Sofia screamed as she subconsciously covered the eyes of her son, who was too young to see this kind of bloodshed.

In response, Malcolm hurried to his wife’s side. He drew his sword, ready to defend his family in case the warriors from the Grimfang Tribe attacked them.

His Raptor also moved to protect them, prepared to move if something unexpected happened.

However, the Grimfang Tribe had no time to deal with them as they were all busy glaring at the masked man with bloodshot eyes.

Hugo, who was supposed to be giving them orders, had backed away, unable to stop his warriors from charging at the person who killed their people.

Deep inside, he believed that since they were only dealing with one person, they would be able to kill him right away.

His logic was actually correct. Unfortunately, their opponent was no ordinary foe.

"Die!" One of the warriors hacked the masked man’s body and even succeeded.

However, he didn’t feel the familiar resistance from his weapon digging through flesh.

As soon as the blade reached him, the body of the masked man turned into a black mist.

The black mist then flew over the other charging warriors. After it passed them, only headless bodies still mounted on horses remained.

Their mounts were even able to run for a few more meters before their headless warriors finally collapsed on the ground.

"Sorcery!" Hugo shouted. "Back away! He might be a shaman from a high-ranking tribe!"

The other warriors hurriedly backed off, looking in horror at the mist that had gathered to form the body of the masked man that they had tried to attack earlier.

"Hah... I really hate getting dirty," the man muttered as he stepped away from the bloody ground where he was standing.

He then gave a side-long glance to Malcolm and his family, who were huddled together. Seeing that they were safe, he once again shifted his attention back to Hugo, whom he believed was the leader of this merry band of warriors.

"Still want to fight?" the masked man asked. "I can do this all day."

"Are you from the Grimhowl Tribe?" Hugo asked.

This was the only explanation he could think of. The Grimhowl Tribe was allied with the Aslan Tribe, and they had several powerful shamans, including Gundar, who was hailed as the strongest of them all.

Gundar’s legend of single-handedly terrorizing the Darkmane Tribe and killing their chieftain right in front of their warriors was a tale that was very popular among the barbarians in the Borderlands.

As such, the Grimhowl Tribe was an existence none of them dared to defy.

"Does it matter where I’m from?" the masked man asked. "The only question you should be asking yourself is whether you should continue going on your way, or stay here to die. Which one will it be?"

In just a short period of time, a dozen warriors had already died under the hands of the masked man, which made Hugo understand that they were facing someone extremely dangerous.

The fact that their opponent could turn his body into black mist and not be harmed by weapons was proof that fighting him would only increase their casualties.

Unless they figure out how to neutralize his abilities, Hugo would just be sending his men to die.

"Everyone, stay your hands!" Hugo shouted.

The warriors were still glaring at the masked man, but none of them dared to attack him again.

"I like smart people," the masked man said before climbing on top of his horse. "Clear a path and let us pass. That way, no one else needs to die."

Hugo gritted his teeth, but he still gave the order for his men to create a path for the masked man to pass.

"You can pass, but they will stay," Hugo stated while pointing at Malcolm’s family.

"Did you not hear me?" the masked man asked. "Or are those ears of yours just decorations? Do you want me to cut it off?"

The masked man then glanced at Malcolm and his family, who still didn’t know what to do.

"Come," the masked man ordered. "You will guide me to see Leone Frontera, so I can’t leave you behind."

Malcolm looked at his wife in response and gave her an encouraging nod. He would let his wife and child go first so he could protect their rear in case Hugo changed his mind.

Sofia hugged her son tightly with one hand and used her free hand to guide their horse along the path that had opened for them.

It was a very tense moment. Yet, the masked man remained calm, simply waiting until Malcolm’s family had safely moved past him.

Hugo and the rest of the warriors could only watch helplessly as the three riders headed in the direction of Grimjaw Mountain.

The Grimfang Tribe had suffered many losses as of late, which made them feel very depressed.

They had just been forced to retreat after pursuing the Stormhorn Tribe for many days. And now, they met a mysterious stranger on their way back home, leading to the death of a dozen more warriors.

While Hugo wallowed in depression from the incident that just transpired, Malcolm and his wife anxiously led the masked stranger to the direction of Grimjaw Mountain.

A heavy silence passed between the group because the couple didn’t dare to speak to their new companion who seemed very used to killing people.

This was why both of them almost jumped up in fright when they heard the masked man speak behind them.

"Are you sure Leone is now the chieftain of this... Aslan Tribe?" the masked man asked. "This is the first time I’m hearing the name of this tribe in the Borderlands."

"Yes," Malcolm replied. "The Aslan Tribe is a newly formed tribe that is composed of three tribes. Leone is the one leading all of them under one banner."

He was still feeling anxious about traveling with the masked man. But after seeing his hostility toward Leone’s enemies, the veteran warrior thought that it might be fine to bring him to Grimjaw Mountain.

"G-Great Shaman, I would just like to ask if you are Leone’s friend or foe," Malcolm asked in a respectful tone. "I know I already mentioned this earlier, but I am indebted to the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe. I do not wish to bring him trouble."

"I am not a shaman," the masked man replied. "If you are Leone’s friend, then you have nothing to worry about. But if you’re not..."

The masked man made a cutting gesture on his neck, which made Malcolm’s face turn pale.

He decided that asking more questions would only shorten his lifespan, so he spoke no more.

As Malcolm gazed at the mountain that could now be seen in the distance, he prayed silently to the Earth Goddess to protect them from harm.

He was afraid that once they reached their destination, their usefulness would run out, and the stranger traveling alongside them would dispose of them.

The warrior wasn’t aware that the incident that happened earlier was all witnessed by Daedalus, who now informed its Master that a mysterious guest was heading in their direction.