"!!!" Noel turned around, but he was too late to swing his sword.
He could only raise his left hand, but it was useless against an axe. In addition, the bandit leader had a big muscular body, the power behind it was tremendous even without the Spiritual Energy.
There was only one outcome in this clash. Noel's head getting severed along with his hand.
However, Noel wasn't a normal person either. Right before the axe reached him, he used his Ice Control to form a thick ice to stop this attack.
In the instant they clashed, Noel felt a force that almost snapped his hand, but he still hang on while glancing at the ice.
The ice thickness was 3 centimeters and the axe managed to crush two thirds of it.
"Kh." Noel's right eye closed as he experienced an intense pain on his hand. His body was pushed back as well, but he stomped the ground to stop the momentum.
This time, it was the bandit leader's turn to be surprised. He never expected that Noel managed to block his swing with his hand.
"What?" The bandit leader gasped before gritting his teeth, trying to push Noel to the ground.
Even the other bandits dropped their jaws, saying, "What? He stopped the leader's strike with his hand?"
"Look. There's an ice on his palm."
Everyone was confused, but Noel was even more confused when the demons suddenly charged at him again. Three demons were still alive, so they would hinder him so much if they attacked together.
'Why did they not get attacked by the demons?' Noel furrowed his eyebrows. 'Why only me?'
There was a big question in his head, but he was unable to find the answer because he was too occupied by the bandits.
"You guys attack him too!" The bandit leader shouted while trying to kick Noel.
However, Noel utilized his Four Points Circulation and gathered his Spiritual Energy into his left hand. The excessive amount of Spiritual Energy caused them to burst, creating a shock wave from his palm.
That shock wave sent enough force to push the bandit leader's axe as Noel skillfully used his sword to cut down the foot that was about to kick him.
However, the bandit leader seemed to be stronger than he thought. At the last second, he managed to stop his kick, albeit the sword still managed to leave a shallow cut on his foot.
"Argh!" The bandit leader gritted his teeth, enduring the pain.
It was at this time Noel returned his kick with another kick on his stomach, but the demons managed to catch up and bit him.
Noel's body was soon covered by the Spiritual Energy through the Spirit Aura Breathing, giving a small layer of protection. At the same time, ice also formed around the area, so that the demon could only bite ice.
"Aoo." The demon that bit him let out a shrill and retreated for a bit.
Meanwhile, the bandit leader took that chance to get away, giving the opportunity for the other two demons to kill Noel.
However, Noel's concern was the four guys behind those demons. He was sure that these people would kill him the moment the demons distracted him.
The only way to avoid his doom was to create an ice floor around him. The demons and the bandits slipped and slid on the smooth ice.
Noel saw the demons and struck them with his sword without taking a single step. Although he had trained fighting in an ice , he still didn't have any mastery. So, he would slip in the end. Rather than taking unnecessary risk, he remained in his position and struck them.
The demons had no way to escape and died.
Meanwhile, the other bandits managed to stop by planting their sword on the ice.
"What kind of sorcery is this?"
Noel took a deep breath as he took a look around to check the situation. The four bandits seemed to be struggling to just stand while the bandit leader glared at him in anger.
When he turned to the women, he smiled and said, "Don't worry. I'll bring you out of this place safely. Just remain on the bed until I eliminate all these bandits."
Noel's assurance made the women felt relief for the first time. After showing his prowess, it was clear that Noel could fight against all these people, especially after he eliminated all the demons.
With this, he only needed to take care of another five people. Although they didn't have any more home to return, it was better than getting tortured in this place by these guys.
So, they didn't do anything despite wanting to run using this chance.
"You still haven't answered my question. How did you manage to capture the demons? You seem to be able to control them since they're only attacking me, not you." Noel asked with a cold expression, trying to get some information.
Unfortunately, the bandit leader shouted, "Do you think I'm afraid of you? Even if you could kill those demons, you are still not my match."
Even the other bandits raised their weapons with the intention to kill.
"Looking at your confidence, it seems the people here are the strong ones that can capture the demons." Noel narrowed his eyes.
"It seems that you're not that foolish." The bandit leader laughed. He didn't even think about hiding it after getting praised by Noel. Of course, it wasn't a praise. Though, it was a compliment for the bandits.
"What's the reason for you to capture demons and use them? Who taught you how to catch the demons?" Noel asked again while raising his sword as if he was threatening them. However, he would never expect what was coming.
"Fine. If you want to know…" the bandit leader smirked as he said, "Let's see if you can ask that again after this. Do it!"
Noel was confused for a second before he opened his eyes wide and his body moved to the front slightly. Behind him was a woman holding a dagger, stabbing Noel from the back.