The night was still and the moon had just assumed its position for giving some light , not so that the denizens could carry out their usual work , but to help the world not to plunge into darkness.
The area was covered with grass and was flat.
Small hills were dotted here and there.
Unlike the main parts of the world like the Silent east or the count's shore where majority of the people lived and were most prosperous , these parts were the complete opposite.
Most of the land were not claimed with people and people living in some certain places.
Industrial activity was very low and because of that , the sky was beautiful to look at night , something which was a rare sight back in the main golden rock.
On a small hill , a wolf was howling.
It would send chills to someone who was still awake at this time.
But today , they needn't fear the possibility of normal wolves attacking them.
But someone of the same family , but rather advanced when it came to senses.
The party of about 275 , raided their mounts on the night.
When they were at 500 meters distance to the town , instead of seeing guards ready to attack them , they only saw innocent people running around in panic.
It seemed that they sensed the raiders who didn't put in even the slightest of efforts to hide their coming.
As soon they reached the town , Bayezid bellowed using his skill.
"Split up and stay with your squad.
Each one of you raid different parts of the town!
We must put the people back into sleep quick!"
The fox kin people too shouted and all went in different directions among with their squads.
Their squad leaders were commanding them.
Each one them had a communication device of the poorest quality but that would do.
Bayezid went deep inside the town using its cobblestone roads.
The village was sparsely populated and he could see only some houses.
Reaching a path where it split into four , he soon commanded his horse to stop.
Due to suddenly being restrained , the horse neighed and put up its limbs high up in the air before coming down.
His sliver mask gleamed in the moonlight and his eyes seem to dispel all light and remained dull.
His black armour was cold to look at.
He took out his sword.
He had a neutral expression on his face.
This moment , he didn't know how to feel about it.
He dismounted his mount.
Pacifying the horse , he soon walked on the ground , eyeing the surrounding near him.
He was alone.
It seemed the five overseers went somewhere on their own probably doing something that Bayezid instructed them on earlier.
Bayezid on his left observed a small house.
It had fences all around it and it seemed they were growing carrots on their backyards.
Bayezid kicked open the small fence door and went inside.
Suddenly a enraged dog came out from the backyard.
Its eyes were bloodshot and it had a hand in its mouth.
Bayezid observed the dog which stood there with bloodlust.
The dog also had some wounds on its legs.
'It seems that it got the hand of a fox kin but it probably escaped as someone dealt damage to it.'
The dog without any warning , dropping the hand on the ground lunged at Bayezid.
Bayezid flipped his sword and with its flat side struck the dog.
The dog unable to hand the strength behind his attack fumbled back dropping on the carrot farm.
It stood up again and ran fast to Bayezid.
Bayezid let it come close.
It lunged towards him at close distance.
But just then...
*Slash*
With a horizontal strike , he had decapitated the head of the dog.
The dog's head flew and hit him on the chest, while its body laid on his feet , the blood oozing out of it staining his shoe.
"Shit , man!"
He kicked the dog's corpse away from him and saw his shoe's conditions.
"Yuck, it's the colour of black. Just looking at it , I don't even want to clean it."
Bayezid didn't stand there for long , discarding his shoes , he went inside the house.
Walking barefoot even on rough terrains wasn't a huge task for someone like him.
Soon he opened the door.
In the middle of the house , there was a pot hanging with charcoal below it.
He stepped up the elevated platform and saw around him.
The house was small and was square in shape.
There were futons neatly arranged in one corner.
He soon came near the pot and touched it.
Although there were no contents inside it , it still seemed hot indicating that someone used it.
He turned around and looked to his left.
There was a little basket there.
Just as he was about to see what was inside , he heard a muffle to his right.
A door to his left was opened. It was the closet where things were kept.
Someone tried to attack him with a knife
The attacker thought that the intruder would definitely be injured.
Could someone dodge an attack this close and that too an unexpected attack?
Just like he expected , his knife neared the man's back.
Just then...
*Swoosh*
The air neared him tensed.
The mortal man couldn't even sense the air was changing.
He thought that the man was good as dead , but...
He didn't even know that his hand was missing.
His arm missing his hand touched the man.
He was ecstatic that he killed the man.
But soon dropped to his knees and let out a loud scream in agony.
