At extreme speed, Yala and Gulaton shot toward Kohn at the same time!
If Kohn was a point, then Yala and Gulaton's approaches formed a right angle with Kohn as the vertex—Gulaton on the left, Yala on the right.
Gulaton let out a low growl. His veins bulged as scarlet sword intent stabbed toward Kohn!
He would not stop until he saw his enemy's blood.
Kohn was momentarily stunned, but Yala merely gave a slight tap to her left shoulder, then another to her right, as she charged toward him.
Kohn was just preparing to draw his sword against Gulaton when he caught sight of the look in Yala's eyes behind her goggles.
The Alert Officer instantly understood Yala's intention.
Kohn sensed the severity of his injuries and did not think too much about it.
He knew he definitely could not block Gulaton's sword.
In that case, he simply would not defend.
Girl, Kohn thought. Don't disappoint me.
With clear eyes, Kohn ignored the Azure Longsword drawing closer before him. He decisively shifted his silver-white sword to his left hand and gripped it in reverse, abandoning his defensive stance and focusing entirely on waiting for the Barmaid to arrive!
As expected, in the next moment, Yala hurled the Wolf Leg Knife in her right hand at the menacing Gulaton!
The speeding Wolf Leg Knife shot in from the left, flying toward the Red-Black Swordsman's chest and abdomen.
Yala's right hand was now free, but she continued charging toward Kohn without slowing down.
The next moment, Gulaton's sword reached Kohn's chest and abdomen.
The Azure Longsword stabbed straight into Kohn's stomach.
But the Wolf Leg Knife in midair also slashed across Gulaton's left chest!
Gulaton let out an enraged roar.
Kohn gave a muffled groan of pain.
Because of the Wolf Leg Knife's interference, the stab landed slightly off target, missing his vital organs.
The Glory of the Stars surged rapidly within Kohn, gathering around the injured muscles.
Looking at the Red-Black Swordsman's sharp gaze before him, Kohn stubbornly endured the pain and turned his head toward the Barmaid on his right!
He chose to trust her.
But would she trust him?
Gulaton snorted coldly and instantly pulled out his sword.
He turned and faced Yala head-on as she charged toward him.
Before him, the Alert Officer endured the pain in his chest and abdomen. The Glory of the Stars flickered to life as the sword in his left hand crashed down.
It stabbed into the earth beneath his feet.
He looked like a heavily wounded swordsman struggling through his final moments.
Gulaton's expression was cold. His violent Ending Power, completely different from the Glory of the Stars, surged once more.
His sword stance was fully prepared.
With a single sword thrust, he could pierce the young girl's brow.
You can't save him.
The result of your recklessness will be both of you dying together.
But Yala merely cast Gulaton a cold glance before sweeping past Kohn.
She even bypassed Gulaton!
She charged toward Kohn's back.
Gulaton was momentarily stunned.
She wasn't trying to save him?
Yala had not chosen to take advantage of the momentum and attack Gulaton. She knew he was already prepared to counterattack.
Behind her, Rolf came rushing in amid the sound of wind.
The Barmaid knew she had only one chance.
The next moment, she calmly extended her right hand.
Her life and death were both in Kohn's hands.
The Alert Officer clenched his teeth. His right hand, empowered by the Glory of the Stars, suddenly swung backward.
Now!
Yala, who had just swept past him, was caught by her right hand in midair!
It was just like passing a baton in a relay race.
"Ah!"
Kohn roared. All the Glory of the Stars remaining in his body gathered into specks of Blue Light, spreading up his right arm as he fiercely yanked Yala backward!
The sword planted in the ground by the Alert Officer's left hand served as an anchor. Under the immense force, it dragged across the earth with an unpleasant grinding sound.
The next moment, as the Alert Officer pulled back against his sword, the light Yala swung through the air like a flail, tracing a semicircle before Kohn sent her flying to the other side of Gulaton.
She changed direction in an instant!
Yala clutched Kohn's hand like a lover. Raising the Wolf Leg Knife in her left hand high overhead, she brought its merciless edge crashing down!
Shock erupted across the Red-Black Swordsman's face.
So that was her aim. She wanted to gain Green Skin's cooperation and, with their combined strength, instantly attack my undefended side.
