The sound of stomping and moving caravan wheels were the only things breaking the silence. A group of five soldiers, clad in light iron armor, sat in the large cart. One of them sat comfortably, a smile on his face, while another inspected his triangular iron shield. The others stared downward, their expressions heavy as if they had just emerged from a bloody battle.

  Philip, a brown-haired soldier sitting at the very back, stared at the wooden floor, his brown eyes wide with shock. His expression hadn't changed since the first drop of blood had been spilled in the village of Sora. The screams of innocent people still echoed in his ears, as if the massacre that had taken place weeks ago had occurred only minutes before.

  An older black-haired soldier, seated across from Philip, was polishing his shield with keen attention. His head remained tilted downward, focusing on the shield, but his eyes glanced up at the young man. In a voice reminiscent of a commoner father's gentle tone, he casually asked, "You alright, kid?"

  The young Philip didn't respond. He continued to stare at the floor like a person who had just experienced trauma. The soldier, knowing this was the answer he'd get, looked back at his shield and continued to inspect and polish it. The silence continued for a few more seconds until the soldier said, “The nobles that serve the Oracle told us a snitch reported that the villagers are demon followers. As much as they look human, they’re most likely pretending to be innocent until the time is right.”

  Philip struggled to maintain his composure, his eyes quivering as the haunting echoes of men, women, and children's screams reverberated in his mind. "B-but," he stammered, fighting through the trauma, "this can't be right. There were children. How can anyone in their right mind kill them? T-this isn't right at all!" The words tumbled out in desperation, as he tried to keep a grip on his own sanity.

  The clanking of metal echoed from the soldier's right side, drawing his attention. He glanced over and saw another comrade, next to him, almost completely overtaken by trauma, wearing a grim expression. Of the other two soldiers nearby, one smiled and giggled to himself as he admired an expensive-looking ring on his right middle finger, seemingly unfazed by the recent events. In contrast, the other soldier, next to Philip, stared downward with lifeless eyes, his armor still stained with the blood of women and children.

  The first soldier sighed and turned his gaze back to Philip before responding, "Look, kid, as much as it’s wrong to kill innocent lives, we can’t disobey the commands of the nobles. It’s either us or them at that point. And besides, they protected a demi-human. No matter what we do, they’ll order us to kill them.”

  "How can you be fine with this?" Philip gritted his teeth, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the soldier. "Are you really that fine with taking other lives?" His voice hinted at the rage he felt as the soldier nonchalantly returned to examining his shield, gazing at his own reflection.

  "No," the soldier replied, his eyes weary. "It's because I don't have a choice."

  Philip's eyes widened at the soldier's response, who continued, "I used to be a slave. I worked and got beaten day in and day out. And to make it worse, I became one to pay off the debt I had, so my wife and child would have enough money to continue on without me." The soldier then looked at Philip, challenging him, "There, are you satisfied with that answer?"

  Philip looked back down, feeling defeated. The soldier noticed and spoke up. "I'll sympathize with you. Even I think this is wrong. No matter how you look at it, killing people isn't right. So how about this? Let's forget that we've talked about this and move on to a different topic." The soldier reached out a hand, "Deal?"

  Philip looked back with a weak smile and shook the soldier's hand, "Deal."

  The soldier smiled, "By the way, my name's Jason. What's yours?"

  "Philip," he responded, sounding a little brighter than before. "Nice to meet you, Jason."

  "Alright," Jason glanced back down at his shield, searching for a good topic before looking up and asking, "Have you heard about the White Death?"

  "White Death?" Philip furrowed his brow in confusion, "Are they some kind of legendary knight?"

  "Oi, you've never heard of him? Do you even know what the God Named are?"

  Philip nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I know about the God Named, but this is the first time I've heard of one called the White Death."

  "Damn, the story must be getting really old if youngsters like you don't know about him," Jason shook his head.

  "Who is the White Death?" Philip asked, curious about why this figure was so important.

  "Have you at least heard of the Fallen Age?"

  "When both the human kingdom and the demon empire fell?" Philip replied.

  "Then you know the White Death is the reason for it, right?"

  "W-wait, are you saying the White Death alone brought two dominant sides to ruin?"

