In front of the burned-down building stood a slick-haired man clad in armor. Behind him, his subordinates stood frozen, trembling under their boss's fury.
"Damn it! How the hell did this happen?!" he roared, his voice echoing through the night. "Two of our bases—gone! Who the hell dared to pull this crap?!"
After his rage finally subsided a little, one of his men hesitantly stepped closer.
"Sir, I advise we check the nearest base right away," he said carefully. "If it's the same there… we might need to move to one that's farther away."
Hearing that, Jasil snapped out of his rage and sprang onto his horse. Without a second thought, he kicked the reins and rode off as fast as he could.
On the other side, Knox hid among the trees.
By my calculations, they should be near this base now. I just need them to enter their basecamp. Once they come into contact with the poison I planted, at least some of them will be confirmed incapacitated.
With that, the first phase of my plan—to thin their numbers—will be complete. The second phase is simple: surprise them and lure the rest into the forest.
The problem is the third phase: Jasil himself.
"Well, sooner or later I'll have to face a stronger opponent. This will serve as a good whetstone."
Around an hour later, in front of some kind of dilapated building, a group of man rode horses came. There, one man with slick-hair, which Jasil, came down from his horse, and lead his man inside.
In inside, most of them immediately sit on whenever they can. Because theirs not so 'smooth' journey, their stamina were depleted more than they expected. Even Jasil was the same.
"Sigh, I swore I will kill whoever burned our base! To think we would faced things like this, we just got humiliated!" After Jasil sit down, his temper appeared again. But because he also tired, his temper only showed up similar like an advertisement in TV, just passing through.
After calmed down, Jasil called his subordinate to cook and prepare for late lunch. Without they realize anything, they already touch and used some things that already laced with poisons.
The smell of food soon filled the ruined building.
It wasn't much — just a pot of stew made from whatever supplies they had left — but after a long, miserable ride, even that smelled divine.
The men sat in small groups, laughing weakly as they ate. The earlier tension had faded, replaced by the simple comfort of a warm meal.
For a moment, it almost felt peaceful.
"Maybe luck's finally on our side," one of the men said, forcing out a laugh.
Jasil sat at the center, resting his chin on one hand as he lazily stirred his bowl.
"Luck, huh?" he muttered. "If this is luck, I'd rather be cursed by necromancers."
He took a bite. The stew tasted bitter—far too bitter—but hunger dulled his concern.
He had just swallowed when a harsh, choking sound tore through the air.
A man on Jasil's left dropped his spoon, both hands clawing at his throat as his body convulsed. Another slumped forward, smashing face-first into his bowl. The sound of gagging and crashing spread through the room like wildfire — metal clanging, chairs falling, boots scraping against the floor.
"What the—?! What's happening?!" someone shouted, voice breaking in panic before collapsing mid-sentence.
In seconds, the place turned into hell. The stew that had smelled so comforting moments ago now reeked of bile and iron. Men who had laughed moments earlier lay twitching on the floor, eyes wide open but unfocused.
Jasil's mind froze for a heartbeat—then clarity hit him like a hammer.
"Poison," he muttered under his breath, his pupils narrowing. He immediately scanned the room — nearly half his men were already down, twitching or motionless. The rest were pale, sweating, barely holding on.
"Damn it! It's poison!" he barked, snapping into command mode. "Everyone still breathing—take out your antidotes! Now!"
The few who could still move scrambled through their pouches, uncorking small vials and forcing the bitter liquid down their throats. The smell of alchemy filled the air, sharp and metallic.
"Those without antidotes, use holy purification!" Jasil shouted again, raising his hand. Golden light flared from his palm, faint and unstable, but enough to shine through the gloom. A few of his men followed suit — weak flashes of holy light flickered across the room, burning away traces of the toxin that hadn't sunk too deep.
It wasn't perfect — some were too far gone — but a handful managed to steady their breathing, coughing violently as color slowly returned to their faces.
Jasil gritted his teeth, sweat running down his temple. His gaze swept across the chaos — the fallen men, the stench of bile, the faint shimmer of holy light still clinging to the air.
"This is a trap!" he yelled, seething with rage. "We've been had. Someone clearly prepared this… and waited for us."
The moment Jasil shouted, a faint whistle cut through the air.
Knox narrowed his eyes from his vantage point in the shadows.
"Ignis Volley."
The words left his mouth softly — yet the air itself trembled.
A heartbeat later, the sky above the building blazed open. Dozens of fiery arrows materialized out of thin air, their crimson light piercing through the night. Then, with a roar like a storm of fire, they descended.
The first arrow struck the roof, exploding into molten fragments — then the next, and the next. Within seconds, it turned into a relentless downpour of flames. Wood cracked, metal screamed, and chaos swallowed the camp whole.
"Fire?! Damn it—take cover!!" one of Jasil's men yelled, but his voice vanished beneath the explosions.
Inside the inferno, Jasil shielded his face with his arm, his armor glowing from the heat.
"Tch… an ambush?!"
When the flames finally began to fade, the sound of crackling embers was the only thing left. From beyond the haze, footsteps echoed — slow, deliberate.
Out of the smoke stepped a boy, his white hair flickering orange under the dying firelight, crimson eyes locked on Jasil.
He looked calm. Too calm.
"So you're the one who burned my bases…" Jasil spat, disbelief twisting his face. "A damn kid?"
"Surprised?" Knox said with an easy grin, voice light and almost cheerful.
"Honestly, I didn't think you'd fall for it that fast—guess today's my lucky day, huh?"
He chuckled softly, brushing a bit of soot off his coat as if nothing around him was burning. Knox's grin lingered as the fire crackled around him, casting a crimson glow over his white hair.
Jasil froze, eyes widening as the realization hit him. That hair…Those crimson eyes…
"…You," he muttered, voice low with disbelief. "The White Devil."
Knox tilted his head, looking almost amused. "Oh? So you've heard of me. That saves me the trouble of introducing myself."
He chuckled softly, brushing a bit of soot off his coat as if nothing around him was burning.
"Well then, since you're already here… shall we get started?"