He calmly pursed his lips. It's a good idea, but you're still only Mortal Tier. You've underestimated the abilities of a Transcendent Rank swordsman.
The Ending Power in his arm rapidly intensified. The Azure Longsword's speed surged as it swung toward the right faster than usual.
I can stab through you before you reach me... Hm?
Gulaton's eyes suddenly sharpened.
He saw Kohn charging forward through gritted teeth.
He used his body to block Gulaton's sword!
In the blink of an eye.
"Crack—splat!" The sound came as Gulaton's shoulder bone was cleaved apart, followed by his chest and abdomen being slashed open.
The Wolf Leg Knife tore down from Gulaton's right shoulder, ripping open his entire right chest.
"Crack—slash!" Those were the sounds of Kohn's right arm being dislocated and his right ribs being cut.
A tremendous amount of blood erupted skyward from Gulaton's right shoulder!
It splattered across Yala's face!
Only then did Rolf's rushing wind reach Kohn's side.
Gulaton opened his mouth and spat out a disbelieving mouthful of blood.
Then he smiled as though freed from his suffering and collapsed instantly.
Good knife.
Good teamwork.
Gulaton gently closed his eyes.
In the blink of an eye, the terrifying Red-Black Swordsman was cut down by Kohn and Yala's unfamiliar yet perfectly coordinated cooperation!
Rolf the Wind Ghost saw what had happened to Gulaton.
He could not believe it. The terrifying Transcendent Rank swordsman beside the Air Elementalist had held the upper hand only a moment ago, yet had been effortlessly slain in the next!
But he had no time to remain shocked.
Kohn roared, stamped his foot, and pulled the sword from the ground with his left hand. Ignoring his dislocated right arm, he turned and charged toward him!
Sword light flashed.
Rolf chuckled softly. At this speed, how could anyone intercept Rolf the Wind Ghost?
Even in a high-speed head-on clash, I can change direction at any time—what?
Rolf stared in surprise as Yala, beside Kohn, dropped to one knee and slammed into Kohn's chest!
Amid a painful muffled groan, the Alert Officer completed his turn, but the speed at which he charged toward Rolf immediately more than doubled!
Damn it!
At this speed, I absolutely can't—
Rolf roared and unleashed his Psion ability with all his strength!
As gale winds howled, Rolf drew both sleeve swords, barely managing to block the Alert Officer's deadly strike.
But the Alert Officer's longsword seemed alive. With a twist and a thrust, it firmly suppressed Rolf.
Sword Lock.
One of the Terminus Swordsman's signature techniques, used specifically to lock down an enemy's weapon.
Rolf then despairingly saw Yala emerge from Kohn's arms, her expression cold and severe.
No.
At the moment he could not break free from Kohn's longsword, the Barmaid extended her right hand.
She casually crushed his throat.
The two men and the corpse collapsed to the ground together.
Fortunately, the Alert Officer thought. This Psion has never been on a battlefield.
If he had attacked instead of retreating at the first moment... we would have been finished.
Kohn awkwardly spat blood. The agony in his chest and abdomen, along with his dislocated right arm, left him unable to rise.
"Who—who are you?"
The Alert Officer asked weakly, speaking to the girl in his arms.
Yala, who was at the end of her strength, had exhausted every ounce of energy in her body. She lay wearily in the Alert Officer's broad embrace, turning her face aside to wipe the blood from it against his uniform.
The Barmaid trembled slightly, but still revealed a relieved smile.
"None of your damn business."
The young Barmaid smiled as she answered, feeling a slight sting in her eyes.
Kid, you should be able to get away, right?
Boom!
At that moment, a dull explosion came from the distance.
"Qiren, research requires passion. You can't be lazy. Scholarship is a lifelong interest and commitment."
"When you reach my age, you'll discover that you've become incompatible with the crowd, withdrawn, indifferent, and difficult to move. You'll realize that what truly supports you to the end isn't vanity, achievement, or satisfaction, but that pure bit of devotion you possessed at the very beginning."
"So you must understand Professor Chen's obsession and madness—that is probably the last bit of devotion he has left in his life."
Tales shook his head, withdrew another fragment of memory into his mind, and pulled himself out of the ruins.
