It wasn't hard to get them to move. They quickly stepped into the arena, and the red hobgoblins stood up to place themselves beside their companions. Faces of indignation were all Thom could see as his vision, narrowed by expectation and anxiety, became sharper. He put a foot forward and thought about his fight with the general, about the humiliation he never wanted to go through once more. His hands pulsed with the itch to slice, to stab, and win.

A smaller circle began to form around him. It was composed of enraged hobgoblins. Some wielded spears, some wielded swords. Thom was not afraid of them. His fear stemmed from the two golden monsters and the black-skinned hob. Their hands sparkled with the feeling of coagulating magic energy, one that he didn't want to be touched by.

No one dared to take the first step. No one dared to make the first attack. Perhaps because they knew too little of each other, or because they were just too tightly placed. Thom could see that the group of hobs had never fought together.

He would need to use the time he had been given. The only acceptable outcome was victory.

A deeply engrained thought made him think of how open he was. Of how weak his position was. He breathed in deeply as he lowered his stance even more with the intention to have a better shot at their lower body, and pushed his right foot forward. His left foot perpendicular to the other, he stabilized his body. The sword rested above his right thigh as he held the grip with both hands and pushed the blade away from his body, straightening his back. Feeling a little off, he moved his leg slightly forward.

Suddenly, his heart became calm.

「Learning successful. Thanks to the passive skill [Courage], the combat-art legacy [Beastlord Mountain Slicing Blade] has been acquired.

Learning successful. The combat-art style [Way of the Beastlord] has been acquired.

Learning successful. The combat-art job [Disciple of the Godhunter] has been acquired. All ten basic stances of the Way Of The Beastlord have been acquired. When using any of the stances, the user's skill will increase twofold.」

"I see..." Thom whispered with a smile. "Skill Master, you're full of surprises."

He didn't need to doubt anymore. He had once again remembered he was the one at the top of the foodchain.

Swish!

In the blink of an eye, he closed his distance with the red hob. He swung with enough strength to cut through stone and broke the monster's armor into pieces, further digging into it's ribs and slicing up the muscles that protected him. Before a pitiful scream could be heard, Thom kicked the man in the midriff and emptied his lungs, just in time for another red hobgoblin to attack his left side.

Thom blocked with the scimitar on his hand and parried away in the flash of an eye, kicking up from the ground the red claymore that had just fallen. Before his attacker could lower his blade, he sprung forward and spun in place, hitting the hob's jaw with the pommel of his sword and knocking several teeth away, rendering him unconscious at the same time.

As he returned to his place he grabbed the red claymore, and jumped up several feet in the air by using the strength of his aura. The hobs jumped back to avoid a follow-up attack, which became a grave mistake. He used the same technique to propel himself forward while falling, and managed to flash out of place to avoid the lightning-like pike coming to pierce his face. A gasp came from the white hobgoblin as she saw her advantage had been nulified, and then felt a powerful swing land on her jaw and knock the light out of her eyes. She was raised up in the air from the great blow she had received, dropping her weapon at the same time.

The black hobgoblin Kulung saw the opportunity to close his distance with the human and appeared behind Pulung, ready to strike at Thom's neck. The black-haired man reacted quickly, however, and used his [Flash Move] to zoom out of place, covering his blade in the red-sheathe of his aura. The black hob pursued him and brandished a pair of metallic red daggers, aiming for the man's neck.

Thom managed to quickly dodge out of the way several times, until suddenly, he felt his legs had stopped moving. "Kuh?!" The dagger buried on his forearm as he tried to protect himself, and the other was deflected by his sword. The hob wasn't slow, as he took the dagger out and stabbed Thom's leg, then his abdomen. Thom yelled in pain and looked down to see the earth coiling around his legs, and Clung farway casting a spell.

Thom gritted his teeth and grabbed the black hob's arm, then received a second stab to the chest. He yelled and gripped his hand hard enough to break the black hob's arm, managing to shatter the bone in a second. Thom's aura explodeda and broke the earth below, finally making him free. He shot his knee forward and landed it on the black hob's face, breaking his nose into pieces and pushing him back— leaving Thom wide-open.

A fiery blast shot him to the side, but he quickly recovered and swung his sword around with air-shattering might. A crimson half-moon flew out of the blade and sliced at the caster, Hulung, slicing his hand off clean. He ignored the screams and jumped towards Clung, but was interrupted by a red-colored punch that landed square on his face and changed the trajectory of his body, shooting him towards the floor.

"Why's he taking so much damage?!" Erina bit on her own jaw and clenched her sword. "Aren't you guys invincible?!"

"He's not using it!" Suu frowned. "His skin...!"

