The forest grew denser as Ryo and Elena tracked the blood mages' trail. They'd been walking for nearly an hour, moving at a pace that would have been impossible for the clumsy tavern keeper Ryo had pretended to be. He no longer bothered hiding his fluid movements or his ability to step silently through the underbrush.

"They're not trying to hide at all," Ryo said, his voice carrying none of its usual nervous tremor. "The magical trail is practically screaming 'follow me.'"

Elena kept pace beside him, her hand resting on her sword hilt. "It's obviously a trap."

"Of course it is." Ryo paused, kneeling to examine a marking carved into a tree. "But they made two mistakes. First, they assumed they were dealing with someone cautious, someone who'd take time to gather reinforcements."

"And the second mistake?"

Ryo stood, his eyes hardening. "They hurt someone i know."

The temperature around them dropped several degrees. Elena watched as frost formed on nearby leaves, spreading outward from where Ryo stood. She'd suspected he was powerful, but this casual display of area-effect magic without any apparent effort was something else entirely.

"How long have you been holding back?" she asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"Since I arrived in this world," Ryo answered absently, then caught himself. "This area, I mean."

Elena filed that slip away for later discussion. Right now, they had more pressing concerns. The magical trail led to a clearing ahead, where ancient stone ruins jutted from the earth.

"Perfect place for an ambush," Elena noted. "Multiple levels, plenty of cover, and..." She squinted at the stones. "Are those ritual circles?"

"Blood magic amplification arrays," Ryo confirmed, dropping all pretense of magical ignorance. "They've had these prepared for a while. They're not just after me – they're planning something bigger."

A muffled cry came from the ruins. Turner's voice.

"Ah, right on schedule," called out a familiar voice – the female blood mage from yesterday. She stepped into view on a higher level of the ruins, holding Turner by the collar. "We were wondering when you'd show up."

The other two blood mages emerged from different positions, creating a triangle formation around the clearing. Their hoods were down now, revealing faces marked with ritual scars.

"Let him go," Ryo said, his voice carrying an authority that would have shocked his tavern regulars. "This is between us."

The female blood mage laughed. "Oh, but the old man is quite useful. His blood is helping power our detection array. We needed to know exactly what we were dealing with." She smiled coldly. "Though I must say, you hide your power well. If Mira hadn't sensed that spike during yesterday's battle..."

She gestured to one of her companions, a thin woman with ritual scars covering half her face. Mira raised her hands, and the blood magic arrays carved into the ruins began to glow.

"Now then," the lead blood mage continued, "why don't you stop suppressing your power? We can sense it trying to break free. It must be exhausting, constantly holding back that much energy."

Ryo felt the arrays probing at his magical defenses, trying to force his power to the surface. It was like having dozens of needles pressing against a balloon, searching for weak points.

"Elena," he said quietly, "get Turner out of here when you see an opening. And..." He hesitated. "I'm sorry about what you're about to witness."

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"What are you planning?" Elena whispered back, but Ryo was already stepping forward.

"You want to see my power?" he called out to the blood mages. "Fine. But remember – you asked for this."

For the first time since arriving in this world, Ryo completely dropped his suppression. The effect was immediate and devastating. The magical pressure that exploded outward from him shattered the blood magic arrays, sending cracks through the ancient stones. The air itself seemed to distort around him as decades of carefully contained power rushed to the surface.

The blood mages staggered back, their eyes widening in shock. Even Elena took several steps away, her trained senses overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what she was feeling.

"Impossible," the lead blood mage gasped. "No one can have this much—"

Ryo didn't let her finish. With a gesture that looked almost casual, he created a wall of ice between Turner and his captor. The speed and scale of the magic made it clear this was no ordinary ice spell – the entire upper level of the ruins was encased in seconds.

Turner fell forward as the blood mage's grip loosened in shock. Elena was already moving, covering the distance with supernatural speed enhanced by what looked like wind magic.

"Now then," Ryo said, his voice eerily calm as Elena pulled Turner to safety. "Let's discuss why you thought it was a good idea to attack my town."

The blood mages recovered from their initial shock, moving to surround him. Magic gathered around their hands – dark, corrupted energy that reeked of death and sacrifice.

"Even with this power, you can't fight all three of us while protecting them," the leader snarled, desperation clear in her voice. "The blood arrays might be broken, but we've already gathered enough power for—"

Ryo lifted one hand, and the very air seemed to freeze. Not with ice, but with pure magical force, holding the blood mages in place.

"You still don't understand," he said, almost sadly. "I'm not fighting you. Fighting would imply you had a chance."

He closed his fist, and the corrupted magic the blood mages had gathered simply... vanished. Not dispersed or countered, but erased as if it had never existed. The blood mages' faces shifted from shock to terror as they realized what they were dealing with.

"Now," Ryo continued, walking calmly toward the leader, "you're going to tell me everything. Who sent you? What were you really planning to do with these arrays? And most importantly..." His eyes narrowed. "What's happening in this kingdom that has people like you operating so boldly?"

"We'll tell you nothing," Mira spat, still struggling against his magical hold. "Our master will—"

"Your master," Ryo interrupted, "isn't here. I am. And unlike you, I don't need blood magic or rituals to get answers."

He pressed his hand against the leader's forehead, and her eyes went wide as memories began flowing directly into Ryo's mind. The other blood mages watched in horror as their leader's mouth opened in a silent scream.

"Ryo," Elena called out, her voice sharp. "We need them alive for questioning."

Ryo pulled his hand back, leaving the blood mage conscious but shaking. "They'll live. But I have what we need." He turned to Elena. "Your kingdom has bigger problems than a few blood mages. There's an entire organization working to... well, we should discuss that somewhere more private."

"The master will find you," the leader gasped, blood trickling from her nose. "What you just did... he'll sense it. They'll all sense it."

"Good," Ryo replied simply. "Let them come. I'm tired of hiding anyway."

He gestured again, and magical bindings appeared around the blood mages, nullifying their powers completely. Elena watched with professional interest as the bindings shifted and adapted, countering every attempt to break free.

"Turner," Ryo said, his voice gentling as he turned to the old merchant. "I owe you an apology. You were caught up in this because of me."

Turner stared at him, still processing everything he'd witnessed. "All this time... you could have... the candle..."

"I really am sorry about the deception." Ryo managed a small smile. "Though I do make pretty good ale, even without magic."

"The whole town will know by sunset," Elena pointed out as she secured the prisoners. "Your quiet life is over."

Ryo looked back toward Millbrook, barely visible through the trees. "Maybe. Or maybe they'll understand why I wanted to live quietly. Either way..." He shrugged. "At least I won't have to pretend to be bad at lighting candles anymore."

"Master," one of the blood mages whispered, fear making her voice shake. "He's coming. He felt what you did. He's already—"

The air suddenly grew heavy, and a new magical presence pressed down on the clearing – ancient, dark, and impossibly powerful. Ryo's eyes widened slightly as he felt it approach.

"Elena," he said quietly, "get them back to town. All of them. Now."

"What about you?"

Ryo smiled, and for the first time, it held none of his tavern keeper persona – just pure, confident power. "I'm going to have a little talk with their master. It's time to stop running anyway."

The presence grew stronger, and storm clouds began gathering overhead despite the earlier clear sky.

"Go," Ryo insisted. "I'll catch up. And Elena?" He turned to her. "Make sure everyone stays inside. This conversation might get a bit... loud."