When the boy crawled out of the ruins covered in blood, he raised his head and saw Ashida gazing down at him with a complicated expression.
The Air Elementalist's clothes and long hair were still bright and spotless, as though he had never experienced the explosion at all.
Madman. Obsessive lunatic.
Tales cursed inwardly. Exhausted to the extreme, he no longer had the strength to resist.
He simply rolled over and lay down in the ruins.
He was somewhat tired of this lawless world where strength was supreme.
"You—Magic User, do whatever you want."
Tales gasped for breath as he spoke.
A madman who kills at the slightest disagreement.
No wonder the Magic Users lost the war.
Ashida silently stared at Tales on the ground, his eyes strange. After a while, he suddenly let out an eerie chuckle. "Hahaha, was this also a coincidence?"
The strange Magic User gently waved his right hand, and Tales was lifted into the air by the surrounding air.
But Ashida did not strike again.
He waved his hand once more. The air pressure around Tales began to flow, instantly stopping the bleeding from all the boy's wounds.
The Magic User held Tales upright in the air until both his feet touched the ground.
But the boy still glared unfavorably at the blue-clad Magic User. He no longer held any hope of communicating rationally with Ashida.
"Child, you just used some kind of power to break through my magic barrier—the things you call 'Air Walls,'" Ashida said softly, excitement hidden within his tone.
"Only an expert who is also in the Extreme Realm can accomplish that, yet you... And there is also the power within you. It can interfere with and affect my magic. Do you know what that means?"
"I don't even know what the 'Extreme Realm' is," Tales replied weakly. "Even if I did, I wouldn't want to tell a madman who just tried to kill me."
Ashida's smile faded, and he gazed at Tales with profound eyes.
"Looks like you don't know your own nature, child."
"But it doesn't matter. Everyone loses control for the first time. We all take our first steps from ignorance."
Someone, please deal with this madman—huh?
Tales calmed himself and pondered the meaning behind Ashida's words.
Then he raised his head in surprise and suspicion, looking toward the Magic User who had just tried to kill him.
"Your first Loss of Control?"
"We?"
Ashida looked at the child, fervor radiating from his eyes.
"Yes, us—the Magic Users."
Looking at the eagerness in the Magic User's eyes, Tales suddenly began to feel inexplicably afraid.
He unconsciously took a step back and shook his head in alarm.
But the Magic User pressed forward with a step, his voice filled with a horrifying eagerness and madness:
"Yes, child."
"You were right just now. Your future value is absolutely worth my sparing you—no, worth me doing everything in my power to guide you! Child, what is your name?"
"Ever since those two bitches betrayed us and we lost The Ending War, our numbers have been dwindling!"
"You'll become one of the pieces we use to turn the tide. They definitely wouldn't dream of it..." Ashida gripped his shoulders tightly, as if afraid that the moment he let go, Tales would run away.
"I... I don't know what you're..." Tales murmured. He took a step back, but Ashida's hand still held him firmly.
Ashida's smile looked somewhat sickening.
It was like someone who hadn't smiled in years and had forgotten how to smile suddenly stretched his lips all the way to his cheeks.
"Today is the day your fate changes," Ashida said in ecstatic delight. "Come with me..."
For no reason, Tales recalled the three "human balls" beneath the Chess and Card Room. He also remembered the scene of Ashida trying to kill him in the basement.
He looked at Ashida's sickening smile, and aside from panic, a strange feeling welled up inside him.
Good heavens.
Tales remembered Ashida's power, and his throat bobbed.
A Magic User...
But...
This...
This murderous lunatic...
Go with him?
Tales spoke with difficulty. "But..."
He had only just escaped the Brotherhood's control and shaken off his identity as a beggar...
But...
In the next second, it was as though the Erroel World had heard his thoughts. He no longer had to hesitate.
"You can say 'no,' but you can't refuse. This is only the first loss of control, and every single—uh!" Ashida, who had been rambling on, suddenly froze.
A section of smooth sword blade suddenly protruded from Ashida's chest.
Ashida lowered his head in disbelief. He stared at the blade sticking out of his chest and released Tales.
Tales was startled as well. He stumbled backward several steps, caught his foot on a plank, and fell to the ground.