His hand was missing...
He looked up at the man.
Just now he was standing with his back exposed ... now he was standing facing him?
Was it even possible ? is he a ghost?
Bayezid came near the man and pulled his hair.
Just as he was about to open his mouth , the basket behind him shook and a small boy of age 8 came from it.
He immediately grabbed the arm of the intruder and constantly hit him on the back.
"Please leave my father!" he shouted , tears streaming from his face.
"You fool! Why did you come outside?" the man shouted at his son.
Bayezid slapped the man squarely on his face , who flew and hit the wall of the closet before coming down.
Bayezid stood up and looked at the boy pleading for his father's life,
"Why must I spare your father's life?"
The boy panicked and cried in hysteria.
"Please, don't hurt... my father"
Bayezid closed his eyes and swung his sword , cutting the child's fingers on his right hand.
*Ah*
The child rolled on the ground in pain.
"You ask for me to not hurt your father...
But is your father asking for the same?"
Bayezid then pointed at the man who was leaning against the closet unconscious.
"See? He is not asking for the same.
Even when your fingers are cut , he is sitting there closing his eyes..."
It was not possible to know the expression on Bayezid's face.
Suddenly a circular round object inserted in his ears lighted up.
"The market place is captured" a voice came.
It was none other than Maria.
'Thats insanely fast!' Bayezid noted.
'That's a given. This village is just dirt poor with no one to defend it.'
"Good. Meticulously loot the market area , as it would the most valuable goods in this town.
Then just as planned , burn the area.
Chain all those who have surrendered or not have been killed" Bayezid instructed and disconnected.
He then looked at the child in front of him.
"A child and an adult is no different.
While a child openly carries out or at least tries to do what he thinks is right.
The adults suppress it...
But when given the chance , they will do more than what a child can do."
With that he soon decapitated the child ending his misery.
He soon went near the man who was unconscious.
He thrusted his sword into his heart which went inside the storage/closet door.
He soon went out of the house after searching if he could find any valuables.
He only found some grains and some copper coins , which he immediately put in his storage ring.
On the outside he found some carrots.
He then proceed to burn the house and walked out as if nothing happened.
He spotted two fox kins descending from ladders on the house in right.
They didn't waste anytime and burned the house as well.
As soon as they saw Bayezid , they saluted.
Bayezid without any change in expression , just went near his horse.
In front of him two houses were on fire.
He saw that in the distance the same scene played on.
Instructing the two fox kins to follow him , he went deep inside the town, destroying any buildings in between and slaughtering any people inside them.
On his way , he received reports from the various overseers about their progress.
He also heard reports that the fox kin were now engaging with the guards who had been previously been distracted.
After twenty minutes , they arrived at the centre of the village.
It was the village square and currently the fox kin were engaged with some people who looked like guards.
"It seems most of the guards in the north have already re grouped" He conveyed the message to the ear piece he was wearing.
"Squad 21 and 5 immediately assemble in the village square!" Bayezid barked his orders.
"Don't stand idle men! Engage the enemy" he instructed the two fox kin who accompanied him to fight.
Hearing his commands , they engaged two guards on their right who just finished killing a fox kin man.
Suddenly , a man from top of a building jumped down.
He had an axe and was a giant at 7'0 feet tall.
He immediately engaged with some two fox kins.
As the fox kins's back was exposed , he easily struck them.
As if butter, his axe went through them , slicing the two men in half.
Without stopping , fanatically laughing , he proceed to cut down all the fox kins in his way.
"What is someone of his prowess doing here?
Is he like, the mayor of this town?
But the mayor is just a mortal."
Bayezid frowned looking at the man.
But he soon moved.
Staying idle even for a second would prove disastrous.
The man in front of him was an unknown variable and had to be eliminated quickly.
While still seated on the horse , commanding it to move , he approached the man and slashed his sword , intending the decapitate the man.
As though he had an eye on his back , the man narrowly escaped the sword.
Bayezid soon dismounted the horse.
Fighting on the horse wouldn't do.
The man turned around and licked his lips , which was smeared with blood.
"Your speed was top- class"
Bayezid looked at the fox kins who by this time had noticed the crazy man who had just now killed five of their own.
