The dust had barely settled when Nova's roar echoed through the town, sending a shiver through the citizens and forcing the soldiers to reel back in shock at his words.

Laria stared at him, stunned. In just a single moment, the young man before her seemed utterly transformed. What happened in that cloud of dust to change him so completely? If not for his appearance, she might have thought he was a different person altogether.

"Standing still? Then I'll take the first step to start the fun," said Nova. Aura flowing throughout his body as he stepped forward, shattering the pavement beneath his feet. He swung Dreadscape's flat side at Laria's flank.

Despite his newfound speed and her lingering confusion, Laria reacted without hesitation. She brought her shield up in time to block the strike and readied her blade for a counterattack.

But her preparations crumbled the moment the spear struck her shield.

Her left arm buckled almost instantly, the force behind the spear slammed the shield into her ribs with such violence that her breath caught in her throat. She coughed, her ribs clearly swollen but she didn't notice any of that because she'd managed to block the blow.

"That shield's pretty useful," Nova said casually, almost amused. "Makes me wonder why not many people use one."

Before Laria could catch her breath, his fist smashed into the shield.

The impact rattled through her bones, lifted her off her feet, and sent her flying several meters. She hit the ground hard but forced herself up as quickly as her battered body allowed, expecting him to be on her in an instant.

Instead, he stood exactly where she had been moments ago, smiling at her.

Her body throbbed, her breath came in ragged gasps, and her left arm felt like it had turned to jelly. But her eyes, those remained as sharp and defiant as they were at the start.

Between shallow breaths, she spat, "Why did you stop? Feeling sentimental?"

Nova shook his head. "You shouldn't waste your breath on pointless questions. I'm letting you catch it as it makes the fight more fun."

Who is this man? Laria thought. Does he feel no fear of the kingdom's wrath? No concern for the lives he's taking, soldiers and citizens alike? Why is he even killing them in the first place? What did they do to him? Does he have a grudge against the kingdom?

She had many questions but, she couldn't come up with a solid answer for any of them.

As soon as she steadied herself, Nova stepped forward. His spear blurred, moving so fast it left a flickering afterimage. The only proof it was real was the relentless pounding against her shield.

"Shouldn't we intervene?" one of the soldiers murmured, eyes wide with fear.

"If this keeps up… Lady Laria might actually die."

"You plan to charge into that?" another snapped. "Can you even see that spear?"

Under the relentless assault, Laria's body got more and more injured, riddled with cuts and darkening bruises. Her left arm, the one bearing the shield, was no longer fit for use, yet she clung to it stubbornly.

Despite the mounting injuries, she still defended herself, sometimes even attempted a counterattack. Seeing that she still held on, her will to fight still intact, Nova felt his blood churn. Caught in the moment, he grew more and more wild, focusing his whole attention into seeking a path for Dreadscape to end her life.

The two exchanged dozens of blows until, in one fluid motion, he slipped past a counter and drove his spear through her right foot, pinning it to the ground.

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How did he dodge and counterattack so quickly?! A flicker of panic crossed Laria's face. She gritted her teeth, breath sharp with pain. With both hands occupied, shield in one, sword in the other, she had no way to free herself.

Before she could react, Nova stepped down hard on her left foot, trapping her completely. His left leg rose high above his head, poised for an axe kick.

He smiled. "Whatever happens after this… Either you survive or you die… I'll let you go."

I need to defend or I'm dead! Her pupils shrank to pinpricks just as Nova's axe kick came crashing down, fully backed by Nova's Stats.

She hastily threw her shield up in a desperate attempt to block, but there was no time to brace properly. The already damaged shield gave her only a fraction of a second, just enough to delay the inevitable.

With a thunderous crack, the shield shattered. Nova's heel followed through, slamming into her arm.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!"

The sickening sound of bones snapping, folding, then breaking again split the air, echoing alongside Laria's anguished scream.

Nova raised an eyebrow. "Looks like today's your lucky day, you get to live."

But Laria didn't hear him. The agony of her crushed arm overwhelmed her senses. Within seconds, her brain shut down to escape the pain. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, unconscious.

"LADY LARIA!"

The soldiers' voices rose in unison, a desperate cry that echoed like thunder across the ruined streets.

Nova turned toward them, smiling faintly. "Why so loud? She's still breathing. If I were you, I'd worry more about yourselves."

"SCUM! YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!"

/////

Am I destined to serve this demon for the rest of my life?...

"Sir, should I loot her too?" Letto asked, pointing at Laria's unconscious form. His face seemed to have aged a few years.

"Mhm. Here's another bag."

Nova casually tossed him an empty bag from his Inventory. While Letto got to work, Nova wandered through the quiet town.

It had been two hours since Laria collapsed. In that time, he had methodically eliminated every person he encountered, as swiftly as he could.

'My heart skipped a beat, first with that knight, then even with the soldiers… and some of the citizens.'

'I must already be well deep into the Flow stage,' he thought, standing still amid the devastation. There, he could feel a kind of peace that he rarely came across on Earth. None, apart from Letto a distance away, was present. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the moment, a peaceful, quiet moment.

Invisible to him, a thin black thread seeped into his body. He couldn't feel it and it didn't cause him any discomfort either.

Half an hour later, Letto returned, lugging a bag stuffed with valuables. "Sir, I've finished. Took everything worth taking."

Nova nodded, grabbed the bag from him and threw it into his Inventory.

"Let's head to the next large town."

/////

"Your Majesty, it appears King Tiberan is slowly gathering knights and mages to launch an attack on the Lotra Kingdom," reported Rollyet, the current First Knight of the Blackridge Kingdom. "However, the process is progressing so slowly that I suspect either he or Lord Commander Jareth is intentionally delaying it."

King Avaro, a shrewd man in his late thirties and the reigning monarch of Blackridge, sat in his study with eyes closed, quietly listening to the report.

"Hmm... That sounds like Jareth's doing," he murmured. "Tiberan's not an idiot, but he's never had an original thought in his life. And what about that donkey, Wulfric? How's he reacting?"

Unfazed by the king's habitual disrespect for the other rulers, Rollyet continued smoothly. "King Wulfric hasn't left the royal palace. However, their court mage, Granier, was spotted meeting with a dozen Stage Four knights. There's a chance they're plotting something, but aside from that, there's been no major movement."

"Wulfric, scheming? Don't give him more credit than he deserves," Avaro said with a smirk. "Overestimating an enemy is just as dangerous as underestimating one. As brash as he is, I expect that once Tiberan's troops hit his border, he'll start pulling forces from elsewhere and try to strike Westoria in retaliation. When that happens, we'll punch through Lotra's defenses and take it with minimal losses."

He let out a low chuckle. "Currying favor with the Empire's Crown Prince is already paying off. He even altered the imperial edict and dumped the duty of attacking Lotra on Westoria, while I get to sit back and watch."

"With Your Majesty on the throne, the rise of the kingdom is all but certain," Rollyet said, bowing slightly.

"Save the praise for after we conquer Lotra," Avaro said coolly. "That's when things will get truly difficult. An enraged Tiberan and an Emperor wary of a kingdom growing too powerful, there'll be no room for mistakes."

"Until then, with the Crown Prince's favor and the war brewing between Westoria and Lotra, we're untouchable."

Before Rollyet could respond, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, slowly approaching.

The doors to the study burst open as a breathless man stumbled inside, shouting, "Your Majesty! The kingdom is under attack!"

Those words hit like a bomb going off in both the First Knight's and the King's minds.

Rollyet's head snapped toward the messenger, while King Avaro's eyes flew open and barked:

"What?! Explain! Now!"

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