Every step the giant took shook loose stones from the mountain path as he walked straight toward the front gate without the slightest attempt at stealth.

Aiden watched from above with interest.

"...Completely different styles."

Below, one of the guards near the outer barricade frowned.

"Hm?"

He squinted toward the approaching figure.

"What the hell is tha—"

His words stopped halfway.

Because Dragmar stepped out from the trees.

The bandit’s eyes widened.

The giant undead looked terrifying under the fading afternoon light. Black armor covered his enormous frame from head to toe while the tower shield on his back looked large enough to block a carriage.

The guard instinctively grabbed his weapon.

"ENEMY!"

The shout echoed across the camp instantly.

Men rushed to their feet. Swords were drawn. Several archers climbed the towers in panic while others grabbed shields and axes.

One bald bandit barked loudly,

"Who the hell attacks us with only one guy?!"

Then Dragmar kept walking forward calmly.

The ground trembled under his steps.

A few bandits hesitated instinctively.

Something about the giant’s presence felt wrong.

Oppressive.

One archer on the tower immediately fired.

Fwsh!

The arrow shot downward fast.

Clang.

It struck Dragmar directly in the chest.

And bounced off.

The bandit froze.

"...What?"

Another volley followed immediately.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Arrows struck his armor repeatedly, but none pierced through.

Dragmar didn’t even slow down.

The bandits below started shouting nervously.

"What kind of human is this?!"

"Stop him!"

"Kill him before he reaches the gate!"

More arrows rained down.

Then Dragmar finally moved.

His giant shield swung forward heavily.

Boom!

The shield slammed into the wooden barricade at the front entrance.

The impact exploded through the entire structure.

Wood shattered apart instantly.

Several bandits behind it were thrown backward violently as broken timber and dust erupted into the air.

The camp descended into chaos. At the same moment... Kael arrived, silent, and fast.

One bandit suddenly felt cold beside him.

Shhk.

A thin black slash passed across his throat.

Blood sprayed.

The man collapsed before he even understood what happened.

Kael moved again immediately.

His sword flashed once through the air.

Another bandit’s arm flew off.

Then another.

Then another.

His movements were frighteningly efficient.

No wasted motion.

No unnecessary attacks.

Every strike killed.

One frightened bandit swung an axe wildly toward Kael’s head.

Kael calmly stepped aside.

The axe missed completely.

Then Kael’s blade pierced through the man’s chest before smoothly pulling back out.

The swordsman didn’t even pause.

He flowed through the battlefield like dark water.

Above the camp, Aiden watched quietly from the cliff.

"This group of bandits stands no chance."

Meanwhile, Dragmar had already reached the center of the front line.

Dozens of bandits surrounded him.

Weapons slammed against his armor from every direction.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

None of it mattered. Dragmar raised his mace, then swung once.

Boom!

The heavy weapon crashed into the ground hard enough to crack the earth beneath him.

The shockwave threw nearby bandits off their feet instantly.

Several men were crushed directly by the impact.

Blood and broken bodies scattered across the dirt.

One terrified bandit stumbled backward.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

Dragmar slowly lifted his shield.

Then charged forward.

Boom!

A man was smashed flat against a wooden post.

Another was sent flying several meters away after being struck by the edge of the shield.

The giant undead moved like an unstoppable fortress.

Arrows couldn’t stop him.

Swords barely scratched him.

Even spears bent against his armor.

Then suddenly, a powerful aura erupted from deeper within the camp.

Aiden’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"There he is."

A large man stepped out from one of the central buildings.

Nearly six feet tall, covered in scars, carrying a massive battle axe over one shoulder.

Gorn.

The bandit leader., a peak body tempering.

His face twisted angrily as he looked at the destruction around him.

"You bastards!" he roared.

The pressure around his body exploded outward.

Nearby bandits immediately regained confidence.

"It’s Boss Gorn!"

"Boss is here!"

The bandits who had been panicking moments ago immediately regained some courage.

Gorn stepped forward slowly, battle axe resting against his shoulder while his sharp eyes swept across the battlefield.

Broken corpses, estroyed barricades, and men dying everywhere.

And at the center of it all stood Dragmar, towering over everyone like a black iron mountain.

Gorn’s eyes narrowed.

"...Interesting."

He rolled his neck once before gripping his axe properly.

"You two picked the wrong place to die."

Behind him, two more figures emerged from deeper within the camp.

One was a lean man wearing brown leather armor, carrying twin curved blades in both hands. His eyes were narrow and snake-like, constantly moving.

The other was a woman dressed in dark hunting clothes, a longbow already resting in her hand. A quiver filled with black-feathered arrows hung behind her back, and unlike the others, her expression stayed calm while observing the battlefield.

The moment their eyes landed on Kael, both of them immediately understood one thing.

He was dangerous.

The twin-blade user narrowed his eyes.

"So you’re the one killing everyone."