"Don't worry about me , I will take care of this troll. Back up will be here . Just hold your positions."
"Hehe , you sound confident"
"Who are you?"
"Im just a wandering adventurer who just came from the state of man." the man replied.
"Can you disengage? This is not something you have to participate in."
"Yeah , I guess I can... but you have just disrupted my peace , you see..."
"Hmm I understand. I have a plan.
I will just let it slide that you have killed many fox kins.
But only if you are willing to accept a deal."
"What deal?
But wait... aren't you a human?
why are you fighting alongside beastman?"
"That's not important.
If you help me in raiding this town , I can give you 20 percent of the spoils.
Exclusively any skill scrolls or talismans.
What do you say?"
The man loosened his grip on his axe and crossed his arms in deep thought.
The man after some time smiled fully revealing his teeth. It looked creepy.
"No thanks , I would like to take all the spoils..."
The man lunged forward with his axe.
The speed not befitting his wide visage.
"After killing you all!"
He struck the axe at Bayezid's chest while shouting.
Bayezid at the last moment sidestepped , the axe hitting the ground and shattering it.
Bayezid eyed him coldly.
"You are rejecting my offer?"
"I don't take offers from nobodies."
The man diagonally slashed his axe on Bayezid.
Bayezid intercepted the axe and changed its trajectory.
With godspeed , he struck the giant on his leg.
The giant of a man however immediately hit the sword itself with his axe which made Bayezid stumble to the ground.
The man kicked Bayezid on the side sending him flying.
Bayezid hit the wall of a two storey apartment made of stone which immediately collapsed under the impact.
The man jumped and landed on the now shattered building.
Bayezid emerged from the rubbles.
He didn't take much damage due to his armour.
But now he had no sword in his hand.
Soon a sword emerged out of thin air.
It looked dull compared to his previous sword.
"Haha , what a lame sword.
You couldn't even land a scratch on me before with a good sword.
What can you do with it?" The giant laughed.
Bayezid didn't say anything. He just stared at the man.
He slowly started to close the distance.
Then suddenly---
*Woosh*
The air moved.
Bayezid's visage shrunk. It now looked like he was a kid.
"Wha---" The giant was frozen in one place.
Bayezid at fast speeds came near the man.
The man struck his axe , trying to hit Bayezid's shoulders.
But as he never fought a kid , he was unable to hit it, missing the spot by a wide margin.
Bayezid skilfully pierced the man's waist by slashing it.
As soon he hit the man and came some distance , his visage grew taller and he came to his original self.
The man looked at his wound and held the place with his hands. It was quite a deep wound.
He raised his eyebrows and addressed Bayezid behind.
"An ability that allows someone to shrink their visage or put an illusion so.
Be as fast a bird...
Don't tell me..."
Soon taking out a magical bandage , he put it on his waist and soon it disappeared , along with it the wound and the blood.
"Gotta take you serious."
The man became serious.
He knew Bayezid was at least on his level.
If Bayezid was one level lower , Bayezid would have been destroyed, if Bayezid was one level higher , it was him who would have been killed.
But the ability the man just showcased. It wasn't some run down ability.
It was at least three star or above.
In which case... he can't be careless.
Not to mention his armour... it looked priceless.
Bayezid hit the man on his right.
The metals struck each other.
Bayezid tried to put off the man's balance by low kicking him.
At the last moment , the man caught Bayezid's legs , to which Bayezid quickly struck his sword down.
The man retreated and the sword hit the ground.
For the next two minutes , the fight continued with no end in sight. It seemed that both the sides were equal... just then---
The giant felt as though his legs were tied. He looked down and there was a magical vine holding him down.
It was just for a second before he broke free , but that was enough.
*Slash*
Bayezid slashed at the man's torso , injuring him deeply.
The man's tunic was soaked in blood.
Without wasting time , Bayezid stabbed the man three times in his abdomen.
The man kicked Bayezid and maintained his distance.
"Oh fuck!" He shouted.
"What was that trickery?"
Just now he had been locked on by a vine.
Was there a magician from a distance helping this dude?
He saw that Bayezid didn't use any talisman , so that had to be the reason.
"Fucker, you have no balls huh?
If you are a man , fight me alone!" The man shouted , but his voice was getting weaker by the second.
