Somewhere deep within the quiet forest, a warm breeze drifted through the scorched trees, scattering glowing embers left behind by the Knight's overwhelming power. Smoke curled lazily into the sky while the smell of burnt wood and blood still lingered heavily in the air.
Dom gulped nervously.
Even though none of that monstrous aura was directed at him, the pressure radiating from the old Knight made his body tremble instinctively. The heat alone felt powerful enough to melt steel.
"You?" Elon sneered, green mana writhing violently around him like a storm trying to break free. "Send me to hell? I'm an A-Class." His grin widened arrogantly. "You can't beat me,"
The moment his aura expanded, Dom flinched again. That horrible feeling returned instantly.
Cold…Hungry…Wrong…
"Kid," The Knight said calmly without turning around, crimson mana beginning to leak from his body in waves. Flames curled around his fists like living creatures. "…you'd better get back. I might not be able to hold everything back."
Dom frowned in confusion, but he nodded quickly, trying to push himself away despite his trembling legs.
Elon's glowing eyes narrowed. "You're not going anywhere." He growled. "You're still my prey!"
With a stomp that cracked the ground, Elon thrust his arm forward, sending a violent burst of wind outward.
"Cyclone Slasher!"
The compressed tornado screamed across the forest toward them, shredding trees apart and carving trenches into the earth itself.
Dom's eyes widened as its cold, deadly jaws approached him in an instant.
Then--
The attack vanished… ripped apart by an even more powerful force.
Flames danced where the Knight stood, heat distorting the world around him like an immovable shield, leaving both him and Dom completely untouched.
Elon's confidence faltered. "Impossible…" He muttered.
"You fucked up." The Knight said, his voice low and steady, while the flames around him intensified instantly.
The surrounding air hissed violently as moisture evaporated. Nearby trees combusted on their own, fire spreading through bark and branches in seconds as smoke flooded upward into the sky.
Dom stared in shock.
The heat was unbelievable.
Just with his presence alone, the Knight has turned the space around them into a living landscape.
And yet…Dom noticed something extraordinary.
His clothes weren't burning.
His skin didn't blister.
The flames curled around him gently, almost protectively.
It's hot enough to burn everything… but… It's warm. He thought, marveling at the strange comfort. Like sitting beside a fireplace during winter.
"You proudly said your class was to intimidate me, right? Too bad." The Knight said as he advanced, each footstep left scorched footprints in the dirt. "I'm not the one outclassed."
Meanwhile, Elon staggered backward as his wind barrier trembled against the heat. Sweat poured down his face while parts of his clothes began to blacken and curl.
"What the hell are you?" He asked, confidence finally cracking apart.
The Knight lowered himself slightly into a fighting stance, steam rising from his clenched fists.
"Head Captain of the Royal Magic Knights' 3rd Division."
The forest immediately fell silent.
Even the wind hesitated.
Dom's breath caught in his throat as he remembered that title… and the man attached to it. One name carved into history itself, along with seven others.
"Anthony Justice… The Dragon." Dom mumbled, his eyes widened.
For the first time, genuine fear crossed Elon's face.
But pride quickly smothered it.
"There's… there's… no way a Monarch would show up in some backwater town like this!" Elon shouted desperately, forcing a grin onto his pale face. "You may be strong, but if you're pathetic enough to lie about being hi--"
His throat instantly went dry once he realized that Anthony was gone.
A shock wave then exploded from where he had been standing, blasting dirt, ash, and burning leaves into the air hard enough to throw Dom sideways.
Elon's eyes widened in pain as he looked around frantically, sweat beads sliding down his face… until he felt a searing heat at his side and turned just as a flaming fist smashed into his cheek.
Even from where Dom was sitting, he could hear the distinct crunch.
Elon's jaw twisted unnaturally before his entire body rocketed across the clearing and slammed violently into the ground.
Blood and shattered teeth sprayed from his mouth as he looked up, his mind so rattled that Anthony only appeared as a blur that calmly walked up to him.
He swayed as he tried to stand, his uninjured arm raised with a weak wind current swirling around them… just as another flaming punch connected with his stomach.