  The sound of giggling caught Philip's and Jason's attention. They turned to see the man on Philip's left, still admiring his ring and chuckling. The man looked at them with a dismissive expression, clearly not considering them as equals. "You really think a single person can do all that?" he scoffed. "You speak of fairy tales. The White Death was just a man who took advantage of all the mana cores he had. He forced people to give him mana so he could match both the Oracle and the Demon King. Nothing more than a fraud."

  Jason closed his eyes and sighed, then turned to the man with a sad look. "I knew you knew nothing the moment you opened your damn mouth. First off, he wasn't a normal man. He faced five other God Nameds and killed them all by himself. People who could destroy mountains."

  The man laughed out loud. He stood up and walked over to Jason, looking down at him condescendingly. "My name is Parasal, and I believe you don't know anything, commoner. The White Death is just a story. A false tale about how a man went on a rampage and killed everything in his path. Killing and taking millions of lives that wronged him. No man like that ever existed."

  Jason stood up and got up to Parasal's face, "And I believe you don't know anything, know-it-all. The White Death existed and is still remembered by nobles and demon leaders. It's just that a small fry like you can't stand being lesser than others."

  Parasal lifted his hand, the gold ring on his middle finger catching Jason’s eyes. "See this ring? This already proves that I'm far above the likes of you and that so-called White Death. With this mana core, I am equal to a God Named. So a lesser being like you should—"

  "Then tell me, oh high and mighty know-it-all," Jason interrupted, "What happens when we remove that ring of yours? What happens, then? Oh wait, you become a lesser being. Oh, the tragedy! How can such an obvious tale happen!"

  Parasal grabbed Jason's throat in a flash and lifted him into the air. The green jewel in his ring glowed. "And you know what else is an obvious tale?" The man tightened his grip, "How about… your death?"

  Jason smiles, “Do it then, know-it-all.”

  Philip was about to stand up and intervene when suddenly, the sound of an earth-shattering explosion echoed from behind the caravan. The vehicle shook from the tremors, and everyone inside looked around in panic. Startled, Parasal released Jason, who gasped for air, no longer being strangled.

  Parasal pulled back the curtains at the rear of the caravan, revealing the scene outside. An open plain stretched before them, marred by a small, recently formed crater. A large cloud of dirt billowed into the air.

  Shouts and confusion erupted from the caravans ahead as people scrambled and darted around, trying to understand the situation. Parasal leaped down from the caravan and strode forward to confront whatever had caused the sudden crater. Philip, Jason, and two other soldiers followed suit, quickly joined by thirty more.

  Parasal approached the crater closer than anyone else, his gaze fixed on the rising cloud of dirt. His eyes glimmered green, and through the haze, he spotted a figure emerging from the small crater. Parasal drew his sword with swift determination and readied himself for whatever lay ahead.

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  Parasal's expression shifted to shock as the figure emerged from the cloud, only to be replaced by his usual grin. A small demi-human fox child, clad in ragged clothes, with chained ankles and a small knife, stepped out. Parasal recognized the child and taunted, "Oh, look who's back! The demonic coward! You sure gave us a hard time when those nobodies failed to catch you! Especially for me, since you stole something valuable! But here you are! Using the exact valuable, we spent so much time keeping safe! But sadly for you, you're facing me—"

  "This is truly troublesome," Adam interrupted, looking down at the large bracelet on his right hand. Tears streamed down his face, and he gritted his teeth. "I thought I couldn't feel this pain anymore. I've lost count of the times I've lost someone like this. It reached a point where tears stopped flowing. I lost so many friends and family that I became numb, immune. Even after spending a long time with them, when I lost them, instead of crying, I told myself it was bound to happen eventually."

  Parasal looked confused as Adam continued, "Have you gone insane? What are you talking about—"

  "And yet, here I am, repeating the same mistakes from my past life," Adam said, taking a deep breath. "I thought I could finally rest in peace and have one last look at my best friend's face. But the divine decided to bring me back to this cursed existence. I'd try to venture forth and discover why they reawakened me. But this pain... I can't even think straight."

