Alvin, Allen, and Arken wore satisfied smiles the moment they saw Kazien comply with their request. A sense of relief washed over the hearts of his three fiancés. For them, this was a rare opportunity to prove their worth at Kazien's side. Not just as his future spouses, but as a team capable of standing on their own.
In unison, the three of them turned their backs to the city walls and stared straight into the barren desert. There, dozens of Earth Dragons, each the size of a small house, were charging blindly, creating mini-earthquakes with every thundering stride. Dust billowed high, forming a literal curtain of death that drew closer by the second.
"Spread out!" Alvin commanded briefly, his voice cold and ringing with authority.
Zap! Zap! Zap!
The sound of air being sliced rang out sharply. In the blink of an eye, the three of them vanished from the sight of the naked eye.
Hudeon, Ella, and all people around the gate city, jolted in shock. Their eyes widened, frantically searching for the three missing figures. This wasn't just high-speed movement. This was Blink, a short-range teleportation technique that instantly moved the body through dimensional rifts.
In the heart of the desert, directly in the dragons' path, Arken materialized out of thin air. His face was twisted into a wide grin. Terrifying, yet undeniably charming.
"Hahaha!" Arken's laughter pierced through the deafening roar of the dragons' stampede. "Finally! After holding back for so long, I can test this power in a real fight!"
On the other side, Allen appeared gracefully beside Alvin, his hair swaying even in the absence of wind. "I feel the same as you, Arken!" he shouted, his voice brimming with an enthusiasm that contrasted sharply with his usually calm demeanor. "Let's crush these troublesome monsters!"
As the distance between them and the horde of Earth Dragons closed to a few meters...
Zrash!
Arken blurred like black lightning. The daggers in his hands, surged with mana reinforcement, sliced through the neck of the leading dragon. The Earth Dragon's scales, famous for being as hard as steel, were cut as easily as silken tofu. Blood sprayed into the air, and the dragon's head rolled onto the sand before its body even realized it was dead.
Without pausing, Arken leaped toward the next dragon, dancing between savage jaws with a speed that defied logic.
Meanwhile, beside Alvin, Allen spread his arms wide. The temperature in the scorching desert plummeted drastically within a three-hundred-meter radius. Water vapor in the air froze instantly, forming hundreds of ice spears, jagged and gleaming with a lethal sheen.
Zip! Zip! Zip!
A rain of death descended. The ice spears launched with terrifying precision, impaling the vital spots of the Earth Dragons. Piercing eyes, necks, and hearts. The sound of rending flesh and agonizing roars echoed across the sands. One by one, the massive bodies collapsed, frozen solid in the middle of the heat.
"Hahaha. You guys are certainly energetic today, aren't you?"
Alvin, standing casually beside Allen, shook his head at the sheer brutality of his two companions. "You guys are taking too large a share. Now, it's my turn!"
Alvin raised his right hand. Brilliant red flames gathered and condensed, forming a longbow of pure fire. He pulled an imaginary bowstring, and instantly, dozens of arrows infused with various elements. Fire, lightning, and wind, formed simultaneously.
Splat! Woosh!
His fingers released the string. The arrows streaked forward, cleaving the wind and slamming into the remaining dragons still standing.
Boom!
A massive explosion shook the earth. Pillars of fire spiraled toward the sky, roasting the dragons instantly. The scent of scorched meat mixed with the sharp aroma of ozone filled the air.
From the city gate, the crowd watched the massacre with jaws agape. There were no cheers of victory. Only a heavy, stunned silence born of absolute shock.
Incredible! Ella thought, her legs feeling weak at the sight. I never imagined Rank S adventurers from Azvel possessed power on the level of a natural disaster. They slaughtered a horde of Earth Dragons, the local adventurers' worst nightmare with just the three of them. It's completely beyond reason.
Ella's gaze then shifted to Kazien's back. He stood calmly not far from her, still holding Hudeon's hand.
And they all submit to this man? Ella thought with a shiver. I am still so curious about Master Kazien's true power. Even his monster-tier companions forbid him from fighting, as if afraid he might destroy everything.
It had taken less than two minutes. The desert, which had been a theater of terror moments ago, was now silent. There was no more movement from the Earth Dragon horde. It hadn't been a battle, it was a one-sided execution.
Zap!
Alvin suddenly reappeared in front of Kazien, without so much as a speck of dust on his clothes.
"Now it's your turn!" Alvin said softly, his tone shifting drastically from the commanding voice he used earlier. "Do what you need to do so the value of these monsters doesn't drop! and remember, don't sell them all at once to the guild. We need to keep them as reserve assets for our travel accommodations later."
Kazien smiled at his fiancé's says. He reached out and affectionately ruffled Alvin's golden hair. "This is the first time I've seen you take action with them so decisively. Hahaha, you seemed to really enjoy your fire back there."
Alvin closed his eyes, leaning into the touch, and gave a wide smile as if fishing for more praise.
"I know that smile." Kazien teased gently. "I'll give you a reward later. But for now, I have to clean up your mess."
Alvin nodded in agreement and stepped back.
Woosh!
Without warning, Kazien bolted. A gust of wind whipped against the faces of the people at the gate. His speed was fundamentally different from Blink. While Blink was a shift in space, Kazien's movement was pure, raw speed, so fast that the average eye couldn't even catch his shadow.
Hudeon watched in awe, then tugged at Alvin's clothes. "Brother Alvin!"
Alvin looked down, greeting the boy kindly. "What is it, Hudeon?"
"Why wasn't Brother Kazien allowed to fight?" Hudeon asked innocently, his curiosity piqued. "He looks so strong."
Alvin chuckled softly at Hudeon's innocence.
"If he had joined the fight, all those monsters would have died in seconds, perhaps before they even realized we were there." Alvin replied casually, as if he were merely stating that the sky was blue. "Just so you know, Hudeon... Kazien's power is a hundred times greater and more terrifying than the combined strength of the three of us."
Gasp!
The hearts of Ella and everyone near the city wall seemed to stop beating. They looked at each other with pale faces. They had just witnessed a force that could level an army, and now they were being told that the leader of the group was significantly more powerful.
"Brother Kazien is amazing!" Hudeon praised in awe, his eyes sparkling with worship as he watched the distant figure of his "brother" working busily.
However, Hudeon's admiration didn't stop there. He pulled Alvin down slightly, bringing his lips close to the elf's ear.
"Brother Alvin..." he whispered softly, his cheeks flushing a faint red.
"Yes?"
"If I wanted to become Brother Kazien's future wife... would you give me your permission?"
Alvin went silent, his eyes blinking several times as he stared at the boy standing beside him. Meanwhile, the desert wind blew softly, carrying a silence that was both awkward and strangely amusing.