Aquila glided silently through the sky, its wings slicing through the cool night air as Damien observed the woman below. She ran desperately, weaving between trees, her breath ragged from exhaustion.
Damien’s blue eyes remained locked on her as she moved, her frantic steps leaving a clear trail behind.
Over thirty minutes passed before she finally arrived at her destination.
A massive tree—easily the largest in the entire forest—stood towering before her. It was colossal, its trunk alone spanning at least fifty meters in width, its roots sprawling deep into the earth.
The upper branches stretched toward the sky like gnarled fingers, casting an eerie silhouette.
Lizella, seated in front of Damien atop Aquila, pointed at the enormous tree. “That’s one of their hideouts,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Damien glanced at her. “You sure?”
She nodded quickly. “Very much so. It’s not just a base—it connects to tunnels underground. This is where they keep most of their captives. There will be a lot of guards.”
Damien smirked. “Good.”
Lizella turned her gaze back to the tree, her brows furrowing. The woman they had been following had just vanished inside, slipping through an opening near the base of the trunk.
It became clear why she had fled here.
“She thinks she’s safe,” Damien muttered, reading Lizella’s thoughts.
The girl turned to him. “Well… isn’t she? That place is heavily guarded. You’ll be outnumbered.”
Damien gave her a side glance. “And?”
Lizella blinked. “And—wait, you’re going in alone?”
He slid off Aquila’s back, landing gracefully on the forest floor. “I’ll be fine.”
Lizella looked between him, the massive tree, and the gelatinous creature resting lazily on his head. Her lips parted as if to argue, but then she hesitated.
“…You’re serious.”
Damien smirked, stretching his arms. “Watch and learn.”
Before she could protest, he turned to Aquila. “Protect her,” he commanded.
The griffin let out a low, acknowledging cry before flapping its wings, taking Lizella back into the air to ensure she had a clear vantage point of what was about to happen.
As Aquila ascended, Lizella clutched the beast’s feathers tightly, her heart hammering in her chest.
She had only known Damien for slightly over thirty minutes, but something about him felt… different. His confidence wasn’t arrogance—it was something else. Something terrifyingly real.
And then it began.
Rooooooaaaar!!
A deep, guttural, feral sound that sent shivers down her spine.
The very air seemed to vibrate with the force of it.
It was a sound that didn’t belong to any ordinary beast—it was something more. Something monstrous.
Before she could process it, another roar followed, just as powerful, shaking the very ground beneath her.
Then, chaos.
“Ahhhhh!!”
“Stooop!!”
“My fucking legs!”
Screams.
Not just any screams—screams of agony.
Lizella’s eyes widened as she looked down from above.
The once-quiet forest now echoed with the wails of dying men.
Her breath hitched as she watched shadows move rapidly through the area. Even from her distance, she could see it.
It was Damien.
He had summoned more beasts.
From the darkness, two colossal figures tore through the guards stationed outside the massive tree base.
Fenrir, the Monstrous Wolf, moved with terrifying speed, its white fur fluttering with every of its move. It pounced on its first victim, its fangs sinking deep into the man’s throat, silencing him before he could scream.
Blood sprayed across the ground as Fenrir whipped around, striking another guard with its massive claws, sending him crashing into the tree trunk with a sickening crunch.
Beside Fenrir, another beast rampaged—the Three-Headed Hound, Cerbe.
Its three heads snapped and tore through flesh as it carved a path of carnage through the camp.
One head breathed dark flames, setting a portion of the base ablaze, while another ripped through the armored chest of a guard, leaving him lifeless in seconds.
Lizella could do nothing but stare in horror and awe.
This wasn’t just a battle.
This was a slaughter. A mass slaughter.
And Damien—he was at the center of it all.
He moved like a ghost, his blade flashing under the light as he cut down anyone in his path.
A guard rushed him from behind, swinging a heavy axe.
Without even turning, Damien ducked and twisted his body, dodging the strike effortlessly before driving his sword upward into the man’s ribs.
“Gaahh!” The guard let out a strangled gasp before Damien yanked the blade free and kicked his body aside.
Another came at him.
Damien didn’t slow.
He stepped forward, side-stepping the attacker’s clumsy strike before plunging his dagger straight into his throat.
Blood sprayed onto Damien’s face, but he barely seemed to notice.
It was as if he had done this a hundred times before.
Lizella’s fingers trembled as she watched the carnage unfold.
This was one man against an entire stronghold of criminals.
And yet…
They were the ones dying.
More guards rushed out from the tree base, drawn by the sounds of battle.
Damien smirked, calling out, “Fenrir!”
Roooar!!
A few dozen meters away, the monstrous wolf let out a sharp roar before bolting forward.
With its razor-sharp fangs and claws, it clawed through multiple guards at once, its beak snapping bones with each strike.
The battlefield was now drenched in blood, the once-proud hideout now littered with bodies.
The surviving guards, those who hadn’t been cut down within the first few minutes, hesitated.
Their weapons shook in their hands, their eyes darting between their fallen comrades and the unstoppable force before them.
Damien stood among the bodies, his expression unreadable, his blue eyes gleaming dangerously.
He took a step forward.
The remaining men—some hardened criminals, others no doubt seasoned fighters—turned and ran.
Not a single one stayed to fight.
Damien let out a slow exhale, watching as they disappeared into the forest. He could chase them down, but he wouldn’t.
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They would do the job for him.
They would run to the deeper hideouts, warning their allies of what had happened.
And he would follow.
Turning, he wiped the blood off his sword and walked toward Lizella, who remained where Aquila had left her. She stared at him with wide, unblinking eyes.
He smirked. “Not bad, right?”
She swallowed hard, looking at the absolute devastation he had left behind.
“…What are you?” she whispered.
Damien chuckled, sheathing his weapon. “Just a nobody.”
He reached out, ruffling her snow-white hair again before glancing at the now partially burned tree base.
“Time to move,” he said. “We have more rats to hunt inside here at first. We’ll let Fenrir and Cerbe deal with the ones that escaped.”
“Okay.” Lizella nodded, her body still processing everything she had just witnessed.
As he spoke the words, Fenrir and Cerbe sped into the forest immediately to finish off those who had escaped and probably follow them to other hideouts.