Conquer All the Beasts

The blonde's eyes opened wide, shocked by the knight's cruel actions, almost like himself in his undefeated state. However, he sensed an unusual weakness in his current form, unable to shatter the binding chains.

"What happened, why was I brought here?" he wondered, feeling anxious as the rest of the herd floundered, their fear represented by their abstract moves. "Will I be able to come back?"

[To come back or to be immortal once more, you must conquer all the Spirit Beasts in this realm by stealing their life essence.]

Eloran turned his head to the other side, thinking the voice was from the bald man. But, the man looked forward, his expression anxious with sweat starting to soak his complexion. The voice did not even sound like his voice, dismissed Eloran's initial assumption.

[Your strengths have not faded within you, you need time to adapt. The more formidable opponent you face, the more you will reach your old self.]

Eloran believed the voice was not from him or the crowd around him. The herd seemed to be busy with their life business, caring about nothing but themselves. Some of the slaves began to plead and scream to be saved.

"Please, spare my life! I can do any work!"

"Don't kill us! We are obedient slaves!"

"We never cross any rules! We never rebel! We submit to what we are told!

"Oh Lord, the creator of the world. Please, save us!"

"Please let me live! I have a family to feed!"

Eloran's breath was worried as the knight began to haul off his companions, denying any opportunity for magic. In a stark departure from before, the enslaved individual resisted until a sharp object at his throat forced his surrender.

At that moment, all eyes witnessed the rapid spurt of blood, staining the knight's steel armor as the slave crumpled to the floor. Panic ensued among the remaining captives, each desperately attempting to flee from the horror.

"You bunch of trash," the old man knight smirked. "Kill them, boys!"

All the knights unsheathed their swords, further making the slaves rebel, trying hard to break free from the handcuffs. Eloran on the other hand, calmed himself even though his heart beating so fast. He felt this sensation again, a fear, which had long been absent from his life.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to feel his inner force. A cultivator who had touched the immortal stage, his power was beyond imagination; it couldn't simply dissipate. He held onto the belief that even if only a sliver remained, he could still stand and fight.

A shriek of anguish rang out, breaking Eloran's concentration as the man in front of him crashed into him, sending them into chaos. Cuts and splashes of blood colored the situation, some of those freed tried to escape, but the knight launched a magic at him.

"Incinerate!" he spelled as he spread his arms, an intricate rune appeared and shone.

With a single forward blow, the rune unleashed a fireball that shot toward the running man, falling as the flames devoured him whole. The screams of torment were loud, even more so as he rolled on the floor, attempting to extinguish the flames.

"Nothing you can do," the caster uttered. "It won't cease until what it burns is consumed."

The crowd, witnessing their comrade's demise, stood frozen in place. The victim, now silent and motionless, embraced the agonizing grasp of death as the flames intensified, forming a swirl of smoke that devoured both skin and flesh.

"Harad, you should have conserved that magic for later," the white-haired old man interrupted. "We needed to save the mana before reaching the town."

"Apologies, commander," Harad responded and turned to the disarrayed group of slaves. "I wanted to show off."

As some fell victim to the relentless onslaught of the six knights, one of them closed in on Eloran, lost in thought with closed eyes. Panicked, the bald man beside him whispered, "Eloran, wake up! He came after you!"

"Look what we have here," exclaimed the knight with short brown hair. "We have ourselves a silent slave!"

"Hey, come one! This is not the right situation for sleep!" Eloran's companion tried to rouse the man, shaking his shoulder.

The knight laughed at that and halted right next to the unresponsive Eloran, who made no move to retreat like the others. "Sleep, huh?" the knight sneered, raising his weapon. "So be it. I'll ensure you sleep forever."

"Eloran!" the other slave exclaimed and the man with black curled hair opened his eyes.

With swiftness, Eloran extended the chain, colliding with the swinging sword and shattering it instantly. Shock rippled through the onlookers, the knight's widened eyes reflecting disbelief as Eloran, with surprising skill, delivered a blow straight to his face.

"What in the world?" the leader of the knights exclaimed in shock as his subordinate faced unexpected resistance.

Even without unlocking his inner force, Eloran's prowess in martial arts alone proved formidable. The well-trained knight struggled to match Eloran's swift movements, and in a blink, Eloran targeted his hand, breaking the bone in his arm.

A scream of pain echoed through the area as the knight dropped his held sword onto the sand. Eloran executed his technique, tackled him, and seized the weapon, driving it into the chest, piercing through the armor.

Without break, another knight extended his hand towards Eloran, spreading his fingers, and exclaimed, "Incinerate!"

The rune kindled, prompting Eloran to withdraw the blade and hurl it with all his might at the runic symbol. Just as the flame was about to burst out, the weapon hit it and caused a violent explosion in the blink of an eye.

The resulting shockwave compelled them to shield their faces, dispersing the dust in the air. The remaining slaves, now a mere handful of survivors, stood in disbelief at the unexpected turn of events.

Amidst the smoke, the knight near the scene readied himself, tightening his grip on his sword, vigilant against potential further attacks that could emerge from the obscured visibility.

As the dust cleared, the knight witnessed Eloran striding toward him, bare-handed, both eyes aglow with killing intent. Two feet quickened their speed, closing the distance as Eloran approached the tense bald knight, whose hands trembled in response to the aura emanating from Eloran.

Despite the knight's well-honed training, Eloran dodged his initial attack and retaliated, landing a counterblow to his chest. Unbeknownst to the knight, Eloran's strike tore through the steel armor, penetrating deep and causing damage to the respiratory organs.

As a result, the man vomited blood and was knocked down a few steps, ending his life after rolling on the sand. A wave of shock engulfed everyone, especially the leader.

At this moment, Eloran alone had already subverted the devotion of his three once-loyal subordinates.