Awakening Domination System: But I'm a Slave?-Chapter 351: Bandits [2]

"KILL THEM ALL!" A voice roared from the bandit line. "Take the wagons!"

The bandits charged.

The remaining mercenary took one look at the approaching horde, more than a dozen armed killers emerging from the treeline.

Then turned and bolted into the darkness without looking back.

"Come back here, you coward!" the merchant screamed after him. "We paid you to—"

"You didn’t pay me enough for this!" The mercenary’s voice faded into the forest. Then gone.

The merchant’s wife clutched their daughter, maybe eight years old, eyes wide with terror, and pulled her close. Shielding her with her own body. The girl buried her face against her mother’s chest, trembling.

The merchant stood in front of them. Pulled a knife from his belt, small thing, meant for cutting rope and opening crates, not fighting.

But he held it with shaking hands anyway. Ready to die protecting his family if necessary.

Alaric sighed and drew Nightfire.

The blade sang as it left its scabbard.

Dark metal catching firelight. The dual essence resonance humming through the handle into his palm.

"Let’s see what you’ve got," he muttered and then channeled essence into the blade.

The lead bandit, massive man with crude axe and scarred face laughed. "Where you looking, kid? You think you’re gonna—"

Before he could complete his words...

SHHK!

His head got separated from shoulders.

A clean cut. So clean there was a half-second delay before blood started spraying. The body took two more stumbling steps forward before collapsing.

The head hit the ground and rolled.

But Alaric was already moving. Spinning past the falling corpse toward two more bandits charging from his right.

They came in together, coordinated. One high, one low. Trying to overwhelm with simultaneous attacks from different angles.

Alaric ducked under the high swing. His blade came up and across in rising slash that caught the low attacker’s arm at the elbow.

SHHK!

The limb separated. Flew spinning through the air and bandit screamed.

Alaric reversed his grip. Brought the blade back down and across, catching the second bandit’s leg just below the knee.

SHHK!

Another limb. Another scream. Both bandits collapsed, one clutching the stump where his arm had been, the other desperately trying to stop the arterial spray from his severed leg.

Nightfire’s dark metal had turned deeper red. Shadows swirled along its length like living things, drinking in the spilled blood, the released essence, the death.

The merchant stared. Eyes wide as dinner plates. Mouth hanging open.

The remaining bandits froze. Eleven of them. Standing in loose formation. Staring at the boy who’d just killed three of their number in maybe five seconds.

"What the fuck!" one of them whispered.

Then the bandit leader, different from the first, this one wearing actual armor and carrying a proper sword, roared.

"He’s just ONE! RUSH HIM!"

They charged. All eleven simultaneously.

Alaric activated his scan vision.

[Bandit Leader - Rank: B-]

[Bandit Archer - Rank: C+]

[Bandit Warrior - Rank: C+]

[Bandit Thug - Rank: C]

[Bandit Scout - Rank: C]

[Bandit Thug - Rank: D+]

[Bandit Thug - Rank: D+]

[...]

The B-rank leader. Two at C+. Two at C. The rest scattered between D+ and low D.

The leader will be a problem.

No time to strategize further. They were on him.

Alaric threw himself forward.

[Burst Step!]

He crashed into their formation before they could adjust to his charge.

[Flame Blade!]

His sword carved through the nearest D-rank’s throat. The man gargled. Fell.

[Fireball!]

He threw it at another D-rank’s face. The concentrated sphere of flame detonated on impact. Skull cracked.

And body dropped.

But the C-rank warrior was there, blade coming in fast.

Their blades met with a clang that sent vibrations up Alaric’s arm. He twisted. Redirected. Used the momentum to flow into next movement.

The C+ archer had positioned herself.

Whiiish!

Arrow came fast. Alaric barely twisted aside. It grazed his shoulder, tearing cloth, drawing blood, but not penetrating deeply.

She’s good.

[Shadow Step!]

He flickered. Disappeared from the warrior’s striking range and reappeared behind the archer. His blade descended.

