The girl quickly ran through the village, eager to get away from her pursuers. Alongside her, dozens of villagers were struggling to outrun the approaching enemies. The 4 advancing figures wore heavy black armor and ran at speeds that were impossible for any human to achieve.   

She watched in horror as many of the fleeing villagers were slaughtered mercilessly. The swords and axes of the knight like figures glistened with gore, as they effortlessly cut through their helpless prey. She considered confronting the enemy to bide time for others to escape, but she continued to run. That would almost have certainly meant death, and her life was worth more than the sum of the lives in the entire village.

Out of any human over the last century, she had been the only one born who had been able to use magic. If she was to perish now, she would be unable to give birth to a lineage of mages in the future. Her death would be a catastrophic loss for humanity.

Knowing this, the girl enhanced her movements with magic. Using all her remaining energy, she forced her body to move at speeds she didn’t know she could achieve.

The girl fled into the surrounding forest, hoping to scare off her attackers with the threat of the magical beasts that resided there, but no such luck. She swiftly ducked in between trees looking back only to see her pursuers mimic her path flawlessly. She swore under her breath.

The situation was getting worse by the second. The remaining energy she had left was dwindling while her pursuers had no signs of slowing down.

As she ran deeper and deeper into the forest, she made out a shady figure in the distance. Her heart almost stopped.  

The possibility of being surrounded was high given the persistence of the enemy. However, upon closer inspection, she realized that the figure was too slim to be wearing the heavy armor flaunted by her pursuers. The figure seemed to be that of a human male.

No human should be out in the forest, yet there was one standing right in front of her. She didn’t know if the person in question was clueless or just stupid.

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Looking around, she tried to find alternative paths through the forest that would lure the attackers away and save the human’s life, but at this point, she had essentially been surrounded in all directions other than her front. With remorse in her heart, she proceeded forward knowing that she would bear the responsibility for another person’s death.

As the first knight approached the man, he readied his broadsword to strike him down with a single stroke. The unstoppable black figure charged towards the man with incredible momentum, and the distance between the two figures quickly closed -

“Bang”

A deafening sound rang out through the forest, causing birds to launch themselves from their nests.

The remaining knights slowed down and gazed at what had just occurred. The knight that should have easily decapitated the man lied limp on the ground with a hole through the center of his head. The human stood unharmed with smoke emerging from a shiny metal weapon that fit snugly in his left hand.

Both the girl and the 3 remaining knights slowed and struggled to process the impossible scene that had unfolded before them.

Upon realizing the massive threat posed by the man, the knights immediately changed course and directed themselves at the man with terrifying murderous intent. Any normal human would’ve been paralyzed by the immense pressure.

However, at the girl’s surprise, the man seemed unaffected and directed his weapon at the incoming foes.

Three loud explosions came from the man’s left hand.

One of the charging knights immediately went limp and fell to the ground while the remaining two closed in.

The first of the remaining knights quickly approached from the left side and swung his sword at the man’s left arm, attempting to cripple him. The man expertly twisted his body to the side and evaded the strike as his right hand emerged from his pocket, wielding another identical weapon.

3 explosions were heard from the man’s right hand. Before the second knight could reach melee range, he was already dead.

The last knight quickly regained his posture from his previous strike and aimed another slash at the man’s neck. The sword was true to its target and cut into the man’s flesh, releasing a thick stream of blood.

However, instead of decapitating the man, the sword had cut into his arm, which had been used to block the strike.

The last knight was unable to regain his stance in time to deliver another blow and suffered the same fate as the rest of his comrades.

As the outcome of the battle became clear, the man slowly turned to the girl who had been hiding behind a nearby tree.

He slowly raised the weapons in his hands he asked her the cold but simple question: “Are you my enemy?”