The Hero of Hypnosis

"So, who's this Rudolph guy?" Kai asked as both groups traveled through the forest. He remembered the old man asking if he was with that man and wondered if he was their enemy or something.

The old man looked down, clenching his fists. "Rudolph, he used to work for the family, but he became power hungry after learning about the family's decline. He said that there was no need to stay on a sinking ship, so he left and gave vital intel to one of our enemies, the Cheston house."

Upon hearing that name, Nadya became furious. Her body couldn't stop shaking, her eyes lost their focus, and her mana started to run wild.

"H-Hey, Nadya? What's wrong?" Kyana went to comfort her, but nothing seemed to calm her down.

Kai telepathically forced Nadya's mind to calm down, allowing her to regain her focus and catch her breath.

"Wanna tell us what that was about?" Kai asked, still floating upside down.

"T-The Cheston house, they're the ones who killed my family and sold me into slavery." She admitted, clenching her fists out of anger and powerlessness.

"Hmm. I see. Well, now I at least know who I need to kill later, haha." Kai continued floating forward, but no one followed.

When he turned back around, he noticed that everyone was staring at him.

"What?" He asked

"Y-You do know that the Cheston house is a duchy, right?" The old man informed him.

"And?"

"And? What do you mean, 'And?' They're powerful people! One wrong move and they'll kill everyone you know and love!"

"Ha, no, they won't. They aren't built like me." Kai puffed out his chest.

The old man looked toward Kai's companions for support, but they just shrugged.

"L-Listen, young man. I know you may feel powerful, but trust me when I say that you haven't met anyone with strength like the Cheston house."

"Do they have the strength to kill a hero?" Kai asked.

"W-What? What kind of question is that? Of course they don't."

He smirked. "Then I have nothing to be afraid of."

"Young man, you need to-"

"Dude, shut up." Kai interrupted him, tired of the conversation already.

The old man just threw up his arms in frustration and backed off.

"Are you Nadya Valenmore?" Emerald asked, walking up to her.

"I-I am. And yes, I do remember you. I just didn't want you to see me in the state I am right now." Nadya said as her head hung low.

Emerald shook her head. "Nonsense! It's good to see you again! I thought I would never see you after your house fell! We got your message for help, but we couldn't make it in time since the Cheston house attacked our estate as well. I'm sorry about the things that happened to your family." The two hugged, the warmth they gave off comforting each other.

"It's alright. I'm just happy that you at least tried."

Once the two of them finished their little reunion, the groups continued walking.

They came across more beasts and monsters, but none of them were a threat. Some did give the old man and his group a scare, but Kai would easily handle the monsters without breaking a sweat, to the shock of the Emerald, the old man, and the rest of the guards.

"We're almost there. If we keep this current pace, we should arrive at the center in about an hour. Let's rest here before we-" Kai swatted a fireball that descended onto their location, cutting off his speech, with ease.

He looked up, his eyes serious and his hand outstretched. A man who was hovering in the air was pulled toward the ground and, like a magnet, snapped into Kai's hand.

"Arghhh!!!"

"Who the hell are you?" Kai demanded to know, squeezing the man's throat.

"T-That's one of Rudolph's men! How did they find us?" A guard shouted in disbelief.

The old man drew his sword and went to protect Emerald. "Arm yourselves!"

Everyone pulled out their weapons and looked around to see where the next attack would be.

Kai shook the man like a ragdoll, trying his best to get the man to talk. "This guy doesn't wanna speak. I think he's broken." What he didn't know was that he had accidentally snapped the man's neck while shaking him.

Then, sparks of lightning surged from above him.

"Haha, seems like fun!" Kai threw the man into the lightning and flew to the top of the trees to find the magic caster, eyes wide in shock.

"Boo!" Kai slapped the man in the face.

"D-Did you just slap me?"

"Yes. Want me to do it again?"

"You think I'm some bitch you can just slap around?!" Lightning crackled through the man's hands, but Kai just grabbed them and looked the man dead in the eyes.

"Yes." He wound back his hand and slapped the man so hard his head flew off.

"Damn! That has to be out of this park! A home run at least!"

"Get him! Get all of them!"

Suddenly, a group of around forty men appeared and spread out. Twenty of them faced Kai while the other twenty attacked the group below.

"You won't be able to take all of us on at the same time!" Both Mages and Martial Artists were present before Kai, each of them bursting with power, ready to kill the man in front of them.

"Normally, I would entertain you, but I'm on a schedule right now. I'm trying to face a dragon, and I don't want you to get in the way of that." Just as Kai was about to attack, a loud, ear-piercing roar stopped him in his tracks.

He turned, a smirk on his face. "DRAGON!"

A massive creature flapped its large wings, the force it generated snapping trees like twigs. On top of the creature was a man with a magical staff in his hands, laughing like a madman. The man had a red nose.

"Rudolph!" Kai growled. "How dare you steal my dragon!"

"Huh? Who the hell are you?"