Chapter Ten

The echoes and roars of mindless bloodshed echoed throughout the land. Under the sunless sky covered by grim-red clouds, countless humans and creatures shed their blood in order to achieve their goals.

Some crave the thrill of blood that comes with war, and some thirst for the taste of blood that covered the battlefield.

Yet others long for peace to arrive for their kind and yearn for the day where none of them would be suppressed by those bloodthirsty creatures.

At the edge of the land covered by gore, a fleeting light appeared. It came from above the distant clouds and fell to the blood-stained surface. When it landed, a sharp twinkle of light rose from the ground.

The bright light could be seen from the center of combat, but the clanking and clobbering took away every attention from it.

Like a clap of thunder, it disappeared as suddenly as it appears. But unlike one, this light left something in its trails.

Behind the momentary curtain of light, silhouettes of people appeared. They came into being in an instant, as if they were created on that very spot.

They wore a unique camouflage pattern uniforms dyed with red and brown, the same uniform many also wore throughout the horizon.

Kyle closed his eyes subconsciously due to the blinding light that surrounded them suddenly. But when he opened his eyes, what he saw was a view he would never forget.

The color red dominated his vision, as the battle between humans and creatures raged. Severed limbs and organs from various races lied down quietly on the ground, yet the terror it brought was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"Ukh-?!"

Sourness hit the roof of his mouth, but he managed to hold it in. He had lived a fairly caged life inside the academy since he was orphaned, and this was his first encounter with the battlefield.

Unsurprisingly, the shock that it delivered wasn't small. He felt nauseous and disgusted by the rusty air and the random body parts splattered all over the ground.

Kyle unknowingly took a step backward, and the person that he chased before noticed his strange behavior.

"What? Don't tell me you're still not used to this, Kyle," a corner of his mouth rose.

Gulping, Kyle quickly swiped his eyes and spoke with a grave tone.

"You are right, I can't bear to watch it, no matter how much time passes."

Gradually returning to composure, Kyle tried to block off the disgusting sight of the battlefield and focused on the baby-faced man's words.

'So, my name here is also Kyle.'

His intention to form a train of thoughts was interrupted by a small ball of flame that came his way. Thankfully, he was quick enough to respond and slightly moved his head left.

The lump of flames went through and slightly grazed his black hair, leaving him almost unscathed.

Kyle glared in the direction it came from and saw a person fighting a red humanoid figure with massive horns on his head.

But before he had the chance to observe them, whooshes went by. It was the people that were teleported here with him.

All of them—including the woman in the beginning—rushed out to the battlefield. Even the baby-faced man rushed forward.

At the same time, he could also feel that his body wanted him to move forward—to face these creatures in front of them.

Clicking his tongue, he dashed forward alongside them.

'I don't know what is happening, but it would be better for me to follow them now.'

The arrival of reinforcements was spotted by both sides. The humans that wore fatigued expressions instantly brightened, while the creatures that saw them fought even more fiercely.

Although the majority of those present on the battlefield were humans, they were still being pushed back by their enemies.

In front of them, the stern woman shouted as she unsheathed a blade covered with strange symbols.

"Kill all of them!"

Shouts of recognition came from the battlefield, as they made their way to the enemies.

The baby-faced man dashed towards a creature with wrinkled skin and a slightly hunched back. Shouting, he punched the hunched enemy until a crack was heard.

But the attack didn't stop at that. The spot where his fist hit glowed slightly and instantly burst, knocking the creature to Kyle.

Using that gap, Kyle kicked the creature that flew towards him. The edge of his shoes expanded as energy flew into it, extending a sharp edge and piercing the enemy.

Then—without missing a beat—a blade pierced its head. Screeching, the hunched creature finally took action and flailed its arms around.

Even though its arm looked frail, both Kyle and his partner retreated backward. The baby-faced man moved back as if it was natural, but the arrogant youth almost got hit by them.

They retreated and moved towards each other. The baby-faced man glanced towards Kyle and said.

