Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.

Ash landed on top of a building, crouching as he watched the giant magic circle appear above the entire complex.

On the far side, he could see Terra leading a large group of slaves, evacuating them and making sure they weren't spotted.

Since the moment Ash killed the guards inside the hidden building, he had immediately made his way out by drilling a hole through the ceiling and finding this rooftop to stay on.

That way, he could help Terra, acting as overwatch to pick off any guards from afar if they were to go anywhere near her and the evacuation process.

So far, it had been going well. Not to mention, Echidna was getting ready to launch a powerful spell that would blow the entire place to shards, killing only those she targeted. This meant both she and Kelvin would be safe.

'I could sense Aisha completing her revenge earlier, so I guess it's a done deal now. Far easier than I expected. I'll take what I can get.'

Ash stood to his feet, watching as the magic circle continued to grow in size, gathering mana from everything around it.

The magic was so powerful it created a gust of wind that threatened to push Ash off the rooftop. If he wasn't strong, he would have surely fallen, just as nearby vines and weak structures were being torn apart by the gale.

Then, suddenly—

[Congratulations on completing the trauma quest.]

[Your slave, Aisha's bond has been increased to 100%.]

[Your slave has gained a special skill.]

[30,000 points have been allocated.]

Ash narrowed his gaze.

'She is done.' He then glanced to the side, to the spot where he felt she would most likely walk out. 'But something doesn't feel right.'

Soon, the exact spot where Ash had kept his gaze was occupied by three unknown individuals, standing right in front of the tunnel leading straight into the underground laboratory.

It was also this exact spot Ash knew Aisha would most likely emerge from.

He didn't need to see their faces to know they looked shady. Not to mention, one of them looked familiar. Too familiar.

As if that weren't enough, the moment Aisha stepped out of the tunnel, one of the three who had been waiting there kicked her right in the gut, picked her up, and then slammed her against a tree without thinking twice.

"Bastards!!!"

Ash was about to charge forward. The only thing on his mind at that moment was killing all three of them; he didn't care who they were or why they did what they did.

But before he could even lift a foot, he heard screams erupt from where Terra had been leading the slaves.

Instinctively, he turned to check, noticing that some men, who were most likely running from the chaos inside, had decided they were going to take a few slaves for themselves.

If they took a couple of them to sell, they knew they would make a shit-ton of cash from that single move.

"Dammit." Ash clenched his fist in anger.

On one hand was Aisha. On the other were the slaves he knew Terra wanted to protect so badly.

Normally, he would have gone for Aisha without a second thought. He wasn't the type to put people he didn't know above those close to him.

And yet, anytime he thought to abandon their screams, he would remember the exact words Terra told him, and how she had cried while saying them.

Just as it seemed he was about to make his choice, Aisha's voice echoed in his head.

'Master! I did it! I finally killed Hapia!'

Her voice sounded too happy compared to the situation she was currently in.

"Oi! If you can speak, then get the hell out of there! You don't have to figh—"

'Master. I'll buy enough time. Please make sure the slaves are all safe. I know you are only second-guessing because you think I am in trouble, but please, remember that I am your slave and no one else's. Have a bit of faith in me.'

Ash kept quiet for a while. It was the first time he had heard Aisha speak in such a manner.

He smiled a bit.

'Alright. I'll trust you this time.'

With a burst of speed, Ash shot straight off the building and toward the fleeing slaves. He had to make sure Terra's hard work wasn't undone by a few opportunists.

As he closed the distance, he saw the small group of men—four of them—trying to drag away several women and children.

Terra and the few others helping her were desperately trying to fight them off, but they were clearly outmatched.

"Get your filthy hands off them!" Ash roared, the sound amplified by his magic, causing the men to flinch and look up in surprise.

Before they could react further, Ash landed among them. He didn't bother with elegance.

The first man trying to pull a terrified girl away received a brutal kick to the chest, sending him flying backward and collapsing in a heap, clearly unconscious.

The second one tried to swing a rusted knife at Ash, but Ash merely sidestepped and delivered a swift, powerful punch to the man's temple.

He dropped instantly.

The remaining two men exchanged nervous glances. They were strong enough to overpower the unarmed slaves and Terra, but this new arrival was on a completely different level.

"R-Run!" one of them yelled, abandoning the slave he was holding and turning to flee.

Ash didn't let him get far. He channeled a dark flow of mana into a wind blade and released it. The invisible cut sliced across the man's leg, and he screamed as he tumbled to the ground, clutching his bleeding wound.

The last man, seeing the fate of his companions, immediately surrendered, dropping to his knees and raising his hands. "Please, don't kill me! We were just trying to survive!"

Ash ignored him, walking past the cowering thief and checking on Terra. She was breathing heavily, a scratch across her cheek, but otherwise unharmed. The slaves were huddled together, weeping in fear, but safe.

"Terra, are you alright?" Ash asked, his voice low and concerned.

Terra nodded quickly, her eyes wide with relief. "Y-Yes, Master Ash! Thank you! They came out of nowhere!"

"Focus on getting them out of here. Now," Ash instructed, his gaze sweeping over the chaos. He didn't have much time. Echidna's spell was almost complete.

Terra understood the urgency. "Y-Yes!!! Come on, everyone, we need to move!" She began to herd the slaves forward again, moving them toward the designated safe zone.

Ash took one last look at the defeated thieves, deciding they weren't worth the effort of killing, and turned his attention back to Aisha's direction.

He needed to check on her, even if she told him not to worry.

Those three individuals were clearly dangerous, and one of them felt terribly familiar. That familiarity nagged at him, hinting at a connection he didn't want to acknowledge.

He shot back toward the roof of the building he had been on, gaining height to assess the situation near the tunnel.

He saw Aisha now. She was no longer crumpled by the tree but on her feet, facing the three of them. A tense standoff.

Even from this distance, he could feel the pressure she was emitting, a ferocity he hadn't seen before. She was holding them in a stalemate.

One of the men, the familiar one, looked agitated. Ash knew it was only a matter of time before the situation turned truly violent.

'He's the one I need to worry about,' Ash thought, trying to get a closer look at the man despite the distance. That blonde hair definitely reminded him of someone.

Just as Ash was about to jump into the fray, the giant magic circle above them reached its peak.

The sky tore open with power, and a blinding light erupted.

The world went silent for a moment before the immense force of the spell descended. It didn't explode; it compressed.

The entire underground laboratory, along with all the surrounding structures and those still inside, was crushed into nothingness under the targeted pressure of the gravity-manipulating spell.

A massive, silent cloud of dust and debris shot into the air, obscuring everything.

The resulting tremor was like a miniature earthquake.

Ash instinctively created a mana barrier around himself to withstand the sudden shockwave of dust and displaced air.

When the cloud finally began to settle, Ash looked down.

The landscape had been radically altered.

There was now a gigantic, smoking crater where the complex had stood.

And near the edge of the crater, three figures were still standing, looking unharmed. The same three who had attacked Aisha.

Aisha was gone.

'Uhn?'

Panic immediately hinted on Ash's face.

He searched the perimeter frantically, his eyes scanning the three figures—and the space behind them—for any sign of her.

She wasn't there.

"Bastards!" Ash roared again, channeling a potent wave of mana. He didn't care about the risk anymore. The blonde-haired man was the least of his concerns. Aisha was missing.

He launched himself off the rooftop, descending toward the crater's edge.