Cunning enemy

"Next, we will proceed to the second match of the day. Standing before me is the nameless trio, who triumphed with remarkable speed yesterday. Ah, I believe I mentioned that if they won, I'd give them a name... but never mind, they won't be victorious today, hahahaha," the detestable gnome jeered from the podium.

"And their opponents today are three taciturn individuals, whom I typically refer to as the 'Silent Ones,'" the gnome continued.

"Yay!" A thunderous cheer erupted from the audience.

"What's going on with them? Haven't their injuries healed?" Jin asked, surveying the Silent Ones who stood opposite him.

The Silent Ones were dressed in peculiar attire—each was wrapped entirely in white bandages, with only their eyes exposed. They all wore identical cloaks, and their heights were nearly indistinguishable, making it impossible for anyone to tell them apart.

"Now, let the match begin!" The gnome shouted, and another round of deafening cheers filled the arena.

"Alright, let's end this swiftly," Jin said to Will and Lisa. Lisa merely nodded gently before the two began walking toward the Silent Ones.

"Will!" Lisa called back to him. But Will, still silent, stood rooted to the spot, his head lowered.

"Let him be. If we can handle this, he can stay there," Jin said, glancing back at Will.

"Remember, the woman with red hair is a sorceress, and the man with the graying hair wields a crossbow. The one in the black armor at the back seems largely inconsequential. You two should focus on restraining the sorceress so she cannot concentrate on casting spells, while I will deal with the crossbowman. We needn't worry about the armored one just yet," the Silent Ones murmured amongst themselves, discussing their strategy.

In the blink of an eye, all three Silent Ones vanished.

"What?" Jin and Lisa exclaimed in astonishment.

"They disappeared?" Lisa asked, puzzled.

"No, their speed is just extraordinary; they must be surrounding us right now," Jin said, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

"What do we... ah!" Before Lisa could finish speaking, one of the Silent Ones suddenly materialized behind her and landed a powerful punch to her back.

Lisa staggered forward, losing her balance, and just as she did, another Silent One appeared before her, swiftly striking her abdomen. The force of the blow caused Lisa to collapse to the ground in agony. The Silent One, his hands wrapped in bandages, grabbed her by the hair, pressing a dagger against her throat, while another locked her arms in place.

"Heh heh heh, now you can't cast your spells, can you, little sorceress?" the Silent One mocked.

"Lisa..." As Jin's attention was drawn to Lisa, the third Silent One appeared behind him.

"Don't look around, watch your back," he whispered in Jin's ear.

Jin reacted swiftly, spinning around and executing a spinning kick. However, just as his leg was about to strike, the Silent One vanished again before his eyes.

"How fast!" Jin exclaimed, astonished.

"Of course," came the reply, and the Silent One reappeared behind Jin, leaping up and driving his knee into Jin's back. The sudden blow caused Jin to crash to the ground.

"Little girl, it seems you won't be able to cast any more spells, heh heh heh," one of the Silent Ones taunted, slowly waving the dagger in front of Lisa's eyes.

"Die!" The Silent One raised his dagger, preparing to strike Lisa's throat.

"Damn!" Jin struggled desperately beneath the weight pressing down on him, but he couldn't move.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce Lisa's throat, a dark object suddenly flew through the air, striking the Silent One in the head and knocking him unconscious.

"What?" The other two Silent Ones shouted in surprise.

"It's... Will's shield," Jin said, recognizing the black object that had knocked the Silent One down.

"Will!" Jin cried, overjoyed, as he turned to see Will running toward them, holding his short sword.

"Ahhh!" Will rushed toward the Silent One who had Lisa's hands bound, raising his short sword to strike. Realizing the danger, the Silent One quickly released Lisa and sprang back.

Freed from her restraints, Lisa seized the opportunity, aiming her hands at the Silent One who was standing over Jin.

"Fireball!" A massive ball of flame shot from Lisa's hands, streaking toward the Silent One.

"What?!" Seeing the fireball racing toward him, the Silent One dodged in a desperate attempt to avoid the blast.

"Will, you were just in time!" Jin exclaimed, quickly scrambling to his feet.

"Sorry, I almost made another mistake," Will replied.

"They're incredibly fast. We need to stay vigilant. Let's back up and stand back-to-back," Will said. Jin and Lisa quickly followed suit, positioning themselves back-to-back to avoid any further sneak attacks.

"Curse it, that armored kid has ruined our plans," one of the Silent Ones hissed.

"We have no choice now, we'll have to use that move," another responded.

The three Silent Ones, standing in a corner, quietly discussed their tactics.

"Why aren't they coming for us?" Jin murmured.

"Looks like they're searching for a weakness," Lisa answered.

"Look! They've disappeared again!" Will warned loudly.

"Be alert!" Jin's expression grew tense. He absolutely did not want to experience being trampled again.

The vanishing Silent Ones reappeared at three different points in the arena, forming a triangle.

Then, they clasped their hands together and began chanting strange incantations.

"What are they doing?" Will asked, confused.

"I don't know, but it can't be good," Jin replied.

No sooner had Jin spoken than a vast number of white bandages shot out from their cloaked bodies, surrounding Will and the others entirely.

"What is this?" Will shouted in terror.

"Where did all these bandages come from? Are they monsters?" Jin asked nervously.

"Fireball!" Lisa cast a fireball toward the oncoming bandages. The flames quickly consumed the bandages, turning them to ash, but more bandages soon rushed toward her.

"Damn!" Will cried out in pain, hacking at the bandages with his short sword, but the sheer number of them quickly immobilized all three of them.

"Stop struggling. The more you fight, the tighter they will become. Just wait to suffocate," one of the Silent Ones sneered.

The trio struggled briefly within the massive web of bandages, then fell motionless.

"Ah, it seems the Silent Ones have won this match," the loathsome gnome declared, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction.

As the gnome's words fell, the stands erupted in a massive cheer.

"But... it's not over yet!" Will's furious voice cut through the roar of the crowd. The enormous bandages suddenly ignited in flames, and with a powerful swing of his sword, Will cleaved them in two. Jin, Will, and Lisa emerged unscathed from the now-torn bandages.