Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Blood and Fury
Chapter 56: Blood and Fury
"Shall we continue?"
Andras’s calm voice drifted through the clearing.
For a heartbeat...
No one moved.
The severed head of the young tribesman lay motionless upon the bloodstained earth. His lifeless eyes remained wide open, as though they still couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
Then—
"No...!"
A heart-wrenching cry shattered the silence.
The remaining tribesmen stared at the fallen warrior in disbelief.
"Soro..."
One of them dropped to his knees beside the body, his trembling hands reaching toward it before stopping halfway, as if refusing to accept reality.
"He..."
"...he’s dead..."
The grief lasted only a moment.
It was swallowed by rage.
An overwhelming killing intent erupted from the six surviving warriors.
Their eyes reddened.
Veins bulged across their foreheads.
Every trace of caution disappeared, replaced by unrestrained fury.
"You..."
"You murdered him!"
"We’ll kill you!"
The forest echoed with furious roars.
Even the surrounding birds took flight in fright.
Behind Andras, Lyra instinctively covered her mouth.
Her face had turned pale.
She had witnessed death before while serving House Darkmoor.
But watching her young master kill someone so suddenly...
Without hesitation...
Without the slightest change in expression...
Sent an involuntary chill through her body.
For the first time, she truly understood why the soldiers feared him.
This wasn’t anger.
Nor was it cruelty born of impulse.
It was something far colder.
Something that treated life with complete indifference.
Even so...
She forced herself to remain composed.
Because he was her master.
Around them, the Darkmoor knights silently tightened their grip on their weapons.
None of them moved.
None dared interfere.
Evelyne watched quietly from the rear.
Her expression remained unreadable.
She understood exactly what Andras was doing.
He wasn’t simply killing.
He was observing.
Studying.
Testing.
The six enraged tribesmen charged simultaneously.
Their battle cries shook the clearing.
Axes.
Spears.
Stone blades.
They attacked from every direction.
Yet there was no coordination.
No strategy.
Only vengeance.
Andras sighed softly.
"So emotional."
The first spear thrust toward his chest.
Echo Step.
His figure blurred.
The spear struck nothing but empty air.
The tribesman barely had time to react before a black flash swept across his vision.
A clean slash crossed his chest.
Blood blossomed like a crimson flower.
He collapsed before realizing he’d been cut.
Another warrior swung a heavy axe toward Andras’s shoulder.
Andras raised his sword just enough to redirect the blow.
Steel slid against stone with a shower of sparks.
Using the opening, he stepped inside the warrior’s guard.
One thrust.
The blade pierced straight through the man’s heart.
Without pausing...
He withdrew the sword and turned.
A spear came from behind.
Resonance Pulse.
Invisible vibrations exploded outward.
The attack shattered the spear into splinters.
The tribesman staggered.
Execution followed immediately.
A single horizontal slash ended his life.
The clearing became a storm of steel and blood.
To the tribesmen...
Andras no longer resembled a noble youth.
He looked like death itself.
Every movement was efficient.
Every strike was fatal.
There wasn’t a single wasted motion.
Within moments...
Only one remained standing.
Korga.
The chief.
His broad chest rose and fell violently.
His hands trembled as he stared at the bodies of his companions scattered across the clearing.
His axe slipped slightly in his grasp.
Tears streamed silently down his weathered face.
His voice cracked.
"...Why?"
He looked directly at Andras.
"We never attacked you."
"We never threatened your people."
"We only wanted to protect our home."
His grief slowly transformed into despair.
"Why...?"
"Why did you kill my tribesmen?"
Andras looked at him in silence.
Then...
He laughed.
Not loudly.
Not mockingly.
Simply as though he’d heard an amusing question.
"A reason?"
He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Hm..."
"Let me think."
Several seconds passed.
Finally...
A faint smile spread across his face.
"I suppose..."
"You looked weak."
"And rather ugly."
The words hung in the air.
Korga froze.
Andras continued calmly.
"You hunt weaker creatures to survive."
"You kill them because you can."
"I happen to be stronger than you."
"So I killed them."
His violet eyes were utterly devoid of emotion.
"In this world..."
