Dirk overlooked the bandit he had taken hostage. After taking his mask and hood off, this bandit looked to be a normal boy in his early 20s. But Dirk felt no sympathy seeing this young face. No matter who it was, in this moment right now, Dirk was as cold as cold gets.

He bent down to the same level as the bandit who laid against a tree. This bandit had already been wounded, stabbed through the leg and unable to even walk. He groaned in pain, but in the presence of this monstrous kid who slaughtered half his bandit group, he was stifled with fear.

"Who sent you?"

Dirk finally asked. Hearing him, the bandit shivered a bit.

"Our... our leader."

"No, I know your leader launched the attack. I want to know, who sent your leader? Think very carefully about anybody new you saw in recent days."

"I-I..."

The bandit was panic stricken as Dirk raised his knife. His mind worked exceptionally quick.

"I think there was a man. We had never seen him before last night."

"And?"

"And... he..."

The bandit stumbled in his words as Dirk's knife traced the wound on his leg. A single twitch, and who knew what Dirk would do to him.

However, before the bandit could respond, Dirk suddenly felt a chill crawl up his back. Out of nowhere, he threw his body backward.

Just as he moved, an arrow of darkness sailed over. It instantly pierced the bandit's chest, impaling his heart. The bandit froze, and then, black flames lit up around his body.

"AGGHH!!"

The bandit boy bellowed miserably, bearing untold pain. Then, his body exploded. Dirk jumped backward once more, avoiding the dark flames that spread out.

"Who is it?!"

With an exploding rage, Dirk flipped around. His eyes rapidly scanned the entire forest around him. Then, in the corner of his eye, he saw a small distortion.

Not even Dirk's AI picked this up before he did. That's because this distortion came from dark mana. Dirk could see the slightest fluctuation in the mana right behind a tree. This distortion existed for a mere moment before disappearing.

Dirk narrowed his eyes at that. He didn't even care about evidence. He knew that was the person who was making trouble for him. Dirk wanted to chase, but he couldn't pick up on even the slightest trail. This person was gone, vanished with the wind. If this person could use dark mana, they could use void walking, and Dirk couldn't keep up with that. This person was a much higher tier than him.

"Damn..."

His fists trembled. Looking down at the tree near him, he saw that the bandit was now no more. Not even blood remained. With that, Dirk had no need to remain here. Returning to his seemingly calm self, he let out a long breath before walking back to the caravan.

...........

"Dirk?"

When he emerged from the forest, Ava was first to spot Dirk. She ran over. After this battle, despite having killed more, he didn't have but a few blood splatters on his armor. Still, Ava was downcast at the whole situation. She stopped in front of Dirk who radiated the slight aura of deep rage.

"A-are you okay?"

"...Yes."

Dirk nodded as he looked at Ava. Suddenly, he took a step toward her and used an arm to pull her into a hug. With that, he felt himself calm down. The two stayed like that for a while until Dean came walking over.

"Oh good, you're safe. Thank you Dirk."

"Thank me?"

Hearing Dean, Dirk separated from Ava and looked at him. Despite having calmed down, he was not in anything like a good mood. He snapped at Dean.

"Instead of thanking me, I think you should get better at your job."

"E-excuse me?"

"I'm sorry, did I not make myself clear?"

Dirk looked at Dean with narrow eyes. Dean suddenly felt a surge of anger overcome him, and Ava was also shocked by Dirk's hostile attitude.

"Watch your mouth, little boy."

"Watch mine?"

From behind Dean, Hannah suddenly came over with a glare. She had heard the two, and being insulted like that wasn't pleasing.

"Yes, watch your mouth. There's only so much three people can do against a small army."

"Please, I killed 11 by myself. How about next time, you use that shield of yours to actually block people."

"Hey!"

"Dirk..."

As Hannah shouted in anger, Ava suddenly stepped in front of Dirk.

"Dirk, come on. Let's just go rest. There's only a little longer to go until we reach the town."

