Warnings blared in my mind as Carpy transmitted Ord signals. I braced myself for an imminent threat, only to be greeted by a sudden eruption of water in front of my house. I hastily leaped through and shattered the window to observe the unfolding scene.

A group of pale-haired children encircled Yara and Wis, enclosed within a sphere of water. Despite their youthful appearances, ranging from twelve to sixteen years old, they seemed to be on the verge of breaking through.

Drawing my cursed sword, a malevolent energy began to permeate the surroundings. The silver-haired youths turned their attention towards me, their unfamiliar gazes failing to recognize my identity. I’d like to think it was the glasses, but it was probably because I had both eyes and looked like a twenty-year-old instead of a teenager.

How did these children elude Carpy's detection? It was likely the work of a specific individual utilizing a teleportation array, leveraging bodily substances like blood to locate and transport them to this location. The princess was probably their intended target. Various abilities existed, but teleportation arrays were costly and accessible only to a select few organizations.

Organization X, revealing their presence once again. However, my concern didn't stem from their teleportation skills, but rather the motive behind such an elaborate scheme. Activating these arrays demanded significant sacrifices.

There was only one logical explanation: they were aware of Carpy's sensory capabilities. I knew that eventually someone would uncover them, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Having my hidden weaknesses exposed was a perilous situation. They would likely exploit this knowledge to bypass Carpy's senses and teleport directly if they attacked me.

Thankfully, it seemed that they were still unaware of Carpy's vulnerability to puppets and undead. Ordinarily, Carpy couldn't detect them due to their lack of "life-fire". However, I had taken precautions, covering my abode with a barrier that detected any movement, offering some defense in case the enemies were already at my doorstep.

The children charged at me, and the first to reach was a girl with fleshy wings sprouting from her back, propelling her forward like a bat. To the others, she probably appeared astonishingly swift, but to me, her movements were sluggish. I could discern every flicker in her eyes. Compared to ultimate-class demons, she was slower than a tortoise.

My initial instinct was to decapitate her—a swift, painless act that required minimal effort on my part. But that was the choice of a weaker version of myself, someone who had no alternative but to kill. I was no longer that feeble person who had to crawl, cheat, scheme, and do everything possible to come out on top.

She stood only an arm's length away, but before she noticed, I sheathed my sword and delivered a powerful uppercut to her chin. Her eyes filled with confusion as she was propelled backward, seemingly oblivious to the force of the blow. Her body collided with the ground several times before finally coming to a stop, motionless.

Organization X kidnapped infants and raised them as weapons. Their lives were devoid of a normal childhood; their memories consisted solely of training and preparing to kill their targets. The only solace they could find was in one another's presence.

Could I label these children as evil? Could I hold them accountable for their actions? Even if I spared them, there was no guarantee they would become better individuals. In fact, it was practically impossible.

Yet, despite the odds, a smile formed on my face. My mind was clear as I raised my fists. Since my enemies had continually grown stronger and would continue to do so, I never considered myself powerful enough to afford mercy. But here and now? I could do whatever I wanted. "Come at me, you brats. I'll give you a few whacks on the head, and then we'll have chocolate."

Bear had plenty of chocolate in his cabin. We should have enough for everyone. Maybe I should buy more?

As these thoughts raced through my mind, another brave child charged at me, anger etched across his face. Perhaps he was friends with the girl I had just incapacitated? They were too young to be involved in romantic relationships. But who knew. Kids these days...

His arm transformed into a scythe, and he swung it at me. I leaned back, catching a glimpse of my reflection on the scythe's blade, and the wind behind the blow bristled my forehead. But in the process, I accidentally kicked the youngster in the chin, resulting in a sickening crunch that made me wince. His jaw gave out and felt like wet mud on my shoe.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Damn it! I exerted too much force!

While I had focused on physical training, I had neglected to hone my control. Crouching down, I checked his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief. The child was alive. It appeared that being infused with demon blood and having a demon sealed inside them provided significant resilience. He likely possessed a regeneration factor, so he should recover.