The impact folded his body inward as blood exploded from his lips while the air around Anthony's fist ignited from sheer heat.
Elon collapsed to his knees, choking--
Only for Anthony's kick to smash into his ribs a heartbeat later.
The A-Class mage flew through the air like a broken ragdoll before crashing through a massive tree trunk; the sharp impact ripped through the forest like a thunderclap.
Dom stared in stunned silence as the terrifying monster who had slaughtered those children minutes ago now looked utterly helpless.
Anthony walked forward calmly, flames flickering across his shoulders like a dragon's mane.
"Even after all these years," He muttered, voice heavy with disgust. "… there are still pieces of shit like you crawling around. It's irritating."
Elon coughed violently, trying to drag himself backward across the dirt with trembling fingers. His body was covered in burns now, and his wind magic barely functioned anymore.
Anthony then stopped a few feet away. "Do everyone a favor…" He said quietly, adding as he raised an arm, conjuring a tiny fireball above his palm. "… and burn in hell with the rest of your kind."
Then he flicked it forward.
Dom watched as the fireball drifted lazily through the air like a harmless ember.
But the moment it touched Elon, it expanded with unbelievable speed, resulting in a massive pillar of fire that erupted skyward, swallowing the entire clearing in an inferno violent enough to shake the forest itself.
The shockwave blasted outward in every direction.
Dom cried out as the force threw him backward--
But strong arms caught him instantly.
Anthony wrapped his arms around Dom, shielding him completely as burning debris and hurricane-force winds tore through the woods around them.
Several long seconds passed before the explosion finally faded.
The winds weakened.
The flames settled.
Silence returned.
Slowly, Anthony lowered his arm and looked over the burning crater ahead. "Yeesh…" He muttered while scratching the back of his head. "Might've overdone it a little."
Dom slowly sank onto the only surviving patch of grass nearby, staring speechlessly at the smoldering wasteland surrounding them.
Elon Kruger was gone.
Reduced to ash so completely that not even a single body part remained.
In that moment, Dom's hands trembled.
Not from fear… But complete and utter awe.
Two days later…
Gray clouds hung low above the town cemetery, muting the morning sun beneath a blanket of cold light. The scent of damp soil mixed with burnt wood still lingered faintly in the air, as if the forest fire hadn't fully left the town behind.
A small funeral had been arranged at the graveside for those killed during Elon Kruger's hunt.
Dom stood near the back of the gathering, his black hoodie pulled tightly around him despite the warmth. Ash still clung stubbornly to the knees of his jeans. The bandage across his cheek itched beneath his fingers as he absentmindedly rubbed it while listening to the priest's eulogy drift through the silence.
"...may their souls find peace…"
The words barely registered.
Around him, grief took different forms.
Matt's mother had collapsed to her knees beside the coffin, sobbing so hard her body shook. The town chief stood nearby, stiff and hollow-eyed, staring at the polished wood as though he still couldn't understand how his son had ended up inside it.
Other townspeople mourned quietly among themselves… the wives of the two hunters… the families of the eradicated police force… whispers trembling between tears.
But Dom couldn't focus on any of them.
His mind kept dragging him back into the forest.
The screams.
The blood.
Matt was reaching for his missing arm.
The wet sound of bodies hitting the dirt.
Dom's stomach twisted violently.
His breathing shortened.
For a second, he could almost smell blood again… then a warm hand gently rested atop his head.
Dom flinched before looking up to see Pops standing beside him with a small, tired smile.
Not forcing words.
Not asking questions.
Just there.
The familiar comfort steadied Dom's trembling slightly, and after a moment, he managed a weak smile in return.
Then his eyes shifted beyond the graves.
Anthony stood several meters away from the crowd, silent beneath the swaying trees. Even without speaking, his presence dominated the cemetery. The long white coat draped over his broad shoulders fluttered softly in the breeze, flames stitched along its edges glowing faintly beneath the overcast sky.
And in that moment, Dom felt that same sensation again.
That same strange warmth from the forest.
Fear.
Relief.
Inspiration.
All tangled together inside his chest.
His fingers slowly tightened into fists.