KB1 - Chapter XVI :Joel Gatos, at your service

Chapter XVI: Joel Gatos, at your service — Book 1: Heir of the Kingdom.


In their peaked speed, both of Yara and Gaston’s figures dashed toward Cohen at the same time!

If Cohen is a point, then the dashing lines of Yara and Gaston drew a 90 degrees angle with Cohen as the apex, Gaston on the left, and Yara on the right.

Gaston snarled, his blood vessels protruded, and the deeply reddened blade thrust toward Cohen!

Never give up without seeing the enemy’s blood.

At first Cohen was dumbfounded for a while, but Yara, who was in the middle of attacking him, seemed to tell him something by tapping her left shoulder then her right shoulder.

While he already prepared his sword to intercept Gaston, Cohen saw the eyes behind Yara's goggles.

The City Watch officer instantly understood Yara’s intention.

Feeling his heavy injuries, Cohen didn't think too much about anything else.

He knew that he could not stop Gaston’s sword by himself.

Then I will simply stop defending.

Girl, Cohen thought: Don't let me down.

Cohen’s vision was clear, he ignored the green sword that was getting closer and closer, changed the silver-white sword to his left hand, held it in reserve, then ceased the defensive sword style and concentrated on waiting for the arrival of the female bartender!

Sure enough, in an instant, Yara threw the wolfleg knife on her right hand toward the aggressive Gaston!

From the left side of the red and black swordsman, the shooting wolfleg knife rapidly aimed to his chest and abdomen.

Yara’s right hand was empty but she still ran toward Cohen without slowing down.

The next moment, the tip of Gaston’s sword reached Cohen's front.

The green sword pierced Cohen's abdomen.

But Yara’s wolfleg knife in the air also crossed the left side of Gaston’s chest!

Gaston angrily roared.

Cohen screamed out painfully.

Because of the interference of the wolfleg knife, the sword stab was slightly diverted and avoided his vital organs.

“The Glory of Stars” inside Cohen's body quickly rushed and gathered near the muscles of the wound.

Looking at the fierce gazes of the red and black swordsman, Cohen tenaciously endured the pain and turned his head to look at the female bartender on the right!

He chose to believe in the other.

But what about her?

Would she also believe in me?

Gaston snarled and pulled back his sword.

He turned, facing the incoming Yara.

In front of him, the City Watch officer resisted the pain in his chest and abdomen, “the Glory of stars” flickered again, he then slammed down the sword in his left hand.

RUMBLED, it pierced the ground under his feet.

At one look, he seemed like a heavily injured swordsman who couldn’t resist anymore, only able to struggle toward his final moment.

Gaston’s face still held an indifferent expression, the violent Termination force which was the opposition of “the Glory of stars” raised up once again.

He had prepared enough for a move.

I only need one stab to pierce between this little girl's eyebrows.

You can't save him.

The result of your recklessness is that even you will have to die here together with him.

But Yara only glanced coldly at Gaston and rushed over to Cohen.

Even bypassed Gaston!

And went behind Cohen.

Gaston was suddenly taken aback.

Isn't she going to save him?

Yara didn’t choose to follow the assault’s rhythm and attack Gaston, she knew that Gaston was ready to fight back.

Behind her, Rolf’s attack was coming with his screaming wind.

The female bartender knew that there was only one opportunity.

Next, she calmly extended her right hand.

Their life and death were in the Cohen’s hands now.

The City Watch officer bit his teeth, the power of “the Glory of stars” blessed his right hand, then he suddenly put it to his back.

Right now!

Only to saw Yara, who had just passed him and still in midair, held his right hand tightly!

Just like in a relay race.

"ARGH!"

Cohen screamed, the rest of his “Glory of stars” force converged into flicking blue lights and spread to his right arm. With all his might, he swung Yara from his back!

On the ground, the long sword in the City Watch officer’s left hand played the role of a fixed point, letting out a harsh frictional sound because of the huge momentum.

After the blink of an eye,

As the City Watch officer's sword was pulled back, Yara gently drew a semicircle like a flail in midair and was instantly swung by Cohen to the other side of Gaston.

Their position changed instantly!

Clasping Cohen’s right arm like a lover, the wolfleg knife on Yara’s left hand was hanging above, and then, the cold and solemn blade cut down!

The red and black swordsman’s face burst into a shocking expression.

So that is her purpose – to get into cooperation with the scoundrel, and by combining the strength of two people, instantly attack the side which I have no defense.

