The bandits closed the distance quickly, spreading out into a loose semicircle.

Their leader, a scarred man with a heavy axe, sneered as he pointed his weapon at Brandon.

"Well, well... looks like ’this man’ decided to bring a pretty whore out for some fun. Bad timing."

Another bandit laughed crudely, eyeing Freya’s figure "Capture the man. Take the woman alive. She looks great."

The rest of the bandits joined in with vulgar chuckles as their gazes crawled over Freya’s body with clear lust.

A few licked their lips, already imagining what they’d do once Brandon was captured.

Freya’s eyes narrowed in irritation.

In the next instant, the air itself seemed to split.

Sleesh-!

A flash of cold steel sang through the space between them.

The bandit leader’s face was still twisted in a mocking grin when Brandon’s sword cleaved straight through it vertically, from forehead to chin.

Crunch.

Brain matter, blood, and shattered bone exploded outward in a gruesome spray.

The leader’s body stood upright for half a second longer before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.

Before the others could even scream, Brandon stepped forward and swung again in one fluid motion.

His sword sliced clean through the neck of the nearest bandit.

The man’s head flew upward in a perfect arc, spinning through the air before landing with a wet *thud* right at Freya’s feet.

Freya stared down at the decapitated head for a moment, then calmly kicked it aside like it was nothing more than trash.

Her lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile ’Now that’s my man...’

The lustful leers of the bandits melted into pure terror.

Their eyes widened, mouths hanging open in shock as they finally registered what had just happened.

In less than two seconds, two of their comrades were dead.

Brandon casually flicked the blood off his blade onto the leader’s twitching corpse "Who ordered you to kill me?"

The remaining bandits stumbled back, weapons shaking in their hands.

The man who had laughed crudely about taking Freya alive now looked like he was about to piss himself.

Sleesh-!

Another bandit was cut from shoulder to waist in a single diagonal slash.

The man’s body split apart with a sickening wet sound, with his organs spilling onto the grass as he screamed and collapsed in two separate pieces.

That was enough.

"RUN!" someone shrieked.

The bandits broke formation instantly, scattering in blind panic toward the treeline to survive.

A bandit tried to turn and slash at him with a desperate overhead strike.

Brandon sidestepped effortlessly and drove his blade through the man’s spine, twisting it once before pulling it free.

Another bandit tried to shoot an arrow with trembling hands, only for Brandon to appear in front of him in a blur and sever both arms at the elbows in one clean cut.

Screams echoed across the lakeside clearing as blood sprayed across the grass and wildflowers.

The once peaceful scene had turned into a slaughter.

Freya stood near the rock, watching the massacre with a surprised face "Seems like I underestimated him. Also, where did he take that sword from?"

There was a dark satisfaction in her eyes as she saw Brandon moving through the bandits like a reaper.

One of the fleeing bandits tried to circle around toward her, thinking she would be an easier target.

Freya noticed him, and as he reached to touch her, she gripped her hold on the dagger.

But before she could move, the man’s fingers were sliced clean from his palm before he could touch her.

And in the next instant, his hands, body, head, and legs were slashed to pieces.

His body literally came apart mid-motion as the pieces hit the grass with wet thuds.

Freya glanced at Brandon standing in front of her, and he turned to look at her with a gentle smile.

With a giggle, she gave him a flying kiss "Mwah!"

Chuckling, he dashed forward without another word, becoming a blur of motion as he hunted down the remaining fleeing bandits.

When the last bandit fell, silence returned to the lakeside once more.

Brandon stood motionless for a moment as he scanned the area.

One bandit was still alive, twitching violently on the ground a short distance away.

Both of his arms had been severed at the elbows, and he was bleeding profusely.

Brandon stopped in front of the man and crouched down, "Who ordered you to kill me?"

The bandit looked up at him in pure horror, and blood bubbled from his mouth as he shook his head frantically.

"N-No... you monster! Get away from me! You’re going to kill me anyway!"

Brandon let out a quiet sigh and turned his head toward Freya, "Bring me that dagger."

Freya quickly walked over and handed it to him without a word.

Brandon gripped the dagger and, without any warning, drove it straight into the bandit’s thigh with brutal force.

"ARRRRGHHHHHH- AARRRRRRR!"

The man’s scream tore through the lake.

His body convulsed as Brandon twisted the blade slowly, deliberately grinding it against bone and muscle.

Blood poured out around the wound, soaking the grass beneath him.

"Yes," Brandon muttered calmly, "I am going to kill you anyway... but you won’t die peacefully."

He pulled the dagger out with a wet, sickening sound and immediately stabbed it into a different spot on the man’s leg.

"ARRGHHH! STOP! PLEASE STOP!"

The bandit’s eyes bulged with bloodshot. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he thrashed helplessly on the ground.

"If you tell me who it is, I will give you a less painful death."

He twisted the dagger once more, grinding it deeper.

The bandit let out another blood-curdling scream that echoed across the lake.

"N-Nacirfa Kingdom!" the man finally gasped. "Someone from Nacirfa Kingdom! They paid us! Said to bring you alive!"

Brandon’s eyes narrowed slightly. He pulled the dagger out and immediately stabbed it into the bandit’s other leg before twisting it.

"You’re not lying to me, are you..."

"ARRGHHH NO NOO! JUST KILL ME ALREADY!! AAHHHH!"

The bandit’s screams grew hoarse as he writhed in agony.

Brandon finally ended his suffering with a single, clean thrust straight through the heart.

He then pulled the dagger out and wiped the blood casually on the dead man’s clothes.

"Nacirfa Kingdom..." he murmured to himself and stood up.

Freya stepped closer and took the dagger from his hand.

"Why would the Nacirfa Kingdom target you? They’ve stayed neutral for decades. Attacking the Goddess’s Shadow directly like this... it’s suicidal."

Brandon’s gaze lowered as he stared at the "I’m not sure,"

’It is a large kingdom situated between the Eurasania Empire and the Cene Empire. There were long-standing conflicts between Eurasania and Cene, both trying to claim Nacirfa as their territory or at least bring it under their influence.’

’But in the end, they came to a tense truce and allowed it to remain an independent buffer state without any empire’s direct control.’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He narrowed his eyes slightly ’Someone from Nacirfa sending assassins after me... Either the royal family is involved, or a powerful faction inside the kingdom wants me.’