Thom rolled on the ground and buried his sword. He saw a kick from the red hob coming his way, and dodged by throwing himself to the right. As he had abandoned the sword, he could only dart back.

"Surrender!"

The golden leader said as he casted a ball of lightning and shot it towards Thom, who was inevitably struck and thrown to the ground. His body spasmed for a second before he could recover his mind, enough time for the red hob to be already cleaving his sword down at his face.

Boom!

The deep steel bore through the earth, barely missing Thom by an inch. The man pushed himself out of the ground and used his aura as tendrils to stay afloat for an extra two seconds, before finally falling to the ground away from them.

"Ha... " He panted once, then a smile formed on his face. The wounds he had sustained during the fight had slowly begun to heal as he stalled for time, observing the scene in front of him.

Hlung and Clung were spotless. Hulung, however, had lost a hand. He was bleeding as he knelt on the floor, tying a torniquete around the gruesome wound. The red goblin that still stood was Slung, who was holding his bleeding left side with one hand as he tried to hold the claymore with the other. He was visibly tired.

Pulung and Zulung were out, barely moving. Kulung's arm had been shattered into pieces and he could barely stand, without a way to hold his two daggers. Thom chuckled slightly. Wasn't the situation immensely favorable? He had let go of his weapon, but if he just managed to take a sword again, there was no way he could lose.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and cleaned his nose. Then, he activated [Flash Move] and shot like an arrow towards Slung.

His feet were stopped by an [Earthbinding] spell, but he had already seen such a thing coming. He put his hand in front of his face and his other arm behind, then watched his fingers be cut off by a claymore, then bury onto his forearm. He clenched his jaw and broke the bindings on his feet, enough to land a firm kick on the hob's wound and make him twist in pain. He used his complete hand to get a hold of the claymore's hilt, then broke free with his other leg and smashed his enemy's wound once more.

The hobgoblin's eyes turned fiery as blood pooled on his belt, but he still refused to let go of his sword. Thom twisted his body in place with an violent shift in movement, and his muscles grew larger as he tensed his whole body.

"Hah!" He pulled from the sword as he activated his skill [Superior Pluck III], which had been trained from tirelessly plucking out dead tree stumps and roots. The hob's hand acting as the soil keeping the blade, the skill successful activated, and Thom pulled from the blade with enough strength to crack the dirt under his feet. The red hob's eyes turned to plates as his arm was immediately dislocated from the shoulder, and his fingers were broken into pieces. He yelled and fell back, giving Thom enough time to land a swift kick on the man's jaw. As he landed back, a voice ringed on his left side.

"Wide open!" Hlung yelled.

Bam!

A lightning bolt hit the center of his back, immediately spasming his body into an arched position. The burning pain as his body was paralyzed lasted only for an instant, before he felt a ball of flame impact his body. He rolled on the ground and stood back up, retreating as much as be could to avoid the rocks flying at him from Clung's casting.

Suu bit on her lower lip. "Clung's magic energy isn't much higher than a human's, but Hlung and Hulung are something else. This battle could extend for hours if they relied on magic."

"Thom's... Weak against magic attacks, ain't he?"

"Right now, Thom Arburson is weak against every attack he receives." Crystals interrupted. "He has apparently decided to conserve his energy as much as possible and make this into a long fight."

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"I don't..." Suu covered her mouth. "I don't think that's what he's planning..." The other girls looked at her with confused gazes.

Thom slid across the ground and swung his sword, splitting the rocks directed at him. Hulung had stood up from the ground with a determined expression and was now hauling firebolt after firebolt at him, although the human managed to swiftly evade them by using his skills. As he pranced from left to right, constantly regenerating his split tendons from the violent movement, sweat began to pour down his brow. He wasn't nearly as tired as when he fought Miel, but his constant flashes and jumps had begun to tire him. Still, he couldn't slow down.

Suddenly, Clung turned around. Hulung stepped forward and began to aggressively dump his magic energy into casting firebolts, pushing the black-haired man back. Hlung suddenly stopped firing his own bolts and turned around as well, making Thom ring bells inside his head. He knew full well that Clung would easily exhaust his magic, but Hlung? The golden hob? There was no way a few lightning bolts had consumed his magic energy.

That bastard... He's charging up!

Thom bit his cheek and focused his aura on his feet, then used it to launch himself into the air. He pulled his arm back to throw the sword at Hlung's unprotected back, but a sudden wave of heat in front of him stopped his thoughts dry.

His brain shut off, and his instincts overtook him. In front of him, although he had not yet managed to identify it, there was a pulsating ball of interweaving flames that shortened it's distance with him at a terrifying speed.

