Time passed second by second.
More than half an hour later, the ground of the village finally settled.
The Black Armor Soldiers who had entered the underground passage after the Brawny Man emerged one by one, carrying out corpses and laying them flat in the small square at the center of the village, arranged in neat rows.
The air above rippled slightly. The Wizards who had flown high into the sky and blended into the night revealed themselves one after another, landing on the ground and approaching the corpses to inspect them carefully, confirming that they were thoroughly dead.
One corpse at the edge even had its head chopped off, yet the Wizards were still not reassured. A thin, translucent wind blade emerged from a fingertip and sliced open the entire chest like a knife, exposing the heart. Only after forcefully poking the shriveled, coconut-shaped heart did the Wizard nod to his companions, indicating that the target was confirmed dead.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Heavy footsteps rang out. The last person underground emerged from the passage—the Brawny Man who had entered first. He was covered in blood, with chunks of flesh hanging from the surface of his armor, making him look rather ferocious.
His gaze pierced through the slit in his visor as the Brawny Man quickly swept his eyes over the scene, settling on the corpses in the square.
He stepped closer, turned to the Wizards who had landed to inspect the bodies, and asked, "They're all here?"
"Yes, sir. They're all here," a Wizard replied respectfully.
"No one escaped?" the Brawny Man asked again.
"No." The Wizard shook his head. "Two people did try to break through earlier, but we brought them down. This was a surprise attack—they had no warning at all. We came prepared against an unprepared