Kael stood silently among the corpses, dark cloak swaying lightly behind him. Blood slowly dripped from the edge of his sword.

His hollow eyes calmly watched them.

The female archer slowly pulled an arrow from her quiver.

"Don’t underestimate him," she warned quietly. "His movement is strange."

The twin-blade user clicked his tongue.

"Doesn’t matter."

His body suddenly burst forward.

Fast.

Much faster than ordinary practitioners.

His twin blades sliced through the air toward Kael’s neck and waist at the same time.

A coordinated killing strike.

Kael moved calmly.

Clang.

One sword blocked both blades with terrifying precision.

The twin-blade fighter’s expression changed slightly.

Then Kael stepped forward. His shoulder slammed directly into the man’s chest.

Boom.

The bandit staggered backward violently, his breathing disrupted instantly.

Kael’s sword followed immediately.

A black flash crossed the air.

The twin-blade user barely reacted in time, crossing both weapons defensively.

Clang!

Sparks exploded.

The force behind the strike pushed him sliding several meters across the dirt.

His arms trembled.

"What the hell..."

Before he could stabilize himself.

Fwsh!

Three arrows shot past him suddenly from the female archer behind.

The timing was perfect.

All three arrows targeted Kael’s blind spots simultaneously.

Kael’s eyes sharpened slightly.

Shhk.

His sword moved once.

Only once.

The arrows split apart midair instantly.

The female archer’s pupils contracted.

"Impossible."

Kael disappeared again.

The next moment, he appeared directly in front of her.

Her instincts screamed immediately. She abandoned her bow and jumped backward while grabbing a dagger from her waist.

But Kael was already inside her range.

Black Severing Sword Art.

A dark arc flashed horizontally.

The female archer’s eyes widened.

She barely raised the dagger halfway.

Shhk.

The dagger split apart cleanly.

Then blood sprayed into the air.

A thin line slowly appeared across her chest.

Her body froze.

"...Ah..."

Then she collapsed, she is dead.

The twin-blade user’s face instantly twisted.

"Lena!"

Rage exploded from him as he rushed toward Kael wildly, both blades slashing repeatedly toward the swordsman’s vital points.

But Kael’s expression never changed.

Clang.

Clang.

Clang.

Every strike was blocked with minimal movement.

The difference in skill was overwhelming.

Kael calmly stepped between the attacks like he had already seen them beforehand.

Shhk.

One blade arm flew into the air.

The bandit screamed.

Before the scream even finished, Kael’s sword pierced through his throat completely.

The man froze.

Kael pulled the sword back smoothly.

Blood poured down the corpse as it collapsed beside the female archer.

Silence briefly spread around that part of the battlefield.

The surrounding bandits stared in horror.

Their two lieutenant. Dead in less than a minute.

One bandit stumbled backward.

"T-Those were body tempering practitioners..."

"How is he this strong?!"

Above the battlefield, Aiden watched calmly with crossed arms.

"...Kael really is a monster in close combat."

Meanwhile...

Boom!

Another violent explosion erupted from the center of the camp.

Gorn’s axe smashed downward toward Dragmar’s head with enough force to split stone apart.

Dragmar raised his shield again.

BOOOOM!

The impact shook the surrounding ground violently.

Nearby bandits were forced backward from the pressure alone.

Dragmar didn’t even move.

Not even a step.

Gorn’s grin slowly faded.

"...Tough bastard."

Dragmar stared down at him silently beneath the cracked helmet.

Then he moved.

His mace swung sideways like a collapsing wall.

Gorn’s eyes widened slightly as he raised his axe defensively.

BOOM!

The collision exploded loudly.

Gorn was thrown backward several meters, boots digging deep trenches into the dirt before he stopped himself.

His arms numbed slightly from the impact.

"...What kind of strength is this?"

Dragmar began walking toward him again slowly.

Gorn roared and rushed forward once more.

This time his axe glowed faintly with compressed force as he swung toward Dragmar’s torso.

Dragmar suddenly planted his shield into the ground.

"Iron Wall."

Boom.

A heavy pulse spread outward.

The shield’s surface darkened further as the surrounding pressure visibly hardened around it.

Gorn’s axe crashed against the shield, and stopped completely.

Gorn’s eyes widened.

His full-strength strike couldn’t even move it.

Then Dragmar attacked.

His shield slammed forward violently.

Boom!

Gorn barely twisted aside in time, but the edge of the shield still smashed into his shoulder hard enough to crack bone.

A painful grunt escaped his mouth as he staggered sideways.

Before he recovered, Dragmar raised his mace high.

"Earthshaker."

For the first time since the battle started, emotion entered Dragmar’s voice.

Then the mace crashed downward.

BOOOOOOM!

The ground exploded.

A massive shockwave erupted outward violently from the impact point. Dirt, broken stone, and bodies were blasted into the air as the earth itself cracked apart beneath Dragmar.

Bandits nearby were thrown flying screaming in every direction.