Kazoru, Tor, and Sayu dashed through the forest, assisting the animals. The three followed the same path as they ran forward. Tor sensed their presence as a group divided into 3 separate areas in the forest. Tor ordered Sayu to fight alongside Kazoru because Tor was afraid that Kazoru might burn the place down since he had no control over his abilities.
Tor took the straight path, whilst both Kazoru and Sayu took the right path. Tor told them that they needn't worry as he could handle both groups.
Tor arrived as the presence he sensed was growing stronger. He saw 10 poachers who were capturing 3 lions.
A male poacher then noticed Tor's presence. He wasn't expecting an old man to come out of nowhere and appear right in front of them.
Tor ordered them to release the poor animals at once as he clenched his fist.
"What's up with you, old man? The animals are free; there are no price tags here. So mind your own business and go tell your grandchildren some stories. "
"Leave or suffer the consequences. You filthy scumbags are incapable of obeying nature's laws. Killing animals isn't for sports and isn't a trophy of your bravery. You fools would only start to get them extinct. "
"Wise and old, you're not the boss. I've heard someone guard this place. If that guy showed up then he'll be off prepared to die. "
"That man who guarded this place is me."
The poachers, then, were shocked by his claim to be the one who guarded the place. But yet, they did not expect him to be old and wrinkled. The poacher who was close to him backed away frantically after hearing that he was the guardian.
"For the second time, leave!" Tor was angered as he glared at them with a menacing stare.
The four poachers then engaged him by using their magic. One poacher, who was a male, charged him with wood magic to restrain his movements.
Tor didn't move an inch but just burned the wood down. The second male poacher tried to slice him down with a magic coating iron that sharpened his forearm like a blade. Tor kicked his legs and grabbed his head, then shoved him off to the ground, destroying his face.
The third male poacher became agitated. He bit his lips and tried to prove himself superior. However, he failed miserably by being clobbered in the face as he tried to discharge electricity and fire it at Tor.
The fourth was alone and backed away slowly because he was intimidated. Tor blitzed behind him, slapped his face, and knocked his teeth out.
The rest of the six that were trying to restrain the lion became unbearably nervous because they weren't expecting an old man who could beat four men with ease.
Tor punched the ground, trying to threaten what they would be if they stayed.
The ground was destroyed and made the whole place shake. Not a bruise was on his fist after he had punched the ground. The poachers were trembling as their faces looked surprised and shocked by Tor's monstrous strength. Tor repeated his request to leave or be clobbered down until their skulls were fractured or they died.
Annoyed and irritated, one of the poachers started burning down the entire forest using a lighter. He controlled the flames and unleashed them on the whole area. His crew started calling him crazy as it would make them die too. The poachers that were beaten down by Tor were burned to a crisp because of the fire. The poacher that burned the place told them to shut up and made a pathway for them to escape.
Tor, on the other hand, extinguished all of the flames just by swinging his hand to the right. They escaped along with the animals they captured. Tor sensed their whereabouts and grabbed a tree. He lifted the tree as if it was nothing while the roots were still attached beneath the ground. Tor used his flames to sharpen the tip of the tree that he just grabbed and threw it like a spear. The tree he just launched landed on their heads at tremendous speeds as they didn't get a second to react. Three poachers died while the rest tripped down after the whole place was painted red.
Tor approached them as they stood petrified, witnessing their dead friends.
"You... You... Killed them..."
"If I recall, I did make myself clear, didn't I? Don't worry, they died instantly, so they didn't feel any pain. Since this place wasn't bound by law like the city, I'm not restricted to killing whoever poses a threat. I will not repeat it once more. Leave or have the same fate as them." Tor glared menacingly as his aura roared.
Frightened, they fled and freed the animal. Tor then sensed another one coming. A giant tank with spear bolts as its ammo shot at him. Tor blocked the spear bolt by deflecting it to his right. Tor suddenly felt a tingle in the back of his palm.
"Wow, it seems I'm too old and rusty. A bruise? How pathetic of me. I miss my youthful days," Tor sighed as he remembered that he was old and weakened. Tor healed his wounds with his flame magic and turned his right palm to face the front. He condensed his flame magic into a sphere and it glowed blue.
