The scorching sun beat down mercilessly upon the desolate desert landscape, casting an oppressive heat over the small village that lay on the outskirts of the Red Storm Duchy, near the border of the Holy Kingdom and the kingdom of Netopia. The wind whispered through the barren dunes, carrying with it a gritty haze that swirled around Luke, who stood atop a sand-swept hill, overlooking the humble dwellings below. A cunning glimmer flickered in his eyes as he surveyed the surroundings. This village was called Emberbrook, and it was the hideout for the nefarious organization known as Dawn. Although Luke had already prepared a plan of attack with the church yesterday, he couldn't shake off the sense of foreboding that had settled within him. He suspected that the information was purposefully leaked by Dawn and that this setup was merely a trap, a ploy by the cunning members of Dawn to ensnare him. That was why, driven by his intuition, Luke decided to deviate from the original plan.

With all his strength, Aric charged forward and swung a powerful overhead blow at Luke's head.Swoosh!Luke swiftly ducked, evading the attack and retaliating with a lightning-fast thrust towards Aric's chest, who deflected the blow with a skillful parry, but the force of the impact pushed him back.Immediately, he jumped back a few steps and created some distance.Both Aric and Luke stood facing each other, their swords poised for battle.The tension between them was palpable as they locked eyes, finding a gap in each other's defenses to push through.With this small confrontation, Aric understood that Luke was more powerful than he had imagined, but he wasn't the least bit worried because this was all within his margin of error."I wouldn't have thought you would come to fight me alone; should I say you're brave or foolish?""...""It's commendable that even while being a Sword Master you're able to exert power compared to a Sword Grandmaster. However, if you think that it would be

For the first time, an absurd expression appeared on my face as I swore aloud."Shit!"Victor's and Aric's bodies were already looking like overinflated balloons.Faber and I were exhausted.The situation was serious.Suddenly, my mind started to think in an overclocked state, and a variety of ways came and went through my mind that could help me in the situation.At last, I found myself stuck between two choices: one was a 100% accurate solution but carried a great cost, while the other had almost no cost, but was something I had never tried.My brain said to choose the first option since this wasn't a situation to take a risk with my life, but my heart wanted to see and feel the thrill of the second choice.Nonetheless, I didn't waste time contemplating and hesitating because the moment these two options settled in my mind and heart, I decided to be open to both.'First, I will try the second, and if it doesn't work, I will activate the first option without hesitation,' which was to

Rihanna was born into a poor family and had to suffer quite a lot in her childhood. Her inner nature was quite rowdy and forthright in its expression, aggressive and unreserved in her use of profanity, abuse, and physical violence.But she had always acted innocent in front of me, ever since she had a crush on me as a child and found out that I was their benefactor. The way I treated her, even though I was a noble and she was a poor commoner, made me seem like a prince charming to her.Someone she had only heard about in stories. She was the polar opposite of Amelia, who was loud and brash on the outside but quiet and reserved on the inside.Anyway, since it was getting late, I didn't waste much time with her.After teasing her a bit more, reprimanding her for not being considerate of the surroundings when doing something, and talking to Faber about our future plans in Red Storm Territory, I took my leave and came back to where our people of Steelines and Church were.Soon, people f

Since Henry was with me from the beginning, I had already arranged everything.There wasn't much suspense or hesitation. I grabbed Daphne and took her to the basement of this house that was converted into a special medical facility.When we came down, from the outside of the room, through a glass panel, an old blonde man could be seen lying down on the bed with bandages covering his whole body.Henry was in such bad shape that he was barely recognizable, but Daphne had no trouble recognizing him.So, the moment I opened the doors."Father!"Daphne rushed towards the man in the medical room, and Henry's eyes widened with surprise and recognition.The sound of his daughter's voice had stirred him from his slumber. He struggled to sit up, his bandages shifting slightly as he moved."Daphne?" he uttered, his voice weak but filled with emotion. "Is that really you?"Daphne reached her father's side, tears streaming down her face. "Yes, Father, it's me. I've come to find you."Overwhelmed w