“Bastard!” the woman roared, anger evident in her eyes. She did not have a close bond with this group, but she had formed some sort of relationship with them by now and would obviously be upset by their deaths.

Emil’s eyes dulled and the gloomy aura around him grew more prominent. “I already told you to leave before…” He pointed it at her. “But now you’re not allowed.”

The Night Sage said that Emil’s strength was to be a secret. And that meant no witnesses. He was only at age twelve and had already reached the third rank Aes stage, that was enough to shake the empire--no, the entire continent.

Emil finally drew out the two daggers he carried from their scabbards, carelessly twirling them in his bloodied hand.

The woman’s face grew severe and she readied her rapier once more. “Kill him!” After speaking, she began to chant at an imperceptible speed and a fiery array formed in the air.

The man to Emil’s right charged first, spinning the spear in his hands and thrusting out. Emil stepped to the side and narrowly avoided the weapon, then his body darted forward in a strange movement.

Seeing Emil coming towards him, the spear bearer’s expression changed and he twisted his body. Emil’s dagger cut through the air and a bone deep wound appeared on the man within the blink of an eye.

“The brat’s using spatial magic!” the dark-haired man yelled as he grabbed his shoulder, blood soaking through his fingers. He leapt back, trying to get out of Emil’s attack range.

Everyone eyed Emil warily.

What type of monster was this kid to be able to use spatial magic at his age with such brutality? He had killed three people within a minute without a moment of hesitation. All of them fully believed at this point that he was an expert masking his appearance.

Emil didn’t say anything to them because he needed to concentrate fully. He wasn’t developed completely yet and he was actually pushing his limits a lot in order to deal with them. He was acting hurriedly because he couldn’t endure a long, face-to-face battle while his opponents could. This body of his was holding him back a great deal. He couldn’t help but lament over it.

He pushed out a hot puff of air and prepared himself once more. From the looks of it, the woman was preparing a large spell and the others were supposed to hold him back during her vulnerable moment. Emil considered his options.

He could attack her, but he’d expend a lot of energy trying to break through the defenses she put up already. He bit down on his lip, tasting coppery blood.

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That said, he also couldn’t take on whatever she was brewing.

Emil gripped his daggers tightly and narrowed his eyes.

He’d take out the other two quickly. She still needed a while to finish. Then he would be able to put his all into fighting her.

Without another moment to think, Emil’s body blurred and he reappeared next to the injured spearman. His small figure drifted through the air and he stabbed his daggers into the back of the man’s skull. With a grunt, he twisted the daggers before releasing the man, leaving two large holes in his head.

The spearman didn’t get to understand what happened before he died.

Emil’s skin had paled and his breathing was growing a bit heavier, but he didn’t allow himself to relax and his eyes focused on the other man.

The man, unlike the others who used weapons, was a full out spellcaster. Aside from the woman, he was the second most difficult. Even though it was just the two of them left, Emil felt even more pressure.

The man opened his mouth and chanted out a spell so rapidly Emil was surprised he hadn’t bit his tongue. Still, the boy jumped to the side as an earthen spike leapt out of the ground from where he had stood.

He didn’t get another second to breathe as more and more spikes leapt out, each of them sharp enough to puncture his body easily. Emil flipped and landed on a tree branch, wearing an ugly look.

Had he underestimated the man? No… the woman was still stronger, but the man was closely behind her.

Emil blamed this on his lack of experience. He still struggled with accurately gauging people’s strength and was now suffering from it. While he had the element of surprise, he should have dealt with the mage.

Emil tilted his head back and sighed. He raised his dagger and stabbed it into the tree.

Please, don’t miss, he begged inwardly.

His prayer went unanswered, apparently, because the male mage let out a shot and grabbed his thigh. A moderately deep stab wound had appeared there, but it wasn’t anything that would hinder him.

“Shit!” Emil swore.

He felt the temperature in the air suddenly spike and his entire being went pale. His body flashed just as a fiery blaze blasted through the area he was just standing in.

Emil reappeared across the way, panting heavily. But the blaze charged towards him once again, under the control of the woman’s sword. She pushed off the ground, her rapier directed at Emil’s heart.

The earth rumbled once more and the spikes shot up once again. Emil leapt into the air as it happened, using his spatial magic to give him an extra boost.

He floated for a moment before landed on the top of a tree, his eyes glaring down at the two that were forcing him into this predicament. If it was going this way, then he’d have to use his utilize his temporal magic. And at his current level, that would come with a cost.

Emil shook his head. No, he couldn’t use it yet. These people weren’t worth the possible danger that came with manipulating time. He drew in a sharp breath and once again avoided the aggressive fire tornado.