After taking a good night's rest, Zane brought everyone together in the morning to continue their training. Among those training, there were two outcasts, the same ones who turned their backs on a task given to them by Zane. He just ignored it and continued training the rest.

The sounds of arrows piercing through the air, trees falling down as they get chopped down and leaves slowly falling on the ground as the swordsmen slash them apart. It may be rudimentary but it still allows them to familiarize themselves with their own weapons.

As the last man falls down, Zane reaches out his hand to pick up his subordinate. He gave them time to rest as he continued to think about what Adam told him the day before. He then sat under the shade of an unfallen tree.

Zane thought to himself, there's already an army going for us right now. I don't have the time to do anything right now but to slowly help them out. Their skills may be subpar but their weapons and armor should outclass the enemy. Regardless, I should focus on those two.

Zane went and looked for those two who could use mana. Seeing them still a little exhausted from yesterday he still forced them to manipulate mana.

Zane gave some encouraging words, "The more you use it, the stronger it'll get. Eventually, you will be one of the strongest in this land if you listen to me."

The two were slightly more motivated than before and continued to do what Zane told them.

A few days passed and nothing of note happened. Zane's subordinates were still training and slowly getting the hang of their weapons. They also got accustomed to the armor they were wearing and got could now move around with any issues. The two men who being ignored were no longer seen around but no one really noticed.

"It's been two weeks since I left Maghim but oddly enough I don't miss it."

A man wearing thicker and heavier armor answered back, "Boss, don't worry about it! You have us and you have something going for you here."

"Thanks, Abel."

During their time together, Zane got closer to the people around him and has made an orderly place. People within the inner area were joining by the day until Zane's army managed to achieve a little more than a hundred people.

From their forms and strikes, it could be seen that the soldiers have already properly synchronized with their weapons and could use them as efficiently as they could without using any techniques. They are now in proper formations with actual stations on where they should be and have learned how to fight from sparring with each other.

"So Abel, you ready for the upcoming fight?"

"As ready as I'll ever be! Besides, we have Gabe with us. He's definitely as strong as you."

"Yeah, he's going to be vital in our upcoming fight."

Abel and Gabe were the two people who could use their mana. Abel managed to use the technique Zane taught him to strengthen his own body while Gabe managed to use the technique to manipulate others instead, strengthening or weakening them.

"Talking about Gabe, where is he?"

"Probably with the girls, trying to find someone to date him. That's just how young men are."

"Now let's-"

A sudden loud sound could be heard behind them. Screams accompanied those sounds as random people were getting battered to the sides and some even getting killed. Men on horseback were running through the training grounds cutting off the men from the women and children. They all had spears but in contrast to the weapons that Zane's subordinates were using, they looked like sticks.

Abel instantly understood, "They're cutting us off! Breakthrough!"

Armored men picked up arms and rushed through the line. Archers were although sloppy was accurate enough to hit the riders off the horses. Those with spears were targetting the riders as well. Men with swords and axes didn't have enough reach so they targetted the horses instead. Each arrow and each slice pierced through everything like a hot knife through butter.

Zane was caught off guard but then 10 seconds had already passed and lives were already gone. Zane gritted his teeth, people were already dying beside him but he just froze. He wasted no more time as he forced his way through the line.

Using his pure strength, he slammed a horse to side with such force that it created a domino effect bringing down five other horsemen.

Zane shouted, "Abel you deal with this! I'll go ahead."

Abel, using his mana, strengthened his arms and ax and cleanly cut a horseman and his horse in one strike.

Abel furrowed his brows as he replied, "With pleasure!"

Zane was running through more lines of horsemen as he got closer to where the women and children were. As he went further and further in, he could see more and more dead all around him. He ran even faster towards the remaining survivors.

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From the multiple horsemen blocking the view, he could see Gabe fighting alongside a few men that were still keeping the majority of the women and children alive.

Zane shouted in hopes of getting through to Gabe, "GABE!"

Against all the sounds of horses neighing, metal clashing and shouts of war, Gabe managed to hear Zane's voice and smiled, "Really making it really close there."

Gabe removed all his effects on the people around him and solely focused his mana on Zane.

With the enhancement on himself, Zane plowed through everything causing everyone around him to be blown back as he ran through to the encirclement.

"You guys get closer together, I'll deal with this until Abel gets here."

Zane stood beside Gabe and the others. The encirclement got smaller but this was what Zane wanted. With his pure strength and speed combined with the buff from Gabe, he could essentially bring out enough of his abilities to fight back.

Zane proactively grabbed a horse and threw it against the other side of the encirclement. He kept doing this until they started to widen the encirclement.

The enemy started to back off and stood their ground while Abel was actively trying to push through to Zane, he was moving towards them at the rate of a meter a swing.

