The five bandits had stopped their rampage as they spotted me approaching. Drake stared at me as if I was a lost child but the other bandits recognized me and instantly started yelling. “That’s him Big Brother Drake! That’s the asshole who beat the crap out of us!” “This guy?” Drake said while raising an eyebrow. “He doesn’t look that impressive. What type of magic does he use?” Another bandit shouted, “We don’t know! He just beat us with his fists!” Drake laughed a loud before speaking to me directly. “Hey…what’s your magic power?” “Why does that matter to you?” “What’s wrong? Scared to compare?” “Compare to you?” I snickered. “Please! Your wind magic is nothing. I’ve seen young trainees with more skill than you.” Drake still managed to hold a cocky smile but the throbbing veins showing on his bald head gave away that he was very enraged by my comment. “You think you're better than the Ironclaw buddy?” “As a matter of fact…I do.” I cracked my knuckles preparing for the fight ahead. “I bet I can beat you scrubs without even using a single spell!” One of the four bandits had enough of my taunts and took out his dagger. “You’re gonna regret challenging us you goddamn-” I didn’t even let the bastard finish his voice was getting on my nerves. In a split second, I closed the distance between us and gave him a knuckle sandwich straight to the chin. The bandit went flying and landed on top of someone’s roof. The ceiling was not strong enough to hold the weight of the person as it collapsed letting the unconscious body of the bandit fall into the house where the people inside screamed in panic and surprise. “Damn, my bad!” I called out while rubbing my bruised fist. The other three bandits started to showcase their fright while Drake just looked at me with a blank expression. “W-what the hell was that!?” One of the bandits screamed. “Was that speed because of a spell!? Is he using time magic or something!?” I turned to the scared adult man and just shook my head. “This isn’t magic,” I declared with a smug smile. “I’m just stronger than you…” “Why you…!” Before the bandits could even react I already proceeded with my attack. I swept the leg of one of them and planted his face into the ground. The force I used to slam the bandit’s head was so much that it left a small crater. And for the bandit on my right side, I unleashed a flurry of punches into his stomach before sending him flying with a palm strike. His body crashed against a well as he slumped over. As for the fourth bandit he tried to strike me from behind with his fire dagger but I ducked and grabbed his face. With minimal effort, I managed to pick him up before letting him go and punching him right in the face. He flew right into the wall of the house breaking it apart. His fire dagger went out turning into nothing but heated metal with smoke emitting from the blade like a chimney. Cracking my neck I turned to face my last opponent Drake. Drake whistled. “That was pretty good. But if you think the big brother is gonna go down like his little brothers you are sorely mistaken.” I scoffed. “Big brother little brother. You’re all still just children from the same weak family.” Drake’s smile faded and transformed into an ugly scowl. His one good eye flashed angrily and his huge hand clenched his weapon so tight I could hear the wood splintering. “Did you just call the Ironclaw…weak?” “And if I did?” “Then you’re a dead man.” Drake held up his battle axe and swung with extreme force. “Wind Magic: Invisible Strike!” Just like before a blade made entirely of air was coming towards me with intense speed. I managed to dodge it in the nick of time the slash cutting through the ground and walls like butter. And a second later a fiery explosion went off from the attack making me back up more. “That’s some tough wind,” I remarked to myself. “Better not get with that I could lose an arm.” Drake shouted, “What you’ll lose will be your head!” I smiled in response. “We’ll see…” The big man then started to swing his axe in strange patterns at an incredibly fast pace. It seemed as though the very dimension was cut as every time he swung he would leave white slashes that were floating in the air. And as if those slashes were living creatures they flew towards me not even leaving behind sound. “Oh shit-” I admit that it kind of spooked me but I still got out of the way. The only reason how was because the attacks themselves were projecting where they were going to attack me. The moment the white slashes vanished parts of my body would start to feel very cold as if ice was on my skin. I quickly deduced that the sensation was the wind itself. The slash was not random and was aiming for a specific part of my body like an arrow being fired from a skilled archer. As the slash traveled the distance between its caster and its target the cold air that surrounded it and gave it form would go ahead of it. Like a marker, it would leave itself on the target to show where the attack would land. The moment I felt the cold spots on my arms, legs, and stomach I moved my body from where I stood. I was successful in dodging most of them but there were a few that came out faster than my brain could register. In the end I was cut across the side of my neck, my right shoulder, my left thigh, and my right palm. The pain was not too harsh but as the desert wind blew across me the cuts began to burn as if they were ignited by a flame. I sucked in my teeth to try and ignore the uncomfortable sensation. Drake noticed my discomfort and grinned. “This is just the beginning!” Drake proclaimed loudly as he continued with the same white slash attack over and over again. Luckily I was fast enough to avoid all of them that time but I quickly realized that I was at a disadvantage. Due to the constant white slashes being thrown at me at ridiculous speed, I was stuck on the defensive. To win the fight I knew I needed to attack back and finish off Drake. I looked around the village to see if there was anything that could help me. My eyes then landed on something and I came up with the perfect plan in a matter of seconds. After dodging a few more of Drake’s attacks I turned my back away from him and ran towards the corner between two buildings. Drake shouted as he chased after me. “Where are you going, coward!? Don’t think you can just challenge the Ironclaw and escape whenever you feel like it!” He cut the same corner which I ran and saw what he believed to be my figure at the end blocked by the wall. The big man chuckled. “Dead end huh? Too bad for you, now DIE!!” Without wasting a second Drake followed up with a barrage of white wind slashes. They all hit their target completely eradicating the cloak was riddled with holes and fell over. Many would assume at first it was Drake’s victory but not even the big bandit was that gullible. “No scream…no blood?” Drake ran up to see that his target was just my ruined cloak and a wooden plank that I had luckily found at the very end of the corner. “Gotcha dumbass!” The sand below Drake’s feet exploded upwards and got on his face blinding him. As the bandit growled aloud in irritation from having sand in his eyes it was my chance to attack. Like a rabbit, I jumped up from where I was lying in the sand and grabbed the bastard’s muscular arms. I then delivered a powerful knee blow to his chin rattling his brain and making him stumble backwards. All of those who were on the edge of their seats probably wanted to know what happened. Well, the very genius that I am came up with a splendid trick. After quickly setting up the fake me I dived into the sand as if it was a pool and waited for Drake to approach. Usually, the roads of the villages of Drogmaria are hard and made of sandstone but thanks to the recent famine the lands were covered in piles and piles of hot sand. After successfully landing my attack I jumped back and stood triumphantly while smirking. But at the same time, I was kind of irritated due to my clothes, eyes, ears, shoes, and hair being covered in sand. “I’m gonna need a long ass shower…ah shit I don’t have a home!” “You dickhead!” “Urgh! What!?” On one knee was Drake who was sweating and shaking uncontrollably. “You’re still moving?” I said in disbelief. “That attack should have rattled your brain! Your skull must be as strong as diamonds…” “The strongest…but now you screwed up because now I can see your face!” “Huh? Ah!” I pathetically tried to cover my face with my hands. I was so consumed with the fight that I had completely forgotten that I was also trying to hide my true identity. However, neither Drake nor the villagers who were observing the battle seemed to give off a bigger reaction than I expected. It meant that they still didn’t know who I was. It was not that surprising since it has been two years since my initial banishment. My skin has gotten darker due to constant exposure to the sun, I changed out my old ponytail hairstyle for cornrows, and I believe I gained some muscle. My appearance had changed drastically from back in the past but that still wasn’t enough to keep me safe. Some people especially those from the continent of Roria recognized my face instantly. But worse of all was the mark on my body which I still had covered with a few bandages. “Well now that you’ve seen my face…” I got up to Drake’s face and grabbed his massive head. With all my strength I threw him down to the ground, creating a mini-earthquake and a hole in the road. “I can’t let you live…” “Grr…you’re pretty resilient. I’ll give you that…” Drake spoke aloud but I couldn’t perfectly understand due to his mouth kissing the ground. “But…don’t underestimate the power of wind!” Remembering it, that was definitely the worst moment to let my guard down. In a split second, I saw myself inside the eye of a hurricane. As if a big giant grabbed me, I was picked up and thrown away like a baseball. I flew into the air for a while before crashing back down to the middle of the village.

