Sora Yatagami was a completely average human, and possessed a strong-willed, kind-hearted, humble and generous personality. However, when one of his classmates betrayed him, he fell into the abyss, where his journey to become the strongest began.
Everyone was on their way towards the Haltina woods to conquer the Sea of Tree Labyrinth, when Shea noticed something.
Shea: Hm? Sora... isn't there someone being attacked over there?
Sora spotted a merchant caravan under attack. They seemed to be holding their own for the moment. As they grew closer, Shea's ears picked up on the sounds of people shouting, and Sora and Hajime activated Farsight to get a better idea of what was going on.
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Sora: Looks like they're fighting bandits. There's... forty of them, it looks like. They're all dressed in rags. Hmm, only have about fifteen guards...
Hajime: I can't believe they're holding their own with only that many people.
Yue: Yeah. That barrier's pretty good. Probably even better than mine.
Kaori: Eh?! Even better than you?!
Yue: Um... Those magic are all high level as well.
Sora(mind): That barrier... Don't tell me...
Tio: I see. They need to break that down to get through. The bandits can't do anything if the guard shoot magic through the barrier.
Aishia: But it doesn't look like the bandits are backing down.
Hajime: Well, unless they've got an entire party of Barrier Masters in there, they won't be able to hold something that powerful for long. As long as the bandits keep at it, they'll win. Their defenses won't last.
They must have been taken by surprise. A number of the merchants' guards were lying on the ground in a pool of their own blood. A few others were gravely injured.
The only reason they were still holding out was because of the barrier. But with such an overwhelming difference in numbers, each guard that went down was a huge loss. Once the barrier fell, they'd be overwhelmed in seconds. One of the female adventurers had already been captured by the bandits. She'd been stripped naked and strung up as an example to the others still fighting.
As Sora had predicted, the merchants weren't able to keep up the barrier. Right around when their conversation ended, it began to crumble. The bandits swooped in with whoops of joy. Their thoughts were already turning toward the loot they'd soon have, and they smiled viciously. The remaining guards fought valiantly, but they were completely outnumbered.
One after another, they began to fall. Kaori raised her hands to her mouth and gasped. She turned to Sora and Hajime and begged them to help.
Kaori: Sora! Hajime! Please help them! There could be someone I know!
Sora:...
Kaori: Sora!
Aishia: Um... Sora? That barrier... Those magics... You don't think...
