Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kael's silhouette became a series of flickering blurs. To the eye, it looked like he was in a dozen places at once.
In a single breath, every slave collar locked around the giant children's necks vanished. A heartbeat later, a massive heap of those same collars appeared exactly where Kael's clone had been standing.
The dark guild mages stared at the pile. When they noticed the frantic red lights blinking on the devices, their faces drained of color.
"No! Get back—!"
BOOM!
A violent explosion tore through the dungeon. A pillar of fire erupted, instantly swallowing the mages who hadn't been fast enough to flee.
The survivors finally snapped out of their shock.
"Dammit! The giant brats are breaking loose!"
"Kill the intruder!"
Thwip!
A kunai whistled through the air and punched cleanly through a mage's throat. He didn't even have time to scream before he toppled over the second-floor railing.
Kael didn't pause. He slipped into a cold, efficient rhythm—pure elimination. He moved through the dungeon like a ghost, cutting men down before they could even register his position.
"Use your magic, you idiots!"
someone shrieked.
Dozens of wands rose in unison.
"Fire!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of magic bolts rained down on Kael's last known position, shattering stone and blasting up a thick cloud of dust. The mages halted, panting, eyes scanning through the debris.
"Kael!"
Buri shouted, his heart dropping as he watched the spot where Kael had been standing get pulverized.
"Is he dead?"
one of the mages muttered, stepping forward.
But when the smoke thinned, the space was empty.
Clink. Clink. Clink.
Several kunai dropped from the shadows, landing in a perfect circle around the group.
The mages looked up—just in time to see Kael standing perfectly still, upside down on the ceiling.
"He's still alive! Aim up! Aim up!"
They scrambled to recharge their wands, but they were far too slow.
Flash!
Kael flickered.
He cut through the crowd like lightning, his blade a whisper in the dark.
Spurt!
Almost at the same instant, blood burst from the throats of fifty men. A grim, rhythmic series of thuds followed as bodies hit the floor—one after another—lifeless.
"Phew…"
Kael dropped lightly to the ground, letting out a long breath. Using Flying Thunder God at that frequency was draining. This was the first time he'd pushed it to this extreme.
The Fourth Hokage really was a monster, Kael thought. His control over formulas is on a completely different level.
He turned toward the children, ready to tell them it was over.
Instead, he met more than a hundred pairs of enormous, shining eyes.
"So… so… SO COOL!"
"That was amazing! Is that human magic?! It looked like he was teleporting!"
"Did you see that?!"
Buri shouted, puffing out his chest like a proud little rooster.
"That's Kael! I told you he was the strongest! I told you he'd save us!"
Kael couldn't help chuckling at the boy's enthusiasm.
"Alright, listen up,"
Kael said, voice firm.
"We're still in the Troll Capital. That explosion definitely alerted the guards. I'm getting you out right now. Everyone—huddle up and hold hands!"
"Okay!"
the children shouted in unison, obeying immediately.
Kael set a hand on Buri's shoulder. He channeled his chakra, letting it flow through Buri and into the others—linking them to his Flying Thunder God formula in a single chain.
The Troll Palace
In the main hall, the Troll King and a man known as Father Hurel were feasting on delicacies extorted from the Giant Kingdom.
"Hahaha! I never expected the King of Giants to be such a coward,"
the Troll King roared, tearing into a slab of meat.
"He sent all these supplies for a few measly runts. Next time, I'll demand ten times as much!"
Father Hurel, seated opposite him, wore a thin, knowing smile.
"By the way, Father Hurel,"
the Troll King said, greed flashing in his eyes,
"let me see that flute of yours. I've never heard of an artifact with such… interesting properties."
He wanted it. If he could control the giant children himself, he wouldn't need this human. The Giant Kingdom would become something he could squeeze at will.
Father Hurel saw through him instantly.
"It's not that I'm unwilling to show you, Your Majesty,"
he said smoothly.
"But the flute requires a specific type of wizard's mana to function. Without the proper magic power, it's just wood. Even if I handed it to you, you couldn't use it."
The Troll King's expression soured. He hated being told no.
Fine, he thought. I'll let you live—for now. But once I find a human wizard I can break, I'll take that flute from your cold, dead hands.
Father Hurel sneered inwardly. Trolls are greedy… and without magic, they're nothing but oversized fools.
Suddenly—
A massive explosion shook the palace.
"What was that?!"
the Troll King bellowed, springing up so violently his chair flipped backward.
A troll guard burst into the hall, trembling.
"Your Majesty! The underground prison—there's been an explosion!"
"The prison?!"
The Troll King's face went pale.
"The giant brats are in there! If they die, my leverage is gone! Get down there—now!"
Father Hurel's eyes narrowed. Those children were his most valuable assets. He followed close behind as the Troll King stormed toward the dungeon.
When they arrived, the scene was a nightmare.
The dark guild mages were dead—strewn across the floor like discarded dolls.
"Intruders!"
the Troll King roared.
But before he could take a step, a bright light flooded the room.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, every single giant child vanished.
"What?!"
the Troll King screamed, spinning in place.
"Where did they go?! Where are the brats?!"
Father Hurel's gaze sharpened as he spotted a lone figure standing in the center of the now-empty dungeon.
"A human… a wizard,"
Father Hurel hissed.
"Your Majesty—he's a spatial mage. He's the one who took them!"
The Troll King's face—already monstrous with tusks and blue-black skin—twisted into something demonic.
"You!"
he thundered at Kael.
"Where did you hide those brats?!"
Kael looked up, calm as ever, a faintly mocking smile on his face.
"Where do you think?"
he said.
"I sent them back where they belong."