The other children stared at me, their eyes red, with some displaying gray pupils. Their gazes were fierce and brimming with murderous intent. The intensity of their emotions caused Wis and Yara to freeze in fear. I couldn't blame them.

Though to me, their efforts felt no more formidable than a kitten's meow. Comparing these brats to the likes of Otakemaru and Shuten Doji really put the situation into perspective.

"It's good to see you all charging together when facing a stronger opponent. Charging individually would only invite getting your teeth knocked out," I advised them. It became evident by their approach that they were mere disposable tools for Organization X, lacking proper training in tactics.

A sharp-eyed teen attempted to stab me with his fingers-turned-swords. Swiftly dodging the attack, I found myself flanked by two twin-like girls. A tangy scent of blood emanated from them, and as the air shifted and grazed my cheek, it felt akin to a gentle fan. Clunky exoskeletons enveloped their fists, extending up to their elbows.

I knew that getting struck by something like that would bring considerable pain. Over time, I had developed an instinct about such matters. The force with which the wind grazed my skin indicated the intensity of an impending attack.

Heeding Carpy's warning, I discerned that the twins posed no real threat. Reacting swiftly, I lifted my legs just in time for two clawed hands to emerge from the ground. Employing my longer limbs, I launched a preemptive kick toward the twins, striking them before their fists could reach me. The impact sent them flying, and they remained motionless.

Moments before landing, I seized the young teen's hands, hauling him up from beneath the ground. A boy of approximately fifteen, his eyes were devoid of light. Maintaining my grip on his wrists as he tried to pull away, I felt his body shake and his teeth chatter.

"Tighten your muscles, and this probably won't kill you," I told the youngster, nodding reassuringly.

Before he could say anything, I swung him around and used his body as a weapon, striking the other youngsters who had gotten too close. Employing him as a blunt instrument was the safest option I could think of, ensuring they wouldn't end up dead. Even with the blunt part of my cursed katana, I couldn't guarantee that their limbs and necks wouldn't be ripped apart or broken.

As my ragdoll started accumulating damage and passed out from intensive use as a weapon, I threw him into the other group of kids.

"Hmmm," I crouched down beside one of the conscious silver-haired brats. She had a broken arm and was bleeding from her mouth, but she should be okay. To confirm, I lightly poked her cheek, and she glared at me. I smiled and asked, "Why would Organization X send you guys after me?"

It's clear that someone knows about Carpy's sensory ability. They must have known I was here, yet they sent weak individuals to confront me. It doesn't make sense. The only way this would work for them is if they were monitoring me during the fight. But even then, couldn't there have been an easier way to handle this?

"Just wait until the others arrive. They will avenge this humiliation and tear you apart," she cried between gasps, her broken rib likely puncturing her lung.

"Now it’s starting to make sense. You were sent here to buy time and distract me, so that I wouldn't notice the second party," I concluded. Although some aspects still don't add up, I'll have to go with this for now. "Unfortunately for you, the battle didn't even last a minute. Try harder next time, I'm sure you'll improve!"

The silver-haired girl clenched her teeth, veins bulging on her forehead. She coughed up blood and lost consciousness.

Ah! This reminded me of those xianxia characters who coughed up blood in anger.

***

Yara had encountered numerous dangers throughout her career, but this proved to be one of the deadliest experiences she had ever faced. Each of the silver-haired individuals possessed monstrous Ord that resembled demons, displaying power at the level of Expert Exorcists and bordering on Elite Exorcists. Even taking on a single one of them would present a significant challenge for her.

However, everything changed when Nok arrived. In under a minute, he effortlessly defeated them all. Yara's special eyes allowed her to perceive people's true Ord, an energy closely tied to their emotions. Throughout the fight, she observed Nok's emotions.

To her astonishment, he hadn't broken a sweat during the entire ordeal and had maintained a playful demeanor throughout.

Yara realized that Nok had been concealing something, but she never expected something of this magnitude.

Just who the hell was this guy?!