In a warehouse where weapons were normally kept, three figures could be seen: two tall people (easily 1.90 meters tall) and one short person (at least 1.60 meters tall). A female elf with jet-black hair and deep black eyes spoke:
"Sir, that individual is currently injured. Without a doubt, he will be easy prey."
A tall, white-haired old man was listening to the elf. His appearance was that of an ordinary human; his black eyes, although less intense than the elf's, emitted power. They looked like the eyes of a dead, lifeless fish. The man replied in a cold tone:
"Are you telling me that easy prey prevented us from achieving our goals?"
"My apologies, I didn't mean it that way."
"You're all useless! You had plenty of chances to kill that pest, but you didn't. And now you're calling me in to fix this shit. What a sick joke to have to call on multiple squads to deal with such a stupid problem! Don't expect any mercy; once you return, the punishment will be severe. The failure of this mission will fall on your shoulders as well."
The elf bowed her head. Her companion did the same; they could not go against the old man. He was superior in power and rank. The white-haired man spoke again:
"Leonardo was no nobody; his physical capabilities were exceptional and overwhelming. His skill was very powerful. Without a doubt, he would not have fallen so easily if he had been given the support he needed. That, without a doubt, was Aris' mistake. They let their guard down; they let an important asset die, and worse, they weren't even able to recover the corpse!"
"We're sorry," the woman apologized, though her facial features showed no remorse.
The short man remained silent. He knew that if he spoke, he might die. His companion had strong backing, but he did not. The old man was a ruthless sadist who listened to excuses before killing. After the apologies, the old man looked around the warehouse and asked:
"Is this a weapons depot used by royals?"
"Yes," the woman replied.
"I understand. I'll use this to finish them off."
The old man picked up the most worn sword, a rusty longsword.
"It's disrespectful to have these swords gathering dust. They definitely have no respect for them."
Suddenly, he felt a coldness on the back of his neck, a sensation he felt when his life was in danger. He became alert, but he didn't notice anything wrong. Then, the creaking of a door was heard. The three of them turned around and saw the guy they had come to kill: the white-haired, blue-eyed boy, the same one who had defeated Aris' group. His left arm was missing, although they had received reports that it had regenerated quickly, suggesting illusionary magic. The old man walked slowly towards him with the sword. The boy walked too, without fear. The old man spoke:
"I've heard many things about you from my subordinates. I believe you were the one who killed Leonardo. I hear you possess impressive physical and magical prowess. I hope you don't mind me putting them to the test."
The boy looked at the old man, noticing his height and his lifeless eyes. The old man spoke to him formally, showing respect. The boy, who usually laughed at everything, answered seriously:
"I can see that you're completely different from the guys from before. You're more respectful, and you're definitely powerful. I can see that you're a cut above those two standing behind you, watching and waiting for the chance to strike me unawares. You're definitely in a league of your own. And, to answer your earlier statement: yes, I did kill Leonardo, but you're wrong about one thing: I didn't just kill him, I killed Eldarion as well, so don't bother looking for him, as you won't find anything."
The old man contemplated the boy's words; he found no lies. He wanted to ask him how he had found them so quickly, but he knew he would get no answer. In the boy's eyes, he felt the intent to kill.
"I understand what you're trying to tell me," he said as he tightened his grip on his sword.
The boy watched the three individuals. He knew it would be a one-on-three fight. The old man seemed to want a one-on-one, but things would not be that simple. The old man attacked first:
"Let's get started."
He swung his sword at an incredible speed. The boy sent a wind slash at him, but it split when it hit the rusty sword. The old man slashed at him and kicked him, sending him crashing into a corner.
"Is this individual, lacking discipline, supposed to have been capable of killing Leonardo?" the old man asked.
"Without a doubt," the elf replied.
"How did he do it… It's pretty clear that he's not a swordsman, nor a hand-to-hand fighter. It seems he's never trained properly. The only way he could have killed Leonardo is if Leonardo was off guard."
"I think the same as you."
Suddenly, the boy emerged unharmed from among the boxes and weapons.
"His wounds have disappeared. He must have some kind of regenerative power… His clothes are also as if nothing had happened… I just cut them off… I'm sure he must be using an illusion to make his wounds disappear, but it wouldn't do him any good; after all, they wouldn't really disappear," said the old man.
"Nice cut, old man. You are certainly a danger with that sword in your hand, but aren't you too arrogant to think that you can kill me just by using a piece of iron?"
"Enough talk, let's continue."
The old man attacked again. The boy, with his severed arm, blocked an attack with a glass wall, but a black blade shot out from the old man's sword, cutting through the wall.
"You are such a barbarian! You want to kill me completely, and here I am restraining myself from killing you in an instant!"
The blade was extremely dangerous.
"Well, since it seems you're some kind of swordsman, I'll reciprocate and use swords as well."
"????"
The swords in the armory began to float in the air.
"I see where your strength lies. Your way of fighting is quite arrogant, and your style seems to be to crush your enemies with your absurd amount of magic and mana."
"Don't praise me so much, old man, you'll make me blush."
Swords began to fall from the sky at a dizzying speed.
'Idiots'.