The leader of the fallen stood dumbfounded, fingers drumming furiously against his sword hilt as he stared at the carnage.
The archer trembled, his bow slipping from his sweaty hands. "H-Hey boss… I don't think we can beat that monster." He turned tail, vanishing into the dense forest.
"Fuck! Where do you think you're going, YOU BASTARD!" The leader roared.
He dragged his blade through the dirt as he readied himself.
Hyun-woo finally raised his sword. "Did you think you could handle me with just 12 men?"
"Shut your mouth. They were just bait in the first place," the leader spat, fury evident on his face.
Only one figure remained beside him, cloaked in black, gold engravings glinting faintly along the hem. They whispered something to the leader, too soft for Hyun-woo to catch, but the apparent boss paid close attention.
So he's not the one in charge, Hyun-woo realized, his grip tightening on the hilt.
The leader charged, his heavy blade cutting through the air with great force. He was relatively fast considering how weighty a sword he had but it was no trouble for Hyun-woo.
Their swords met head-on.
Steel clashed, reverberating through the quiet forest. A gust of air dispersed outwards.
He's stronger than the others but still weak. The first thought that came to mind after clashing swords.
Hyun-woo overpowered the iron-clad man with pure strength, sending him stumbling back a moment after the impact.
Anyone with half a brain could tell that he only ever used overbearing strength to dominate against his much weaker opponents.
"You think you're so great because you defeated some worthless men?" The fallen leader clenched his sword tighter. The realization slowly kicking in that his opponent is simply too strong for him to beat.
Hyun-woo saw no point in answering. A man who couldn't see his own failures and evil didn't deserve words.
After a few more collisions, the armoured brute started slowly getting exhausted. His movements, desperate and sluggish.
The leader screamed as his sword finally flew out of his hands, skidding across the dirt with a dull, gritty scraping sound.
Hyun-woo's next strikes didn't need steel. His fist crashed into the man's chestplate, caving the metal inwards. The sheer force threw him back a fair distance before he slammed against a tree and crumpled to the ground, panting for air in excruciating pain.
Hyun-woo approached calmly, intent on ending this fight once and for all. "It was only a matter of time before your actions came back to haunt you."
The ring-leader on his last legs tried raising his hands in defence, trembling.
"S-Stay back! What are you planning on doing?"
Hyun-woo grabbed one of his arms and twisted. A loud crack tore through the noiseless surrounding. The leader howled, tears slipped down the sides of his face.
"This is the price of your arrogance," he said as he did the same to the other one.
"You made your choice and the outcome is up to me." These were the last words the leader heard as he fell unconscious due to the extreme pain.
Jin-soo too was a warm-hearted man like Hyun-woo but if they showed weakness in this cruel world, they would get eaten up by the hardships they face.
Broken from his own decisions, the once conceited iron-clad man laid still. He could only regret his own deeds which had brought him to this point.
The battle, however, was not over yet. There was still one person left who hadn't joined the fight even after all that had happened.
Faint footsteps came from the stranger who had been silent this whole time, her presence calm and unthreatening. They didn't intend to fight, at least not now.
The gold-lined fabric shimmered faintly in the dim light as the sun almost set. They lowered their hood and revealed who they were.
Sharp silver-white hair, sitting just above her shoulders, the ends fading into streaks of deep violet framed her face. The contrast between the pale strands and the violet tips looked absolutely stunning like she was born with them.
Her face was flawless, well-defined yet gentle, with eyes that gleamed a hue of violet matching her hair. A few tattoos traced along her skin giving her an ethereal look.
For a moment, Hyun-woo and Jin-soo simply stared.
"So, what's your deal?" asked Hyun-woo. His sword again in the palm of his hands, wary of someone unknown.
She walked towards Hyun-woo and stopped after she got a little closer.
"You're interesting."
"Interesting isn't always a good thing."
"True." Her violet eyes glimmered in the twilight.
Jin-soo shifted his stance, stepping closer to Hyun-woo. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Hmm. It's no fun if I tell you everything. I also don't know anything about you two." She smiled. "If you are able to survive, then maybe we'll meet again."
She wandered off to the forest fading into the trees without waiting for a reply.
Hyun-woo was slightly confused at what had just happened.
"People like them always end up being trouble. Let's try to stay as far from her as we can."
"Yeah," Jin-soo replied quietly. "Pretty sure people like her don't pop up out of nowhere."
In the tower, it was always smart not to piss off people you didn't understand. After all, it was a dangerous place filled with dangerous people.
Hyun-woo watched the forest where she vanished.
There was no mention of anyone like her in TTC (The Tower of Chaos). …Regardless, I can tell she's special.