As darkness fell, a small group of people in black hooded cloaks gathered around a playground. They stood by the sandbox, discussing among themselves while the moon illuminated the area.
A young man removed his hood, revealing a handsome face. His clear light-blue eyes resembled marbles, and his blond hair had a beautiful golden color illuminated by the moonlight. His expression suddenly became serious.
"Get it done before the first sunlight emerges. If you see anyone, memory-wipe them on the spot."
They all nodded but shared their concerns.
"What should we do with the Beast bodies? I heard they're heavy."
"It started last week, and it's the first time they've come to Denmark. Leave them and send a signal; I'll come and remove them."
"General, we're afraid of being attacked by more while we wait. Are you sure the talisman can keep them away?"
"I've ordered you not to call me General. You'll get a pay cut. The talisman is made by Mr. Weisheng himself, and it works."
The general raised his hand, signaling everyone to disperse. They paired up and hurried away. The general remained with a middle-aged man with a stern face.
He shared his concern. "Are you sure you want to do this alone?"
"It's the safest way. The more we are, the more we attract. Join Emil's team; you can still catch up with them."
"Yes, sir. Take care of yourself."
The man quickly left, disappearing into a dark alley. The general looked around, preparing to move out.
*Whoosh*
His body was covered with a white misty glow. Out of nowhere, he drew a pristine white sword with his right hand, shimmering in the moonlight. He extended his left hand and drew a bluish-glowing sword covered in blue-white flames. Intense heat spread in the area, and he swung the sword in the air.
*Whoosh*
The nearest grass withered instantly, and he stopped abruptly, glancing at the spot, and furrowing his brows.
"That's why I didn't want to use you."
He swung the right sword.
*Whoosh. *
*Crack*
A tree snapped and fell to the playground. The general furrowed his brows again, sighed, and cast a sharp gaze at the sword.
"Are you trying to compete with that?"
Closing his eyes, he opened them after a few seconds, gazing in a specific direction ahead and squinting. He raised his eyebrows.
"So many!"
With a swift motion, he took a leap and shot off with an invisible force, leaving an ethereal white mist behind.
Moments later, he hovered several meters above the ground near a structure, staring down at seven large serpent-like Beasts, their lower part resembling a snake while the upper part belonged to a man.
"Naga? They've never been here before. I'm glad I read Mr. Weisheng's books before I left."
He raised his right sword, but suddenly, a naga spoke to him with a shrill voice.
"You smell good. I wonder how much spirit flow you have in you." Followed by mocking laughter.
"We can split him open to check if he has a big Core," commented another, lifting her naginata and throwing it towards the general.
*Whoosh*
The general smirked.
"Heh. Finally, something worth spending time on."
He raised both swords and flew towards the naginata.
*Clang*
The weapons clashed loudly, echoing through the air. The general parried repeatedly, and the naga pulled the naginata back with a swift motion.
"Split."
It spread its reptilian-like right hand, and the blade of the naginata split into small, sharp pieces resembling glass shards.
*Snap*
The naga snapped its claws, and the glass shards flew rapidly towards the general, who held both swords in front of him, drawing circles in the air that quickly formed two large distinct hula hoops, one blue and one white.
One of the nagas furrowed its brows. "Are you trying to put on a circus show in front of us? Unfortunately, we don't have the luxurious time."
They all spread their arms and opened their mouths.
The general frowned, thinking they were going to sing, but to his surprise, they began screaming with a shrill voice. The noise was deafening, and he covered his ears.
"Stop!" he shouted.
"Heh. Die." The naga clapped its hands once, and a large wave pressed against him from both sides, squeezing his ears.
He gritted his teeth and spat out blood.
"I warned you."
His eyes suddenly changed color, the left one dark blue and the right one white, both with a flame-like glow. He clenched his fists together and spread his fingers with a quick motion.
*Vroom*
Intense blue-white visible waves shot out from the hula hoops towards the nagas, who were still in the midst of "singing." They were caught in a large flame-like sphere with no way out. The shrill screaming stopped, and the general got back on his feet, staring intensely at the naga. He wiped the blood from his mouth, coughed lightly, and smiled.
The naga stared at him, seemingly puzzled. One thrust her naginata towards the sphere, which rebounded immediately. She furrowed her brows and looked at the general, squinting her yellow eyes.
"You think you can trap us in this. Try again in 500 years." Followed by a hissing sound.
The general opened his left hand and squeezed something invisible in the air.
*Whoosh*
*Crackle*
Red flames began to appear inside the sphere, flying towards the nagas who stood motionless. The flames burned their skin, but nothing happened.