Five Troll Kings towered before them, each a monstrous, ten-foot-tall creature with thick, green skin and protruding tusks that curved menacingly from their wide mouths. They held massive wooden clubs, and their large, round bellies jiggled as they lumbered about, oblivious to the danger lurking nearby.
Hidden behind a thick cluster of bushes, the king, Alonso, and Marcel observed in silence. Alonso's eyes narrowed as he examined their foes. "Shall we proceed?"
The king nodded. "I know you two could handle them without breaking a sweat, but this is my hunt. Only intervene if my life is at risk. Understood?"
They both nodded, and the king moved forward, unsheathing his sword with a confident gleam in his eye. But just as he prepared to strike, Alonso's senses flared—a presence, sharp and hostile, was nearby, not theTroll Kings.
"Your Majesty!" Alonso shouted, alarm threading his usually calm voice.
Before the king could react, an arrow whistled through the air, aimed straight for his head. Marcel saw it but felt helpless—there was no time to intercept it.
In a flash, Alonso moved, a blur slicing through the distance. He appeared in front of the king, catching the arrow effortlessly in his right hand. The impact barely made him flinch, and he held the arrow up, examining it with cold detachment.
The Troll Kings spotted them and erupted in fury. All five charged forward, their thunderous footsteps shaking the ground as they raised their clubs, eyes blazing with rage.
Alonso didn't flinch. His gaze hardened, a coldness settling over him as he stood unyielding, not even a muscle twitching. As the Troll Kings thundered closer, something strange happened—their bodies froze mid-charge, their expressions twisted in confusion and anger. An unnatural chill radiated from Alonso, ice crystallizing in an instant over each monstrous figure, leaving them encased, motionless, in a shell of frost.
He turned to the king, completely calm. "Apologies for ruining your hunt, Your Majesty. I took your prey, but it seems we have other pests lurking around."
Marcel and the king could only stare, disbelief clear on their faces. It wasn't just that Alonso had defeated them—the speed and subtlety with which he did so left them stunned. One moment, the Troll Kings were charging; the next, they were nothing more than frozen statues, completely subdued without even understanding what had happened.
Alonso looked at Marcel with a commanding gaze. "Stay close and guard His Majesty. This won't take long." He began walking toward the treeline, eyes fixed on the unseen threat beyond.
The king and Marcel exchanged a glance, struggling to process what they'd just witnessed. Marcel, usually composed, felt a rare chill crawl up his spine. Alonso's power wasn't just potent—it was overwhelming, cold, and terrifyingly precise. They hadn't even seen him move, and yet the monstrous Troll Kings had been reduced to nothing more than brittle statues.
Alonso moved calmly toward the direction the arrow had come from, a slight smile playing on his lips. After a while, he stopped and spoke, his voice clear and unwavering.
"You know, I can see you, right? Why not make this easy and come out?"
Silence greeted him. Alonso sighed, shaking his head in mild annoyance.
"Fine, have it your way," he continued, his voice edged with cold amusement. "You, at the top of the tree. You, crouched behind the bush. You over there, tucked against the tree trunk, you squatting in the dirt. And you, holding that magic tool—don't think for a second you're hidden from me. The moment you fired that arrow, I had each of you marked."
Realizing their cover was blown, five figures emerged from the shadows, each one cloaked in black from head to toe, faces obscured save for the sharp glint of their eyes. They moved in silence, exuding an air of practiced stealth and menace. One of them, clearly the leader, stepped forward, the remaining four forming a line behind him.
The leader chuckled darkly. "Impressive. I don't know how you did it, but you saw right through our stealth. Seems the king has himself a rather capable bodyguard."
One of the men to his right squinted, studying Alonso's face more closely. "Hey, doesn't he look familiar?"
Another man chimed in, his eyes narrowing. "Wait… he resembles the Ice Sovereign."
A third voice joined, excitement lacing his words. "Yes, it must be him! It can't be a coincidence—a lone Oni here, wielding ice powers. It has to be him."
The leader smirked, his eyes gleaming with greed. "Well, well, seems we caught ourselves a big fish today. Not only do we have the bounty on the king, but now we get to collect on the infamous Ice Sovereign as well."
Alonso raised an eyebrow, genuine curiosity flashing across his face. "Wait… are you talking about me?"
The leader laughed, pulling a worn, folded poster from his pocket and holding it up for Alonso to see. "Don't tell me you didn't know. Five million gold pieces for your head. I was actually planning to track you down after we finished off the king, but hey—lucky us!"
Alonso studied the poster, his interest piqued. "Five million, huh? Quite the bounty." He paused, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "I wonder who I managed to anger so thoroughly." As the pieces clicked into place—Nightowl, the vampire connection, and the possibility that Nightowl could have been vampire royalty—a spark of understanding crossed his face. "Ah… that explains a lot."
