At that very moment one of the boys who had been boasting loudly cried out in surprise.
— Huh? This bastard—is he eating meat?
His gaze glued itself to the snake skewer in Kun’s hand. Apparently he could not imagine finding roasted meat here — his eyes bulged so wide they nearly popped from their sockets. At the sound of his shout, the rest of the gang immediately made a racket.
— What? Meat?
— So that’s why he sneaks off into the forest alone every night?!
But before the stream of insults could finish pouring out, Kun cut them off.
— What’s the matter?
His gaze was fixed beyond them, where the forest still swathed itself in thick darkness behind their backs. Recognition showed in his eyes.
At first I sensed five.
But only four stood before him. The most important member of this procession still hid in the tree shadows. At that moment one of the boys whose speech had been interrupted stared at Kun and prepared to spit out another insult.
— This bastard really doesn’t understand the situation…?!
— Clear the way.
Barison, striding out of the thicket, rudely shoved his lackey in the chest.
— Huh? Oh...
Grabbing at the bruised spot, the boy hurriedly stepped back.
Barison stepped forward. Measuring Kun with a furious look from head to toe, he tilted his head threateningly.
— You ask what’s the matter?
He gripped his wooden sword hard.
— You’re not dumb enough to actually not know, are you?
Unlike the others, whose faces showed only mockery or dislike, Barison’s eyes burned with a clear intent to kill.
Such thirst for blood at such a young age…
That raw, unrefined intent made Kun’s not-yet-hardened body ache. He only sighed deeply and shook his head.
Phew…
He had known before that those scumbags looked at him like wolves. He expected that sooner or later something like this would happen.
But he didn’t think it would be today.
Still, what did it matter. Sooner or later it had to happen. Maybe it was even for the best — a chance to rip the weed out by the root right now.
Besides…
A perfect opportunity to test something.
A cold, barely noticeable smile slid across Kun’s lips. Barison, taking the gesture for mockery, opened his mouth to roar in rage — but Kun got there first.
— You insolent bastard, how dare you...!!
— !!
A heavy, viscous aura suddenly crashed down on them from above.
Creak, crunch.
It was an energy more like a monster’s force than a man’s. In that moment Kun revealed to the world his mana of Supernatural Power and Divine Madness for the first time, directing it at people.
The viscous energy instantly enveloped the area. A force capable of amplifying a person’s primal fear with a single touch.
— Th-this…!
Barison, ready to explode with rage, froze. Cold sweat poured down his back and gooseflesh crawled across his arms.
— Wh-what the hell is this?
The sensation was as if thousands of fiery ants crawled over his limbs and he had shoved his head into the jaws of a giant white snake.
Realizing something extraordinary was happening, Barison nervously readjusted his grip on his sword and scanned around. But fear did not stop him from deciding. Instead of charging himself, he ordered his lackeys:
— Grab him! Beat him half-dead and drag him to me!
This was not a calculation but pure self-preservation. Kun only smirked inwardly as he watched.
Barks so loud... just like a frightened mutt.
And Barison’s shouts did not cease:
— Move it! Finish him!
Not only Barison felt the weight of the Dark Arts. The others also froze, sensing how fear tightened their ankles with icy chains. They looked at each other, unwilling to take a step.
— I said, drag him here!
The leader’s next shout forced them to grit their teeth.
— Attack!
— Come on, he’s only one!
It seemed the paralyzing influence of Kun’s mana receded for a moment under the usual fear of Barison. Kun smiled coldly again.
So it all came down to this?
After all, there were only teenagers before him. For them the tangible threat from their leader was clearer and scarier than an unknown mystical horror. Besides, his technique level was still too low to completely crush their will.
While he thought, the circle closed. Two trainees lunged at him at once.
— Diiee!
They did not move like ordinary street thugs. Their steps carried the imprint of schooling. Months of training in Lion’s Moat had strengthened their bodies and sharpened their movements.
Unfortunately for them, they were not the only ones changed.
Then…
Before the thought fully formed, the mana inside Kun moved again. This time he did not disperse it outward but compressed it, concentrating the density of the force. He decided to intensify the horror by narrowing the radius of effect.
The result followed at once. Pressure unlike before slammed into the two attackers.
Whoosh!
They stepped straight into the net he had set, closing distance and falling into the epicenter of concentrated bloodlust.
— Argh!
