The flames had mostly died down, leaving the room half-burned and heavy with the stench of smoke and iron.
Jasil staggered a step forward, his breath ragged. The holy energy running through his body had cleansed most of the toxin, but not all — his limbs still felt heavy, his heartbeat uneven. Damn poison… he thought, biting down a groan.
Around him, only few of his men still stood. The rest lay scattered across the floor — unconscious, twitching, or dead. The survivors looked pale and shaken, clutching their weapons like lifelines.
Jasil's eyes locked onto Knox once more. Even with the haze in his vision, that white hair burned bright in his sight.
"You…" he rasped. "That gang… the Slippery Rats. You're the one who wiped them out, aren't you?"
Knox didn't answer right away — just tilted his head slightly, as if thinking about it. Then, he smiled.
"Hmm… I guess you could say that. They were noisy, messy… and in the way."
Jasil's expression twisted, rage and disbelief mixing in his eyes. "You little bastard…!
Jasil's grip tightened on his weapon, veins bulging on his hand. "You'll regret crossing me, kid. I'll skin you alive and leave your head where everyone can see."
"Waa~ I'm sooo scared," Knox said, voice lilting with mock fear as he drew the katana from his waist. "What are you gonna do, scary mister?"
Then, suddenly, Knox turned on his heel and darted toward the forest. This move made Jasil and his subordinates froze on the spot. As if there are an invisible loading icon on their head.
"Don't let him get away!" Jasil's roar tore through the air, and in an instant, a barrage of arrows and holy projectiles followed. Blades of light and streaks of silver magic cut through branches and leaves, chasing after the boy like a storm of divine wrath.
But Knox didn't even look back.
His movements were fluid, almost too precise — a subtle tilt of his head dodged an arrow that would've pierced his eye; a half-step sideways let a holy spear whistle harmlessly past his ribs. Each motion looked effortless, like he'd seen the attacks coming long before they were fired.
Two charging behind. One above.
He twisted lightly, sidestepping another volley. The glow of holy light flashed against his crimson eyes, yet not a trace of fear crossed his face.
To Jasil's men, it was maddening — the kid running ahead of them like he already knew their next move.
Then, suddenly —
BOOM!
A surge of blue light erupted beneath their feet. The ground itself convulsed, spraying water and dirt skyward.
"Wh–What the hell?!"
The air filled with crashing waves as Water Magic Mines exploded one after another, throwing men off their feet. Those in the front line were caught full force, sent flying and drenched by shimmering water laced with condensed mana.
Knox didn't even slow down. He raised a hand toward the chaos behind him.
"Ice Bind."
The drenched ground answered. Frost surged outward in an instant, devouring the wet soil and crawling up the soldiers' legs.
Half of Jasil's men froze mid-scream, trapped in solid crystal ice — unmoving, breath suspended like statues beneath the forest light. The rest stumbled back, gasping, their limbs sluggish from the chill.
Knox stopped running. He turned around slowly, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly.
"Phase three, part one — complete," he murmured.
Then, six glowing sigils flickered to life above him, rotating slowly like a constellation being drawn in the air.
The constructs — sleek, blade-like, each with a pulsing mana core — drifted into formation behind him.
A hum filled the forest.
They were his 'Aether Funnels', a magic technique he'd crafted himself — inspired by something he'd once seen in a world filled with steel giants and endless wars in space.
I remember these... funnels from those Gundam series. The thought flickered through Knox's mind, faint amusement tugging at the corner of his lips. I always wondered how it'd feel to control them. Guess I finally get to find out.
Jasil and the survivors tensed instantly.
"What in— what is that?" one of them stammered, eyes wide.
Knox tilted his head slightly, crimson eyes glinting.
The glowing funnels spread out, circling Knox before darting toward the enemy in streaks of light.
"Spread out! It's attacking!"
Mana shots rained down, bright and sharp. Two men were hit before they could react, collapsing with seared armor and burned cloaks. Another barely dodged, rolling behind a fallen log.
One soldier swung his blade, trying to shatter a funnel as it darted close —
But the construct swerved, gliding away with uncanny precision.
"It… it dodged?!"
"They move like they're alive!"
The survivors hesitated, fear creeping into their eyes. The glowing constructs hovered silently above them, pulsing like predators waiting to strike again.
Knox's expression didn't change.
"Don't lose focus now," he murmured, drawing his katana. "It's only going to get harder from here."
The funnels shifted position, aligning behind him like a halo of steel and mana.
Knox stepped onto a glowing magic circle that bloomed under his feet — a floating platform of condensed energy.
"Eight Leaves One Blade, Second form – Shizuna's version, Silver Winds."
Then, in one breath, he moved. A blur of motion — flickering light — dozens of slashes from every direction. The air itself screamed as he launched into Silver Winds, his version of Shizuna's technique from Eight Leaves, One Blade.
Eight Leaves… huh.
Even back in my old world, I memorized tons of sword styles from anime and games. But if I'm going to master one for real—
—then it'll be this one. My favorite. The Eight Leaves One Blade.
A faint smile crossed his lips as his blade danced through the air.
Eight Leaves One Blade — a legendary sword style from the Legend of Heroes series, renowned for balancing offense, defense, and flow as one. It embodies harmony between sword and soul, turning movement itself into art.
In that game's lore, Shizuna Rem Misurugi — the "Divine Blade of Silver" from Trails through Daybreak — perfected her own graceful interpretation of the style.
Knox's version wasn't perfect — not yet. But even so, it was deadly. His katana carved through the air with precision and rhythm, every step flowing like a seamless dance between offense and retreat.
Silver Winds, he reminded himself. Shizuna's style. Fast, elegant, and unrelenting.
He vanished into motion — a single breath, and the clearing exploded in shimmering arcs of steel and mana. Three men fell instantly, their armor split clean through before they even realized what had happened. Two more staggered back, clutching deep cuts across their torsos, blood mixing with the lingering frost on the ground.
When the final echo of the slashes faded, only one figure remained standing.
Jasil.
The ex-inquisitor's greatsword dripped with mana, his expression twisted in anger and disbelief as the mist cleared.
Knox lowered his blade slightly, exhaling. That's five down, he thought, crimson eyes narrowing on his final target.
"Now, it's just you."