He turned his gaze back to the leader, his smile now cold and taunting. "But here's what I don't get—are you actually pleased to meet me right now?"
The leader sneered. "Are you dense? Five million gold. Of course, I'm thrilled. That's enough to retire in luxury."
Alonso's smile dropped, his eyes narrowing with lethal calm. "No, you're the fool here. All you've done… is walked into your own death."
Angered, the leader growled, tightening his grip on his weapon. "Just because you can control a bit of ice, you think you're invincible? Let's see how long that confidence lasts!"
With a fierce roar, the leader lunged at Alonso, blade gleaming as he aimed for Alonso's neck. But Alonso merely took a single, effortless step back, letting the blade slice through empty air. The two men to his left and right seized the moment, their own short blades poised for a synchronized strike. Alonso leapt, evading their attacks with ease, and while airborne, delivered a powerful split kick. His feet connected with brutal force, sending both men reeling backward, blood trickling from their mouths as they staggered in pain.
Landing gracefully, Alonso barely had a moment before another attacker came up from behind, slashing a short sword at his back. With a swift sidestep, Alonso avoided the blade, then, in one smooth motion, backhanded his opponent's face. The man was flung through the air, spinning violently before crashing against a tree with a sickening thud.
The remaining men took a step back, their eyes widening as they reassessed their foe. Realizing they'd underestimated him, they began channeling dark mana into their weapons. Shadows coiled around their short swords, which now pulsed with an ominous, dark energy. The leader followed suit, his blade becoming wreathed in darkness, and after recovering from Alonso's initial strikes, the other men prepared for a more serious assault.
The leader charged again, his movements faster, his attacks now sharper, infused with raw mana. He slashed at Alonso, each swing unleashing waves of dark energy that cut through the forest, slicing trees in half as they missed their target. Alonso dodged each attack with an almost casual grace, sidestepping the deadly arcs as they tore into the terrain.
"There's plenty more where that came from!" the leader shouted, frustration evident in his voice.
The four others joined in, launching a relentless barrage of dark mana slashes, their attacks filling the air with streaks of deadly shadow aimed at Alonso from every direction. But Alonso just stood there, his expression cold and unimpressed. He lifted one hand, using only two fingers to deflect the first slash. Then, in a display of effortless control, he swatted away each incoming dark slash, his hand moving with blinding speed and precision, a blur as he countered every strike. His fingers sliced through the dark mana as if it were nothing, leaving his attackers staring in shock.
The five men exchanged desperate glances, their confidence wavering.
The leader's face twisted in disbelief. "How… how is this possible? He's blocking mana attacks with his bare hands!"
Alonso tilted his head, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "Is that truly all you've got? If you're holding back, now would be the time to show me what you're really capable of."
Anger twisted across the leader's face, his pride bruised by Alonso's mocking tone. "You cocky fool!" he snarled. "You'll regret that!"
Dark mana erupted around him, his aura swelling as he poured everything he had into his power. The remaining four men joined him, their bodies surrounded by a sinister energy, each of them giving in to desperation. The air grew thick with dark energy, a last-ditch attempt to overpower Alonso.
The leader nocked an arrow, channeling even more dark mana into it. With a fierce determination, he released it, the arrow cutting through the air faster than any he'd shot before. But even as it tore toward him, Alonso's expression remained unfazed.
He sighed, watching their frantic efforts with cold disdain. "Is that truly the best you can do?" he muttered, his voice dripping with disappointment.
The arrow whistled through the air toward Alonso's head. Calm and unfazed, he tilted his head slightly to the left, letting the arrow pass harmlessly by. But then, with a swift, unnatural twist, the arrow made a sharp U-turn, aiming straight for his back. At the same moment, two men charged at Alonso from the front, their mana flaring as they prepared their attack.
In a blur of movement, Alonso grabbed one of the charging men, his grip like iron. Without a second thought, he swung the man's body around and hurled him directly into the path of the returning arrow. The projectile embedded itself deep into the man's chest, piercing his lungs. The man's eyes widened in shock and agony as he collapsed.
The second attacker barely had time to react before Alonso appeared in front of him, moving faster than his eyes could follow. Alonso's leg shot up in a powerful axe kick, connecting squarely with the man's jaw. The force of the blow sent him hurtling into the air, limbs flailing as he ascended.
As the man soared upwards, Alonso summoned his metallic sphere, the one housing millions of nanobots. He tossed it toward one of the remaining men, and as it approached, the sphere transformed mid-flight. The nanobots expanded and wrapped themselves around the man's torso, forming an armor-like prison that latched onto him tightly. Confused, the man struggled against the armor as it constricted his movements.
