Event Horizon

Arthur remembered what happened to the hapless dryad who the orc squashed like a funny flesh balloon earlier so Arthur continued running towards the entrance of the forest.

While Arthur isn't exactly known for his usage of magic, he could still utilize the mana around him to sense other creatures - whether hostile, passive, or allied.

"ME COMING GET YOU HEHE" the orc released the tension on its legs and blotted out the sun yet again.

The difference is that the first time the orc jumped, it was in the middle of an open-field but now, he was about to hit one of the explosive trees in the Forest of Luminescence.

Arthur felt an indescribable shiver run up his spine. He knew that this was a do or die situation and that he needed to keep running.

After what seemed like an eternity, the orc landed on a tree and the small combustion sparked an ecological disaster that would reshape the surrounding landmass for the next generation.

Arthur strained his body to the max and squeezed out all of his potential as he ran as fast as lightning.

Electricity crackled all around his body but a slight strained noise sounded off from his joints as he felt his body slowly breaking apart.

Arthur knew that he had one opportunity to survive this disaster and any mistake or deviation from his plan would immediately cause him to get incinerated and reduced to ashes.

The brigand could feel his back slowly starting to get cooked as the chain explosions slowly caught up to him. The orc is nowhere to be seen as it was understandably obliterated by the first wave of explosions.

Arthur gritted his teeth and exerted more effort as he ran even faster than before. In the clearing ahead of him, he could see the squadron of knights from earlier running as fast as their feet could take them. They were still in formation with the leader in the middle of the pack as he was surrounded by his couple dozen knights.

"It's nothing personal."

The seemingly frenzied look on Arthur's face disappeared as he assumed a visage that even Artesia would find unnerving and unnatural.

The knights suddenly stopped moving as the heat that was approaching them suddenly transformed into cold energy that seeped into their bones and every fiber of their being.

Arthur would normally come across as a cold-faced handsome man but right now, he seemed out of this world. Like he wasn't meant to be in this plane of existence. His body exuded confidence, pain, and death.

The muscular knight commander pissed himself in fear as he stared at Arthur

"D-dem..."

but before he could finish his statement, the world suddenly stopped. The knight commander was baffled as he felt as though he was in limbo and that his entire life was flashing before his eyes.

His allies were frozen in place around him and the sea of flames that was closing in on them was stopped in place. The only thing in motion in this hellish place was Arthur.

The harbinger of death stopped in the middle of the knight squadron and he pulled a sword from out of nowhere as if the void opened up to his whims.

He plunged the sword on the ground and as though he just remembered something, Arthur locked eyes with the Knight Commander.

The muscular knight has been through all kinds of situations in the past. He's subjugated monsters, demons, and even human beings and he's abused more men and women than he'd care to count but right now, he felt small and helpless.

Arthur slowly walked towards the muscular knight, as though he was just relaxing in the woods and he took out one of his special knives.

"I knew that this mission would be difficult but I found my mark in the end."

Arthur threw the special knife towards the muscular knight's genitals as he turned around and walked back to his sword.

The knife burrowed itself deep into the muscular knight's loins and as the blood seeped out of his now-deceased manhood, he could feel all sorts of liquids coming out of his front, back, and even his face.

Snot, tears, and blood stained his armor as he cried in pain and anguish.

Arthur knew that this man deserved it and he snapped his finger.

The knife burrowed in the knight's crotch made a mechanical whirring sound as its blade exploded into countless shrapnel which got pushed further into his body by the initial explosion of the blade itself.

The knight commander immediately died from blood loss and from losing a huge chunk of his flesh - not counting trauma and what have you.

Arthur placed his palms on the blade he stuck on the ground and uttered a simple magic spell.

"Event Horizon."

And as if everything was an illusion, time sped back up to normal as the sea of flames swallowed the knight squadron with Arthur in the middle.

Arthur closed his eyes as the sea of flames eviscerated the bodies around him. He could feel the heat flash cooking his arm as it was exposed more than the rest of his body. He was using a simple magic spell to survive the sea of flames by using the armor of the knights around him as a sort of shock absorber but the problem with this solution is that the armor also retained the heat and with Arthur in the middle, he felt like he was in an oven - but third-degree burns are better than dying outright so he braced himself.

After what seemed like an eternity, Arthur lost consciousness as he heard Lara's voice calling out to him in panic.