Their legs felt like lead and they froze mid-step. Kun did not miss the moment. He whipped his wooden sword, dragging its tip along the ground.
Splash!
A sharp strike tore the turf, and at the same instant the campfire erupted, scattering sparks in all directions. Charred sand, burning logs, and smoldering leaves instantly blocked the attackers’ view.
— Bastard! Hiding behind the fire! — they cried, shielding their faces from flying embers.
But that was exactly what Kun wanted. Wasting no time, he delivered a powerful downward diagonal slash.
Whish!
The wooden sword, cutting through the veil of sparks, struck a trainee’s shoulder.
Crack!
The blow hit a joint. Although the sword was a training tool, Kun’s speed and the iron core inside the weapon did the work. A normal body, even hardened by training, could not withstand such force.
— Kha...!
The boy’s eyes rolled back and he fell like a sack to the ground.
The embers of the fire smoldered on the ground, and the surviving trainees turned as pale as cloth.
— Psycho... maniac...
— Did he... jump right through the fire?
None of them had expected such daring. Instead of retreating from the flames, Kun had used them as cover for his attack. His resolve and cold-bloodedness did not match the image of a young boy.
But they still did not know the main thing.
It seemed better for me to concentrate mana on one target rather than spread it thin.
For Kun it was only beginning. And the horror he carried was not limited to mana alone.
One.
Counting his first struck opponent, Kun moved again.
Whish!
The sword sliced the air with incredible speed. The remains of the campfire had long been trampled and scattered.
Thud!
— A-a-agh!
One by one the trainees fell, dropping their weapons. Kun’s strikes landed on the most vulnerable spots: hands, wrists, shoulders, shins, temples. Each hit threatened a fracture or instant incapacitation. Remarkably, despite their numbers the gang failed to land a single precise blow on him.
— Why?!
— Why can’t we hit him?!
Their swords cut only air, passing a hair’s breadth from their targets. Kun evaded with some uncanny grace, as if he already knew where each blow would come from.
No surprise.
His combat experience exceeded their combined knowledge a hundredfold. Moreover, coordinated attack requires not only numbers but skill, and these kids only hindered each other, tripping over their own fears and remnants of Kun’s mana.
For now it just knocked the air out of them, but…
That was enough. Kun abruptly changed tempo.
Thud, clap!
Instead of continuing the assault, he suddenly stepped back, increasing distance. His movements were so swift they seemed unreal. He dissolved into the shadows between the trees.
Shadows, the forest’s gloom, thick foliage — the whole surrounding space now worked for him. The trainees, rubbing bruised spots, ground their teeth in rage.
— Again?!
— Cowardly bastard, get out of the forest!
Kun did not answer. Only the tip of his sword cut the darkness once more.
“Lion Tempering Basic Technique — Young Roar.”
The sword motion resembled the pounce of a young lion. And though a real roar did not follow, it was a pure technique of House Zoldic.
Whish!
A broad-arc strike flew out of the dark.
Bam!
— Kha-a!
Another trainee, foam at his mouth, collapsed after a blow to the back of the head.
Two.
— He’s there!
— Left! Surround him!
Kun’s presence again threw them into chaos. But instead of hiding, he himself burst into the thick of the enemies. They had not expected that. Constant shifts in tactics — retreat then sudden closings — finally disoriented the boys. They lost their sense of distance.
The whole flow of the fight was now completely controlled by Kun. Had he wielded a real blade, the clearing would already be littered with corpses.
Not enough strength. In decisive moments power is lacking.
The gap in skill was enormous, but his current body imposed its limits.
Still…
He was not invulnerable either. Despite his mastery, a couple of glancing blows grazed him, and those spots now smarted unpleasantly.
A body so weak that even a scratch feels like a serious wound.
Watching the carnage from the side, Barison felt his fingers tremble.
What... what the hell is this?
He knew Kun was strong. But he had not expected such an abyss between them.
There are five of us, he thought. He’s alone...
Why is everything going wrong? Barison’s palms grew slick with sweat. His instincts screamed to drop everything and run.
But...!
He understood: Kun knew who was behind this. Running would solve nothing. The only way out was to finish this here and now while he still had men. They needed to attack!
Damn bastard!
The thirst for killing momentarily drowned out his fear. Barison prepared to leap.
— Die, you little shit... Ah?!
Yap!
Something tore off from a high tree and landed squarely on Barison’s head, pressing a small paw into his face.
Snatch!