Wain, Skyla, Teresa, and Fosko headed for Crystal immediately after the first barrier was destroyed.

The Twilight Embers members did not expect their first line of defense to fall so quickly, but their commanders were prepared for emergencies, so Wain and the others were immediately attacked.

Bam.

A massive, muscular man landed in front of Wain as the ground beneath his feet cracked because of his great weight.

"You're pretty fast, right? What do you think would happen if I broke your legs?" The man uttered with an evil smirk on his face.

"Hmm? Are you all right in the head? You're in Third Chronicle, why the fuck are you standing in front of me? Do you want to commit suicide?" Wain muttered with a confused look.

"Ahahahahahaha, I just didn't want to scare you with my aura ahead of time!" The man exclaimed as his aura went on a higher level.

'Fourth Chronicle, two torches... He's stronger than me in terms of energy.' Wain inwardly as he yawned.

'What...? You bastard! You think you can behave so disrespectfully right in front of me?" The man exclaimed, and a huge hammer appeared in his hands.

"No. I just don't understand why my first opponent is a clown. Damn, that's definitely bad luck." Wain shook his head before disappearing.

"Huh, decided to run away?!" The man shouted with a furious look.

"Well, I wish I could do it so I wouldn't have to see your ugly face, but I have another method." Wain said as he appeared over the man.

Tremble.

With a sharp movement, Wain pressed the man's head into the ground as the granite walls trembled.

"Well, one's done." Wain said while shaking the dust off his hands.

"Hehehe, are you sure about that?" The man grinned, got up, and attacked.

Bam.

Wain blocked the attack as there was a ringing sound of metal as though a steel bat had hit him.

"Hmm?" Wain stared at the man's arm.

The hand was half covered in a thin layer of metal, just like the man's head.

"Nameless, I've seen you fight. You're very strong as well as fast, but you don't seem to have any unique skills, so you can't do anything against me." The man smirked as his other hand became iron.

"I see... You've decided that your defense is superior to my attack. In that case, you should pray it turns out that way!" Wain uttered with an ice-cold look as his eyes were sharp as though blades.

A shiver ran down the man's body, but he tried with all his might not to show his fear.

"Let's begin." Wain uttered, bent over as the ground beneath his feet cracked, and threw the man over himself.

'Agh...?' The man didn't even realize it before slumping to the ground again.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Wain began to punch the man in the stomach, but as his fist came closer, his skin turned to iron. Wain as though he hit not a living man but a sheet of metal, but he had no mind to stop as he gradually increased in speed.

"Ahahahahahaha, I told you so! You don't stand a chance, there's no way you can penetrate my defenses!" The man laughed in a mocking manner.

Wain stopped for the first time in a long time. He looked at his bloody fists and shifted his gaze to the man's head.historical

"You want to try to smash my forehead? Do it! As soon as you fall down without strength, I'll give you back every punch!" The man exclaimed as a mad smile appeared on his face.

Wain shook the blood off his hand and, in a careless manner, approached the man's head.

"I hate to admit it, but you're really solid, so I want you to know that what's about to happen will give me special pleasure." Wain said as he grabbed the man's head with both hands.

"Huh, are you completely stupid? Do you think you can break the toughest bone in the body? You're ridiculous!"

Wain said nothing, his cruel eyes spoke for him as his thumbs headed for the man's eyes.

"What...? Stop! No!" The man shuddered in fear as he realized what Wain was about to do.

The man tried to get up, to throw Wain off of him, but as he tried to do so, he felt as though a whole mountain was pressing down on him.

"Maybe in hell, they'll teach you that arrogance never leads to anything good." Wain said before pressing his thumbs into the man's eyes.

Crackle.

His fingers pierced the brain, and Wain removed his bloody hands from the man's head as a purple soul flew out of the dead man's chest.

"Just Heroic Soul? What a shame, I thought I could fill my second torch, but I guess not this time." Wain said in a calm voice before crushing the soul.

[You have absorbed energy from Heroic Soul.]

[Your second torch is 0.03% full. Only 99.03%.]

'Just a drop in the sea.' Wain muttered inwardly while shaking his head.

'Sea? Huh, it's more like a drop in the ocean, in the biggest ocean, but if you absorb the Crystal, you get a huge amount of energy.' Cursed Swordsman uttered.

'Oh, so it will do me good, too?' Wain wondered.

'Of course. After all, the energy can't get to me without going through you, so you'll get a bigger chunk. Cursed Swordsman smirked.

'Why didn't you say that before? In that case, if I have to, I'll chew it up with my teeth like a fucking beaver!' Wain smiled as he ran forward.

Skyla, Fosko, and Teresa also met their first opponents that tried to stop them, but they easily handled them and were almost to the Crystal.

Whoooooooosh.

Suddenly Fosko appeared next to Wain and said, "I saw your fight, dude, it was incredible. I don't even know what I liked more, your terrifying look or how you straightened him out, it was fun."

"Well, there's always something creepy hiding under a nice smile, so this is definitely your case." Wain said as he looked at Fosko's opponent, or rather what was left of him.

The man's body had been cut in many places with something sharp, very carefully to bring as much pain as possible, and when the man finally died, there was an indelible fear engraved on his face forever.