As I grumbled from the pain and got back up, the first thing I saw was a majority of the Villagers of Sri watching me with fear and anticipation. The second thing was Drake, who was flying around the sky as if he was an angel. Slowly lowering himself back down to the ground, he gave me a smug look that showed confidence in his own victory.

"Now are you going to start using your magic?"

I spat out the sand and blood that was in my mouth and gave the middle finger to the annoying wind-manipulating bandit.

"Go fuck yourself jackass!"

Drake chuckled while shaking his head.

"Have it your way. Wind Magic: The Gale's Clap!"

The air surrounding Drake came together to form a giant knight of armor completely made out of wind. The Knight of Wind held up its massive arms and brought them down towards me trapping me on both sides.

"C-crap-"

I wasn't fast enough as the giant clasped me in its massive hands making me unable to move a muscle.

"T-the hell!? What did you-"

"This is the binding spell of the Wind Scholars. An ancient technique that was discovered three hundred years ago by human magicians who dreamed of seeing the sky...and now I Drake of the Ironclaw have mastered that very move!"

I was in a really bad position, it felt as if my body was trapped between two walls. I couldn't even move my fingers nor even keep my eyes open because of the strong wind blowing directly in my face.

"T-this is bullshit!"

"Now take this! The strongest attack of a wind magician! Wind Magic: Ventus's Orchestra!"

Appearing out of nowhere was a hundred white feathers decorated with a strange red-eye-looking emblem. Descending upon me like a flock of birds, the attack rained down on me relentlessly. Each feather scratched against my body like a knife and I couldn't contain my scream as they tore through my skin.

"Repent for making light of the Ironclaw!"

A minute had passed and the feathers finally stopped falling on me. The Knight of Wind had released me and I dropped to the ground bleeding all over. I was covered in multiple cuts and my body felt as if it was ready to collapse at any second.

"Hold on a minute...your arm..."

My attention was immediately drawn to Drake as he mentioned something about my arm. Hearing his words I turned to my left arm which was supposed to be bandaged up, but I had then been removed thanks to the feathers.

Fully out in the open was a black tattoo that traveled from the left side of my neck to the very palm of my hand. Everyone saw my mark and instantly knew who I was.

"That is the Brand of the Unforgivable! A cursed mark was given to the highest criminal of Ocaleveth! Anyone who bears it has committed a sin against all living beings of this world, and only one person in this era bears it..."

Drake smiled down at me as if staring at a lost treasure.

"You are Baxter! Baxter the Branded! The one who unsealed the Demon King!"