But Tales saw none of the fear, alarm, or panic he expected in the Magic User's eyes.
It was as if he hadn't just been stabbed in the back, but merely bitten by a mosquito, leaving him wondering, Where did this mosquito come from?
He looked as though he couldn't even feel pain.
His heart was clearly pierced through... Tales thought in terror.
Ashida stared strangely at the blade in his chest.
"Impossible." Ashida frowned and raised his head, thinking carefully as he addressed the person behind him.
"Even if you're an Extreme Realm Expert, it's impossible for you not to breathe. You can't move without disturbing the air, and you can't have no air pressure inside your body. As long as you breathe, as long as air flows, as long as the air pressure changes, you can't escape my surveillance!"
"How long have you been in Red Quarter? How did you conceal yourself from Air Elementalism?"
"No, you couldn't have broken through the Air Wall either. Otherwise, you would have acted while we were inside just now, wouldn't you?"
"Tell me."
There was no answer.
Ashida turned around with a grim expression, ignoring the blade still lodged in his back as he coldly addressed the attacker behind him.
"Tell me."
This time, Tales got a clear look at the attacker behind Ashida.
The attacker stood silently, dressed in a black hooded outfit. Everything from his gloves to his boots was black.
Even stranger, he wore a dark purple mask. The only things on the mask were two dark lenses over the eyes.
He didn't move at all.
Like a ghost.
In that instant, anger swept through Ashida's thoughts, which were made of magic energy.
Anger—a human emotion—had already been absent from him for a long time.
Thus, the magic energy within him surged, quickly helping him regain his composure and rationality.
"I imagine you must be very patient," Ashida said quietly.
"You waited until my magic energy became unstable and my perception declined before launching a sneak attack?"
"Very good. You succeeded in ambushing a Magic User." Ashida paid no attention to the blade in his chest. Instead, he stared fixedly at the attacker wearing the strange mask.
"So, who are you?"
"Did you notice the disturbance in Red Quarter and happen to discover me?"
"With skills like these—which family are you from?"
Even after several consecutive questions, the masked weirdo remained motionless.
Ashida frowned. After asking those questions, he found that he couldn't sense the flow of air pressure within the weirdo at all. Could it be that he was neither surprised nor pleased, and had no reaction whatsoever to these questions?
His Air Perception, which had always worked without fail and was practically mind-reading, had actually failed?
Then he could only use force.
"You think this is enough to kill me?"
Ashida took a step forward and gently raised his left hand. His eyes seemed to contain neither emotion nor thought.
As his fingers moved, the air began to flow as well. The space around the Masked Weirdo started to compress beneath the air.
I can't let it affect anything beyond Red Quarter, Ashida thought. Otherwise, if Wrath of the Kingdom and Black Sword discover this and arrive early, today's operation will lose its meaning.
I'll mobilize only a small portion of my magic energy first. I only need to deal with this masked man.
This time, the Masked Weirdo spoke.
"No. A Magic User cannot be killed."
His voice faintly emerged through the mask.
"So you're not mute or deaf after all." Ashida stared at the two lenses on the mask, but aside from the complex Mechanical Gears behind them, he saw nothing.
A suspicion rose in his heart. He doesn't seem completely ignorant of us either...
Tales nearly cried out in surprise.
The weirdo's voice was hoarse and difficult to identify.
It was the same voice that had made him "lower his head" during Yala and Rolf's battle.
Upon realizing this, Tales' trembling hands gradually steadied.
The Masked Weirdo took a light step and passed Ashida.
The terrifying air pressure around him seemed unable to stop him in the slightest!
Under the Air Elementalist's uncertain gaze, the Masked Weirdo abruptly swept out his hand. The short sword vanished from Ashida's back and appeared in his own hand!
It was a smooth, dark-hued short sword with a cross-shaped guard.
Ashida's expression darkened unpredictably, yet, surprisingly, he made no attempt to resist. He merely stared coldly at the unexpected visitor, weighing and calculating the situation before him.
