The Smiling Death

Two bandits stood at opposite ends of the campsite, lazily keeping watch over the surrounding forest.

The rest of their companions remained gathered around the campfire, completely unaware that death had already arrived.

Thwip!

A black arrow, completely concealed by Amon’s shadow, shot through the darkness without making the slightest sound.

Splurt!

"Arghhh!"

The arrow pierced straight through one guard’s throat.

His scream was cut short as blood poured from the wound.

He desperately clutched his neck before collapsing to the ground.

The second guard immediately turned toward him.

"W-What happened?!"

Before he could even finish speaking.

Thwip!

Another shadow-covered arrow silently streaked through the night.

Crack!

It struck directly between his eyes.

His body stiffened.

The life instantly vanished from his eyes before he fell backward.

Thud!

Only then did the remaining bandits realize something was wrong.

"We’re under attack!"

The camp instantly erupted into chaos.

The towering bearded leader, Luke, sprang to his feet.

Two massive battle axes appeared in his hands as mana surged through his body.

Beside him, Mortin the strongest bandit after Luke, he quickly drew his sword.

His expression became grim.

"Dammit! Who found our hideout?"

The remaining three bandits hurriedly grabbed their weapons, their eyes darting nervously toward the surrounding forest.

Luke clenched his jaw.

"We don’t know how many enemies there are."

He immediately made a decision.

"Mortin! We’re pulling back. We’ll retreat deeper into the valley first. If there are too many of them, fighting here is pointless."

"Understood!"

The two leaders turned to retreat.

But before they could take more than a single step.

Crack!

A brilliant lance of lightning tore through the darkness and shot directly toward them.

Luke’s instincts screamed in warning.

With a roar, he crossed both battle axes before him.

BOOOOM!!

The lightning lance exploded upon impact.

A violent shockwave swept through the campsite, throwing dirt, burning embers, and shattered stones into the air.

Smoke covered the entire clearing.

Luke slid backward several meters, but his feet remained firmly planted.

Mana continuously flowed around his body, protecting him from the blast.

As the smoke slowly dispersed...

Their expressions changed.

They had been surrounded.

Standing directly before them were Amon and Seraphina.

Amon’s black sword and hatchet radiated an ominous darkness.

Beside him, Seraphina calmly pointed her glowing golden sword toward Luke.

On the left stood Marcus, his flaming spear illuminating the surrounding trees.

On the right, Aisha rolled her shoulders as blue lightning crackled violently around her gauntlets.

Several meters behind them, hidden atop a sturdy tree branch...

Eliana silently aimed another arrow.

Her bow never left the bandits.

The three surviving ordinary bandits quickly gathered beside Luke.

"Boss! We’re under attack!"

Luke shot him an irritated glare.

"I have eyes, idiot. Shut up and focus."

His sharp gaze shifted toward the students.

After observing them for a moment, he let out a dry laugh.

"So... It was just a bunch of kids. I did heard some village sending request to academy."

He rested one axe on his shoulder.

"Listen carefully. If you don’t want to die... Walk away."

His tone became cold.

"You’re all still young. This isn’t your fight. Don’t throw your lives away pretending to be heroes hunting bandits."

The forest remained silent. Not a single student moved.

Luke clicked his tongue. "Tch... So that’s your answer."

A faint smile appeared on Amon’s face.

Without saying a word shadow slowly spread across his body.

Darkness layered itself over the shadows, forming a black armor-like cloak that continuously released wisps of dark smoke.

His crimson-black aura alone made the surrounding air feel heavier.

Beside him golden mana erupted from Seraphina.

Her sword shone brilliantly beneath the moonlight, radiating a holy aura completely opposite to Amon’s darkness.

Luke’s expression hardened.

"...Fine."

"If you insist on dying..."

"So be it."

He raised both battle axes.

"Mortin."

"We kill them first."

Mortin grinned and tightened his grip on his sword.

"Yes, Boss."

The instant those words left his mouth.

BOOM!

The ground beneath Amon and Seraphina shattered.

The two shot forward like arrows released from a bow.

At the same moment Marcus lunged toward Mortin, his flaming spear cutting through the night.

Aisha charged alongside him, lightning exploding beneath every step.

Meanwhile the remaining three ordinary bandits instinctively moved closer together.

Panic clouded their judgment.

None of them noticed Eliana quietly releasing her bowstring.

Thwip!

Thwip!

Two shadow-covered arrows silently disappeared into the darkness.

The bandits never even heard them coming.

Splurt!

"ARGHHH!"

One arrow pierced straight through a bandit’s nape, killing him instantly.

The second arrow struck another squarely in the chest.

The tremendous force carried him backward before he collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.

In the span of a few heartbeats.Two more bandits were dead.

The battlefield had been reduced to only three enemies.