He couldn't even take out his bandages and potions to heal , because as soon as he intends to open his storage ring , that one second... everything would be over.
He had to be on defence now...
"What do you mean?
Are you retarded or something?
Maybe the acromegaly affected your brain."
The man's eyes were bloodshot.
"How can a first tier fox kin use a vine to hold you down?
It wouldn't even have effect on you."
"Then , how!
Someone clearly helped you!"
"Well , I have no intentions to let you know if someone helped me or not.
Alas, We could have made a great team and plundered a lot.
This is your end , unfortunately.
But thanks for letting me know that I can definitely take on a peak middle second tier."
"Shut up fucker!"
At the moment , the man got up.
Suddenly , heat came from him. Extreme heat.
The man's ginger hair turned to white and his eyes became white.
He became more jacked and his clothes were ripped.
Now he looked like an abomination.
He had activated the second tier ability.
[THE GIANT MOUNTAIN]
It was a skill that healed someone 's wound and made them go into berserk mode. It also increased their power output and defence output.
"Never have I been my life , been talked down like this!"
The man disregarded his axe and started attacking with his fists.
Each attack was able to destroy even the biggest boulders.
Bayezid dodged all the attack elegantly.
Usually it was him who was the reckless attacker.
He didn't think someone weaker than him deserved to be defeated by some techniques.
But now was different.
This man was someone who was as strong as him.
He had to be careful.
So , this is when Jass' s teachings came to play.
Bayezid struck his sword to meet the fist.
Bayezid felt as though he was hitting steel with his sword.
Bayezid used light steps and went to a broken pillar and stood on top of it.
Then from his storage ring , took a small pistol.
He fired all the 10 rounds in his pistol.
But none of them made a dent.
"Haha , you think a mere pistol with no energiya could affect me?
Come down this instant."
Saying that the man punched the pillar , Bayezid was standing on , who just jumped to another spot.
Just when the man was about to rush to Bayezid , he fell down on his knees.
He coughed out blood.
His skin turned pale and he looked miserable.
He circulated the energiya inside his body.
"I... have been poisoned?"
Bayezid nodded his head.
"It's a poison that even if it makes contact with your skin , it would go through the minute pores present in the skin and enter your blood stream."
The man tried to expel the poison out of his body.
"It's easy to expel out of the body once you are powerful enough... but... for like 10 seconds, you are unable to move."
Bayezid slowly approached the man.
Veins appeared on the man's forehead.
It was true! He was unable to move...
Bayezid appeared near the man and looked at him.
"Just so you know...
Be happy you are dying after seeing a handsome man..."
Bayezid struck his sword at the man's eyes.
Screams filled the area.
After striking the eyes , decapitating the man's legs and arms , he finally beheaded the man.
For some time he looked at the man indifferently.
"Also Iam not gay... so I didn't mean it that way."
He said loudly as if no one was standing beside him.
"I should kill more women so I could pass on this comment to them."
Turning around he let out a laugh.
It seemed that squad 21 and 5 had arrived and taken care of the job.
Most of the guards were either dead or were escaping.
They would probably reach the nearest town and inform the news.
Then he commanded the squad comprised of nimble scouts and told them to make haste and chase after the guards who escaped.
Just then , Simon approached Bayezid.
He was lanky , with glasses on and was one of the overseers.
"Every area has been secured , commander."
Bayezid nodded his head.
"Do the rest"
"Understood"
Just as the man was about to leave , he was stopped.
"Have you tried human meat?" Bayezid asked.
Simon turned around and gulped.
He then looked at the man lying there in a sorry state.
He had observed the fight between the two.
They were just a level higher than him , but the intensity was something he didn't expect.
Just to jump from peak first tier to early second tier , one spent 15 to 20 years.
It was extremely difficult to jump from one tier to another, while it was easy to advance through the stages inside each tier.
Even then you at least had to have uncommon ability...
"This guy might have had great storage of energiya in his dantian.
Beastman , I heard get stronger through eating the corpses of living beings."
Simon just stayed there.
"The middle and peak first tier you fought , gather all of their corpses around and also pick this man corpse up.
After getting their belongings , cook them and eat.
There will be a feast so as to celebrate our successful raid."
Simon hesitated for some time.
"As you wish."