"What's wrong with you? You almost got hit just now."

"Nothing, just a little tired."

The baby-faced man was able to retreat with a familiar motion, as if he had repeatedly fought against this kind of creature.

But Kyle knew nothing about their enemy. He had only reacted once he felt a threatening amount of energy being circulated in that hunched creature.

Kyle wiped the sweat that flowed down on his forehead while contemplating whether or not to drop the red ball he was carrying all this time.

Based on their uniform and the wide array of artifacts in his dresser, he had assumed that they were going to a battle of some sort. But he wasn't expecting to participate in a war like this. If he had known, he would've chosen to carry something convenient instead of this artifact he was holding.

"Heh, just make sure not to get in this great Karan's way," his partner in combat said while waving his blade.

Kyle said nothing in response and just cursed in his mind.

While they were bantering, the wounds they inflicted on the hunched creature slowly closed—healing by itself.

'Great regeneration ability, and the fearsome energy that it has…how troublesome.'

Kyle licked his mouth and spat after tasting the faint taste of iron in his mouth. He felt disgusted at the thought of consuming the creature's bodily fluids and regretted his action.

All of a sudden, the hunched creature screeched and lunged in their direction—extending its wrinkly arm towards them.

In a unison, they moved to separate ways to let the creature pass through them. But the hunched creature directed his arms to their direction. And to Kyle's shock, its arms expanded like a string.

Karan rolled on the ground and dashed towards the creature's body, while Kyle threw the red ball he was carrying. The artifacts were still connected to Kyle by the thread of energy that emerged from Kyle's palm.

When it made contact with the creature's palm, the ball suddenly burst into flames. The flame scorched its wrinkly palm, even turning parts of it into charcoal.

In agony, the hunched creature hastily retracted his arms, only to feel a sharp wave of heat from its chest. Karan had thrown his blade towards it, and it landed right on its chest.

"Gotcha!" He pumped his fist as the area he cut burst into light, expanding the hole that his blade made.

The hunched creature immediately dropped to the ground and screeched, unaware that a sharp shoe was approaching its head.

[Sphhlt!]

The sharp footwear along with Kyle's energy managed to sever the creature's head from its body. The head landed several meters from them, while its body convulsed—before stopping completely.

Karan picked up his bloodied sword from the corpse and spoke while being astonished.

"You can extend your energy now? How did you manage to reach this level so quickly?"

"Hard work and talent," Kyle replied while picking up the artifact he had just thrown.

Remembering the fight they had just fought, he asked while brushing off the dirt from the red ball.

"By the way, what was that light from your attacks just then?"

"You forgot about that?! How could you even—forget about it, I'll explain as we fight," Karan said while scrunching his forehead.

Battles were still being fought as they speak, so he preferred to explain while fighting at the same time.

Even though the arrogant youth was dissatisfied, he knew that this wasn't the right time to play around.

With Karan leading the way, they approached a nearby fight. Both of them rushed as quickly as they could, harnessing their energy to its fullest potential. They assisted a nearby person in fighting a similar creature they had just fought.

"As far as I understand, my Authority can store energy I've created."

While their friend distracted the creature, Karan punched the edge of his sword's hilt, making it shine with white light.

"As for its usage, I can even do something like this."

He threw the sword to the creature's back forcefully. And when it was flying, Karan snapped his fingers.

The light that was present on the edge of its hilt bursts. And with it, the speed of the sword became faster.

It pierced the unsuspecting creature, and another light appeared on the punctured area. With another snap of his fingers, it burst and expanded the bloody gap.

Screeching, the hunched creature turned its back and glared fiercely towards Kyle and Karan. The person that was fighting with the creature took that advantage and severed its head quickly and swiftly.

"Something like that," Karan said as he gestured back at the other person's gratitude.

Looking at the hole on the corpse. Kyle was impressed and questioned with a hint of expectation. "Then what about me? Do I have any Authority?"

Upon hearing those words, Karan looked at Kyle strangely.