The group was on their way back from the drop-off, the merchant had remained behind to do his dealings, and they were just a day's walk away from Vesta. For knights such as themselves, a walk like that was nothing, time passed like sand in a glass.
As they approached a slightly forested area, they noticed something odd, the forest seemed to close in around them as the bandits emerged from the shadows, their numbers far greater than before.
Seraphina, Edwin, and Samuel stood ready, weapons drawn, but even the most cursory glance made it clear they were outnumbered— the bandits had 5 for every 1 they had.
The sheer numbers didn't make sense, the only thing they could attribute it to was the increase in bandits leading to the creation of large camps. A leader had gathered a lot of men— criminals that fled into the Empire from outside.
The group was flanked on both sides, and their escape route was completely cut off. At the forefront of the bandit horde were two figures whose presence exuded authority— two rank-one knights, who made no effort to hide their auras that seemingly shimmered faintly.
Behind them were several knight trainees, their stances less polished but no less threatening.
The bandit leader from before stood smugly at the rear— it seemed their assumption that he was the leader of the entire group was wrong, he was merely a small dog leading a part of a large pack. His confidence was now bolstered by the sheer size and strength of his force.
"Are these the people that caused you trouble before?"
Ask one of the rank one knights, his voice deep and seemingly filled with disdain for having to act over such a petty matter.
"Y-yes sir, they are quite skilled."
The man glanced them over as he heard the explanation, his eyes filled with a sense of hardness not commonly seen in bandits— Seraphina found it very odd.
"One knight, and two trainees. I see."
The bandit instantly saw through their ranks— not because he had some special sense, but because they had displayed their aura when they drew their weapons.
Seeing through their strength wasn't impossible with that action— but it wasn't commonly seen.
This instantly made Seraphina aware that these people— or at least this man— were no normal bandits.
"Attack."
The bandits surged forward with a roar, and the fight began.
Samuel was the first to meet the charge, his agility and flair for chaos making him a whirlwind of unpredictable movement. He darted between attackers, his weapon flashing in rapid arcs as he danced through their ranks.
A bandit lunged with a spear, but Samuel twisted mid-step, bringing his blade down in a diagonal slash that severed the weapon's shaft. Without hesitation, he drove his knee into the man's stomach, sending him sprawling to the dirt.
Another bandit came from behind, and Samuel ducked just in time, spinning and ramming his elbow into the attacker's ribs. His grin was feral, blood staining his shirt as shallow cuts began to appear on his arms.
"Keep coming, you lot!"
He taunted, his voice ragged.
"I've got plenty left for all of you!"
But for every bandit Samuel cut down, two more seemed to take their place. Exhaustion began to creep into his movements, and the weight of the battle bore down on him.
At the rear, Edwin was facing a challenge that no normal human could withstand.
His strikes were straightforward and deliberate, each movement conserving energy as he deflected blows and struck with calculated efficiency.
A trainee knight charged at him with a broad sweep, but Edwin sidestepped and retaliated with a sharp upward slash. His aura flared, imbuing his blade with a faint glow as it sliced through the man's weapon and struck his shoulder, forcing him to retreat with a howl of pain.
"You're overestimating yourselves."
Edwin muttered, his tone ice-cold.
But even his discipline had its limits.
A coordinated attack from three trainees forced Edwin onto the defensive. While he parried one blow, another landed a glancing strike on his side, drawing blood.
He gritted his teeth, his focus narrowing as he realized he couldn't afford any more mistakes.
Seraphina meanwhile had her fair share of issues to deal with, she wasn't as experienced as the other too but she had some— although those weren't life-and-death fights. Her violet eyes glowed faintly as she cut down attacker after attacker.
A knight trainee came at her with a two-handed strike, but she pivoted at the last moment, her blade arcing upward to catch him under the arm.
The trainee fell with a cry, but there was no time to pause— a blade to the neck ended the man's life. Another opponent rushed her, a flurry of strikes aimed to overwhelm her, but Seraphina deflected each blow with ease, they weren't even a trainee yet they tried to fight her.
A single thrust ended his life.
The rank-one knights entered the fray, their presence immediately shifting the battle's tide. One of them, a burly man wielding a mace, advanced on Edwin.
His movements were heavy but deliberate, each swing of his weapon accompanied by an aura-infused shockwave— even the trees in the area shook from the mere swing of his weapon. Edwin barely managed to dodge the first blow, the ground cracking beneath him where the mace struck.
"You're disciplined. I can see you're no mere wandering knight."
The knight said, his voice gruff.
"But discipline won't save you."
Edwin responded with a feint, his blade aimed for the knight's ribs. The man blocked it effortlessly, countering with a backhand swing that caught Edwin's shoulder. The impact sent him sprawling, his aura faltering as blood seeped through his armor.
Seraphina found herself facing the other rank-one knight, a muscled woman armed with a large greatsword that dragged behind her. Her strikes were slow, but the force and strength behind them meant certain death for Seraphina if she was hit.
She was forced into a defensive, having to avoid the attacks instead of even attempting to block them. The clash of the greatsword caused craters in the ground, slicing through an entire tree with ease.
"You've got skill."
The woman said, her tone almost mocking.
"But you're not strong enough to face me— if running is all you can do."
Seraphina gritted her teeth, her mind racing as she looked for an opening, yet the woman gave her no such chance.
She was almost hit by a downward slash, just barely shifting its direction with her blade, and sidestepped a follow-up strike, but her hand was dislocated from the mere impact.
She didn't show weakness however, shifting her blade to her left hand as she went in for a sweeping strike. The knight leaped back, avoiding the strike, and retaliated with a flurry of slashes that left Seraphina struggling to keep up.
Samuel, now bloodied and battered, managed to take down another trainee before being forced back by a group of bandits. One of them landed a solid strike against his ribs, and he stumbled, coughing as he tried to regain his footing.
The tide of the battle turned irrevocably against them.
Edwin, unable to hold his ground against the mace-wielding knight, took a devastating blow to his side and collapsed unconscious. Samuel, his strength nearly spent, was overwhelmed by the sheer number of attackers and dropped to one knee, barely able to fend off the blows raining down on him.
Seraphina fought with everything she had, but the female knight was a rank one, even she couldn't bridge such a gap in level to win against her. It had to be said, that the average rank one knight could face over ten trainee knights without issue— that was simply how strong they were.
A well-timed slash caught Seraphina's arm just below the shoulder, severing it in a spray of blood. Pain unlike anything she'd ever felt ripped through her— she was about to scream yet she bit her lips to hold her tongue.
Her vision blurred, her knees buckled, and her sword fell from her remaining hand.
The battle was over.
The surviving bandits dragged Seraphina, Samuel, and Edwin into the grove, their bodies battered and broken. One of the rank-one knights, now bleeding heavily from a wound inflicted by Edwin, muttered to the other.
"They fought like demons. We've got to be careful with these three."
The lady sneered, gesturing toward their prisoners.
"Let's see how long they keep that fire in them. Take them to the base. We'll deal with them there, I'm sure the leader would want to see them."
As Seraphina slipped into unconsciousness, she just barely heard them speaking.