"..."

As Ava took his hand and pleaded, Dirk felt his anger subside a bit. He sighed and nodded. With a small smile, Ava took his hand and led him back to their destroyed wagon.

Seeing that, Dean also shook his head, deciding not to escalate things. Only, Hannah was still bristling with anger.

"Hmph, go on back to your little safe place. You know, maybe if your little girlfriend didn't hide away like a coward the whole time, there wouldn't have been so many people who got past us."

"Hannah!"

After she spit out her words, Dean snapped and shouted back at Hannah. At the same time, he saw Dirk stop walking, and a bad feeling rose up within him.

After hearing Hannah's venomous words, Ava was the first to freeze up. This struck right at her insecurity.

Dirk knew this of course. He was the one who told Ava to let him handle these things. And now, Hannah was stabbing right at that sore spot. Feeling Ava's trembling body, Dirk felt something in him snap. He let go of Ava's hand, patting her head.

"Let me handle these things."

He spoke with a surprisingly calm voice. Only, this caused Ava to shake a bit more. She remained quiet, not stopping him as he turned back toward Hannah and Dean.

"Dirk, I'm sorry about Hannah. Let's end things here."

"..."

"Damn."

Dean spoke in an attempt to mediate. Only, when Dirk didn't listen, he gritted his teeth. Things had gotten out of hand, and he didn't know how powerful Dirk was.

Dean stepped forward, blocking Hannah. Dirk stopped right in front of Dean, raising his head and looking right into his eyes.

"Get out of my way."

Dirk spoke simply. Dean shook his head though.

"She's part of my team. You can't hurt her. Look, let's stop here. I'll pay you for your help."

Dean raised his hand, about to pat Dirk's shoulder. However, Dirk's hand shot up, grabbing his wrist. Dean was shocked by his grip strength.

"If you won't let me, then I'll hurt you as well."

"Hah!"

Realizing what was about to happen, Dean cursed and activated his muscles. Dirk's body also strengthened at that moment, and Dean was shocked to feel his body be jerked forward by Dirk's strength.

Dirk's body turned, Dean's arm being thrown over his shoulder. With perfect, violent form, Dean was raised into the air and slammed into the ground.

*Boom!*

"Ack!"

Dean felt his body shake as he was whipped into the floor. Then, he felt Dirk's grip disappear. When he jumped to his feet, he saw him dashing to Hannah.

Meanwhile, Hannah was shocked by Dirk's sudden attack. She backed away as her body unconsciously tightened up. Then, she gritted her teeth and threw out a punch toward his oncoming body. There was no avoiding a fight.

When she threw that punch though, Dirk's body twisted. He dodged the arm and threw up his knee, driving it right into her stomach.

"Pah!"

Hannah felt weakness overcome her as that knee knocked all the wind out of her, shaking her organs. She kneeled to the floor, but the anima in her body along with her many years of experience still gave her some capacity to fight. When Dirk's leg came swinging around, she was barely able to raise her arms and defend.

*Bang!*

His leg slammed into her arms and torso. Hannah's body was sent flying, tumbling along the ground. At that moment, Dirk heard the wind move behind him. He ducked.

*Woosh!*

A leg came sailing over his head. It was Dean's. After dodging, Dirk turned and deflected a punch. After that though, he had to block and defend against a barrage of punches from Dean. Each one was powerful, wielding strength just a bit greater than Dirk's. He was also fast, and Dirk's reaction times were tested.

"Hah!"

Dean shouted as he drove a fist into Dirk's side. Dirk was silent though as he took the beating. Dirk made no sounds, as if he didn't feel pain at all. He just watched Dean's body with ruthless acuity.

Over time, Dean dished out more and more beatings. Dirk took it all and threw out his own counters. Each of his counters landed on Dean's body, sending shockwaves through the point of impact. Dean's speed and strength were high, but his defensive ability wasn't up to par. Thus, Dirk's hits hurt him greatly. Dean moved quicker and quicker, minimizing the chances for Dirk to attack.