"Weakness is a crime."
"The strong decide."
"The weak endure."
"That’s all there is to it."
Something inside Korga shattered.
A roar unlike anything before erupted from his throat.
Mana exploded from his body.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
His Battle Star blazed with every ounce of power he possessed.
He charged.
Not as a warrior.
But as a grieving father.
As a broken chief.
His axe descended with enough force to split stone.
BOOM!
The earth exploded where it landed.
Dust filled the clearing.
But Andras was already gone.
Echo Step.
A black afterimage flickered behind Korga.
The tribal chief spun instantly, his instincts screaming.
Too late.
Black Thorn Sword Style.
First Thorn.
A shallow wound opened across his shoulder.
Second Thorn.
A second slash struck before he could recover.
Third Thorn.
His axe was knocked aside.
Fourth Thorn.
The blade pierced through his defense entirely.
Korga roared and punched forward with his free hand.
Andras leaned back by the narrowest margin.
The fist brushed past his face.
He responded instantly.
Resonance Pulse.
Invisible force crashed into Korga’s chest.
The chief staggered backward, coughing blood.
Even so...
He refused to fall.
His eyes remained fixed upon Andras.
"I..."
"...won’t..."
"...forgive..."
His legs trembled.
Yet he forced himself forward once more.
Andras watched him quietly.
Then raised his sword.
"Your determination is admirable."
"But determination alone..."
"...has never defeated power."
The blade flashed.
Execution Line.
For a single heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Then...
A crimson line appeared across Korga’s neck.
His expression froze.
The enormous axe slipped from his fingers.
A moment later...
His body collapsed heavily onto the blood-soaked earth.
Silence returned to the clearing.
Seven corpses lay scattered across the forest floor.
The scent of blood drifted through the evening air.
Andras slowly sheathed his sword.
His expression remained unchanged.
As though everything that had just happened...
Was nothing more than another ordinary day.
Silence returned to the clearing.
Seven corpses lay scattered across the forest floor.
The scent of fresh blood lingered in the evening air, carried through the pines by a gentle breeze.
For several long moments...
No one spoke.
The Darkmoor knights remained rooted to the spot.
Although they had witnessed countless battles throughout their lives, the sight before them still left a profound impression.
Seven warriors.
Killed in only a few exchanges.
Each strike had been clean.
Precise.
Merciless.
Andras calmly wiped the blood from his sword before sliding it back into its scabbard.
Click.
The crisp sound broke the silence.
His expression remained unchanged.
As though the seven lives he had just taken meant no more to him than fallen leaves scattered across the forest floor.
Then, inwardly, he spoke.
"System."
"Devour their talents."
A familiar metallic voice echoed inside his mind.
[Ding!]
[Scanning eligible targets...]
The corpses of the seven tribesmen shimmered with faint streams of light visible only to Andras.
Threads of crimson, silver, emerald, and golden radiance slowly rose from their bodies before converging toward him.
One after another, the lights disappeared into his chest.
[Devouring successful.]
[Acquired Talent: Stonehide Physique (C-Rank)]
[Acquired Talent: Keen Hunter (D-Rank)]
[Acquired Talent: Beast Instinct (D-Rank)]
[Acquired Talent: Swift Feet (E-Rank)]
[Acquired Talent: Iron Muscles (E-Rank)]
[Acquired Talent: Night Vision (E-Rank)]
[Acquired Talent: Sharp Hearing (E-Rank)]
A pleasant warmth spread through his body.
Andras’s lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.
Not bad.
The C-Rank talent was ordinary by noble standards, but useful nonetheless.
As for the remaining talents...
They were insignificant on their own.
Yet accumulated strength was still strength.
His system had never rejected additional abilities.
Whether powerful or weak...
Everything had value.
Only after confirming the notifications had disappeared did Andras lift his gaze once more.
The clearing had become eerily quiet.
Even the forest seemed unwilling to disturb the aftermath.
Seven corpses lay motionless upon the blood-soaked earth.
The scent of blood drifted through the cool evening air.
Andras glanced at them one final time before turning away.
His expression remained perfectly calm.
As though everything that had just happened...
Had been nothing more than another ordinary day.
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