sword came down, aimed for Rei's heart, but Luster shoved him aside just in time, placing himself in the path of the attack.

"Luster, no!" Rei gasped; his vision blurred from pain.

Before the blade could strike, Kaiser acted. He created an earth wall between Luster and Melzan's blade. The sword struck the wall first, deflecting enough to save Luster from a mortal wound.

At that moment, Bret seized the opportunity, plunging his weapon into Melzan's shoulder. The bandit leader bellowed in rage, his stance faltering.

Rei, summoning his last reserves of strength, conjured an earth bullet and fired it at close range. Melzan twisted to avoid it, but the projectile struck deep into his side, drawing a scream of pain.

"You little punk!" Melzan roared, raising his sword to strike again at Rei.

A sudden flash of steel sliced through the chaos, and Melzan's sword arm fell to the ground. He froze, staring at the stump where his arm had been, his blood spraying across the dirt.

Thomas stepped forward, his expression cold and unyielding. "Enough," he said, his voice cutting through the battlefield like a blade.

The villagers arrived in force, weapons in hand and fury etched on their faces. Their anger was palpable as they took in the scene—their children bloodied but standing, the bandits broken and cowering.

Rei's father turned to his son, his eyes softening briefly as he knelt beside him. "You've done enough, Rei. You fought well," he said, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. "Now rest. We'll take it from here."

The villagers who had trained the children stepped forward, their fury igniting like a blazing fire. Their glares pierced the remaining bandits, who now trembled under their gaze.

It was clear: the battle wasn't over, but the tide had turned, and the villagers weren't just angry—they were out for justice.

The villagers who trained and guided Rei and his classmates take their place at the forefront, their eyes blazing with a mix of fury and protectiveness. The anger is palpable, radiating off them in waves as they fixate on the battered remnants of the bandit gang. Anyone with eyes can see that these people are not merely upset—they are positively livid at the audacity of these brigands attacking their beloved wards.

Lily gently takes Maria from Rei's back, cradling the little girl close as she guides him and the other injured children toward the healers' quarters. The healers, skilled in the ancient arts of herbalism and medicine, set to work tending to Rei's wounds with practiced efficiency. Most of his classmates have minor ailments—cuts, bruises, and exhaustion from the fierce battle. Rei, however, bears the deepest wounds, a grim reminder of his heroic actions in shielding the others.

As the healers work to mend Rei's flesh and ease his pain with their knowledge of rare herbs and remedies, Thomas strides toward the remaining bandits, his expression grim and unyielding. He approaches the leader first, the man who had sought to end Rei's life and take Maria's. With a swift, merciless strike, Thomas severs the leader's head from his shoulders, the deed done before the man can even register the impending doom.

Thomas discards the gruesome trophy carelessly, his gaze already fixed upon the next threat. The bandit who had clashed with Rei earlier, the one who had grown so enraged at being thwarted by a mere child, turns to flee. He is fast, but not fast enough. Thomas, a man who once walked the path of the adventurer, launches himself in pursuit with all the speed and grace of his youth.

Three heartbeats pass. Three eternal, agonizing seconds. And then, with a speed that belies belief, Thomas overtakes the fleeing bandit. A single, devastating blow later, the man is cut in half, his lifeless halves crumpling to the blood-soaked ground. The other villagers wasted no time in finishing off the remaining bandits, their skills honed by years of adventuring across the land. These were not weak, helpless people—they were once the cream of the crop, the best and brightest warriors and explorers to have ever set foot in this realm.

The bandits, on the other hand, had been the rejects, the failures cast aside by the adventuring guilds for their lack of potential and skill. In their arrogance and greed, they had thought to take what they wanted by force. Now, they reap the grim harvest of their folly, cut down like the weak, pathetic things they truly were. The villagers, Rei's mentors, and his parents make sure of that, their fury and skill combining to deliver a brutal, decisive victory against the hated invaders.