However, that couldn't last forever. With Dean moving so fast and with so much strength, he was bound to run out of stamina first. In truth, this was what Dirk was working toward.

Each section of Dirk's Anima Resonance Destruction Technique gave a perk when trained. Dirk's skin destruction gave him increased anima absorption capabilities. Now, Dirk's blood destruction section that was almost finished gave him increased stamina and regenerative abilities. That combined with the genetic enchantment he went through gave him seemingly endless stamina.

While Dirk wasn't Rank 4 like Dean, he wasn't far from it. He was able to bridge the gap with his stamina, placing them on the same level. He took the beatings to outlast Dean, draining his stamina faster.

Over time, Dean came to understand this. He was shocked by Dirk's endurance, and so he sought to end the fight quicker. His hits became a level harder. When that happened though, Dirk started to retaliate.

Dirk's strength burst forth. In exchange for greater wounds, Dirk threw out punches and kicks that rattled Dean's body. Not only that, but all his hits landed on either vital spots or pressure points. They all sent waves of weakness through Dean's body.

"Hannah!"

Right as he was feeling beat though, Dean suddenly called out. It was a voice filled with rage, and one would think he was cursing the woman. But Hannah knew that he was both cursing and calling for her. She ran over from the sidelines, joining the fight.

With that addition, Dirk was placed under greater pressure. But he didn't panic. He took the extra beatings while moving between the two enemies. Hannah took some of the pressure off Dean, but now she had to withstand Dirk's ruthless attacks as well.

By now, their fight had already attracted the gazes of the merchant's workers. None of them stepped forward though. They wouldn't dare take even a single hit these people threw out. Even one of those punches or kicks would end their life.

Dean and Hannah fought Dirk for a few minutes. Dirk became increasingly wounded, but their stamina also dwindled. Dirk's attacks kept raining down on them with the same strength as when he started, and with their lesser energy levels, they were beaten down.

When the two kept being stubborn though and refused to go down, Dirk felt his anger erupt once more.

"Enough!"

"Agh!!"

Suddenly, Dirk shot a fist right at Dean's liver. His body shook before blood streamed from his mouth and nose. As Dean faltered, He threw a kick at his knee, immediately breaking it. And when Dean fell to his knees, Dirk drove his knee into his jaw, knocking him out. The chained attacks were so smooth it seemed like he had done it a million times before.

Dirk's bloodied face then turned to Hannah, grabbing the fist she shot toward him from behind. Hannah was horrified as Dirk not only crushed her hand with his grip strength, but shot his palm right toward her extended elbow.

*Crack!*

"Ahh!!"

With a nasty sound, Dirk broke her arm. The elbow bent the wrong way, and Hannah fell to the floor. Dirk stood between his two fallen enemies, his breathing heavy but steady. His face was bruised while his body was even worse, but this much wasn't enough to take him down.

While Dean was taking a nap on the floor, Dirk took a step toward the panicking Hannah. He grabbed her by the throat, stopping her screams and shoving her against one of the nearby wagons. Dirk looked into her eyes, speaking between breaths.

"You want to say those things again? I know you're in a lot of pain right now. Say what you did again. Maybe I'll end your misery."

Dirk spoke ominously as he brought up his other hand. Around his fingers were claws of darkness. When Dirk traced Hannah's arm with those claws, she felt a horrible corrosive power sear her skin.

At that moment though, Dirk heard labored footsteps walk over. He turned and saw a fat little man.

"Stop! Please! Sir Dirk, I apologize for whatever may have happened. Let them live, and I'll be sure to pay your handsomely for your service."

"..."

Dirk was silent as he listened to this man. This fat man was the head merchant, the owner of the caravan. He was dressed in luxurious clothes that made him stand out. It was because of this that he had been spotted by the bandits and wounded. Dirk was the one who saved him since the three guards were busy handling the front.

