Soldiers' let out cries of "Contact! Hostiles inbound!" The crackle of radios voices calling for reinforcements.
Bodies littered the ground, some bisected cleanly, others.
The air reeked of gunpowder, blood, and the earthy musk of disturbed soil.
Another individual emerged, leaning casually against the tree observing the scene.
He was tall and muscular, with stark white hair cropped short, piercing grey eyes, and an eye patch covering his left eye.
His dark coat bore the same Demon Cult logo, with "4th Commander" etched boldly across the back. Norzulm Stanislavovich—Nor, as he preferred—exuded quiet menace.
Floating beside him were a few small cubes, translucent and humming with faint white particles that drifted like snowflakes, hinting at his cubic manipulation powers.
"Quit it, Lily," Nor said, his voice a low growl as he pushed off the tree and walked past her, his boots crunching over fallen leaves and spent shell casings.
"We came here all the way to France to get 'that' artifact and revive Beelzebub. This isn't playtime—focus on the mission."
Lily dropped the soldier's head with a sigh, letting it roll into the puddle of blood.
She walk closer to him, her pointy fingers teasingly tracing in his muscular arm.
"Fine, fine, no need to be cold, kay'? Norzulm~" she purred, saying out his full name with mischievous voice.
Nor sighed, face-palming himself with his free hand while the other rested in his pocket.
"I told you to stop calling me Norzulm," he muttered.
Suddenly a barrage of gunshots fired—soldiers emerging from the bush, bullets streaking through the air.
Nor paused, unfazed. He raised his left wrist casually, the floating cubes beside him pulsing with energy.
"It's Nor." His hand moved swiftly, a blur of motion.
Each bullet was deflected mid-flight, compressed by his cubic power into harmless pellets that dropped to the ground.
The soldiers' faces twisted in disbelief, their assault faltering as Nor continued to walk forward.
Soldiers body turned into a cube with a snap of finger from Nor.
The 90-meter golem knelt.
A voice rumbled from its mouth—ancient, weary, yet filled with quiet gratitude.
"…I owe you my existence," the golem intoned, each word vibrating through the earth and up through the soles of anyone standing nearby.
"You two… the pink-haired one and the white-haired man…."
"Without your intervention, I would have been shattered and scattered into pieces. For that, you have my eternal thanks."
Norzulm stood a short distance away, arms crossed, his white hair catching the dying sunlight.
His eye patch hid his left eye, but the visible grey one remained cool and detached.
The small translucent cubes floating beside him spun lazily, reflecting the amber light.
He gave a small, almost bored shrug. "Don't mention it, mountain. We had our reasons."
Lily, perched cheerfully on a fallen log, swung her legs like a child.
Her pink hair bounced as she grinned, the hooded ghost with glowing green eyes twirling playfully around her shoulders.
"Hehe~! You're welcome, big rocky friend! We couldn't just let those noisy sky machines turn you into gravel, right? Besides, you're kinda cute when you're not stomping everything flat!"
The golem gave a low, rumbling chuckle that sounded like boulders shifting in a landslide
"Cute… It has been many centuries since anyone called me that."
Before the moment could settle, a streak of motion exploded from the above the Golem.
"Found you, humans!"
A silver-haired elf in forest-green leathers and a flowing cloak dropped from the trees, dual blades drawn with enchanted light magic.
He ran from the golem's back body while he knelt.
His emerald eyes burned with excitement. "Take this—!" He leaped through the air with his dual blade raised preparing to strike Nor.
Three Seconds Later...
The elf—Sylas Thornwhisper—now tied upside-down from a sturdy oak branch about thirty meters away,
His twin blades lay scattered on the ground.
One of Norzulm's small white cubes floated beside him, spinning slowly.
"Wha—HEY! This isn't funny, you floating rock!" Sylas yelled, thrashing wildly.
The vines only tightened in response, hoisting him a little higher.
"Let me down! I was just testing him! Who even are you people?! I thought they were enemies and you!" He turned his head towards Nor.
"Call off your stupid cubes!"
The golem slowly raised its massive head, Its voice rumbled with fond exasperation.
"Sylas… my reckless old friend. You never learn, do you?"
Sylas stopped struggling for a moment, upside-down face flushing with a mix of embarrassment and nostalgia.
"Nemog! We've been friends for like what? twenty-three years? Help me and release me!
"Look, the forest is dying, it's because those filthy humans keep invading and I need your help!
"One good rampage through Rennes—just enough to scare them back! We used to tear armies together, come on!"
The golem shook its colossal head oncee slowly
The motion sent a small cascade of pebbles and moss tumbling from its shoulders like a gentle rockslide.
"I am sorry, Sylas," it rumbled, the sadness in its ancient voice unmistakable.
"I will not harm the innocent again. These two… they saved me, they're not enemies. I will protect, not destroy."
Sylas groaned dramatically, still hanging like laundry on a line.
"You're kidding me. You're going soft because of two random weirdos you just met?"
He never finished his sentence.
A new presence appeared lunging at the Golem preparing to strike its target with his dual massive sword.
Mid-S Rank adventurer in gleaming silver plate armor with a flowing crimson cape launched from the treeline at blinding speed.
His massive two-handed greatsword was already raised high above his head, the blade glowing with concentrated cutting mana that left a trail of light in the air.
His face was set in grim determination, eyes locked on the kneeling golem's exposed neck.
"Nothing but opening! I'll be taking this monster's head!" he yelled.
The sword descended in a perfect, lethal arc, the air screaming in protest as the high-speed strike hurtled straight toward the golem's neck.
"You associations pig will really never make us rest huh?" Nor muttered.