They reappeared outside the giant castle, stumbling against the cold stone courtyard.
"W-What the—?!" Calus shouted.
"Weren't we just inside?"
"Is this some kind of skill?" Darius growled.
The third assassin trembled.
"No… no one used anything like that… I didn't even sense a cast."
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
A figure slowly descended from above.
Rowan landed calmly on the ground, aura swirling like a storm held tightly inside a glass.
"You three caused enough problems," he said softly. "Now… you'll pay the price."
Darius scoffed.
"Oh? The kid wants to play hero? Go back to your mommy. Unless we kill you."
Calus laughed.
"She wanted everyone inside dead—including him. So he dies too."
But the laughter died.
Their bodies began to shake uncontrollably.
"What… what is this…?"
"Why can't I move…?"
"My legs… my arms… my chest…!?"
The fear hit them like a hammer.
This kid… this pressure… it's not human.
Why can't I breathe?!
They couldn't even speak.
Rowan exhaled slowly.
"You guys are going to die anyway. Since you said you were going to kill me… let me not be the one to kill you first."
As he released his breath, the assassins' bodies loosened—they could finally move again.
"Hey… was it this little brat who did that to us?" Calus said, trembling. "He's emitting a lot of energy. We still can't move properly."
"It's strange," Darius muttered. "He has a terrifying aura. He might not even be a kid… he might be something else."
The assassin standing further back swallowed hard as he watched Rowan.
This kid… this kid is something else. It felt like he was about to kill us without even moving. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. How…? he thought anxiously.
"Tch. Let me just take him out."
Darius raised his sword as energy flared around him.
"Skill—activate!" he shouted as his body glowed. "Physical Enhancement!"
Darius dashed toward Rowan with full force.
Rowan calmly lifted his right hand.
A dead knight lay nearby with a sword still in its hand. The sword suddenly tore free, flew through the air, and landed perfectly in Rowan's grasp—just in time to block Darius's strike.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Darius attacked again and again—fast, heavy, relentless.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Steel rang with every blow.
"What the hell?!" Darius jumped back. "How?! He blocked all of that—I was using my full power! He wasn't even parrying properly… it was like my strength didn't matter!"
He glared at the sword Rowan held.
"And that sword—it's junk! A dead knight's blade should snap instantly. I hit it at least forty times… and it didn't break?!"
Rowan lowered the sword slightly, unimpressed.
"Are you done talking?" he asked calmly. "Because if you're not, then listen carefully… the moment I move from this spot, your head will be on the ground."
He raised the sword.
"And another thing— a sword's power isn't determined by you. It depends on the swordsman holding it. You think this blade is weak?"
He tilted his head.
"If I wanted to cut your giant sword in half, I could do it anytime."
"What do you think you are, you brat?!" Calus shouted as white light burst from his body—his Physical Enhancement skill activating.
He dashed toward Rowan, incredibly fast, his sword slicing at blinding speed.
But Rowan blocked every blow easily.
He wasn't even moving his feet.
Only his arm shifted, deflecting every strike with calm precision—effortless.
Calus jumped back, shock flashing in his eyes.
"Something is wrong… I—I'm out of here! You two deal with him while I escape!" he yelled.
The assassin turned to run too—but froze.
"What—?! My legs… I can't move! What is this?!" the assassin yelled in fear.
"Hey, you planning to leave us here to die?" Darius snarled. "This kid is trouble. No… calling him a kid isn't right. I don't think he's even human."
Rowan looked at them, expression flat and cold.
"Think whatever you like," Rowan said. "But if that's your full power… then be prepared to die.
You're all weak."
Rowan sensed a tiny presence behind him—light, trembling, familiar.
That was when he heard a small voice.
"Hey! How are you… doing that?!"
Velqira stood behind him, eyes wide with disbelief—not fear.
Her tears had dried.
She stared at Rowan—someone her age—blocking fully-grown warriors like they were nothing.
Rowan's eyes widened slightly.
"What are you doing here?!" he snapped. "Go! This place isn't safe!"
"What? What do you mea—"
Before she could finish, Darius grinned and stretched out his hand.
A glowing rope of energy shot from his palm—
ZWHIP!
It wrapped around Velqira's body and yanked her straight into his grasp.
She gasped as the rope tightened around her neck.
"Oh? So you do know each other," Darius smirked. "Pretend to be a kid all you want—but it looks like you're attached to this girl."