Arthur continues to walk slowly towards the nine bandits, making them tremble with fear.
He enjoys terrorizing people like them, but his performance has a much more important primary objective.
As Liam, he has always tried to prepare well for a difficult battle, studying the enemy, understanding their skills, and how well-armed they would be.
Arthur still needs to do that, but he also needs to consider other things, especially the power level of his enemies.
He needs to know how powerful they are, if they have magic abilities, powerful lineages, and even if they have an Astral Beast.
Arthur could only know such things if he spent a good time observing his enemies, but for his luck, or due fate, Nyx completes him in this way as well.
As they get closer and more powerful, she feels her magical senses improving, allowing her to sense the potential of the people around her.
Now, she can't do anything so amazing, but when Arthur approaches someone, Nyx can at least give an estimate of the strength of that person based on their internal energies.
From behind the trees, she couldn't say much about the bandits, but as Arthur began to approach them, she could start to feel how strong they are.
That's why Arthur shot those arrows, killing a low-guard bandit, and now he is making his move and walking slowly toward the other bandits.
"You're doing well," Nyx speaks in Arthur's mind. "Only one more... a Novice swordsman as well, seventh grade."
As the power of those bandits is quite limited, Nyx can accurately assess their strength when Arthur gets close enough.
All nine of them are at the Novice rank like Arthur, ranging from the fifth to the eighth grade, which is the case with the spearman, the strongest of the group.
Draven had ranked Arthur's strength at the eighth grade of the Novice rank last time, but Arthur has improved a lot since then, thanks to his connection with Nyx.
Also, Arthur cannot be compared to those bandits since he has the lineage of both Draven and Aria, and most importantly, he has Nyx.
His potential in combat far exceeds that of any normal person in the same rank; but of course, it does not mean that his opponents cannot hurt and kill him, only that he has more advantages.
But how impactful are these advantages when he is facing a group of eight? Nine, if counting the injured bandit, who can still fight.
Arthur is not stupid and does not want to die, so this is another reason for him to strive so hard to show his dark side to the bandits: to use fear as a weapon to balance the battle and have even more advantages.
Now that he has managed to shake the group's confidence and Nyx has reported to him about the power level of the bandits, Arthur can finally begin...
"It's time," he comments in a dark tone as he reaches for the sword in his sheath.
This is not a fight against a few drunks in a bar; his enemies are well-armed and alert, so he has to be as efficient and lethal as possible.
Most of the bandits are very frightened by Arthur's dark aura, something that even they can feel.
But the spearman tries to stand firm and encourage his partners; he may be just a common bandit, but he has seen a few amounts of battles and has faced death more than once.
"Focus, guys!" He exclaims to the others. "This kid is just bizarre; we can deal with him."
"Hahahaha..." Arthur lets out a sinister laugh. "You can try!"
As soon as he finishes speaking, he flexes his legs as if to dash towards the group of bandits.
"AH?!"
"FUCK?!"
"NO!!!"
They all startle, and even the spearman takes a step back instinctively, but Arthur doesn't really attack.
Inside Arthur's mind, Nyx laughs at the bandits' embarrassing reaction. "You're messing with them so badly!"
"I love it!" He responds to her, but she already knows that.
In the middle of the trail, the nine bandits look at Arthur with expressions of fear; they can't help it.
He still holds his bow with one hand, and the bandits can see arrows in the backpack on his back.
But he doesn't try to shoot more arrows and just walks around the group, caressing the handle of the sword in his sheath while making a pensive expression.
"I don't think I'll even need to dirty my blade with your entrails-"
He finishes speaking and pretends to advance towards the group again.
"AH?!"
"DAMN?!"
Again the bandits retreat in fear instinctively, not even the spearman can prevent his legs from trembling, which makes him furious.
"Hahaha..." Arthur doesn't attack again and just laughs sinisterly. "I think I'll just scare you to death."
"Damn!!"
"FUCK THIS WEIRD BOY!!!"
The bandits get angrier and angrier, but they can't do anything.
Arthur acts like a predator, circling the prey, a wolf surrounding a group of sheep.
But he only makes threats and doesn't attack, using fear and provocations at the same time.
Fear is a formidable tool, it clouds the mind, confuses the senses, makes people believe anything.
And the more experienced bandits in the group know this, especially the spearman.
They can see that Arthur is using fear to weaken their confidence, and he even boasts about it by insulting them.
"He's bluffing!" The spearman repeats to his partners.
"Yeah!"
"Look, he doesn't attack us because he's the one at a disadvantage!"
"He's the one who's afraid!!!"
Like arrogant pigeons who think they're fast enough to escape a falcon, the bandits think they see right through Arthur.
They become confident and abandon the last advantage they have over Arthur: their line formation.
"Surround him!" The spearman points to four other bandits. "Go from behind, from the sides, and we attack together!"
Arthur plays his last card by taking small steps back and making a fake expression of fear.
After terrorizing and mocking those bandits so badly, he really managed to get into their hearts and minds, inciting powerful emotions.
When those four bandits see fear in Arthur's eyes, they become confident, and the desire for revenge burns like a flame, blinding their eyes.
"He's afraid!!"
"Attack now!!"
"Take down this son of a bitch!!!"
"NOT YET!!!" The spearman tries to prevent his partners from acting on impulse.
But it's too late; the four men rush at Arthur with everything they have.
The two in front attack with rusty swords, simple and direct vertical cuts, with all the strength and speed they have.
But Arthur is already focused, using his senses to the maximum to see the whole scene in slow motion.
