Terry planted his feet in the dirt, tongue lolling out in excitement, eyes twitching with manic energy.
Then—he grinned.
"I HOPE YOU'RE READY, FARM BOY!!"
His muscles tensed, veins bulging across his wiry arms as he lifted both hands to the sky like a deranged conductor.
"SURVIVE THIS…BUTCHERING STOOOORM!!"
The disc launched outward with a shrill metallic howl.
Matsu dove to the side.
WHIP–WHIP–WHIP!
The chakram sliced through the air and embedded into the ground where he'd just been standing, spraying dirt in every direction.
"Whoa—!!" Matsu yelped, rolling as another blade ricocheted past his head.
Terry didn't stop.
Instead… he began to dance.
Not any normal dance. His legs shook like loose springs, stomping the ground in off-beat, spasming steps. His hips twisted in impossible angles, shoulders jerking up and down like he was convulsing to a rhythm only he could hear.
Then he started spinning.
A bizarre, wobbly spin — part tap dance.
"HAH—HAAAH—HOOOH!" he shouted with each stomp, each movement more erratic.
With every twitch of his limbs, the chakram responded.
The blade shot back into the air—zigzagging, spiralling, whipping around him unpredictably like rabid hornets. They scraped sparks off the stone walls and curved in directions physics had long since given up on.
Matsu's eyes widened. He controls its movements by shaking his body? What kind of style is this!?
Terry's head snapped toward him mid–hip shake.
"WHAT'S WRONG, FARM BOY!?"His voice cracked with manic delight."CAN'T KEEP UP WITH MY GROOOVE?!"
Then he stomped twice—bam-bam!—and his entire torso wobbled like jelly.
The chakram exploded outward.
ZING—ZING—ZING—ZING!
Blades whirled around Matsu from every direction, coming at him in curves and angles no sane fighter would expect. One sliced his sleeve. Another grazed the dirt inches from his foot. A third whizzed by close enough to cut a stray hair.
Matsu leapt, ducked, twisted—
"These movements—they're completely random!" he thought, heart pounding.
Terry grinned widely, sweat flying as he continued his wild, full-body dance, arms flapping like broken wings.
Matsu's breath caught.
He had only a second—maybe less.
But Matsu didn't slow.
He dodged every single one, not letting one stop him
Instead, he threw the shovel into the air, sending it spinning high above them.
The chakram instantly changed direction.
"What?!" Terry's eyes widened.
The chakram veered upward, chasing the spinning shovel like a predator.
"Thanks to Granny Geum," Matsu said, closing the distance, "I figured it out."
He leapt forward.
"The chakram reacts to the largest rotation."
Terry had no time to counter.
WHAM!
Matsu's fist crashed into his jaw, sending Terry sprawling to the ground.
Before he could recover, Matsu was already on him, landing on his chest and catching the falling shovel mid-air.
He pressed the flat of the shovel to Terry's neck, breathing heavily.
"I won," Matsu said, steady despite the tremble in his arms. "Give up."
Terry's fingers twitched toward his chakram… then fell limp.
He'd lost.
Geum stared down in stunned silence—
Then a bright, proud smile spread across her face.
"He… actually did it."
Matsu's chest rose and fell hard, sweat dripping onto the dirt.
"I… did it…" he murmured.
His grip tightened on the shovel as warmth swelled in his chest.
"I really did it, Grandpa…
Maybe I really can protect the farm… our dream."
For the first time,
Matsu believed he had the strength to fight for the future he wanted.
Then—a smile tugged at the corner of Terry's bruised lip.
Before Matsu could react—
CRACK!
A heavy kick slammed into his ribs, launching him sideways. Air exploded from his lungs as he hit the ground, coughing, grabbing at his side.
He barely had time to raise his head before shadowy figures swarmed in.
The other bandits he'd forgotten.
"Get him!"
Boots crashed into his back. Sticks slammed across his shoulders. Fists rained down, each blow heavier than the last.
Matsu curled up instinctively, trying to protect his head—but there were too many.
Geum tried to stand — but her body wouldn't move.
"Stop…"Her voice cracked.
She could only watch.
Terry stood slowly, dusting his clothes with a satisfied smirk.
A shout rose from the southern road.
"We found these at the edge of the forest, boss," one of them called out."
Everyone turned.
A group of bandits marched into the square, dragging prisoners tied together with rope like livestock.
Geum's eyes widened.
"No…"
It was all the villagers — the ones she had helped escape.
