The soft morning light pierced through the gaps in the leaves, creating long shadows along the path Blaze walked. The air was still fresh, with the scent of damp earth and dew that had not yet completely evaporated. In the distance, the sound of forest birds could be heard cheerfully, welcoming the new day.
Blaze decided to continue his journey, his steps quick and light, his body moving smoothly between tree roots and rocks.
From behind the thick trees, a sudden sound of hurried footsteps broke the morning silence. His fighting instincts were immediately activated. Blaze immediately stopped, leaning his body behind a large tree trunk thick enough to conceal his presence.
He held his breath for a moment, his body still, but his eyes instantly became alert. The path ahead was still visible, only bushes swaying gently in the wind. But the sound was getting closer.
And finally, from between the bushes, he saw the figure of a young woman running towards him. Her hair was disheveled and her face looked panicked.
The girl was very beautiful. Her long hair flowed wildly, reflecting the morning sunlight that pierced through the gaps in the leaves, making her strands of hair look like living threads of light. Her skin was white and flawless, as if the outside world had never truly touched her. She truly looked like a goddess who had descended to the mortal realm. Truly too beautiful, maybe even the existing vocabulary was not enough to describe her beauty. But the girl's condition was far from peaceful, the luxurious blue and white dress she was wearing was torn in several places, the remnants of torn branches and fresh scratches. In some places, the fabric was torn more severely, as if hit by a sharp object.
Her eyes, a soft purple like flower petals that only bloom at night. Her breath was ragged, her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her body trembled violently. When her feet slipped on a tree root hidden behind the leaves, she almost fell. But with great effort, she got up again, as if the urge to keep running was much stronger than the pain or fatigue.
Blaze just stood there for a moment, even with his calmness, Blaze was momentarily amazed by the girl's beauty. This was the first time Blaze had been captivated by a woman.
Shortly after, a loud sound from the same direction began to be heard. Footsteps that pounded the ground, and branches broken by hasty movements. Eight young men emerged from behind the bushes and trees, each looking fierce and unkempt. They wore rough clothes, some carrying rusty swords, while others held short wands with faintly glowing tips.
Their faces reflected a clear intention, not to help. Cynical smiles and wild gazes, their intentions didn't need to be explained.
One of them, the largest and looking like the leader of the group, laughed roughly while pointing at the girl.
"Stop her! Hehee, Beautiful, come with us obediently, and hand over the treasure!"
"And look at that body... heh, it's a shame if it gets hurt," one of them chimed in with a mischievous smile, his eyes glancing at the girl in a way that made the atmosphere even more uncomfortable.
Blaze, who witnessed the event, just sighed softly. He had no intention of interfering in other people's affairs. For him, if someone had no connection with him, then their fate was not his responsibility. This world is tough, besides, he didn't want his journey to be hampered, and this chance encounter shouldn't hinder him.
However, his calmness didn't last long. One of the young men suddenly glanced at him and realized his presence.
"Hey! Who is that? You're interfering, right?!"
Blaze's eyes met theirs, filled with aggression.
"Don't let him escape! Just kill him!" shouted the others without hesitation.
Without warning, the eight of them attacked in unison. Swords flashed, magic flew from all directions, showering Blaze in a blink of an eye.
Blaze just stood calmly, his hand slowly touching the hilt of his sword. His gaze remained flat, almost like a lazy person facing something, but in his heart, he had made a decision: if they were the ones who attacked first, then he had no reason to hold back. Blaze wasn't the type to hold back power when fighting, for him, power was used as needed. He would use the technique that was the most advantageous choice depending on the situation, if his strongest technique was the most advantageous for the first attack, then that's what he would unleash.
"Violet Flash."
"Void Slash."
Both techniques were activated simultaneously. A bright purple light emerged from both of Blaze's eyes, illuminating his face like a quiet but deadly lightning flash. In a blink of an eye, the world around him slowed down.
With Violet Flash, the movements of the eight people who attacked him looked like slow pieces from a broken scene. Every step they took seemed rough, hurried, and full of gaps. The flow of magical energy emanating from their bodies became lines of light that were easy to read. Even the hidden intentions behind every movement—who would attack first, who would try to distract, who would save magic, everything was now so clear.
Blaze could predict the direction of the attack before they moved, see their weak points as if the attackers' bodies were transparent, and even detect the magic they were about to unleash.
At the same time, his sword began to react.
Void Slash, his strongest killer technique, began to wrap the sword with dark, dense, shapeless energy, looking like a living shadow. Around the blade, the space around his sword was instantly distorted.
Small cracks began to appear in the air, like a broken mirror but not clearly visible to the naked eye. A soft sound like cracked glass accompanied the appearance of the cracks. And those cracks weren't just oddities, they were small gaps to the void, where there was no light, no sound, and no life.
As Blaze swung his sword, the distortion around him bloomed fully, like a crack that finally broke in one blow.
"Brraakkhh!!"
The sound of the explosion broke the air. Space was instantly torn, creating a large gap towards the void right in the center of his sword slash. From within the gap, a suction force emerged that was so strong and terrifying, like a bottomless vortex.
Everything around it was instantly destroyed. The molecules in the air were scattered, the magic around it disappeared, even the light seemed disturbed, as if it could no longer penetrate the existence of the gap. Everything within its reach was pulled mercilessly, regardless of whether it was inanimate or alive.
Two of the eight young men who were at the front line didn't have time to do anything. Their bodies instantly disintegrated into small fragments before they could scream. The fragments of their bodies were immediately sucked into the gaping void like the mouth of death.
No blood was left. No bones. No smell of death. As if they had never truly existed. All that remained was silence... and emptiness.
The remaining six people immediately retreated in panic, but Blaze didn't give them a chance.
In less than one breath, he raised his sword again.
"Void Slash,"
The second slash was unleashed immediately, and once again, Void Slash bloomed with its full power. The space around it seemed to collapse, folding and waving in chaos. The pressure wave generated was so great that the tall trees around them were shattered in an instant. The second void slash appeared right next to the previous one, and the pressure from both combined, creating a destructive and sucking force around them twice as strong as before.
"Baaaam!!"
The six young men shouted in chaos, trying to survive or dodge in panic. They raised their hands, trying to summon protective magic or jump away. But it was all-.
Their protective magic was destroyed before it could even fully form. Their bodies were instantly shattered, scattered into tiny pieces by the overwhelming force they couldn't resist.
And as before, all the fragments that were there were sucked into the void slash silently, without a trace, completely disappearing from this world.
Silence returned to the forest. Violet Flash also extinguished. Blaze's eyes returned to their calm bluish-gray color, as if nothing had happened. He sheathed his sword slowly, as if nothing was important in the recent events.
The young woman stood still for a moment, then looked at Blaze calmly. "You... what's your name...?" she whispered softly.
Blaze looked at her for a moment, then turned away.
"None," he replied flatly.