In the alley, Moen stopped in his tracks and turned to look back. Three figures were panicking, trying to find cover.
"Come out. You call that following me? Hiding half the time and exposing yourselves the rest? Do you think I wouldn't notice? Take your work seriously."
Looking at the three of them, Moen couldn't help but make a remark.
"I told you there's no need to hide!"
"Just go up and take him down!"
"It's all Karacka's fault! He insisted on doing it this way!"
After Moen's taunt, the three began to blame each other, but while talking, they gradually surrounded Moen.
Among them, a slender youth with black hair and white clothes, his hair styled like a pineapple, stepped forward and arrogantly addressed Moen.
"Kid, if you know what's good for you, hand over the item, or else we'll teach you a lesson ourselves."
The youth didn't seem much older than Moen, looking around seventeen or eighteen, giving off a deliberately false air of worldly sophistication. The other two were about the same age.
"Lesson? Hmph, you've already dug your own grave!"
Moen didn't bother wasting words with them. He had already seen that these guys were members of a dark guild. Judging by the emblem, they belonged to the "Eisenwald."
"Big talk!"
One of the three, a man in a yellow-and-black striped sweater wielding a black whip, angrily shouted. He swung the whip, which extended directly toward Moen.
"Smack!"
Blue gauntlets instantly appeared on Moen's hands. He grabbed the black rope and forcefully yanked it back.
Caught off guard, the youth holding the black rope was pulled face-down onto the ground, sliding on his stomach, and ended up right in front of Moen.
"Boom!"
Moen's leg armor quickly equipped as well. He kicked out with full force, striking the youth's abdomen.
The youth flew backward but stubbornly didn't release the rope. As soon as he went out, Moen yanked the rope again, pulling him back.
"Boom!"
The youth slammed heavily onto the ground, trembling. His eyes were wide, his body curled like a boiled shrimp.
"Rayule!"
The speed at which this happened caught the remaining two completely off guard.
Rayule was usually impulsive, but his Black Rope Magic specialized in preemptive strikes, catching opponents off guard and often giving them an early advantage in battle. Everyone was used to this.
This time, however, they had hit a wall—they'd encountered someone tough. Moen didn't spare them at all.
"Is that all you've got? Then you two come at me together. I'm in a hurry."
Moen pressed his foot on Rayule's head on the ground, then beckoned to the other two with his fingers, wearing a look of disdain.
By now, Moen's Equuleus Bronze Cloth was fully equipped. The auto-wear function of the Cloth was extremely convenient, essentially like having a Requip-Up Magic.
"Bastard!"
The pineapple-haired youth gritted his teeth. He slammed the ground, causing the shadows to surge. Two fists formed from the shadows and charged at Moen with ferocious momentum.
"Shadow Magic?"
Moen stepped back, easily dodging the strike. The two shadow fists swung through the air harmlessly. Quick-eyed and fast-handed, Moen immediately tied the rope in his hand to the extended shadows, binding the two shadow fists together, which startled the pineapple-haired youth.
However, once he dispelled the magic, the shadows lost their physical form, instantly freeing themselves and quickly returning to the feet of the pineapple-haired youth.
"Kagayama! This guy's not right!"
Byard's face grew serious. Even if he were dumb, he could see it now—the boy in front of them was incredibly strong, far stronger than they had initially expected!
Their attacks couldn't even touch him. How were they supposed to fight like this?!
"Retreat!"
Byard looked at the pineapple-haired Kagayama, who appeared unwilling to leave, clearly not wanting to give up so easily.
"What about Rayule?" Kagayama asked grimly, looking at his companion still lying on the ground.
"Why care about him?! If we don't leave now, we might all get dragged in!"
Byard looked at Kagayama in disbelief. When did dark guilds start following that loyalty nonsense? Now's the time to abandon your teammates! If Kagayama didn't leave soon, Byard would sell him out too, since he had already decided to abandon the mission.
They had been waiting at the station with a clear goal: to intercept Moen and stop the "Magic Horn" for Deno's task. That was why they had been lying in wait for Moen's return.
This is a dark guild. Most of the task notices posted in their guild hall were like this: sabotage, abduction, assassination—nothing good.
"Move!"
Although Kagayama was reluctant, he didn't persist. The two turned to retreat, abandoning their companion decisively.
"Trying to run? You need my permission first."
Seeing them attempt to flee, Moen sneered. You want to fight? Fight. You want to run? Run? Do I not matter? Moen had no goodwill toward these bastards who didn't care about their teammates' lives. Today, he wasn't going to let them escape.
"Hum!"
Magic surged as Moen launched an attack. He was actually a bit excited; this was his first real encounter with dark guild members and his first true life-or-death fight.
Previously, during sparring with guild members, he always held back, fearing he might seriously injure someone.
But now, there was no need to hold back. These dark guild members could be killed without consequence.
In the laws of Fiore Kingdom, and across all of Ishgar, they were considered the worst of criminals. Capturing them alive was better, but killing them carried no guilt, and in fact, could even be considered a merit.
"Die! Pegasus Meteor Fist!"
Moen took a single stride and reached Kagayama, his fist shadows roaring, striking him repeatedly.
"Boom!"
The youth was flung backward, eyes wide. He hadn't even used his ultimate technique; he thought he still had a chance! But the pain coursing through him completely shattered him. He crashed heavily to the ground, his vision blurred, his mind no longer clear, and his consciousness gradually sinking.
'Is this really a Grand Guild wizard? That's unfair,' Kagayama bitterly thought in the end.