Couldn't My Reincarnation have been more Cliche!

Chapter 21 (Crime and Punishment)

At that moment, the nearly invisible tentacles that had been lying in wait burst into action, swarming up the men's legs, burrowing into their flesh to continue deeper into their targets. The tall man's hand moved wildly as he lost control of it; still, the light at the tip of his wand continued to grow until it burst forth into a beam of fire that shot harmlessly into the canopy of trees above.

A system notification sounded out in my mind.

System>

Multiple compatible energy sources found. . . (success)

Raising soul integer failed

{Unknown energy sources detected}. . .. .

{Use found}

{Strengthening Skill} [Monarch's Reach]

System:>

I could feel my body getting stronger as even more tentacles appeared around it. With that, I dashed towards the group, closing the distance in an instant.

The view in front of me was nothing short of gut-wrenching. The men were tearing off their clothes and scratching at their skin in an effort to get the foreign invaders out. I knew from experience how terrifying it was to feel your energy taken away from you. The two goons had collapsed on to the ground, the taller one had resorted to rolling along the ground as if he thought he was on fire

I stooped down, grabbing one of the daggers the small man had dropped while sprinting toward the leader who was still standing. His expression showed that he was in the same amount of pain as the others, but unlike them, his eyes held a look of consternation before they sharpened for a moment, and he let out a cry.

[Garrett] (the punk leader) "Enough!"

In an instant, a shockwave shot out from around him, tearing patches into his clothes and creating a gust of wind that swept through the grass, sending leaves blowing past me. At the same time, I could no longer feel the connection to any of the tentacles near him. Looking at his skin, I could see why. Blood was dripping from holes along his body where the tentacles had entered and extended. Taking a breath, he pointed the tip of his blade at me again. Its tip reflecting the fire from the treetop above. The man lashed out towards me, throwing out a series of punches with one hand while raising his blade in the other.

I dodged to the side, avoiding his fist by a few inches before bringing the black blade I had grabbed upwards into his hand, sending a spurt of blood to in the air before a silver glint slashed through it towards my neck.

[Garrett] (the punk leader) "Die, you monster."

The man put the last of his energy into swinging the mithril blade that denoted him as a high-ranking member of the Roaring Flame Guild towards the thing staining in his blood below him. As he thought to himself, she should have gone for my neck; now that she's slipped up, it's my victory. Unfortunately for his last remaining hope, as the blade swung down, it hit nothing but air. Letting out a gasp, he fell over into the grass, the dirt around him turning into reddish mud as it mixed with the blood that was dripping off his body. Above him stood the shadow of a woman in a black dress, ash floating around her.

I looked down at the man as I pulled my blade out from his calf. Flicking the blood off it, I looked up and saw that the fire in the treetops had gone out. Huh, that's good; I almost thought I was going to have to deal with a forest fire too.

Kicking the man on the ground, he didn't let out any sounds, but I could see his chest was still rising, so at least he was alive. Picking up his dagger, I sent a few tentacles into him just to make sure before walking to the other two who had stopped their struggling.