Dirk didn't immediately respond. Instead, he turned his head to where Ava was. Near her, he saw Jax. He had been wondering where this Jax was and why he didn't join the fight. He narrowed his eyes at him.

"Are you going to interfere?"

"I'm not exactly with those two. I'm a direct guard under the merchant. That being said, I will have to step in if you decide to kill them. Such things aren't good for anybody here."

"..."

Hearing Jax's explanation, Dirk went quiet. If he killed these people, then no matter what, the merchant's reputation would drop a bit. Plus, Hannah and Dean were still guards. Their value was high.

And at the end of the day, this whole situation could be said to be caused by Dirk. They got caught up in his bad luck. It was why he did his best to defend the caravan. It was also why he had decided to drop his conflict with Dean and Hannah. Only, Hannah had taken it one step too far.

Dirk turned and looked at Hannah. By now, all eyes were on him. Technically, he was the strongest one here. He hadn't even used his magic. Hannah and Dean's lives were in his hands.

Dirk sent one last spine chilling glare at Hannah before throwing her.

*Thud!*

"Cough!"

After landing on the floor, Hannah coughed and heaved for breath. Jax and the merchant sighed in relief. Right after, some of the workers carried Dean and Hannah off, putting them in another wagon.

Dirk walked back over to the wagon he and Ava rode in. While it had a giant hole in it now, it still worked. The two climbed in alone, Dirk not sparing another glance to anyone around him.

"Let's set off! It's time to get out of this damned forest."

With a loud announcement, the merchant and his workers moved the caravan once more. All the wagons started moving at their fastest speed. Nobody wanted to remain in this forest any longer.

As they moved, Dirk and Ava were quiet inside their wagon. Ava had taken off Dirk's armor and was cleaning the blood from his body and face. There were bruises that bled and his lip was split, causing blood to pool in his mouth that he spit into a cloth. Blood also came out with his coughs.

"I lost my temper. Sorry."

As Ava wiped his neck of blood, Dirk suddenly spoke. Ava shook her head.

"No. That...woman. She just couldn't drop it! You kept anyone from dying and had to kill 11 people to do so. They should be grateful."

"They were. If I hadn't snapped at them, then we wouldn't have fought."

"..."

Ava was quiet. Indeed, it was Dirk's hostility that started the fight. Only, Ava didn't believe that Dirk was in the wrong. She hated that he had to harm even one person. To rely on him to kill 11 people was ridiculous. He was still only a teenager!

"You were right though. Those sorry excuses for guards need to get better at their jobs. If they were actually able to defend, then you wouldn't have had to go out there."

"...Maybe."

Dirk sighed. He felt helpless. Someone was trying to hurt him, and he couldn't even see this person, let alone kill them. Originally this ride should have gone perfectly fine. But they had actually been attacked twice. Dirk didn't have much of a choice but to fight. If he didn't, then lives would have been taken. At the very least, he wouldn't allow that, regardless of his reluctance to kill.

Still, Dirk had lost control of his anger. At this point though, he wasn't sure if he cared. For the first time, he was allowed to express himself. He felt anger at the incompetence of these guards, and he said something about it.

Originally, he held himself back. Just because he felt angry didn't mean he had to act on it. The situation was what it was. It had already passed, and he would never see these people again once they were at the town. He had a little verbal confrontation to express his displeasure. And with Ava's beckoning, he dropped it.

But then, Hannah had touched the bottom line that he didn't even know was there. And for once, he was allowed to do something about it.

So he did. He made her pay with blood and pain. Like that, he established his bottom line and punished someone for crossing it.

While Dirk knew things could have gone better, and that he wasn't in the right, he felt tired of playing nice. His emotions were growing, all these events pushing his patience and igniting his anger. He didn't care that only three people couldn't handle a small army. He didn't care that he was being targeted and attacked. His hand was being forced, and he was pissed off. This little fight was just him being an emotional boy.

Dirk wondered if this was how normal people acted, instead of being emotionless machines. He actually didn't mind it.