A firebolt. Coming directly towards his chest. No— that was not a firebolt. It was not carrying the same energy as a mere 0-tier spell, not in the slightest. Even when he couldn't feel magic itself, he could feel the danger in that single cast. He felt he would die if it hit him.

He needed to avoid it. But he was airborne. His only movements could be rotatory— and even if he twisted his body, he would be hit. He needed to dodge. He needed to get the out of that fireball's trajectory. But he couldn't feel his body, and there was nothing to step on. The only remaining feeling came from the soles of his feet. The pressure of having just jumped was still present, the heat of his aura was there. Then, there was only one thing he could do, one thing his body did for itself before he could think about it.

Zoom!

He jumped. Using his aura as a platform in midair, he jumped and avoided the massive fireball hurled his way, which simply drove off into the distance. It collapsed against a hill faraway, busting into a scorching sea of red that reduced the green of a patch into black. Thom didn't have time to look back. He was several feet up in the air, in awe by his own move, and feeling his body elevate. Soon, he began to descend. This time, unlike the last one, his body knew what to do. As he began to fall, Thom jumped once more and elevated into the sky, receiving surprised and terrified gasps alike from all sides of the surrounding crowd.

A maniacal smirk formed on his face as he felt himself completely revitalized by the experience, boosting his confidence as high as his body was.

「Learning successful. The racial talent [Wingless Flight] has been acquired. Although impossible to maintain flight while magic energy is spent, the user may use especially-engineered skills to engage in airborne movement by using the power of magic energy by magic methods.

Learning successful. The job-class skill [Skyrunner] has been acquired. Trecking the skies by using the power of magic energy is now possible. All subordinated skills will be 25% more efficient.

Learning successful. The active skill [Skyrunning] has been acquired. By focusing magic energy on the constant carrying and balancing of the body midair, the user is now able to run across the sky. Extended use may result in extreme exhaustion.」

Thom slid across the air as if he was skating above ice, a triumphant smile decorating his mug as the plaza focused on him. He felt worthy at that moment.

「Registering new skill to the Forest's Repertoire...

New skill successfully registered. The job-class skill [Aura Skyrunner] and the skill [Aura Skyrunning] have been acquired. Log will be updated. Time will be required to log the new skill.」

"Sure!" Thom said to himself as the air blew back his hair, making it dance with the fine forest as it's background. He ran once around the plaza while looking at the two hobgoblins who had lost their focus and were now looking at the hovering Thom, who occasionally stole a glance to the crystal girl to see whether or not she approved of his technique. He couldn't read any expression on her face, however.

"Tch..." Hulung fell to the ground as a river of blood began to pour down his nose, his brain receiving the damage for casting without an enchantation. He collapsed without words, leaving the remaining two hobgoblins in a tight spot.

"This is incredible..." Clung couldn't help but smile.

"Focus!" Hlung yelled, forming a massive ball of lightning between his hands. "Did you finish your spell?!"

"I kinda lost control of it, hahaha..."

"Shit!" Hlung looked up with a panicked face. "We'll lose at this point!"

「Learning successful. The utility-art legacy [Advanced Disciple of Ladai-Saras] has been acquired.」

"Ladai...?" Thom's extatic expression turned to a frown.

"If you don't get down, I'll get you down! Take this and die already, irreverent pawn!"

The earth shattered as a terrifying line of lightning shot from Hlung's fingers directly towards the sky, piercing the air as it trailed towards Thom. The black-haired man sent his body flying upwards and avoided the shot by the skin of his teeth, but was surprised by the image of the lightning bolt turning back to him. He maintained his trajectory and skated on thin air as the erratic pattern of lightning followed him from behind. He clicked his tongue and decided to turn his direction directly towards Hlung, then bolted towards him at high speed.

Before he could reach him, however, a grin appeared on the golden hobgoblin's face. He finished chanting, and then, an arch of lightning exploded from his left hand. Thom moved to the right to avoid it— but was met by the searing light coming from the other lightning ray. He cursed himself and stupidly placed the deep steel sword in front of him to protect himself. The unstable energy clashed against the sword and began to spread to his palms, when suddenly, Hlung's sparks went off.

"Eh?" Hlung opened his eyes, watching his magic energy dispell. "What?!"

The spell shut down at a terrifying speed, giving the current only enough time to travel towards Thom's arm. He grabbed the grip with his other hand and tightened the regenerating fingers around it, then zoomed out of space while leaving behind a cloud of fizzling aura mixed with electric sparks.

Suu lowered her palm as she had finished to cast, slightly trembling in her feet by the act of suddenly activating a counterspell. 

Red trails of light were left behind Thom as he landed square on the ground below, at Hlung's side, who was still trying to comprehend what had just happened.