  Adam placed his right hand on his chest, giving everyone a clear view of the bracelet. "That's why I'll do what I know best when dealing with sorrow." A white aura began outlining Adam's body, visible only to Parasal.

  "I'm sorry," Adam said. He looks up at everyone before him with bloodshot eyes, "But you all die here."

  Parasal's ring glowed bright green, and a green aura enveloped his body. He charged at Adam with explosive speed, breaking the sound barrier as he yelled, "You sure talk big! As if an inexperienced mana user like you could ever beat me—"

  But before Parasal could register what happened, a sword of pure white light formed at Adam's right side. He seized it with his right hand and moved so fast that he became practically invisible. In an instant, Adam stood behind Parasal, his sword positioned as if he had swung it.

  "Eh?" was the last word Parasal uttered before exploding into a gory mess. Organs, bone, and flesh rained down on Adam, turning his silver-white hair blood red.

  "Imbecile," Adam said emotionlessly to the now-dead Parasal behind him. He turned to the group in front of him, his eyes devoid of light, and advanced with his white light sword. Blood dripped onto the sword and immediately evaporated into nothing.

  It was at that single moment when that bloodlet of blood hissed into nothingness that everything went into chaos. Many knights ran for their lives from the horrific entity that approached them. Adam leaned forward and charged at the knights with blinding speed. The earth shatters from his movement. Jason leaped in front of Philip, holding his shield before him. "Philip! Get behind me—"

  Before Jason could finish his sentence, he was launched into the air. In the blink of an eye, he and his shield were vertically bisected, his insides gruesomely exposed to Philip before exploding, coating Philip's face in red. Philip fell onto his backside, staring up in confusion.

  "Huh?" is all Philip managed to say as he witnessed the horror before him. Adam appeared instantly before him, his sword raised as Philip stared into his eyes and faced his impending doom. But the moment he does so, Adam's expression shifts to shock. He lowers his blade and gazes into Philip's eyes.

  In a commanding voice, Adam whispers, "Run."

  Philip could only widen his eyes in response. Adam turns toward five soldiers sprinting away, positioning his sword for a horizontal swing. He swings, and the sword extends to an outrageous length. The fleeing soldiers are sliced in half, their entrails and blood spilling onto the ground.

  Witnessing this gruesome display, Philip scrambles and flees for his life. Adam watches as Philip runs and murmurs, "To think there was still a pure soul here."

  Something catches Adam's attention, and he turns toward a carriage at the front of the caravan line. His eyes narrow as he studies it and mutters, "Despicable."

  Philip runs for his life, his mind screaming to keep moving. As he runs, a sudden bright yellow light envelops the area behind him. Philip turns and sees a massive yellow arrow, the size of his entire body, hurtling toward him. He watches his impending doom approach, but before it can strike, Adam materializes before him, clashing against the arrow. With a powerful swing, Adam deflects the arrow, sending it skyward. It soars high into the air before exploding within a large cloud, instantly clearing it away. A swirling ball of pure yellow light mana lingers in its place.

  Philip stands frozen in fear. Knowing this, Adam's urgent shouts bring him back to reality. "You hear me, child? Run!" With renewed urgency, Philip takes off, again running for his life.

  Adam watches as Philip disappears into the distance before a familiar yet alien voice echoes in his head. "How disappointing." Adam's eyes widen as a brief memory surfaces: another child, a prisoner alongside Yue, his head severed for trying to protect him from the brutal beatings of the other knights.

  This man. This man was responsible for it all!

  Rage boils inside Adam as he grits his teeth and turns to the carriage, now with a gaping hole in its side. A man steps out and approaches Adam, stopping at a comfortable distance. In a cold, calculated tone, the man speaks, "To think I couldn't kill a coward who runs from battle. Letting him live will be a dishonor to the Oracle's name."

  The man in front of him is what you’d expect to see as a commanding officer. The commanding officer stood tall and imposing, clad in an impressive suit of heavy medieval silver armor. This knight was covered from head to toe in expertly crafted metal plates, each piece meticulously shaped to fit the officer's body perfectly. The gleaming silver hue of the armor reflected the light, creating an aura of authority and power around him along with blue cape hovering along with the wind. In his hands, the officer carried a massive sword, its blade polished to a mirror sheen. The weapon was both an instrument of war and a symbol of his authority.

