Brand's eyes widened in shock as he watched the unfolding scene. Adam had just taken down his servants without even opening his eyes.

  The sight was almost too incredible to process. 'How could this be?' Brand’s mind raced with conflicting thoughts.

  'No… this must be a swordsman’s technique', he wondered.

  'Could it be that he knows advanced sword techniques as well?' The thought sent a shiver down his spine, mingling awe with dread.

  Before Brand could let his mind wander further, Adam suddenly charged toward him—even though his eyes remained firmly shut.

  The sheer speed with which Adam moved was terrifying, closing the distance between them in a matter of seconds.

  In that split moment, Brand’s breath hitched, and a wave of panic surged through him. His heart pounded as if trying to escape from his chest.

  Without wasting a moment, Brand thrust both his hands forward. He began to chant a spell, and thick, black smoke erupted around Adam.

  The dark smoke swirled and coiled, engulfing Adam in an illusionary prison. The heavy, choking mist was meant to disorient him, to trap him in a maze of darkness and false images.

  The villagers in the background watched with wide eyes, their earlier expressions of relief replaced by renewed terror as the dark magic took hold.

  But Adam did not stop. Even as the dense black smoke obscured much of his form, Adam extended his hand forward as if challenging the very spell that had been cast upon him.

  In a calm, measured tone, he spoke in clear English, “Electric Spark.”

  At that precise moment, a surge of lightning crackled to life from Adam’s fingertips. Bright blue energy burst forth, slicing through the dense black smoke as though it were nothing more than a wisp of fog.

  The electrical energy danced along the edges of the smoke, illuminating the scene with flashes of vivid blue light. Within moments, the lightning found its mark—Brand’s chest.

  The impact was instantaneous. A violent jolt of electricity coursed through Brand’s body.

  His muscles seized up, and for a split second, his limbs locked as if frozen by the shock.

  Brand’s eyes went wide with pain and disbelief, and his mind went blank under the overwhelming force of the attack. The bright blue energy roared through him, and before Brand could even muster a response, the electrical shock sent him flying backward.

  Brand was hurled through the air. As he crashed to the ground, his control over his servants broke immediately. The eerie green glow that had filled their eyes began to fade, returning to their natural brown hues.

  One by one, the servants—those under Brand’s dark control—staggered as if waking from a long, oppressive nightmare.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Their faces, once expressionless and eerily calm, now filled with confusion as they looked around, unsure of what had just transpired.

  Brand’s body continued its flight through the air before crashing into the very house from which he had been standing.

  The impact was brutal; the wooden walls shattered under the force, splintering into fragments. Furniture was broken, and debris flew in every direction.

  The sound of shattering wood and clanging metal filled the air. Even as Brand lay amidst the wreckage, small sparks of electricity still danced along his body.

  His muscles twitched uncontrollably, and the residual energy made him shudder in spasms.

  The effects of Adam’s lightning attack were not only physical. The magical spell that Brand had cast—the dark smoke and the illusionary prison—shattered completely in the wake of the electrical surge.

  Slowly, as the black smoke dissipated, the world around Adam returned to normal.

  The distorted, shadowed environment cleared, revealing the true forms of the villagers and the battered landscape of the house.

  Sensing that the immediate threat of illusion had been neutralized, Adam slowly opened his eyes.

  The clarity that returned was like a gust of fresh air after a long, stifling night.

  Without wasting any time, Adam stepped forward deliberately. He extended his hand once more and spoke with firm authority, “Swap.”

  Immediately, as if obeying an unbreakable command, the scattered debris around the house vanished.

  In its place, Adam reappeared right next to Brand, who was still groaning on the ground. Brand barely had time to process the sudden shift before Adam’s fist came crashing into his face.

  The blow was brutal and precise, a harsh reminder that Adam was not to be underestimated.

  The impact was so severe that Brand, who had been partially raised by his own momentum, was slammed back down hard.

  His head hit the wooden floor with a sickening thud, and a sharp cry of pain escaped him as the force of the punch reverberated through his skull.

  For a moment, the world seemed to pause as Brand lay there, stunned and disoriented, his mind struggling to catch up with the cascade of events.

  But Adam was far from finished.

  Without any hesitation, Adam moved swiftly. He reached out and grabbed Brand by the collar with a grip that was as unyielding as steel.

  With raw strength, he yanked Brand off the ground, lifting him as though he weighed no more than a feather. Brand barely had time to gasp in protest before Adam’s left fist drove into his side with crushing force.

  The blow twisted Brand’s body, sending him flailing as he was flung several meters away. His form tumbled across the dirt, skidding to a painful stop as the earth itself seemed to groan under the impact.

  Yet, Adam’s assault did not end there. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from his spot—only to reappear directly above Brand while Brand was still falling backward.

  The sudden reappearance was as startling as it was swift. Brand, still in mid-air and barely processing the shock, had little time to react before Adam’s fist came crashing down onto his stomach with unrelenting force.

  The sheer power of the attack was devastating. It drove Brand straight into the ground, the force so strong that the earth beneath him cracked under the impact.

  His breath hitched, and his body convulsed violently as the blow left him reeling. Within seconds, everything went black for Brand.

  His last thought, fleeting as it was, was that Adam had not even given him a chance to breathe.

  And then, silence. Brand lost consciousness completely, his world slipping away as Adam stood over his fallen, defeated foe.

  Adam’s expression was cold and unreadable as he surveyed the outcome of the fierce exchange. There was no triumph in his eyes, only a quiet finality that spoke of a burden borne and a duty fulfilled.

  Without a pause, Adam extended his hand once more and pressed it firmly against Brand’s forehead. “Shield,” he commanded in a low, steady voice.

  Almost immediately, a glowing barrier formed around Brand’s head. The luminous shield shimmered, sealing Brand’s mana completely and leaving no room for his magic to stir. In that instant, it was clear: the fight was over.

  For a long moment, the clearing was silent. Adam stood over his unconscious opponent, his breathing measured despite the lingering adrenaline.