Zane stood there looking around his surroundings thinking of ways that he could turn this fight into an advantageous one. Zane took out his sword and with one quick slash, cut off the horses' legs effectively creative a barrier on which Zane could use to defend themselves.

Gabe commented, "That's pretty smart. Just don't do anything rash right now, my mana reserves are going to run out."

Zane nodded and stood his ground.

Zane within the battlefield laid out his thoughts, this is essentially a stalemate right now. We just have to wait for Abel to reach us then we can get out safely. The problem is that they are also just standing by, what are they waiting for?

Zane's answered were instantly answered when a man wearing white clothes and an ominous mask showed up. He was at a reasonably far distance but felt like he was talking right next to them.

"Is this really all you bunch of nobodies can do? The boss said to capture them to lure as bait! What part of the plan didn't you idiots not understand? We already had inside info on their positions but you still failed!" The man spouted on and on degrading the men beside him as he continued to leak their plan.

Zane gazed on the man who was wearing an ominous mask, he could feel something was off about him but couldn't tell what it exactly was. It was something that felt familiar, eerily familiar.

"Honestly, I should've done this from the start." As soon as he said that, a black mist started to spread from his body and the people beside him started to wither at a visible pace. The mist entered the victims' orifices and withered them all from within.

Everyone instinctively tried to run but to no avail, the mist started to move faster and faster as it enveloped the army that the man had. Even the line that held Abel back started to crumble as they also started to run.

"The damn devil! Run! He'll slaughter us all!"

"Everyone, ignore orders! Escape and regroup later!"

"Dammit, Haze! You weren't supposed to come here!"

Seeing the even those blocking them run away, Zane quickly ordered those around him.

Zane ordered everyone, "Run! Gabe, strengthen the weak ones. We'll help those we can!"

Zane now yelled so that his voice could reach a greater distance, "Abel! Get those injured out of here and those who can run help us out! Get the horses!"

The horsemen also started to retreat and completely ignored their original objective which worked in Zane's favor. He observed the black mist and saw that it seemed to be affected by the wind albeit slightly. In a desperate attempt to do something, he ran forward towards the horsemen and kicked some of them away and ordered his men to use those horses to run away.

The ominous mask-wearing man got closer and closer like a specter getting closer and closer despite how chaotic his surroundings are. The flowers and grass withered and the mist that killed those behind him started to go gather back towards Haze. Even so, his wide smile as ghastly as it could be, his steps were slow and rhythmic like a clock ticking down on one's life.

Zane looked at this scene and seemed to recall something but failed to do so in this high-intensity situation. He looked around and saw a few more horses that could be used for their safety so he went there.

After taking down the horses nearby, the rest were already gone and have disappeared from the battle opting to run away to a safer location. Right now, there were only Zane, Gabe, and, 4 more injured soldiers.

Despite moving as fast as they can while Zane stole some horses, their injured physique held them back from moving faster. Haze was now only a few more meters beside them.

Just in time, Abel finally managed to help the last person there and went towards Zane and Gabe.

Abel shouted, "Let's go! I'll bring two while you two each bring one!"

Zane followed Abel's order while he was starting to reach his stress limit. He was too young for this, with impending doom right beside him and the weight of four lives beside him, he is experiencing things a 14-year-old shouldn't be experiencing.

Carrying the injured, they managed to pick up their pace until they were no longer in immediate danger.

Abel spoke up, "Keep it up! We just need to run enough to-"

In the middle of his sentence, Haze spoke up interrupting him.

With black mist and a dangerous aura, Haze showed up right behind them. "Don't think this is enough to outrun me!"

Immediately after saying that, Haze conjured his mist to the shape of a whip and attacked Zane from the back. The person Zane was carrying immediately withered away as he died behind Zane's back. Zane, however, was unaffected by the mist and managed to come out unscathed.

Zane stopped running as he began to slow down to a halt. The soldier he was carrying was laid on the ground slowly as he used his hands to close his eyes. Zane brought out his sword, the one Adam made for him, and gripped it tightly.

Haze widened his eyes as he started to speak, "What? You're going to fight me? Pfft! Hahahahaha!"

Zane replied with anger in his voice, "I am."

"Over one person's death? Are serious? That's the first person on your side that I killed, getting angry over that is so childish!"

Zane remained quiet.

"Whatever, getting that emblem is easier this way."

"Abel, Gabe, run away. He's playing with us."

Abel understood while Gabe just followed his orders. Abel realized that they were being played with by how easily Haze managed to reach them from such a distance and how casual he was earlier.

Seeing them run away Haze didn't bother with them at all as they disappeared into the distance. Zane managed to ease a little bit after seeing Haze let them go.

"Making your last stand, quite commendable, if I cared. You're just making my life a whole lot easier."

"I guess you're here for this right?" Zane held out the emblem hanging from his chest in full view.

"Exactly."