Mystical Fantasy : The Lazy Real Young Master [EN]

Al had already launched himself forward like a crimson flash cutting through the air.

In the blink of an eye, he was right before them.

The five figures could only curse under their breath, never once expecting that the man they believed to be the leader of the Black Faction—the faction rumored to uphold peace and avoid meaningless violence—would actually be the one to initiate the first strike.

"Damn it…" Lagan spat.

"What do we do now?" Lela asked quickly in the midst of their movements, her voice filled with unease.

But there was no time to truly answer. Al had already arrived in front of them.

All of them immediately assumed defensive stances, preparing for retaliation. Their bodies stiffened, eyes locked on his unreadable movements, every muscle tensed to intercept a strike from any direction. Their group battle instincts had already been awakened, ready to act in unison.

Yet Al never even touched them. His figure blurred as he darted straight past their guard, completely ignoring their formation, and instead rushed toward the rear—toward Ayu, who still stood motionless with her eyes closed as if in deep meditation.

"What?!" Lela gasped in disbelief at his sudden decision.

"Ayu!" both Cella and Ramla screamed in unison, their hearts tightening.

Damn it, why is he targeting Ayu?! Lagan cursed in his mind, spinning around as quickly as he could.

But Al had already reached her. He only wore a faint smile, calm and unhurried.

GRAB!

His hand shot forward, seizing Ayu by the throat, and with a violent burst of power he hurled her against the wall.

BRAK!!

Her slender body, still appearing as though immersed in meditation, slammed hard into the stone. Her eyes remained closed, her limbs unresponsive, but her lips parted slightly, coughing out a thin spray of blood.

"I don't know what kind of dangerous plan you people are cooking up," Al said flatly, his voice cold and indifferent, "but it seems the best way to start is with this girl."

His left hand pinned Ayu against the wall, forcing her body upright like a fragile doll. His right hand opened wide, fingers curling into a claw as crimson energy flared across it. With one smooth motion, that hand slashed downward, intending to tear straight through her body.

But fortunately—

SWIING!

A blade came whistling through the air. Cella's sword struck at Al's right arm mid-swing, intercepting his attack and forcing him to block. The strike successfully diverted his claw, limiting his movement.

"Take this!" Cella shouted, her voice filled with defiance.

CLANG!!

Steel clashed against Al's hardened arm. Without hesitation, he countered. His leg whipped upward, unleashing a kick with terrifying force. The blow sent Cella flying, smashing her into the wall. She let out a sharp cough, blood spilling from her lips.

Thankfully, Ramla appeared just in time. With swift spellwork, she conjured a cushion of magical energy, softening Cella's impact before she could sustain fatal damage.

"Cella! Are you alright?!" Ramla cried out in worry.

"I'm fine…" Cella growled through clenched teeth, wiping the blood from her mouth. Despite her wounds, her stance tightened once again, determination blazing in her eyes as she prepared another attack.

Baso emerged next. This time he did not wield his short sword. Instead, his weapon of choice was revealed—a black, elastic whip tipped with a beast-like fang, its edge coated with deadly poison.

SWISSH!

The whip lashed out like a serpent and wrapped tightly around Al's left arm, binding it. Unfortunately, the venomous fang failed to pierce through, repelled by Al's passive magical barrier.

It didn't wound him, but restraint was enough. Baso pulled with all his strength, trying to yank Al's arm free from Ayu's throat. At the same time, Ramla fired bolts of yellowish magical energy toward Al's right side, while Cella leapt into the air, her blade poised for a decapitating strike.

The combined assault was coordinated, a synchronized effort meant to pressure Al. Yet, even so, such attacks could hardly pin him down.

And then—another move came from Lagan.

The man pressed both his hands firmly against the ground, his eyes burning with concentration.

Advance Elemental Magic : Earth-Dark Type = Grave Soil!

The earth trembled as sinister energy surged forth. The ground beneath Al cracked open into a perfect square pit, and within it swirled a pool of thick, corrosive black liquid—substance so vile that even a single drop could melt human flesh.

"Interesting…" Al muttered with a faint smile, his eyes gleaming brighter, intrigued by their desperation.

Skill: Crimson Burst.

A subtle pulse of energy exploded from his body, expanding outward in a violent shockwave.

BOOOOM!!

A blast of crimson-black energy erupted in every direction. The very air shuddered. The walls of the corridor splintered and crumbled, cracks spreading across the ground like a spider's web. Unlike the battle in the forest, this time Al restrained himself, releasing only a fraction of his true power.

"Damn it—!" all four of them cursed almost in unison.

The force flung them away mercilessly, sending their bodies tumbling across the ground. The only one untouched was Ayu, who remained secure in Al's grasp.