What is he relying on? According to yesterday's updated intelligence, Judgment Gun is on the Western Front, Immobile Bow is outside the city, and Star Scepter is in Revival Palace. As for the mysterious Supreme Sword Shield, I heard that half of it is still cooling down, while the other half is at Dragonbreak Fortress. The other ordinary Anti-Magic Armaments currently in Everstar City aren't enough to seal a Magic User above the Extreme Realm.
Why is he so calm behind that mask?
Tales watched in disbelief as the mask-wearing man pulled the short sword from Ashida's back. The wound in Ashida's chest, which should have been pouring blood, radiated a faint blue light instead.
Then the blue light transformed into his clothing, bright and pristine, as if he had never been stabbed through the chest by a short sword.
A Magic User... Tales began to believe Ashida's earlier ravings. What kind of monsters are Magic Users?
But before Tales could think the question through, a figure loomed over him.
The Masked Weirdo walked up to Tales. Before he could react, the man pulled the thin boy into his arms.
Tales was about to struggle, but the Masked Weirdo gently pressed down on the back of his neck. The boy felt the strength slowly drain from his entire body and went limp in the man's arms.
In a daze, Tales caught sight of Ashida raising both hands from the corner of his eye.
"Hey, watch out for his—" The boy tried to speak, but the Masked Weirdo covered his mouth with one hand.
Ashida stood behind them. He no longer intended to observe.
This boy was too important.
"Since you know that a Magic User cannot be killed, why did you attack?" Ashida's magic energy surged, mobilizing all the air within fifty meters.
"You can't be at the True Realm level, but you should at least be one of the peak experts within the Extreme Realm."
"You even have a way to conceal yourself from magic energy?"
Ashida moved both hands menacingly, and Tales immediately felt the air pressure around him change.
The Air Elementalist was about to attack.
"But no matter who you are—"
However, Ashida's words were interrupted by a horrified discovery of his own.
"What! What is this!"
The air pressure around them was interrupted as well.
Tales raised his head and looked over the Masked Weirdo's shoulder. He saw terror filling Ashida's eyes.
The Magic User trembled as he took a step back and looked at his chest. The spot where the Masked Weirdo had pierced him now flickered with purple light.
It was the first time Tales had seen fear in the eyes of a Magic User.
The Masked Weirdo lowered his head toward Tales. His hoarse voice echoed beside the boy's ear. "A Magic User cannot be killed, but a Magic User is not invincible."
For some reason, Tales suddenly felt reassured.
On a subconscious level, he felt that this weirdo before him was much safer than the lunatic behind him.
Ashida frantically clutched his chest, his face filled with terror!
It was as if the purple light was about to explode from his chest.
"No, no..."
He suddenly raised his head and looked at the Masked Weirdo, fear and hatred mingling in his voice!
"This is... the Imperial Kingdom's... Legendary Anti-Magic Weaponry!"
The Masked Weirdo reached out and covered Tales' eyes.
"This armament... I've never seen it before... No, no..."
"Those two bitches..."
Tales didn't hear the rest of Ashida's enraged words.
Because in the next instant, as Ashida gritted his teeth resentfully and transformed into hundreds of beams of light that erupted with limitless energy, Tales felt as if he had entered another space. All sound and light vanished from his senses.
Tales knew that he had already left Red Quarter.
This night was finally coming to an end.
When Yala woke up again, she found herself being carried over a solid shoulder.
The streets on both sides slowly receded behind her.
Once she realized her situation, she hurriedly slapped the familiar man carrying her.
"Hey, hey! Edmund! Put me down! I still have to go back—"
The plump chef merely snorted impatiently. "Put you down so you can go back and find that pretty-boy lover? And he's a Green Skin, too? If Big Sis finds out—hehe—"
Yala's face flushed. "That Green Skin isn't my lover!"
"I clearly saw you lying in his arms with such a happy look on your face—"
"Did you not notice our surroundings, hey!"
"I did! The night was dark, the wind was high, the streets were silent, the moon shone over the flowers, no one knew, a secret rendezvous—"
"You've completely missed the point, you dead fatty!"
"We'll know whether I'm wrong later—"
"Forget it, I'm not arguing with you. I still have to go find someone—"
"In your current state, don't count on me putting you down."
"Dead fatty! Broken-down chef! Put me down! I challenge you!"
"You? You're only outstanding among the Mortal Tier. Come talk to me again after you reach the Transcendent Rank."