"Hey! What is this? Get it off!" he shouted, panic rising in his voice. But before he could attempt to pry it off, rocket boosters on the nanobot armor activated, lifting him off the ground and rocketing him straight toward another one of his allies.
The two men collided with bone-crushing force, and in that instant, the makeshift armor detonated. A deafening explosion tore through the clearing, engulfing both men in a fiery blast, ending their lives in an instant.
Meanwhile, the man Alonso had launched into the air began his descent, his path bringing him down directly in front of Alonso. A thin, concentrated line of blue plasma ignited along Alonso's left leg, stretching from his waist down to his foot—a laser-like blade crackling with lethal energy.
With precise control, Alonso spun his body in a 360-degree motion, executing a flawless tornado kick. His plasma-activated leg sliced cleanly through the man mid-fall, severing him at the waist. The sheer heat of the plasma cauterized the wound instantly, leaving no blood as the upper and lower halves of his body separated in mid-air.
Before he even hit the ground, the two halves of his body thudded down separately, lifeless and smoldering where they'd been split.
Alonso turned his gaze to the lone remaining man, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Looks like it's just you now."
The leader's face drained of color, his eyes wide with horror as he looked around at the scattered remains of his comrades. The brutal efficiency with which Alonso had dispatched his men left him speechless, a chill running down his spine. He hadn't even had a moment to process the slaughter—it had all happened so fast, so effortlessly.
Alonso began walking toward him, his steps calm and measured, each one echoing like a countdown. Panic seized the leader as he stumbled backward, scrambling to raise his bow. "Stay back! Stay back!" he shouted, his voice shaking as his hands fumbled to nock an arrow. His fingers trembled so badly that he
couldn't even aim straight, fear consuming him.
In a flash, Alonso lunged forward, his hand closing around the man's neck with an iron grip. Effortlessly, he lifted him off the ground, the man's feet dangling as he struggled to breathe.
"Please… please, don't kill me!" the leader gasped, his voice barely a whisper. "I'll tell you anything you want—about the bounty on the king, our organization, everything… just please, spare me!"
Alonso's expression remained indifferent, his gaze piercing. "Huh, why are you talking?" he said with a hint of amusement."
Alonso's hand glowed an intense blue, casting jagged streaks of energy that crackled and pulsed as they seeped into the man's neck. The leader's body convulsed, feeling an, invasive sensation spreading rapidly through his veins. His struggling gradually stilled, his limbs falling limp, and the terror in his eyes dulled into an empty, vacant stare. Alonso's nanobots had infiltrated his mind, targeting his prefrontal cortex and frontal lobe, leaving him a mere puppet under Alonso's complete control.
"Now," Alonso commanded in a low, steady voice, "tell me who sent you."
The leader's vacant eyes stared ahead as he spoke mechanically. "We were commissioned by the dark Adventurer's Guild. A bounty was placed on the king's head… we came here to claim it."
Alonso mulled over the information, his gaze sharp and analytical. The Dark Adventurers Guild, he thought, a smirk playing on his lips. A guild specifically catering to criminals, with a vast network of spies and informants. It was as though adventurers with less-than-noble intentions had found their own twisted form of legitimacy.
His expression hardened as he fixed the leader with a cold stare. "And tell me, how did you know the king's exact location? That information was supposed to be top secret."
In a flat, lifeless tone, the leader responded, "We obtained it from Red Raven."
"Red Raven?" Alonso's tone was calm but edged with curiosity. "Some kind of informant network?"
"They don't just sell information," the leader continued mechanically. "Red Raven has spies in every kingdom, every palace, every noble's mansion. Their reach extends into every supposed stronghold."
Alonso's mind raced, the implications sinking in. If Red Raven's influence reached the royal palace and the city lord's mansion, secrets were far less secure than anyone realized. He pressed on, unfazed.
"So, the Dark Adventurers Guild knows who put a bounty on the king and me, correct?"
The leader gave a slight nod, his expression blank. "Yes, they would know."
Alonso's voice was icy, calculating. "And how does one find this Dark Adventurers Guild?"
The leader responded in a flat tone, "They have branches across the continent. Look for a shop marked with a black unicorn with a broken horn. Enter, hand the shopkeeper a gold coin, and say, 'Dark by morning, dark by evening, and light by night.' This will grant you full access."
Storing the information, Alonso's senses suddenly flared as he detected two powerful presences near the king's location, their energies radiating hostility.
Without a word, he turned sharply, launching himself in the direction of the king and Marcel with the speed of a shadow slicing through the forest. Each step was precise, swift, and silent, his focus razor-sharp.
The leader, bound to Alonso's will, stumbled to his feet and followed clumsily, his steps mechanical and unsteady, his mind under Alonso's complete control. Alonso paid him no mind; his attention was locked on the threat looming over the king.