Hearing that the First Forger mentioned something about cleanup, Valyr thought that the man was going to take the current opportunity to reorganize the hierarchy of power under the current context.
With how much he had learned about the First Forger from the previous memory, the young man expected the entire thing to go smoothly, utilizing the reputation he had built up through the years to do such a thing.
Well, the cleanup definitely went smoothly, alright.
But not in the way Valyr initially thought it to go.
"Agh!"
"No!"
"Graahh!!!"
Without hesitation, the First Forger flared out his killing intent as he began to strike against those in the city hall that remained after his warning and advice.
Seeing that the head of their city began to lash out at them, some of the people began to back away in fear, not wanting to get embroiled in the fight that would ensue.
However, most of the people looked at the man with a sneer, wondering what kind of confidence the First Forger had to fight against them when all of their strengths had been reset.
It was also at that moment that everyone in the hall understood what the First Forger meant by cleanup, deciding to fight back against the man utilizing their advantage in numbers if they didn't want to be forcefully evicted from their positions.
At first, the opposition held the advantage, pushing back the First Forger towards a corner that allowed many of them to strike at him.
"That's not gonna work." Watching the fight reach this part, the young man shook his head in pity, recalling what the First Forger had gone through before the system had awakened for all humans.
"Is that really all you've got?"
While many of the people in the hall put all of their strength into hitting the man in his vital spots, the First Forger looked at those surrounding him with nonchalance, taking all of the hits they delivered to his body with immense indifference.
Understanding that he would just turn into an eternal punching bag if he did not make a move, the First Forger eventually fought back, unleashing a surprisingly high level of strength as he began to do the same to those that struck at him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
However, unlike the ineffective strikes the majority sent towards him, each of the First Forger's strikes contained a level of ferocity and momentum that eclipsed the strengths of the people combined.
With a single punch, a person would be severely injured, coughing up blood as they were sent flying to the walls.
Of course, seeing that the First Forger looked to have retained a bit of strength even after the system update, some of the people that fought against him began to think twice as to whether they should fight him or not.
At this point, those that realized what was happening early on had already left the hall, leaving only those that let their emotions get the better of them to accompany the First Forger.
With that, even though a few had realized that they were fighting a losing battle, they were left with no choice but to continue retaliating against the First Forger's strikes.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Like an asura in the battlefield, the First Forger continued sending punch after punch towards those that barred his path, his gaze filled with overflowing bloodlust and killing intent.
Watching this moment from afar, Valyr felt like he had now seen a new side of the First Forger thanks to the memory.
After all, with what he found out from the previous memory and the beginning of the current memory, the young man thought that the man seemed like he would prefer approaching things through logical and rational measures.
Thus, when he found out that there was a wild and brash side to the man that was called the First Forger, a faint smile gradually crept up the edge of the young man's lips as the man showed him dominance over the many people that tried to fight back against him.
By the time half an hour had passed, what was once an opposition of over 50 people had all fallen to the ground, their faces and bodies receiving various degrees of injury.
Though, if there was one thing that was similar amongst all these people, it was the fact that great amounts of blood flowed from their bodies, coating the floor of the city a dark and eye-catching crimson.
In the middle of it all, the First Forger stood in the center, looking at the aftermath of what just happened with a blank yet calm gaze.
Taking note that his body was coated in the blood of those that just fought against him, he then shook his head with a sigh, shaking off all of the excess blood on his body in the process.
"You know, you could have given us a heads-up that you were going to do something like this."
At the same time, the main doors to the hall were opened, revealing a pair of people that Valyr became familiar with thanks to the previous memory.
Hearing the words uttered by the woman as the door opened, the First Forger looked back at her and gave her a wry smile. "It was either I do it now or do it right in the middle of one of our large-scale attacks for territory."
"In any case, it was better to do it now than later, considering how many have begun to forget what we've gone through in the past."
At those words, the woman let out a sigh as she shook her head. "I know you're doing it for the greater good of humanity, and we undoubtedly support your cause. But the people you just killed were quite capable hands when it came to the tasks you gave them."
"This is going to set us back for quite a while," said the man beside the woman with a sigh. "I really hope this gambit of yours works out in the end."
"It will." The First Forger looked at them with a reassuring grin. "There's no doubt that humanity will stand taller than ever after all this chaos passes."
"Especially when you two are helping me out. Minara. Neure."
"So, what's the plan?" Wryly smiling in response to the man's words, Minara moved their conversation to another topic.
"With the system update, all of the power we've accumulated so far have been reset. There's no doubt that a great part of the territory we've fought to obtain so far will be reclaimed by our enemies."
"That's to be expected." The man nodded, his expression telling the two that there was nothing they could do in that aspect. "But once again, I assure you that we'll reclaim that and double that once we return to our original levels of strength."
"I appreciate the reassurance," said Neure in response, a slight frown on his face. "But you didn't answer Minara's question. What's the plan?"
"It's pretty simple." The First Forger softly smiled in response.
"We just have to do what we've already done all over again."