"Hey, I really have someone important I need to find—"
"Even if it isn't a Green Skin, even if you're looking for the Prince, it won't help!"
"Dead fatty, stop rubbing that in! Ouch, come on, put me down, please, Uncle Edmund—"
"You're already over twenty and still acting spoiled? Do you think you're still a girl? Aren't you ashamed?"
"What's wrong with that? Uncle, you're over forty, but you're still as youthful as a three-year-old child, aren't you?"
"Hmph, my mindset is young—huh? Why does something sound wrong about that?"
At the same time, on the other side of a distant street, Kohn was slapped awake.
Still dazed, he discovered that the person in front of him was actually his immediate superior, Second-Class Vigilant Officer Lobik Dila!
However, the Head of Vigilant Hall looked displeased as he applied medicine to Kohn's wounds. The moment he saw that Kohn had woken up, he launched into a barrage of sarcasm.
"Hero, you're awake? After wandering around all night, did you eliminate the Brotherhood and the Blood Bottle Gang?"
"I—"
"You've got some nerve! Disobeying orders in public and playing the lone hero! Are you feeling proud of yourself?"
"But—"
"But what! If it weren't for your father's sake, I would have shot you already! Would I have kindly come looking for you after seeing that sword light?"
"However—"
"However what! Having a subordinate like you is the worst luck imaginable! Do you think you're the male lead in a play at the Midnight Temple, and that the woman just now was the female lead?"
"She—"
"Don't mention that girl! If your father finds out you came to Red Quarter in the middle of the night to look for women—"
"No—"
"You still have the nerve to deny it! Even Miss Lillian, the star attraction of the Laiya Club, came to report that you visited her bedroom in the middle of the night, hey!"
"This—"
"Security Captain, Second-Class Vigilant Officer, openly disobeying orders, seeking pleasure in the middle of the night! I'm telling you, prepare to be suspended when you get back!"
"Ah—"
Just then, a second deafening boom rang out from the center of Red Quarter Street!
"Boom!!!"
The entire Everstar City heard the terrifying explosion!
"Rumble!"
This time, the shock wave from the air explosion shot straight into the sky!
Scorching dust hurled into the air by the blast came rushing in from afar!
Director Lobik and the dispirited Kohn stared in shock toward the center of Red Quarter Street!
"This is—bad," the director muttered. "The city construction funds we just got approved—"
"Director, I think you've got your priorities mixed up!"
"Anyone who doesn't manage the money, shut up!"
On the other side of the street, Chef Edmund and Yala, perched on his shoulder, stared in astonishment at the aftershock of the explosion.
"Little Yala," Edmund muttered, "good thing we ran fast and got far away."
"Is that the point?"
"Didn't Big Sis say so? Safety comes first."
"You—you really are my three-year-old uncle!"
"Hey, hey, watch how you talk!"
When Tales's feet touched the ground again, he couldn't help sprawling on the ground and coughing.
The wounds all over his body seemed to start hurting only now.
The Masked Weirdo stood silently to one side, as though nothing had just happened.
"Ashida—is that magic user dead?"
"No. His armament wasn't complete, so I couldn't seal him permanently," the hoarse voice replied. "But at least he won't appear again for more than a decade."
Tales's heart tightened at first, but then he relaxed.
The magic user's madness, abnormality, and eeriness had left far too deep an impression on him.
A decade or more would be enough time for him to think of a countermeasure.
Tales suddenly raised his head, remembering something.
"I have another companion. When she protected me—"
"She's fine," the hoarse voice immediately replied, as though it knew what he was thinking. "She's on her way back to the Lower City District."
Tales breathed a sigh of relief, his entire body going limp.
But then he remembered something extremely important.
"You—sir," Tales asked cautiously, having already had a bad experience with magic users:
"Who are you?"
Tales hadn't expected someone wearing a mask and hiding his face to answer him kindly in the first place.
But what happened next nearly made his jaw drop!
The masked weirdo, who had been brimming with killing intent only moments ago, suddenly took one neat step back. He placed his right hand over his left chest, moved his left arm behind his waist, knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and answered respectfully and solemnly:
"My name is Yordel Gato. At your service."