Alfred ran through the village, past his burning home into the dense foliage of the surrounding forest.
"Damn, how the hell is he so fast!?" The leading soldier yelled.
"Tch." Even Lobo was growing impatient as rain drizzled and darkness began to engulf the forest.
Alfred absorbed the wind essence of the world, increasing his natural speed by leaps and bounds.
It didn't take long for Alfred's steps to be drowned out by the sound of heavy rain and rustling leaves.
"Fuck!" Lobo was unable to keep his composure! If he left this man alive after killing his vice captain in front of him, he would forever lose face!
"A rat seems to be following us, captain Lobo." A guard said, interrupting Lobo's thoughts.
'Keke. It could only be one of them. God is on my side it seems!' Lobo thought, a relaxing smile stretching across his face. "It was a rather good decision I didn't kill them, don't you think?"
"Of course, captain." The guard replied.
"Capture him!" Lobo ordered after stretching and letting out a deep sigh, afterall he was still a mage, stamina was not one of his strengths. One of the guards flashed towards the bushes and grabbed a boy by the collar.
"Let me go!" Joseph screamed as he struggled to escape the guards grasp.
"You're pretty strong to keep up with us, kid!"
Joseph spat into the guards face and sneered. "I don't need your compliments!"
"Shitty brat!" The guard smashed his small body into a nearby tree and the boy coughed a spurt of blood.
"Hand him over." Lobo commanded.
"Of course, captain. Here."
"Now," Lobo glanced into the surrounding darkness, "Show yourself, traitor. I will execute you on charges of treason against the kingdom for disrupting the king's army. Otherwise," Lobo slowly pulled a knife from his robe and placed the edge an inch from Joseph's eye. "I'll blind this boy."
"Let go of my big brother!" Marv shouted, holding a sharpened stick and charging towards Lobo.
"What are you doing here, idiot!? Run! NOW!"
"Hoh, things just keep getting better! Grab him!" His eyes sparkled at his good fortune. 'Lets see how heartless you are!'
"Yes, sir!" Another guard quickly smacked Marv and crushed the sharpened stick beneath his steel boots, before grabbing him by the collar as well. His face began to swell and a line of blood flowed from his mouth.
"Brother, I'm sorry. I only caused more trouble." Marv said with a bitter smile.
"Don't touch him!" Joseph cried.
"Still not going to come out?" Lobo touted the area, giving a sidelong glance in every direction.
"What should we do, captain Lobo? He doesn't seem to be here."
"Hmph. Mutilate the older one." Lobo tossed the child to the soldier. He didn't want to dirty his hands.
"Yes, sir!"
"NOOOOO!" Joseph struggled with all his might, before the soldier knocked him out cold with a chop to his neck.
"Too noisy." The soldier grumbled.
"LEAVE HIM ALO-"
"This one too. Keke." Another guard added, quickly silencing the other child.
"GAAAHH!" The guards holding the children simultaneous screamed, feeling the stump of what's left of their hands.
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"Surround him, quickly!" Lobo shouted at the top of his lungs. 'I'll make you beg for your life!' The rest of the guards immediately reacted and encircled him.
"You won't escape this time, piece of trash." Lobo sneered.
"I don't plan to." Alfred had long abandoned the lone sword. He held one long spear in each hand from the guards he maimed. He proceeded to draw a small circle on the ground, encircling him and the boys inside.
"I will not move from here."
"Keke. Its too late to beg for your life now!
"You seem to misunderstand. I do not need to move from this spot to kill all of you."
How much shame would Lobo bear today? He grit his teeth to the point of breaking and pumping veins protruded from his temple. The other guards were angered by Alfred's words, readying their weapons without the captain's orders.
"Get him!"
One guard approached from his back, and cut down diagonally, but Alfred parried his blow and thrust the spear into his neck. His body went limp and Alfred casually swung it out, ripping half the man's neck off.
Terrifying…
The guards thought unanimously. 'He didn't break eye contact with the captain in front of him and expertly handled a two-handed spear with one hand!' This man was simply too monstrous.
Many of the guards that were eager to approach quickly began to rethink their movement and retreated from the small circle.
"What can one man do against the 57th squad of the imperial army?! Get him!"
A surge of confidence rippled through the crowd of guards.
"Oooooo!" The guards rushed the small encirclement, their weapons and voices raised high.
"Fools." Alfred coldly stated.
The dark spears danced in a whirlwind of blood within the storm and the ground became a grimy red with the blood of the soldiers. His qi always cut through his opponents despite the small amount he used, leaving them to die with a look of puzzlement as they met their deaths.
No openings!
Every strike that entered his encirclement was parried, the attacker dealt a blow before their lifeless body crumbled to the muddy surface beneath them. He would sometimes sweep the guards to prevent their bodies from piling up at any particular point to not deter them from their mindless charge.
Lobo's face gradually turned darker and darker as his men diminished at an increasing rate.
'T-Too strong!' Lobo thought. 'I didn't expect his strength to be this overwhelming! I need to think of a new plan! Fast! Before-'
"What are you waiting for?"
"Huh?" Lobo didn't understand what was happening. His mine went blank. Where did subordinates go? 'Why is it so quiet?'
"You are the only one remaining."
Lobo looked around and his heart stopped, afraid to breath in front of the monster he had offended. A sea of blood and corpses lay before him, the perpetrator looking at him like prey, his amber eyes glistening in the darkness.
"Do you know what you've done!?" Lobo laughed hysterically, sure his end coming. He began to materialize his qi, ready to use an ignition technique.
"Too slow."
Lobo witnessed a flash of light as his consciousness faded.
"And I don't care."