"Ugh…" Lagan groaned, forcing himself to speak through clenched teeth. "No wonder… no wonder you're the leader of a faction. You're truly… terrifying…" His words were broken, his breath ragged. Blood stained his lips as he struggled to rise.

Al had deliberately lessened his strength to avoid destroying the nearby settlement, yet even this 'restrained' version of his skill had been enough to injure them badly.

Lagan's blurry gaze swept toward his comrades.

Cella's robe was shredded in several places, cuts and bruises covering her body, but she still managed to stay conscious and was already pushing herself up.

Baso and Ramla, on the other hand, remained sprawled on the floor, their bodies battered with severe wounds, though faint signs of consciousness lingered in their expressions.

Al, on the other hand, paid little attention to the groaning enemies sprawled across the ground. Instead, his sharp gaze swept across the surroundings, calmly assessing the aftermath of his own outburst.

Good… the energy I released was still controlled enough. A few sections of the building took damage, but nothing that can't be fixed with magic later. Still, one of them… someone slipped past me. His mind raced, analyzing, scanning every corner. One figure had indeed escaped his sight.

And then his eyes landed on the man in the brown jacket.

Just as he suspected, there stood Lela, her figure tall and steady. In her hand gleamed a small dagger, the blade covered with a faint layer of dark energy, its tip already pressed threateningly toward the terrified man's body.

The poor man looked as though he had already stared death in the face. His complexion was drained of all color, beads of cold sweat rolled down his temples, and his whole body trembled like brittle wood in a storm.

"M-Mister… p-please… help me…" he stammered weakly toward Al, desperation clear in his voice, clinging to a final hope that the one called Hell Phoenix would save him. Yet the man clearly had no idea that a protective barrier still enveloped his body, rendering the blade useless against him.

"Lord Hell Phoenix," Lela spoke with deliberate calm, her tone carrying the cadence of negotiation. "We have no interest in escalating this matter further. Our only objective is to take this man with us. So let us put an end to this pointless battle, before... something truly unfortunate happens."

Al's crimson eyes flicked toward them briefly. His senses confirmed the truth: the man was perfectly safe. That little blade, no matter how it glowed with shadowed energy, could never pierce the defensive ward he had already set in place.

"You think that will sway me?" Al's voice was cold, dismissive. "Even if you kill him, do you honestly believe I would care? You'd better pray your own fates don't end up worse than his."

Hearing Al's completely indifferent remark, Lela was not taken aback in the slightest. Instead, her lips curled into a mocking smile, her head tilting slightly as though amused.

"Haha… I think you've misunderstood, Lord. That wasn't quite what I meant," she replied in a strangely relaxed tone.

"Hm?" Al muttered, a faint frown touching his brow. Something was off. He noticed how Lela kept smiling, and not just her—her four companions were also wearing the same knowing grin.

And then—

"Hahaha… I didn't expect to see you in such a filthy, forgotten place, Hell Phoenix."

The voice, cruel and sharp, rang from directly in front of him. Al turned swiftly—and froze.

Ayu's eyes had opened at last. Yet what he saw left him momentarily stunned. She didn't look like the same girl anymore. Her aura, her entire presence, had shifted into something entirely different.

"You?!" Al exclaimed in shock. His hand immediately tightened around her throat, intent on ending her life before the transformation could continue.

But Ayu only laughed.

"Hahaha…" Her body suddenly flared with a radiant surge of bluish-silver energy. And then— BOOM! Her form detonated violently, bursting into a thick fog that swallowed the air before him.

Al's instincts screamed. Detecting the composition, he immediately sprang backward.

"A poisonous mist… and that annoying trick again," he muttered, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the toxins and the explosion. This was something troublesome, something that could not be taken lightly.

"Hahaha… You're still as sharp as ever." Ayu's voice echoed once more, though this time it carried a new cadence, deeper and far more sinister than before.

Al spun around.

There, standing behind her, the five members of Ordo Ferox had already regrouped. Their bodies leaned slightly forward, adopting postures of respect as if paying obeisance to a higher being.

The brown-jacketed man was also there, bound tightly and gagged with cloth, his earlier barrier having been forcefully dispelled by them.

And Ayu—no, the figure wearing Ayu's appearance—was no longer the same girl at all. Her face had changed subtly yet undeniably. Her once dark hair now shimmered with an ethereal silver glow, streaked with faint hues of violet and blue. Her eyes radiated with a piercing silver brilliance that was not human.

Al's lips curved into a faint smile as he stared at the transformed figure.

"Well, well. I didn't think I'd see you here of all places… Axis," he said coldly.

He immediately recognized the figure standing before him—it was none other than Axis, the leader of the Black-Brown Faction, also known as the Ordo Ferox.

And thus, far earlier than either side had anticipated, the two faction leaders stood face to face at last.

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