Unexpected Strikes

"It's no use," Cindy said with a long sigh. "You haven't mastered a single magic, honey. As for Ryvel, he's already mastered second-level magic."

Cindy accompanied Mathias as they left the Art Building where the Sami taught the younger generation the skills to become a knight, swordsman, archer, or mage.

"Thank you," Mathias tried to bring his lips to Cindy's.

However, the girl did not seem to be in a good mood and moved away from his lips. The man sighed softly.

"Try harder," Cindy sighed deeply.

The next second, the carriage moved under the watchful eye of a coachman, carrying Cindy away from Mathias' presence.

"Trust me, sweetheart," Mathias murmured. "I've tried as well and as hard as I could..."

"Mathias!" an 18-year-old girl ran out of the house. "You're home!"

Mathias smiled widely. The bruises on his face he didn't care about at all. He welcomed the hug of the girl who was his sister.

And that girl was the only reason why Mathias didn't want to leave the Land of Purbha forever. Because she was the only relative he still had.

"You fought again?"

Mathias just shrugged and tilted his head slightly. "Not a new thing."

"Alright, forget it," the girl smiled. "Come on, I've cooked your favorite meal!"

Mathias sat nicely at the dining table while his sister served the food that was still steaming.

"I hate being around them!"

The girl smiled. She hugged Mathias from behind, kissed his cheek, and then sat on his left.

"The art of being a warrior?" Mathias snorted softly. "Yeah, right. Such a pain in the ass!"

"Just because you haven't mastered a single art yet," the younger sister said, "that doesn't mean you're incapable, Brother. I believe you'll become one of this country's greatest warriors one day."

The 18-year-old girl handed her older brother a few slices of meat, vegetables, and a small bowl of soup.

"Besides," she continued, "this has been the rule of the kingdom ever since the Demon Army attacked people. Everyone must be able to master one of the arts."

Mathias could only let out a long sigh. After all, he hated the taunt after taunt thrown at him. In short, there wasn't a day that went by that he didn't receive an insult, no matter who it was from.

As for his sister, the girl was an exception because she had a disease that made her body weak if she had to do strenuous things, and training to become a warrior was not an easy matter.

"Let's eat, Big Brother," the girl grasped her brother's hand tightly.

"Hmm, this is delicious, Alie. You're getting better at cooking!"

The girl smiled. "Eat a lot!"

As the two were enjoying their lunch, Mathias and Alicia could both feel an unusual vibration that made the tableware sway.

Alicia looked worriedly at her elder brother.

"Did you feel that?"

The girl gulped and nodded.

Just a moment, and the unusual vibrations returned, even more intense and stronger.

"Mathias―"

"Come on!" Mathias left the dining table, grabbing his sister's hand.

Just as they reached the front room, Alicia was already squealing hysterically as the dining room they had just left was lifted high and shattered.

Mathias was also in great anxiety and his anxiety was for his sister's safety.

"Brother!"

"Out!" cried Mathias. "We have to get out, Alie!"

Crash!

Mathias managed to get his little sister out of the house just before their only home was torn apart by the fury of one huge, monstrous creature.

Both of them rolled on the ground. Mathias gulped and stared at the creature whose body was covered in large spines.

"Spiny Serpent!" he muttered with trembling lips.

Groar!

Not waiting to become a victim of the ferocious long-bodied creature, Mathias got up quickly and carried his sister away.

Not only did this happen to Mathias and Alicia, but almost all the houses, cattle pens, and other buildings in the small village were destroyed by a variety of large, terrifying creatures.

From creeping, legless creatures like the Spiny Serpent that destroyed Mathias and Alicia's house to winged creatures with fire blasting from their mouths, like wyverns and dragons.

People were running here and there to save themselves, and others were trying to fight back with their skills.

Mathias wanted to do something. Unfortunately, he was no good at fighting with such creatures as he had not mastered a single art so far.

So, all he could do was keep running and carry his pale and frightened sister away.

Explosion after explosion created destruction here and there. The roar after roar from the creatures that were the Demon Army only added to the death screams of the helpless residents.

Lifeless and even severed bodies lay here and there.

While trying to get out of the killing field, Mathias noticed two things about the Demon Army that had ravaged his village.

The first was a hooded figure sitting atop a six-tusked white elephant. The elephant itself was almost three times larger than a typical adult elephant. All six tusks were long and curved.

The second thing that struck him as odd was the fact that the eyes of each of the monstrous creatures were equally red, like the glow of fireflies, as if the eyes of the creatures in the Demon Army were on fire.

But Mathias was pretty sure that the creatures were controlled by someone with great power. And that someone was the one sitting on the giant White Elephant there.

"Mathias!" Alicia screamed as her foot tripped and caused her to fall to the ground.

"Alie―"

Mathias widened his eyes as he was about to help his sister up but a fireball thrown by a winged dragon was aimed at them.

Not knowing what to do in such a precarious situation, Mathias turned his body into a shield for his sister.

He hugged Alicia tightly, his back to the fireball that was rolling towards them.

Whoosh!

Thump!