Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 21 - Ambush

Adam was inside the carriage with his hand firmly gripping the hilt of his sword, ready to react at any moment.

Suddenly, a massive explosion appeared before his eyes, completely shaking the carriage with such brutal force that it made it lurch violently.

The intense light of the explosion blinded him entirely as the deafening sound filled his ears, but instinctively he raised his sword in front of him in an attempt to protect himself.

Then the impact was devastating.

Adam felt himself being violently hurled backward, crashing through what remained of the carriage wall and being sent flying into the air before slamming against the forest floor.

He rolled several meters over the dry earth and tree roots while his vision remained blurred by the flash of the explosion.

But it didn’t stop there.

He quickly regained his footing, driving his sword into the ground to halt his momentum, using the weapon as an anchor while his feet dragged across the dirt until he finally came to a complete stop.

He stood up immediately, ignoring the pain running through his back and arms. Even though he had an ’A’ rank in magic, he was not capable of fully mastering it; therefore, he could not use healing magic properly.

That was why Nox reacted immediately, soothing the pain in his body. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

It was something he absolutely had to fix so he wouldn’t have to depend entirely on Nox, but even so, he was grateful.

As he focused his gaze forward, he saw the carriage completely engulfed in flames that illuminated the dark forest with a sinister glow.

There was fire everywhere, but he noticed that Roderic was fighting. He had his sword drawn and moved with surprising speed as he blocked and dodged the attacks of several men dressed entirely in black who surrounded him like wolves stalking their prey.

Adam didn’t even have time to think about going to help him when he felt the air shift behind him.

He turned his body just in time to dodge a sword slash that passed inches from his neck. He saw the attacker clearly now: another man dressed in black with a mask covering the lower half of his face.

The man tried to attack again, but Adam was faster. He grabbed the attacker’s arm with his free hand before he could complete the motion and, with a violent pull combined with a twist of his own body, broke the man’s arm at a grotesque angle.

The sound of bone snapping was almost as loud as the heart-rending scream that burst from the hunter’s mouth.

Several other soldiers turned their heads toward them upon hearing the scream, drawing the attention of more enemies to Adam.

He released the wounded man, letting him fall to the ground while, with a swift movement of his sword, he cut off his head. Then he quickly counted how many enemies were around him.

More than twenty.

Not counting the ones fighting Roderic.

A smile formed on Adam’s face as he held his blood-covered sword.

’How amusing...’ he thought with irony as everything began to make sense. ’They sent me with only one soldier when supposedly there should have been more escorts joining us after leaving the mansion.’

Betrayal.

Someone within his own family had leaked the information about his trip and had probably paid these hunters to kill him before he reached the academy.

But he didn’t have time to think about who the traitor might be now, as five hunters lunged at him at the same time from different directions, their swords gleaming with the reflection of the burning carriage’s fire.

Adam moved swiftly, dodging the first slash by leaning backward while using mana to strengthen his legs and propel himself forward with explosive speed.

His sword cut horizontally, slicing through the second attacker’s stomach, who fell to the ground clutching his entrails.

The third hunter cast a fire spell that Adam blocked with a magical shield before closing the distance and landing a mana-reinforced kick directly into the man’s knees.

The sound of cartilage and bone shattering was followed by another scream as the hunter fell to the ground, unable to stand.

Adam didn’t stop. He spun around, dodging another sword before grabbing the fourth attacker by the neck with his free hand and slamming him against a nearby tree with enough force to crack the bark.

The fifth hunter tried to stab him from behind, but Adam sensed it coming and, releasing the unconscious man against the tree, turned as he raised his sword to block the attack.

Then he shoved the attacker back with a kick to the stomach before casting a wind spell that opened several deep cuts across the man’s chest.

The fight went on for quite some time; the hunters kept coming one after another, some using basic elemental magic while others relied on their swordsmanship.

They were all skilled, that was undeniable. They were trained specifically to kill nobles alongside their guards, ready to exploit any opening and strike without mercy.

But Adam was better. He had spent weeks training without rest, pushing his body to the limit, improving his mana control and refining his combat techniques.

He also knew how to fight dirty.

He grabbed a hunter by the head and smashed his face into his knee with a swift motion that knocked the man unconscious instantly.

Then he used the body as a human shield to block a barrage of rocks flying at high speed before throwing it toward another group of attackers.

He then dodged a slash aimed at his chest while simultaneously cutting the legs of another hunter who was trying to flank him from the left side.

A burst of fire grazed his arm, burning his skin, but Adam ignored the pain and countered by launching his own burst of fire that struck directly into the responsible mage’s face.

The fight continued escalating in intensity, but Adam could feel that he was gaining ground. The hunters were falling one by one under his attacks.

That was when he spotted the group’s leader.

He was standing far from the main fight, observing everything with his arms crossed and a calm expression behind his black mask that covered his entire face.

He was taller than the other hunters and wore light armor reinforced with metal plates at key points.

He hadn’t moved at all since the fight began.

He was only watching.

Adam frowned as he blocked another attack and broke the attacker’s arm before kicking him away.

’That must be the leader.’

He could sense that this man was different from the others. Stronger. Much stronger.

Adam finished off the last three hunters surrounding him with a brutal combination of mana-reinforced blows and precise cuts from his sword before finally having a moment to breathe.

He looked toward where Roderic was and saw that the soldier was still fighting bravely against several enemies at once, but he was clearly exhausted and wounded in multiple places.

That was when the leader moved.

He raised his right hand and the air around him began to distort as he focused an enormous amount of mana into a single point.

Adam tensed immediately, preparing to dodge or block whatever was coming.

The spell took shape; it was a massive, gleaming spear of ice floating in the air with shards of frost spinning around it.

’Here it comes.’ Adam thought as he reinforced his legs with mana, ready to move.The leader hurled the spear.

But not at Adam.

At Roderic.

Adam’s eyes widened as he realized too late. "RODERIC!"

The soldier turned his head just in time to see the ice spear pierce through his chest with a wet, sickening sound.

Time seemed to stop for a second.

Roderic looked down, seeing the ice protruding from his torso before his legs gave out and he fell to his knees on the ground.

The hunters surrounding him stepped aside, letting him fall forward as blood began to pool beneath him.

Adam simply stood there watching, clearly upset.

He hadn’t expected that man to launch such an attack at his soldier...

Roderic coughed up blood once more before his body stopped moving completely.

He had died.

The forest fell silent, save for the crackling of the fire consuming what remained of the carriage.Adam clenched his teeth tightly as he fixed his gaze on the leader.

Who finally spoke, his voice distorted by the mask. "You’re stronger than I expected, Adam."He slowly walked toward Adam as the remaining surviving hunters began to surround him once more, forming a circle.

Adam quickly counted them; there were ten in total, in addition to the leader.

At that moment, Nox appeared on his shoulder, growling threateningly at the enemies.

"This is about to get much better." Adam muttered as he held his sword with both hands and prepared to continue the fight.