Opponent

Chapter 41: Opponent

Three figures appeared in a ruin.

One of them had a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, his eyes blinking incessantly. He leaped out from the shadows and looked ahead.

"Nick, are you sure they came here?"

"Of course."

Nick, with his emerald-blue eyes, replied in a low voice:

"I've been tracking Aya and the others for a full month. Besides, even if you don't believe me, you should trust a rat's nose."

"Ben!"

He turned to the last person:

"Is this the person the Brotherhood is looking for?"

"Does it matter if it is?" Ben sneered upon hearing this.

"A little girl with no foundation, who managed to build a force in such a short time. How she did it is the most important thing."

"Don't you want to know where she got so much food?"

"Exactly." Nick nodded.

"If we had her channels, we wouldn't lose anything even if we didn't join the Brotherhood."

No!

At that time, they would probably be the ones desperately trying to join the Brotherhood, not the other way around.

Although they were initially commissioned by the Brotherhood to find the killer of the red-haired man, it was now irrelevant compared to the ongoing investigation.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"First, confirm if this is their trading location. If confirmed, tell the leader to prepare."

Ben stretched his limbs.

"I've had enough of that brat for a long time."

"So..." one of them said, "you're here for Aya?"

"Of course."

Ben nodded subconsciously, then suddenly turned around, looking in the direction of the voice with surprise.

"Who's there?"

Karl emerged from the darkness, looking at the three men. His expression relaxed slightly.

"Finally, it's not the worst outcome."

It seemed Aya hadn't betrayed him, and even the people in Aya's group hadn't colluded with outsiders. This meant he hadn't chosen the wrong person.

It was worth staying here for two days.

"Attack!"

Nick roared, lunging forward. As he waved his hands, several Wrist Darts shot out ahead of him.

The other two reacted a moment slower, but the harsh environment of Black City made them make their decision instantly.

Following closely behind Nick, they charged forward.

Sensing someone spying from the shadows, they immediately chose to attack, and their first move was to kill.

"Heh..."

Karl chuckled.

Zero-ring Witchcraft—Lesser Force Field!

As his Mental Power increased, the power of his Sorcery also grew, and an invisible force field enveloped the surroundings.

Instantly.

The incoming darts, upon nearing Karl within three feet, seemed to plunge into water. The powerful resistance slowed their movement.

"Clang..."

With a gentle swing of his broadsword, the darts were knocked away.

At the same time.

Karl snapped his left fingers lightly.

Light Spell!

A dazzling white light flashed.

The charging trio instinctively closed their eyes, their reactions faltering, their movements completely disrupted.

Damn!

"Hoo..."

Karl stomped his foot on the ground, his body like a flying bird. The broadsword in his hand stirred up a gust of wind, charging towards the three of them.

Eagle Strike!

Gale Slash!

He held nothing back, unleashing his signature combat skills from the start.

Gale Slash!

Several afterimages materialized out of thin air, converging with the broadsword itself to envelop all three people in the field in an instant.

The suppression from the Lesser Force Field slowed the three down, leaving them unable to mount any decent defense against the incoming attack.

In just a moment.

"Pfft!"

"Pfft pfft!"

Blood splattered.

"Ah!"

Nick screamed to the sky, his large hand abruptly shaking as a sharp-pointed chain shot out from his sleeve.

"Clatter..."

The chain danced, causing Karl's movements to falter slightly.

But that was all. With a retraction and extension of his swordplay, a head leaped high into the air. The headless corpse sprayed blood about a foot high before collapsing onto the ground.

Dead!

A moment later.

Karl, covered in blood, crouched down and asked:

"So, the Brotherhood's Redhead was killed, and they couldn't find the murderer for a while, so they commissioned you, the local snakes, to help investigate. They promised that if you could find the killer and avenge Redhead, you could join the Brotherhood."

"As a result, during the investigation, you discovered Aya was making secret transactions, so you turned to investigating the transactions instead?"

"That's right." "Ben," covered in blood, said angrily:

"You killed Redhead, and the Brotherhood will never let you go. The leader won't let Aya and the others go either."

"You guys..."

"Are all going to die!"

Judging by his condition, he had been tortured quite a bit. He knew he couldn't escape death, and his current enraged roars were just a plea for a quick end.

"Perhaps."

Karl nodded:

"Unfortunately, you won't get to see it."

As he finished speaking, his broadsword swept across. "Ben's" body stiffened, the life in his eyes vanished, and he fell backward to the sky.

After killing the three, Karl didn't leave. Instead, he took out a whistle from his person and blew it hard.

"Beep..."

The sharp whistle sound carried into the distance.

Not long after.

Aya and Xiao Nan leaped out from a nearby crevice. They looked around at the scene before heading straight for Karl.

"Uncle."

"Uncle..." Aya looked at the corpses on the ground, her eyes filled with surprise:

"What happened?"

"Someone was tracking us." Karl said slowly:

"Their leader is named Iron Fist Abe. Have you heard of this name?"

"Iron Fist Abe?" Aya's expression changed, her eyes turning grim:

"Of course!"

"He's a local snake in Laka Market. He owns over a dozen stalls and has been causing us trouble lately."

Aya wasn't surprised that he had targeted her.

But the fact that he could find Karl meant that the transaction between them had likely been discovered. This was a matter of life and death for their small team.

Karl looked at Aya and asked:

"What are you planning to do?"

He didn't mention that the incident was related to him killing Redhead. He wanted to see how Aya would handle the situation today and if she could satisfy him.

"Uncle."

After a moment of silence, Aya suddenly said:

"Xiao Nan is already a Knight Squire."

"That's right!" Xiao Nan, standing beside her, patted his chest:

"Uncle Karl, I'm already a Knight Squire now."

A Knight Squire?

Karl's eyes flickered slightly.

This was quite unexpected.

However, Xiao Nan's physique was extraordinary. At only ten years old, he was stronger than an adult. Coupled with Old Lev's tutelage, his mastery of Breathing Techniques and Martial Skills, and sufficient nutrition during this period, becoming a Knight Squire was only natural.

"So..."

He looked at Aya:

"What were you saying before?"

"I wanted to say..." Aya said, word by word:

"I'm not the little girl who could be bullied by anyone anymore!"

Hearing this, Karl couldn't help but show a smile.

*

*

*

Iron Fist Abe's stronghold was not far from Laka Market. Including him, about twenty people occupied a dilapidated manor.

Night.

Figures appeared in the vicinity, surrounding the manor.

"Iron Fist Abe has two top experts by his side. Together with himself, that makes three Knight Squires. Their strength is the strongest."

"However, Abe likes to drink. He drinks every day, and every time he gets completely drunk. No matter what, his combat power is greatly reduced after drinking."

Aya whispered:

"When the time is right, we'll charge straight in, deal with his helpers first, and then surround and attack Iron Fist Abe."

"Uncle."

She looked at Karl:

"Please keep watch from the side."

"Mm."

Karl nodded.

These past few months, it wasn't just him who had been getting stronger; Aya had too. Moreover, they had invited help for this mission.