But—

She rolled and came up with dagger drawn, slashing at his exposed side.

The blade caught him into his ribs.

Alaric hissed. Brought his elbow back into her face.

CRACK!

She stumbled, gripping her broken nose.

But Alaric didn’t give her time to recover, he spun and slashed Nightfire at torso.

She fell.

But the C+ warrior and C-rank scout were on him. Two-on-one. Both skilled enough to coordinate. To cover each other’s openings.

This is going to hurt.

The warrior’s blade came high. Alaric parried. The scout’s knife came low, aiming for kidney. Alaric twisted. The knife scored across his side instead of penetrating.

[Flame Arrow!]

He fired the technique one-handed while still holding off the warrior and it struck the scout center-mass.

The man screamed. Fell backward clutching his burning chest.

But the warrior capitalized, blade coming in at Alaric’s exposed guard. Too fast to dodge completely.

SLASH!

The cut opened his shoulder. Deeper this time. Alaric’s arm went partially numb.

He snarled.

Switched blade to his other hand mid-combat.

[Wind Blade!]

His free hand gestured. Compressed air-essence manifested and shot forward like invisible guillotine.

The warrior saw it coming. Tried to dodge—

But he wasn’t fast enough.

SHHK!

The Wind Blade caught him across the stomach. Not deep enough to bisect. But deep enough to spill intestines. He collapsed screaming.

Alaric was breathing now. Bleeding from shoulder, side, and ribs. Fighting multiple C ranks simultaneously was draining.

Five D-ranks rushed him. Trying to overwhelm with numbers while he was injured.

[Flame Sphere!]

Fire erupted from his core and expanded. All five D-ranks caught in the radius and burned.

Screaming. Flesh blistering.

Then they fell back.

But... before he could catch a breath.

"Earth Stone."

The ground beneath Alaric’s feet suddenly surged upward. Stone spike erupting from below, aiming directly for his gut.

Alaric threw himself sideways. The spike grazed his side. Tore through clothing and flesh.

Another wound.

He hit the ground, rolled and came up bleeding, gasping.

The bandit leader stood twenty feet away.

"Not bad, kid," the leader said. "But you’re out of your depth."

He charged.

Fast.

His blade came in high then twisted low, feint into real attack.

Alaric parried desperately. The impact jarred his shoulder wound. Blood flowed faster.

The leader pressed. Strike after strike. Each one pushing Alaric backward. Each one finding gaps in his defense because he was tired and hurt and fighting above his rank.

Can’t win straight fight.

[Shadow Step!]

He reappear behind the leader with blade already descending—

The leader spun. Predicted it. His sword came up and blocked. Then his boot came up and kicked Alaric in the chest.

Alaric flew backward. Hit a tree hard.

Air left his lungs, his vision swam.

The leader advanced. Sword raised. "You fought well. But—"

Alaric hand shot forward and...

[Fireball!]

He didn’t shot at the leader. But at the ground between them.

The explosion threw dirt and debris into the leader’s face. Blinded him for crucial second.

Alaric surged forward through the smoke. Nightfire blazing with combined fire and shadow. All his remaining essence channeled into single strike.

The leader recovered. Saw him coming. Started to block—

[Burst Step!]

But the mid-charge acceleration gave him an edge.

Bandit leader’s eyes widened as the blade slipped past his guard—

SHHK!

Through the gap in his armor. Into his heart.

The leader’s eyes went wide. Blood bubbled from his lips.

"How—"

Alaric twisted the blade. "You talk too much."

And then he pulled Nightfire free.

The leader collapsed.

Silence fell over the camp.

Alaric stood in the center of carnage. Surrounded by bodies. Bleeding from multiple wounds. Breathing hard. The merchant stared at him with expression mixing terror and awe.

"You... you saved—" The words came out broken.

Alaric looked at him. Then at the wife and daughter still huddled together.

He nodded once. "You’re welcome."

Then his legs gave out and he sat down heavily on one of the wooden logs.

"Now," he said, still breathing hard. "About those directions to the nearest town..."