Midnight Poet

The fight between the two Pugilists ended in a startling fashion. Even those who knew nothing about fighting could see it.

Apart from Kronos, no one had expected such a huge gap between the two, especially the other bodyguard and the butler. They both knew that Gner had only just become a Sequence 8, while the other bodyguard had been at Sequence 8 for nearly five years.

While everyone was still reeling in surprise, someone approached from a distance, dressed in a black robe with his head hidden beneath a large hood.

After reaching the crowd, he nodded to Kronos, then addressed Gner, who stood surrounded by the others. "The marquis sent me. Let's have a match."

Clearly, this was the Nightmare Marquis Argyle had arranged, so Kronos nodded to Gner, signaling that he could take the fight.

Gner knew this was a test of his strength, so he accepted.

But ordinary people could not be allowed to watch the fight that followed, so the butler dismissed the manor's servants, leaving only Kronos, the two bodyguards, and himself.

One detail had gone unmentioned: the butler was a Reader, a Sequence 9 Beyonder. His contributions to the Argel Family had long since been sufficient, but he had yet to master his potion, so he had been unable to advance.

At first, the Nightmare used no Beyonder abilities, sparring with Gner using only his fists and feet. Those were Marquis Argyle's instructions.

Otherwise, if he forcibly dragged Gner into a dream, once or twice might not have much effect, but after several attempts, Gner would certainly be unable to hold out. He might simply fall asleep, since he was one Sequence lower.

Although a Spirit Medium was also Sequence 7, many of their abilities required hastily arranged rituals to be used to their full extent. As long as the ambush was sudden enough, hand-to-hand combat would suffice.

Sequence 7 was, after all, already considered mid-sequence. Even though his pathway did not specialize in strengthening the body, the Nightmare's physical capabilities were still considerably better than Gner's. A single punch could drive Gner back several steps, while he could occasionally take Gner's attacks head-on.

Gner's technique was clearly much better than the Nightmare's, but his blows were far less damaging. Gradually, he fell completely on the defensive.

"Let's stop here," the Nightmare said, then forcibly dragged Gner into a dream.

Gner did not fall asleep outright, but he did blank out for a moment. Seizing that opening, the Nightmare subdued him.

Releasing his hold on Gner, he turned to Kronos. "Lord Argel, his strength is quite good. He should be able to hold off an unprepared Spirit Medium. But the marquis said you must notify him before you act. I may be the one sent to help you then."

Kronos nodded to him. "Understood. Thank you for your help."

The Nightmare said nothing and simply left.

Kronos understood now. Perhaps Marquis Argyle had sent him to teach the two of them a lesson. An ordinary person could defeat a Sequence 8 through skill and luck. Violent Bear, for instance, was a Sequence 8 who merely coasted along.

But at the mid-sequences, there were no more slackers, and each pathway's abilities improved dramatically. Fighting above one's Sequence with nothing but a pair of fists was practically impossible, especially when they did not know whether their opponent possessed Beyonder items.

Kronos had always assumed that once Gner reached Sequence 8, he could fight a Sequence 7. That attitude had worried Marquis Argyle, so he had sent someone to set them straight.

Kronos silently rolled his eyes. Couldn't he have just told me? Am I really that unwilling to listen to advice? In the end, Gner had to quietly bear the brunt of it all.

Since Kronos could tell that Gner did not particularly want to see Marquis Argyle, they did not stay at the manor for a meal and instead returned straight to Backlund.

This trip home had been immensely rewarding. Gner had advanced to Sequence 8, they had obtained detailed information on the Black Skull Gang, and they had also acquired two Beyonder items.

Once they returned home, the two began studying the information on the Black Skull Gang together. The gang seemed inconspicuous, and it did not control the largest territory in the dock district.

But it occupied the most important location in the entire district: the East Balam Dock. Holding that position meant it could collect a "cut" from every cargo ship entering or leaving Backlund.

The Black Skull Gang's headquarters was an entirely ordinary little house. The documents did not describe it in detail, but the original novel mentioned that it contained large quantities of high-powered explosives and rifles.

That made the guards around the house crucial. They had to be dealt with beforehand, or a barrage of rifles would turn any Beyonder into a sieve.

The following day, Kronos made no other plans. He simply took the Vampire Mask and went to the dock district with Gner.

They found the little house described in the documents, then did nothing but stake it out from nearby, trying to establish the strength of its defenses.

