Sparks of an emotion
Slowly emerging from the crimson flames was the figure of a young boy with an ebony sword that was as dark as the night sky itself. From his attire, Quinn figured that the boy had to be some sort of aristocrat...but from the smile on his face and the bloodlust in his eyes, she couldn't think of him as that...
Because in her eyes, he was a monster...
"Alrighty boys, fun time is over! You lowlives step into my territory with all this slavery bullshit and expect to pass by scott-free? Well that ain't happening, not on my watch!"
His tone had a mix of rage and delight, and Quinn couldn't exactly figure out why. However, she knew that she had no time to think about such thoughts the moment she noticed that the crimson flames are growing stronger and stronger, and was about to reach her soon
"...Damn..."
She wanted to get up and run, but her legs were still very much numb from the fall earlier, so she had no choice but to crawl using her fingers...
"You fuckers will pay for your arrogance with all the treasures you have or with your pathetic measly lives. I'll give you all the chance to pick your poison"
One of the bandits stepped up with his sword at the ready
"Don't fuck with us kid! Do you have any idea who you're messing with?! If you think we're gonna hold back against a brat then you're as dumb as you look-"
The words of the bandit were cut short...literally, as the young man swooped in and sliced off his head. It was a perfect, swift slice that left no room for error. While Quinn wasn't exactly trained in combat, she could at least see an afterimage of a person's attacks...
That wasn't the case here
She didn't even see him move. Before she realized it, the bandit was already beheaded, and his head was slowly rolling down to the ground. The crimson flames that were emboldened to his sword also began to do their work and quickly burn down the man into ashes
The young man continued to smile as he kicks over those ashes
"I guess that means you all choose death then. Excellent answer! I haven't had the thrill of hunting guys like you in a long time. Be sure not to disappoint me, yeah?!"
Against the figure of the charging man, the other bandits took out their weapons and braced themselves. The bandits who used melee weapons intercepted him first, while the other ones using long-ranged weapons and spells stayed back at the sidelines
It was a formation that they'd always take against any opponent, and with their coordination, this would usually lead them to victory. But that didn't seem to be the case here...
The young man was mowing down the bandits left and right...It wasn't even a close fight. The moment the bandits were close enough, either their heads would be chopped off, or their entire bodies would be split into two. Either way, the crimson flames would all turn them to ashes
"Tch, wizards we need to take out that fire first, that must be the main weapon of that bastard!"
"R-Right..."
"On me boys. [Oh goddess of fertility, hear mine wishes and grant the blessing of thine follower in the name of thine eternal bounty for us to keep. Rainstorm!]"
The wizards all activated their spell, and soon, the clouds began to gather together, and it began to pour like crazy...
Quinn was worried that those flames would be extinguished, and that demon of a man would no longer have a weapon. But that wasn't the case...even with the powerful rain pouring down, the flames showed no signs of being extinguished...if anything, they seemed to be growing stronger and stronger
"Ahahaha! Something as measly as water isn't enough to stop my flames!"
"I-It's not working?!"
"T-T-Then the rumors must be true...T-This kid must be a devil, and these flames must be from the depths of hell itself!"
"Don't panic you chumps! Whatever the case may be, he's still human! A good hit to the head and he's as good as dead. Archers! pin down that bastard!"
"Roger!"
The archers who were hiding among the trees launched volleys that seemed to cover the night sky...
"Those arrows are enhanced with magic, I'd like to see you dodge all that along with this attack, you dammed monster!"
The bandit took out his sword and began to slash at the empty air. His slashes created a sharp ripple that zoomed through the wind and was aimed at the young man. From Quinn's perspective, he was now surrounded from all sides...and had no way of protecting himself from all of this...
She knew that she had to escape in case the young man loses...but for some reason, she knew deep down that this demon does not know the word defeat...
And her suspicions proved to be correct
The young man seemingly disappeared from where he was standing, and before they knew it, the crimson flames had already engulfed the spot where the archers were hiding. The screams of men and the smell of having their skins burnt to a crispt assaulted Quinn's senses as she watched the slaughter carry on
"N-No, please! Someone help- Argh!"
"Gyahahah!"
The young man continued to laugh like a maniac as he swooped in and slaughtered the wizards next. Quinn had seen firsthand just how deadly their spells were throughout their journey, but even those couldn't touch the demon who continued to slaughter them like helpless cattle
Until only the leader remained
The crimson flames had already surrounded him, so there was no place to run
"W-Who are you?...Why are you doing this?!"