[BLUE FLAME MAGIC: RADIANT HELLBLAZE]
He fired a giant blue beam with the most concentrated heat that he put into it. The tank exploded and those who were near were burned as their flesh was turned to dust and left nothing but bones. Two of the groups were finished. For the last one, he put his trust in Sayu and Kazoru, as they both went straight to the last group of poachers.
Sayu led Kazoru as she traced their auras and presence. Kazoru questioned Sayu on how she could be able to nullify Kazoru's flames by just spinning her spear. She answered that she had mastered what was called a breathing technique that most martial artists used. They breathed in the air as their aura stayed calm and their spiritual presence rose. All she knew was that it was related to a spiritual power that lies within. One could release such a devastating aura that could intimidate their foes.
It made Kazoru wonder if she was referring to what happened in the dungeon with him and Akira. Kazoru only assumed that Akira had an advanced skill up his sleeve that he didn't tell him about.
Sayu then stopped abruptly as she could sense the presence was getting stronger. She maneuvered quickly, dodging the arrow that was fired by a crossbow. They fired the second one, and they all fired simultaneously. They were surrounded by arrows, which made Kazoru unleash his flames.
Kazoru accidentally burned the place down because everything around him was flammable.
Sayu told Kazoru to move, and she swung her spear, creating an air slash that extinguished his flames. Sayu went together with Kazoru and told Kazoru not to make the whole forest burn, or else they could get slaughtered by Tor himself.
The arrows were fired again, interrupting their talk. Sayu went to the left, whilst Kazoru went to the right. Sayu lunged with her spear, killing all the poachers from the left. It made Kazoru shocked that she killed them mercilessly.
"What are you doing? You killed them! " Kazoru finished fighting the poachers. Unlike Sayu, Kazoru managed to beat them without killing them or sustaining any fatal injuries that would endanger their lives.
"Sorry, but I was taught that if someone poses a threat, it's better to dispose of them by killing them. "
"Hey! Watch out! " Kazoru launched himself as an arrow was fired behind her. The arrow landed on Kazoru's stomach as it impaled him deeply.
She held tightly to her spear because she couldn't sense the one who did this after being distracted.
"Well, well, well. It seems I caught one, and it's a human. What a fine shot, if I do say so myself." A man came out of the bushes and started complimenting himself on the shot he had landed while he was puffing smoke. A man with a muscular physique who appeared to be a military man. He had black hair and wore sunglasses.
"Who are you?" Sayu protected Kazoru whilst Kazoru groaned in pain.
"Little girl, why not lower your spear and stop meddling with our business?" The man dropped his cigarette and stomped on it while also threatening them to leave. Sayu moved forward and tried to strike the man's head. However, the man caught her spear with two of his fingers. He destroyed it and kicked her in the stomach, launching her far away. He fired an arrow at her again, but Kazoru blocked the arrow with his back as he was still injured by the previous shot.
"Aww, so sweet. Risking your life over a girl, you must be quite a gentleman. But, I'm afraid that you are both going to die, so say your prayers." He aimed at Kazoru with his crossbow, attempting to land a final strike.
Kazoru coughed up blood as he glared at him and was ready to put his life on the line for Sayu. The man didn't care a thing and pulled the trigger.
Before he pulled the trigger, Tor launched a wooden stick, impaling his skull. The man dropped his crossbow and died. Tor was impressed with how they stayed alive without getting the animals hurt. However, he criticized Sayu as she was too slow and too focused on talking rather than focusing on the objective.
Tor blamed Kazoru, saying that he could at least use his fire magic and destroy the arrow. But he took it like a masochist, said Tor. Kazoru's eyes were twitched because he was irritated by his statement and critiques. He could just at least ask them about their condition, instead, he went on criticizing their mistakes.
Tor sighed and carried them to the treehouse, where they would later clean off the corpses of the poachers after they rest. Or, let the animal eat their corpses.
[Please, don't remove this from the library. Sorry, m for the wait, I took a day off earlier hehe. Hope you guys enjoy the read and may you all have a pleasant day, peace!]
[And oh, please do know I'm progressing the story slowly because I'm not the type of guy who had fine update stability.]