A man fell to his knees, hands tied behind his back.
"I'm sorry, Mayor… we tried… we really tried… but they surrounded us—"His voice broke.
Geum shut her eyes, teeth grinding, shame burning through her chest.
Terry burst into laughter.
"Good," he said. "We'll keep them alive — for now. Their organs sell better when they're fresh."
A wave of horror rippled through the crowd. Villagers screamed in panic.
Then Terry turned.
Matsu, bloody and dizzy, was forced to his knees by two large bandits who held him in place.
Terry crouched in front of him, gripping his chin between two fingers, forcing him to look up.
"But you…"He licked his lips slowly."You're mine."
Matsu tried to pull away but couldn't. His body trembled from pain, but his eyes—his eyes burned with anger.
He said nothing.
Terry smiled wider.
Geum's weak voice interrupted.
"Please… please let them go." She crawled toward them, palms scraping against the dirt."You can take our gold… our supplies… everything. Just let them go—"
Terry turned his head slightly, then walked toward her… almost calm.
Then—
THUD!
His boot hammered into her ribs.
Geum choked on her breath, collapsing sideways.
"Stupid old hag," Terry muttered and kicked her again.
"Your pathetic town is already being plundered."
Another kick.Harder.
"You really are irritating."
Geum's arms wrapped around her stomach, pain shooting through her body. She gasped, coughed, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Still, Terry didn't stop.
KICK.KICK.KICK.
Each one harder than the last.
Villagers cried out for him to stop — but no one dared move. They could only watch as their mayor, their protector, was beaten in the dirt.
Matsu stared, his vision shaking, rage boiling beneath every bruise.
Geum didn't fight back. She just cried, her face pressed to the ground.
Helpless. Broken. Humiliated.
And Matsu, beaten and restrained, watched the woman who trusted him suffer — powerless to move.
A pain deeper than any wound twisted in his chest.
Then—
THUD.
A heavy footstep echoed from the far end of the square.
THUD.
Another.
Slow. Measured. Deliberate.
Something — someone — was coming. A red feather swirling in the wind.
And everything stopped.
Even Terry turned to look.
Abruptly, a pair of weighty footfalls echoed through the broken square, halting Terry's furious onslaught.
Terry turned, lips curling. "Oh? How interesting. What's a Heavenly Knight Captain doing down here in Level Two?"
A figure stepped into view — tall, broad, draped in crimson armor that shimmered with heat. His cloak fluttered gently in the scorched wind. Behind him, two soldiers followed carefully, one hiding halfway behind the other.
"Dealing with scum like you," Captain Erber replied coldly.
Babel leaned in toward Oldot, whispering nervously, "Hey, Captain… that's Terry the Butcher. They say he's killed over a thousand people."
Oldot didn't answer — he just tried not to be noticed.
Terry's eyes scanned the captain, unimpressed.
"You think you can defeat all of us?" he asked, voice rising.
Behind him, the remaining bandits — finished with their looting — returned. Their hands were full of stolen goods.
"Hey, boss! This place sucks," one muttered.
"Yeah," another scoffed. "They barely had anything worth taking."
Terry's gaze locked on Erber with growing intensity.
"Don't worry," he said, raising his sword. "I hear a Heavenly Knight captain's head sells for a good price on the black market."
Matsu, still bloodied and bound, laid broken behind a broken crate nearby — watching it unfold, barely breathing.
Terry pointed his sword forward.
"Now, men—kill—"
FWOOOOOM.
In the blink of an eye, Erber vanished.
Terry's words caught in his throat. His eyes widened.
Then came the voice — low, right in front of him.
"Don't worry…"
Erber stood just inches away.
"…this head is the last thing you'll see."
"Wha—"
FRASHHHHHH!
A storm of pure flame tore outward from his body, expanding in a dome of annihilation.
The heat was so intense the air warped and screamed.
Buildings cracked.
The ground buckled.
The front line of bandits didn't even have time to finish their screams.
They disintegrated.
Vaporized — their bodies turning to ash blown away by the shockwave.
A wall of heat roared across the town square, melting the iron of lantern posts, splintering rooftops.
When the light faded, nothing remained.
Only ash.
The blast had taken out half the town behind them.
The soldiers behind him stood frozen in shock.
"He… he killed them all," one whispered.
Matsu stared in disbelief.
All those people — gone. In an instant.
He gripped the edge of the crate tightly.
This… this wasn't just power.
It was something else.
Something terrifying.
This man was on a whole other level.