"My name is Vergil Albion. And I'm killing you all as...an experiment, I guess?"
"Albion?...I see now, so you're the young champion that I've been hearing about. But wait a minute, you're saying doing this as...a-as an experiment?..."
"That's right~ you know I really do love you bandits. I have always wanted to fully test and hone my technique against my fellow human beings, though the chances of most of them dying are high if I do so. But with you people, I don't have to worry about that"
The young man pointed his sword at the bandit as he walked closer and closer
"Since you folks are considered to be the lowest of the low around these parts, then nobody would mind if I slaughter the lot of you. So I really do thank all of you for being my beloved guinea pigs"
"I'm not one to talk but you have a twisted personality, you know that kid?"
"I'll take that as a compliment"
The bandit then shifted his stance and focused his gaze on the Vergil
"I may be a bandit now, but before I lived a life of crime I was a captain of an Imperial paladin division. Taking me down isn't easy, you brat!"
"I've noticed that you are a bit stronger compared to your comrades...which is the reason why I saved you for last in the first place. Anyway, come at me with all you've got and you'll live maybe...three? No wait, a minute and a half at best"
"You little shit!"
The man began to slash at the open air again which created sharp ripples of wind headed towards the man. But he didn't stop there, he used magic to increase his speed and positioned himself behind Vergil...
"This is what you get for messing with me...now die!"
The bandit was about to bring down his sword and cut him down, but before it could even reach him, Vergil quickly deflected the ripples of wind headed toward him and parried his attack
"W-What?! How the hell did you..."
"Hmmm, so this is the sword style that's all the rage in the capital, huh? The Habsburg stance...well, it ain't half bad for a fighting style focusing on aggression and all that, but they seem to cut corners a bit...or maybe it's because you're just terrible at using it?"
"Don't fuck with me!"
The bandit continued to aggressively lay out his attacks, though none of his attacks were able to reach him. After a while, Vergil lets out a sigh as he quickly shifted his stance...
"I've given you a chance to show off, but if this is all you've got then I shouldn't delay this any longer"
All of a sudden, the eyes of the bandit widened as Vergil began to take the initiative. His fighting style was different from when both of them started fighting. It was way more wild, aggressive, and showed no mercy to his enemy. Before Quinn realized it, the bandit had already sustained a lot of grievous wounds and was already crawling to the ground...
"Kgh...haaaaaa...What the hell is that? What kind of stance were you using?..."
"The one that is better than whatever you were doing. Welp, It's been a fun, though slightly disappointing fight so bye I guess. Oh, and if you reincarnated in this world again please do make sure to keep doing this, I would love to slaughter you over and over..."
"N-No, wait! Do you have any idea who I'm working for?! Even if you're an Albion, if you mess with me then you and your family will be-"
"Eh, don't care. Bye-bye..."
Vergil plunged his sword deep into his chest and literally set it ablaze...
"You didn't even last a minute"
Once the last of the bandit was turned to ashes, he then began to look around the rubble that he created...
"Now then...time for the exciting part. Gimme all the money and treasures you guys have, hehehe...looting from criminals is all in the name of justice so this is fine...hehehe. Oh wait, most of the things in here are...slaves? Oh, and they're dead too...sheesh..."
Quinn could only silently watch the figure of her savior from a distance as he rummaged through the busted-down wagons
He may not be the knight and shining armor that most women would dream of having...but he was her savior. This man named Vergil was the one that answered her prayers when no god did. And she felt...grateful...for the first time in her life she felt a spark of emotion inside her heart, and she could not exactly explain what it was...
"I-...Excuse me! I-"
She was about to call out to him, but she suddenly felt a tight pain in her chest which made her collapse to the ground
"Hm? Someone's here...Hello? Oh wow, you're having a rough time breathing there, girlie. Oh wait is that my fault?...Damn, I forgot most people can't breathe with carbon monoxide poisoning..."
Quinn looked at the face of the man who saved her...If this was the last thing she'll see before she dies, then she doesn't mind...
"Hey, I stopped the flames now so are you feeling a bit better?...Nope, she's passing out. Welp, time you take you back home I guess-..."
She could still feel warmth enveloping her body as her consciousness slowly fades