Since this was the Black Skull Gang's headquarters, it had both overt and covert guard posts, with four men at each. The visible guards sat right outside the house, while the concealed guards ran stalls on the street in front of it.

People frequently came from elsewhere to deliver messages, suggesting that a senior member was inside. The guards outside changed shifts every two hours to ensure that fatigue would not make them careless.

At seven that evening, two senior members arrived: Lima and Moreira, whose photographs were in the documents. That meant the remaining senior member was probably Godopus, who had stayed inside the whole time.

After those two arrived, the number of guards rose into double digits-ten men. But since it was already dark, the covert posts were withdrawn.

Kronos glanced at Gner. Gner said nothing, but signaled with his eyes that if there were only ten men, he could still deal with them.

Within two hours, all three senior members of the Black Skull Gang had left one after another. This was probably their daily meeting.

But they would have to observe for a few more days to confirm whether that guess was correct.

Kronos checked his pocket watch. It was already nine, and there was still something else to do today: the boxing match. This was the date Violent Bear had arranged for him.

The two took a public carriage from the docks to Bridge Borough. It was not a particularly long journey, and they still had plenty of time.

The regulars at the Grizzly Bear Bar all knew there would be an evenly matched fight between Beyonders that day, so they had arrived early to wait.

Violent Bear sat behind the bar, drinking beer. Beside him sat a handsome young man with blond hair, dressed entirely in black.

This was the opponent Violent Bear had arranged for today: an official Beyonder, one of the Nighthawks responsible for Bridge Borough, and a Sequence 8 Midnight Poet.

It was quite a coincidence. Kronos had only witnessed a Nightmare's strength yesterday, and today he would face a Midnight Poet.

As the Midnight Poet drank, he said to Violent Bear, "You're putting quite a bit of effort into helping this friend of yours, aren't you?"

"He's rich and generous. Why wouldn't I help him?" Violent Bear asked in return.

"True enough. It's not a bad deal for me, either. I get to earn some money."

They had not been chatting long when Kronos arrived at the Grizzly Bear Bar with Gner.

The moment Kronos entered, he spotted the two men sitting behind the bar and knew that the man in black was his opponent for the day.

Kronos walked up to the bar. "Violent Bear, is this my opponent for today?"

"That's right, Brother Klein. It took quite some effort to get this friend of mine here. He's pretty strong, and he'll soon advance to Sequence 7."

Hearing Violent Bear's words, Kronos quietly weighed things up. He's about to advance to Sequence 7, yet he only ranks third on Violent Bear's list of fighters. That means his pathway isn't particularly good at combat.

Although he could not accurately identify his opponent's pathway, he at least had some idea of what to expect.

Kronos did not ask for any more information about his opponent. Instead, he took Gner elsewhere to sit and wait for his boxing match.

"Is that Violent Bear a Pugilist?" Gner asked, having sensed something familiar about him.

"Yes. I fought him in my last match, but he doesn't like the Warrior pathway. He only chose it because he had no other choice, so he really rejects that identity. He isn't particularly strong."

"What a shame," Gner said regretfully. "With that build, he might well have giant blood. He should be very well suited to the Warrior pathway. What a waste."

Kronos smiled without replying. Everyone had their own preferences, and those really were difficult to change.

Gner continued, "The man beside Violent Bear feels very similar to that Nightmare from yesterday, just weaker."

Gner's instincts had been honed on the battlefield years ago, so Kronos trusted them. With that comment, Kronos could roughly guess his opponent's pathway.

It was nearly midnight when, at Violent Bear's signal, the man in black stepped into the ring. He said nothing, merely watching Kronos and waiting for him to come up.

Kronos did not dawdle. He loosened up a little, then climbed briskly into the ring.

The two bowed to each other without speaking, then each assumed a fighting stance.

Kronos had always held to one principle: his combat strength was better than some but worse than others, with no distinctive advantage. That made it all the more important to counterattack rather than strike first.

The Nighthawk opposite him had also undergone specialized combat training. For a while, the two remained at an impasse, neither willing to make the first move.

A few minutes later, the crowd below the ring began to boo. Kronos's opponent finally lost patience and threw a punch straight at his face.

Seeing his opponent give in, Kronos smiled faintly. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. Half the techniques Gner had taught him targeted vital points, while the other half dealt with responding to an opponent's attacks.

As for a straight punch, the best response was to intercept the opponent's elbow joint, both neutralizing the attack and inflicting damage.