  The soldiers who had been fleeing rallied behind the commander, their confidence restored now that their leader had arrived to assist them. "I see you've dealt with Parasal," the officer muttered as he glanced at the man's remains, now reduced to a crimson mist. "How unbecoming of a noble's child."

  Adam didn't hear him. Rage consumed him as more memories flooded his mind - memories of people dying left and right, people whom Yue had loved and cherished for months, taken by the hands of this commander alone.

  The aura outlining Adam's body began to spike outward uncontrollably, and his sword of light grew increasingly unstable, its form shifting and changing rapidly. Rocks around him floated upwards, and the ground trembled as if in the grip of a small earthquake. The jewel in the center of his bracelet shone brighter, almost blinding in intensity.

  The faces of the soldiers behind the commander shifted from confidence to terror as the child before them grew more and more monstrous by the second.

  "Oh? You have an unnatural degree of mana control for a juvenile demon." Yellow mana outlined the knight's body before exploding outward, spiking much like Adam's. As the commander raised his sword in a downward swing position, the blade began to glow increasingly brighter with yellow light. "I shall face you with my own mana."

  The mana radiating from the two combatants grew denser, their colors becoming more prominent by the second. Fearful soldiers stared, some even collapsing to their knees, as they watched two monstrous figures prepare for battle.

  However, with each passing second, the commander's confident expression gradually faded as the child continued to demand more mana. "T-this child, how is he able to control this much mana!?"

  The commander's mana stopped growing, not due to fear but because he had reached his limit. He watched in shock and horror as Adam's mana continued to expand, enveloping his own.

  The bracelet on Adam's hand vibrated violently, struggling to meet its user's demands. Suddenly, large orbs of dense elements materialized around Adam - fire, air, lightning, water - as his mana continued to grow. Earth, ice, and metal spikes rose up, encircling him like a fortress.

  The colors of every element surrounding Adam turned white. His aura began to grow so dense that even ordinary soldiers who couldn't see mana could perceive it clearly. The mana began to take on the form of armor, but the bracelet's limitations prevented it from fully manifesting.

  Simultaneously, the mana around Adam's head shifted and morphed into a large, ferocious fox head with dagger-sharp teeth. As the transformation ceased, the fox opened its maw and let out a chilling scream - a war cry that melded the voices of both man and beast. Then, as if in a blink of an eye, his sword of light instantly grew ten times larger.

  “RAHHHHHHHHHH!”

  The orbs of elements around Adam suddenly fired off like enormous lasers, vaporizing many soldiers caught in their path. The faces of the survivors twisted in horror as they witnessed their comrades meet gruesome ends, leaving behind only enormous holes. Panic-stricken, they sprinted in the opposite direction, screaming and crying in terror.

  The commander, tears of fear streaming down his face, screamed and swung his sword downward, unleashing a massive wall of yellow mana toward Adam.

  In response, Adam gripped his gigantic sword with both hands and executed a diagonal slash from upper right to lower left. An even larger wall of energy, five times the size of the commander's, hurtled straight toward him. Adam's attack completely overwhelmed the commander, and in an instant, the man was vaporized. The fleeing soldiers were also caught in the crossfire, erased from existence in the blink of an eye.

  The wall of white light continued its relentless advance, obliterating everything in its path. The forest that once stood in its way and the countless animals that called it home were erased. Unstoppable, the wall of energy surged toward a mountain and tore through it without hesitation.

  For a brief moment, the mountain remained still. Then, its top half slid downward to the left, eventually crashing to the earth with a tremendous explosion that shook the land.

  At that moment, numerous individuals throughout the continent of Orstria abruptly turned their heads in the direction of Adam's location. Shock filled their expressions as they sensed the sudden appearance of an ancient, powerful mana.

  The Demon King, seated upon his throne, lifted his head slightly. He sat there, frozen for a moment, before murmuring to himself, "The... White Death?"

  Exhausted, Adam dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. He had nearly depleted both his own mana and that of the core. Looking up at the destroyed mountain, he muttered to himself in frustration, "Now I've done it."