A sudden cleave got rid of the golden hob's arm, but had no time to contort in pain as a kick had already thumped him towards the ground. One bare foot buried his head with force on the ground, and then his stomach was stepped on with the same strength. Shimmering, a crimson blade pierced through his other palm, which was already casting a spell. Thom looked up to find Clung staring intently at him, but with a single look, the black hob simply dropped his staff and raised his arms in defeat.

Hobgoblins and orcs alike, the viewers were dumbfounded. Little could be said when there was not much to try and comprehend— there were no other means more effective to understand a side's defeat than watching it with your own eyes.

"Grrrrh...!" Hlung grabbed onto Thom's leg, fighting for his life. "Don't you dare think you've won...!"

"Yeah? Why not?" Thom buried Hlung's face deeper into the dirt with a smug smile. "I've been in this situation before. Pretty bad right? I recommend unleashing your bullshit powers that you got from eating weird things out of bags handled by strangers. Ah, you will still lose though. Only downside."

"Get off!"

"You don't seem to understand the situation you're on, Hlung. Again." He changed the sword from one hand to the other and stretched his fingers, letting the crowd see the tissue weaving itself back in place. "You've lost. Accept that and don't make me punish you any further. I'm sure the crystal girl could reattach your arm, and I'll be merciful enough to let her do the same with Hulung. Hm... I hope you guys have healers too."

"You're the one that doesn't understand...!" Hlung's bloodshot eyes seemed to grow deeper and darker. "You're surrounded! This whole camp, this whole forest is ours! The horde won't let you escape, you'll die before you flee! You think everyone will follow you?! We're the ones that have been legated the master's dream! We're his vision, we're his children! His children will rise against your insubordination, they will not follow someone like you— a mere fucking pig like you!!"

Thom frowned and tilted his chin. Scanning the place was an easy job, the reactions from the present monsters were easy enough to understand. With a light scoff, the black-haired man buried the sword beside the hob's head, and spoke aloud while frantically throwing his arms around. Having mentally activated his acted grandiose form of speech, he proceeded to open his mouth.

"Tell me, Hlung, what horde do you speak of?!" His voice was projected to every available ear in the plaza. "Tell me right now, you scoundrel, what kind of legacy can be eaten and slept over?! Your people don't follow your dreams, they follow their stomachs and their instinct to live! A master is not what they need, and surely a zealot is not of use either! What the horde needs is a leader, what they need is a place to rest their heads and a table where to eat! I'll tell you now, Hlung, that such a thing is not obtained by fighting a war you cannot win! It is not obtained by enslaving your contributors, and it is certainly not obtained by following a stupid dream!"

"What are you...!"

"Your time has come as leaders of this horde." Thom looked down once more. "I will give these people something tangible to look forward to. I will keep them alive. So to everyone who listens and everyone who has ears, I make this promise now to you!"

He slammed his hands on the pommel of the sword and covered the plaza with his aura, turning the air into thorn-covered stems of crimson roses. They entangled around the necks of every listener and entered their very soul, reaching the link that was formed between their lives and Thom's, a faint bond created by a name.

"Kneel." He smiled. "I'll guide you to the life you covet."

The sound of thumping knees and clackering metal reached him immediately. The first ones to comply were the massive orcs, which dropped to the ground with a thunderous sound. Followed by them were the black-skinned hobgoblins that did not doubt to surrender, trembling in every limb as they did. They were promptly followed by white, red and golden, until just a few seconds later, the entire plaza bowed their heads to a new master. Suu did not bat an eye as she smiled and kneeled down, making Erina's world shake a little. The girl couldn't do anything but clench her fists and kneel together, however, and simply lowered her head as she placed one knee down.

Crystals observed the man's strange sillouhette shifting under the high sun, his bright skin that had been dirtied and slashed. Was it inspiration she had felt? A streak of light had hit her differently. A beat, perhaps, although she hadn't felt one in so long. She reached for her chest to check if there was anything to understand, but she felt no more than cold glass. Maybe she had been complied by that powerful presence, or her spark had been lit by a homesick remembrance. Ignoring the reason, she knelt.

Hlung's trembling body lost all of it's power. Violent tremors extended throughout as his heart flooded with remorse. An inexplicable sense of fear grew deep within, and at the same time, he felt the confusing compulsion to kneel although he laid on his back. He looked at the black hobgoblin at his side, his back hunched as he prostrated in front of that man, and a smile forming in his lips. A venomous tongue could be seen behind the rows of sharpened teeth he possessed, making Hlung understand everything that had happened, and the thing that had led him to doom. For once, Hlung felt powerless and helpless. For once, his absolute sense of superiority vanished like smoke.

For once, the golden man felt truly alone.