"Let's just give them all the coins I have..." Chione said.
"We can't do that. Do you really think that's all they want?" Elric replied.
Chione fell silent, realizing what Elric meant.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you. Just stay inside," Elric assured her.
He drew his sword and slowly walked to the front.
The knights were negotiating with the bandits, but it seemed to be going nowhere.
"Attack!"
The bandits quickly charged at them.
Elric tightened his grip on his sword.
"Ahhhh!"
"Attack!"
Elric waited for the enemies to get close, then swiftly threw sand into their eyes.
They shut their eyes in pain, giving Elric the opportunity to kill them.
Next, he took two knives and threw them at a bandit's neck, causing him to fall immediately.
The battle was quick, and several knights were killed because they were outnumbered. No matter how professional they were, they couldn't defeat five attackers at once.
'Is this where I die?'
Elric looked behind him and saw Chione and Ada standing and crying.
The knights were dead, and Elric was the only one left, with over 20 bandits rushing towards him.
'Even if they run, the bandits will catch them...'
'What should I do?'
A bandit suddenly leaped at Elric, but he quickly dodged and stabbed the attacker in the chest.
He turned and saw Chione aiming a knife at two approaching bandits.
Elric ran quickly towards her.
He threw another knife, hitting one of the bandits in the arm and forcing him to retreat.
"Elric..." Chione said in fear.
"Stay behind me!" Elric shouted, panting.
He charged at the two bandits, who also rushed towards him.
In the attack, Elric didn't notice another bandit beside him, resulting in a strike to his left eye.
Blood flowed rapidly down his face, but he continued fighting the bandits.
Chione cried harder seeing Elric's condition.
She tightened her grip on the knife, watching Elric fight.
In her mind, if Elric couldn't handle it anymore, she would end her own life immediately.
'Channel your energy and let the mana enter your body'
Elric took a deep breath and gradually felt the Mana!
Without thinking, Elric used it quickly and charged at his enemies.
He was now in berserk mode, accidentally reaching the 1-Star Knight level!