Luke, the Master Ascendant leader.

Mortin, the Master Rank swordsman.

And one trembling ordinary bandit who now realized he was standing in the middle of a battle far beyond his ability.

---

On side Mortin was attack by Marcus and Aisha.

While one bandit was deal by Eliana.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

On kther side the sounds of metal colliding echoed across the valley.

Sparks erupted every time Luke’s twin battle axes crashed against Amon’s shadow-coated sword or Seraphina’s radiant golden blade.

Flames roared from Luke’s axes with every swing, turning each clash into an explosion of fire.

On one side Amon’s sword was as black as the deepest abyss, its blade seemingly forged from darkness itself.

On the other Seraphina’s sword shone with brilliant golden light, illuminating the battlefield and pushing back the surrounding shadows.

Darkness and light fought side by side against raging flames.

Yet despite their flawless coordination...

Both Amon and Seraphina could clearly feel the difference in strength.

Luke was stronger.

Much stronger.

Every collision sent vibrations through their arms.

His attacks were heavier, faster, and filled with overwhelming mana.

Even while fighting two opponents simultaneously, he wasn’t being pushed back.

Instead he was the one forcing them onto the defensive.

Luke swung both battle axes in a wide arc.

Amon and Seraphina hurriedly crossed their swords to block.

BOOM!

The tremendous force sent both of them sliding several meters across the ground.

Luke laughed loudly.

"You two are impressive."

His eyes gleamed with excitement.

"I’ll give you that."

He rested one battle axe on his shoulder.

"But did you really believe...that two Master Rank warriors could defeat someone who has already stepped into the Master Ascendant Rank?"

The pressure released from his body increased dramatically.

"I’m an entire realm above both of you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Luke suddenly leaped backward, creating nearly twenty meters of distance between himself and the two students.

He raised one battle axe before him.

Orange mana rapidly gathered around the weapon.

A massive magic circle expanded into existence.

Complex structure continuously rotated around its edge.

The surrounding mana rushed toward it.

Luke had begun casting a Fourth-Rank Ascendant Spell.

Amon’s eyes narrowed.

’It’s slow...’

Long before Luke had retreated...

A small portion of Amon’s shadow had already slipped away unnoticed.

Like flowing water, it traveled silently beneath the battlefield before disappearing into Luke’s own shadow.

Luke never noticed.

The moment the spell was halfway complete.

Amon clenched his fist.

The shadow beneath Luke suddenly expanded.

Darkness erupted from the ground out of nowhere.

BOOM!

Several gigantic black spikes burst upward without warning.

The spikes weren’t made of ordinary shadow.

Amon had condensed death’s darkness around them, giving each spike the hardness of steel and an edge sharp enough to pierce armor.

Luke’s eyes widened.

"What—?!"

His instincts saved him. He forcefully twisted his body to the side.

Most of the spikes missed.

But one still grazed his left leg.

Slash!

"Argh!"

Blood splashed onto the ground as a deep wound opened across his thigh.

His concentration faltered.

The giant magic circle flickered and shattered.

Before he could recover.

Seraphina was already moving.

Golden mana erupted around her sword.

With one swift swing she unleashed a radiant horizontal slash.

The brilliant crescent of golden light tore through the air, heading straight for Luke.

Luke reacted instantly.

He swung both battle axes simultaneously.

Two enormous arcs of blazing orange flames burst from the axe blades.

The attacks collided head-on.

BOOOOOOM!!

A deafening explosion shook the valley.

The shockwave uprooted nearby bushes and scattered burning embers throughout the forest.

A thick cloud of smoke swallowed the battlefield.

Luke instinctively raised one arm to shield his face.

"...Tch."

Then from within the smoke...

Five black crescent slashes suddenly emerged.

One after another. Each identical to the last.

Luke snorted. "Cheap tricks!"

He swung one battle axe.

The first slash passed harmlessly through the blade before disappearing.

"...An illusion."

Without hesitation, he struck again.The second slash vanished just like the first.

Then the third.

Luke smirked."So they’re all fake."

Believing he had seen through the technique, he ignored the fourth slash entirely.

It reached him in an instant.

Then—

Slash!

"...What?!"

The black crescent carved deeply across his abdomen.

Blood burst from the wound.

"ARGHHH!"

Luke staggered backward in shock.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

’That one... was real?!’

Before he could process what had happened. The fifth slash was already upon him.

This time, he didn’t dare gamble. With a furious roar, Luke crossed both battle axes before his body.

CLANG!

The genuine shadow slash slammed against the axes, sending sparks and black mana scattering across the battlefield.

Luke barely managed to stop it.

For the first time since the battle began...

The confident smile on the bandit leader’s face had disappeared.

He finally realized...

These academy students were far more dangerous than he had imagined.