Without releasing the bow with his left hand, he draws his sword with his right hand. "Let's see how sharp it is..."
*Whoosh*
He makes a horizontal cut with double the speed of the bandits, his impeccable blade reflecting the moonlight.
*Slash* *Chinng*
The sound of metal can be heard, and the two bandits attacking with swords feel a strong pressure against their weapons for just a second...
Then their rusty blades are easily cut in half by Arthur's sharp blade.
"I wouldn't expect any less..." Arthur can't help but think of Draven, who gave him that sword, as he easily breaks his enemies' blades with it.
"Thanks, father..."
But he doesn't stop, and while those bandits are still trying to understand what happened, Arthur moves even faster...
*Whoosh* *Whoosh*
Two quick successive cuts, two limbs fly, an arm and a leg, and the mutilated men fall to the ground, screaming in pain.
"ARAGHHHH!!!"
"FUCKKKK!!! MY LEG!!!"
The other two bandits see their friends fall right in front of them as fast as an arrow.
Confusion, anger, fear... Those two don't even have time to regret the mistake they made before seeing Arthur turn into a blur again.
*Whoosh* *Whoosh*
Two more strikes, two more limbs flying and blood splashing, and two more men falling to the ground.
Due to his strength, ability, and also the incredible sharpness of his sword, Arthur finds it very easy to dismember the bandits.
"Even with the strength of several normal people..." He wonders. "Humans are still so fragile."
Arthur finishes his movements and swings his sword to remove the blood from its blade, his expression calm and cold.
Behind him, the four bandits writhed in pain on the ground.
There's blood everywhere.
They try to contain the bleeding from their wounds, but it's impossible; it just flows forcefully out of their bodies.
They urinate and defecate in pain and fear, a disgusting scene.
The five surviving bandits stare at Arthur with much more fear than before, their faces painted with the colors of shock and dread.
But Arthur is so serene... he even smiles.
"Can you hear that?" He asks, clearly referring to the desperate screams of the men behind him. "This music... I love this music."
"A DEMON!!!" Those bandits think the same thing about Arthur.
"YOU..."
"NO..."
"STAY AWAY!!!"
The bandits begin to retreat, trying to stop their legs from trembling to run, to flee as far away from Arthur as possible.
But a good predator doesn't let the prey escape.
*Whoosh*
He dashes towards the bandits quickly.
The spearman raises his weapon to defend himself, but Arthur ignores him and focuses on the bandits trying to escape.
With quick and precise swings of his sword, he cuts off one leg from each of those bandits.
The last to fall is the man Arthur injured in the face with his second arrow.
As the man is on the ground, screaming in pain due to his severed leg, Arthur crouches down and impales his sword in the other leg of the poor man.
"AAAHHHHH-FUCKKK!!!"
The man screams in despair, but the pain only gets worse when Arthur grabs his jaw and sticks his thumb into the man's wound, touching his teeth from the side.
"Damn, I really fucked up your face!" Arthur comments and starts laughing.
The screams of that man are the most desperate among the group, and the more he begs for mercy, the more Arthur laughs sinisterly.
Every time those bandits think they can't feel any more fear of Arthur, he surpasses himself and seems more and more like a demon from the darkest hell ever.
The poor spearman can no longer move or think; he is frozen, every part of his body consumed by fear.
He watches Arthur use his thumb to open the wounds of that poor man, disfiguring his face brutally... until he goes into shock and passes out.
"Fragile humans..." Arthur murmurs as he picks up his sword and stands up.
He notices some bandits trying to flee down the trail, those whom he cut an arm instead of a leg.
He calmly walks over to the nearest man on the ground, thrusts his sword into the man's back, and then uses his free hand to retrieve an arrow from his backpack.
"Let's see..." He calmly prepares an arrow and begins to draw the bowstring.
At that moment, the spearman sees an opportunity since Arthur is ignoring him.
He needs to gather all the courage and determination still within him, which may not be much, but he squeezes it to the maximum...
People want to live, they cling to any glimmer of hope that appears...
And the spearman sees that as his last chance, so he manages to force his body to act.
He dashes toward Arthur, attacking with his spear, a targeted blow at the demon's back.
And he becomes even more hopeful when he sees the tip of his spear just a few centimeters from piercing Arthur's waist.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!! MONSTER!!!"
The spearman thinks he has caught Arthur off guard, but that is a mistake.
He is focused, his senses alert, aware of everything happening around him.
*Whoosh*
He easily dodges the spearman's attack, and while the poor man loses his balance and falls to the ground, Arthur shoots his arrow.
*Whoosh* *Crush*
Another headshot, one of the fleeing bandits falls dead instantly.
The other fugitive sees his partner falling with an arrow in the back of the head and stops, frozen with fear.
"Pathetic..." Arthur comments as he calmly prepares another arrow.
On the ground, the spearman finds himself in the worst moment of his life, as defenseless as the women he hurt during his life.
That feeling is horrible, more torturous than any physical pain...
"YOU!!!" He becomes furious and tries to attack Arthur with his spear again.
*Bam*
But Arthur just steps on the spear's shaft, forcing it to the ground.
He casts his cold and dark gaze deep into the spearman's eyes and then releases his arrow, aimed at the bandit trying to escape.
*Whoosh* *Crush*
The same sound, the same ending, dead instantly.
Arthur smiles at the spearman, making even the poor man's soul tremble.
"I told you..." He comments in a sadistic tone. "...we are not the same..."
He understands,
Now he sees,
Too late, unfortunately.