Killing The Kidnappers

"You woke me up, I was sleeping," grumbled one of the men, rubbing his eyes.

"Shut up. Money comes before sleep, you idiot."

"Why do we always have to do the kidnappings late at night, for heaven's sake? How about the afternoon? That sounds much better, doesn't it?"

"You're as dumb as a rock."

"And why are there five of us for just two kids, Godan?" The fifth man's inquiry drew the attention of the others towards Godan.

Godan took a sip of ale and wiped his lips thoughtfully. "Just in case. Clastor's worried it might be a trap set by those Holy Knights bastards."

"A trap? Here?" They all glanced around at the dilapidated surroundings, seeing no one nearby.

They all agreed—it seemed like an easy task, perhaps one of the easiest kidnappings they'd ever done.

"Clastor's just being unnecessarily paranoid for shit," Godan scoffed as he rose to his feet.

He'd been working in these slums for five years now, and he'd faced all sorts of challenges without any major issues. Two kids weren't going to scare him off now.

"Let's go," Godan commanded as the six of them cautiously entered the decrepit house.

"Watch your step, guys. This place is falling apart," one of them warned as they navigated through the crumbling interior.

"Why would those kids be in a place like this anyway?" another wondered aloud.

"They're probably lost," someone suggested.

"Lost? Godan said they're nobles," another corrected.

"I hope we don't get into trouble for this, Godan," one of them voiced their concern.

"Don't worry," Godan reassured with a smirk. "This isn't the first time we've dealt with nobles. They'll fetch us a hefty sum. Fresh and young."

"How many gold coins do you think they'll fetch? Maybe even platinum coins!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself-"

-Whoosh!

-Spurt! 

But before he could finish his sentence, a sudden whoosh and a spurt of blood interrupted him. One of their comrades fell lifelessly to the ground, an arrow piercing his skull.

"What the—?!"

"Get back!"

"Stay calm," Godan ordered as he inspected the arrow.

"It's a wooden arrow. Just use a basic body enhancement spell. We'll catch that little bastard," he said coldly, his gaze scanning the upper floor where the shadow of a boy had briefly appeared.

"Right! Body enhancement!" The remaining four quickly followed Godan's lead, preparing themselves for confrontation.

"Brat, you'd better surrender now. Otherwise, both you and your dear sister won't be getting any sleep tonight," Godan threatened, his voice laced with menace.

-Whooosh!

-Spurt!

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the air, followed by a spray of blood.

"GUH!"

Godan whirled around to see one of his men, dumbfounded, with his throat impaled by what appeared to be a silver arrow. It dawned on Godan that they had walked right into a trap.

"That damn brat!" he cursed, frustration boiling within him.

The remaining four, including Godan, seethed with anger.

"He's just up there! Pull yourselves together and strengthen your bodies! Let's catch this little piece of shit!" Godan ordered rushing toward the stairs.

He leaped, aiming to grab onto the stair railing, but another arrow pierced the brittle wood, shattering it beneath his weight.

Losing his grip, Godan tumbled back to the ground.

"Anastasia is sleeping peacefully so…" a voice rang calmly as Marek stepped into view, his gaze cold.

"Keep quiet."

"This brat..." Godan's glare held a mix of frustration and fury.

"Don't underestimate us, you little brat!" one of Godan's companions snapped visibly, leaping even higher toward Marek.

Marek took a step back before launching himself into a powerful midair kick aimed squarely at the man's neck.

"Guh!" The man gasped in pain as he plummeted to the ground, landing within a strange circle that crackled with purple lightning before opening up.

-Spurt!

"Aurhaaaa!" The man's scream filled the air as he fell, impaled by sharp wooden debris intentionally placed below.

"GUAAAAHAHAHA! H-Help me!!! G-Get me out of here!!!" The man's screams echoed through the room as his chest, legs, and arms were each pierced, blood seeping from his wounds.

Now only three remained, including Godan.

"G-Godan..." One of them stammered, sweat beading on his forehead as he took a hesitant step back. "Th-This kid is dangerous!" With a sudden burst of fear, he turned and made a desperate attempt to flee.

But as soon as he reached the entrance, a rope snapped under his weight, and from above, a broken wooden gate crashed down, slamming him to the ground and impaling him.

"GYAA!!" His cries were abruptly silenced as he was skewered to death.

"G-Godan!!" 

"Shut up! I know!!!"

The remaining companion's panicked plea was met with a furious glare from Godan.

Looking up at Marek, a boy barely ten years old, Godan couldn't help but feel a surge of disbelief. Here was this child, looking down at him with the same disturbing aloof expression as he had in the tavern.

'That damn Clastor was right, but I ain't weak,' Godan thought to himself, a smirk playing on his lips as he extended his hand.

"Third Star Tier Spell! Earth Lance!" With no hesitation, he aimed straight at Marek's head, confident that he would catch the boy off guard.

But Marek wasn't alone.

[Step right Milord.]

In a swift motion, Marek sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the lance as it shot past him, piercing through the wall of the house.

Wide-eyed with shock, Godan could only watch as Marek flicked his hand with lightning speed.

-Crackle!

A sphere of lightning crackled and struck Godan's last companion head-on, rendering him unconscious.

-Bam!

"Guh!" Godan recoiled as Marek nearly kicked him square in the stomach. With crossed arms, Godan slid back, his eyes narrowing in frustration.

Before Godan could react, Marek leapt away, evading any counterattack.

"Who the fuck are you?" Godan asked. He had never encountered a child with such strength before.

Ignoring the question, Marek simply dismissed Godan with a glance, deeming him and his companions insignificant trash not worth any more of his time.

"Third Rank Spell," Marek muttered through bloodied lips, a trickle of crimson staining his nose.

Godan felt a chill run down his spine as he realized that Marek, at such a young age, was capable of casting Third Rank Spells. He focused all his senses on Marek, his alertness heightened.

"Impale him," Marek commanded, and Godan's eyes widened in horror as he looked down at the ground, but it was too late.

-Spurt!

The lance erupted from the ground, impaling Godan beneath his chin and lifting him high into the air.

-Thud

As Marek descended and walked past the impaled Godan, blood dripped steadily from the skewered man.

Pulling out the silver arrow, Marek approached the unconscious man who had just been struck by a Third Ranked Lightning Spell.

-Spurt!

Without a moment's hesitation, Marek drove the arrow into the man's head before turning his attention to the screaming figure skewered within a pit.

"P–Please... h-help..." The man's voice was weak, his face drained of color from the heavy loss of blood.

With a swift motion, Marek took the arrow between his middle and index fingers, channeling mana with a rush of power.

-Spurt!

The arrow found its mark, piercing the man's forehead and ending his suffering.

"Pathetic."

It hadn't even taken him half an hour to prepare the traps, yet Marek couldn't help but feel that he had been overly cautious with these people from the slums.

They were predators, preying on the weak and defenseless, kidnapping innocent children. Their encounters had been few with strong opponents, but inevitably, they had fallen against someone stronger.

"Prometheus."

[Milord.]

The vibrant orange mass floated out in front of Marek as he called.

"Open Command: Nihil," Marek commanded, plunging his hand into the mass.

Finally, he could summon one of his Apostles.

And there was no doubt in his mind who he wanted first.

The very first of his Apostles in Ajekreia and his second designed character on Earth after himself.

"Heed my call, Raizel Adeus Astra."

The orange mass swirled around Marek's arm, expanding in size and creating a vortex of energy in front of him. A divine light radiated as the entire mass was drawn out.

A black and gold divine light engulfed the area, momentarily blinding Marek. As the light faded, it coalesced into the form of a woman in her late teens.