He licked his lips indifferently: good idea, but she was still only at mortal-level, they underestimated the ability of a transcended swordsman too much.

The Termination force on his arm quickly fermented, the speed of the green sword soared, swinging to his right side at a rate faster than usual.

Before your strike, my sword can... ah?

Gaston’s eyes blinked instantly.

Only to saw Cohen, biting his teeth, rushed to him directly.

He blocked Gaston’s sword with his body!

A line of light sparkled.

"CRACKED - slashed!" That was the sound of Gaston's shoulder bone being ruptured, and then the chest and abdomen being opened.

The wolfleg blade descended from the right shoulder of Gaston, tearing open his right chest.

"Cricked, cracked!" That was the sound of Cohen's right arm being dislocated and his right rib being cut.

A lot of blood from Gaston’s right shoulder spurted to the sky!

And sprayed on Yara’s face!

At this point, Rolf's screaming wind had only reached Cohen.

Gaston opened his mouth and spit out an unimaginable amount of blood.

Then, smiling in relief, he fell down instantly.

Such beautiful blade.

Such good cooperation.

Gaston gently closed his eyes.

Between an agile and swift movement, the fearsome red and black swordsman was killed by the unfamiliar yet congenial cooperation of Cohen and Yara!

The Ghost of wind saw Gaston’s final moment.

He couldn't believe it. The terrifying transcended swordsman, who had been staying beside the Magus of air all this time, who still had the upper hand just until now, was easily killed in an instant just like that!

But he had no time to be awestricken.

Because Cohen was roaring, his foot stepped on, his left hand pulled up the sword on the ground, and regardless of the dislocated right arm, he turned and charged toward the Ghost of wind!

Lights of blade flashed.

Rolf chuckled, with this kind of speed, how could he intercept me, the Ghost of wind.

Even if you try encircling me with high speed, I can change direction at any time – what?

Rolf was surprised to see that Yara, who was next to Cohen, kneeled down on one knee and slammed into Cohen's body!

The City watch officer turned around in a painful groan, but his charging speed toward Rolf immediately doubled!

That vile bitch!

This speed, I simply can't -

Rolf angrily screamed and utilized his power in full force!

In the screaming hurricane, both of Rolf's sleeve swords were out, he managed to block the deadly sword of the City Watch officer.

However, it was like the City watch officer’s long sword had a life of its own, it twisted and stabbed, severely constraining Rolf’s swords.

The Locking blade.

One of the signature moves of the Termination swordsmanship, designed to lock the enemy's weapons.

Rolf was then desperate to see Yara, from within Cohen’s chest, revealed her head with a cold expression.

DON’T.

At the moment when he couldn't break away from Cohen's sword, the female bartender’s right hand reached out.

Easily and delightfully crushed his throat.

Two people and one corpse fell onto the ground.

Lucky for us, the City Watch officer silently thought: This mystical power user never went to a battlefield after all.

If he didn't back off in the first place, but attacked... then we are finished.

Cohen vomited blood, the pain in his chest and abdomen, along with his dislocated right arm, made him unable to get up.

"You - who are you?"

The City Watch officer inarticulately asked the girl in his chest.

Like an arrow at the end of its flight, Yara was also drained of all the strength in her body. Lying within the wide chest of the City Watch officer, she was shaking her head and rubbing her bloody face on the uniform of the latter.

The female bartender trembled slightly, but still showed a relief smile.

"None of your business."

The young female bartender replied with a smile, only to feel that her eyes were a bit sour.

Little imp, you should be able to run away.

BOOM!

At this time, there was the sound of a burdensome explosion in the distance.

———————————————————

"Renren, doing research requires enthusiasm, you cannot be lazy. Academic study is a lifetime of interest and dedication."

"At the end of the day, like the people of my age, you will find that you have become incompatible with the crowd, become lonely, indifferent, and untempted. You will find that what really upholds you till the end is not vanity glory, not achievement, not satisfaction, but the purest little attachment you cling to in those early days."

"So you have to understand Professor Chen's prejudice and madness - that is probably the only attachment he has left in his life."

Thales shook his head and took back another piece of memory into his mind, then pulled himself out of the ruins.

When the transmigrator climbed out of the ruins while covered in blood, as soon as he looked up, he saw Echidna, who looked at him with complicated eyes from above.

The clothes and the long hair of the magus were still as bright as new, just like it never experienced an explosion.

Paranoid maniac.

Thales whispered, he was so exhausted that he could no longer do anything to resist.

He simply turned over and lied down on the ruins.

He was a little tired of this lawless, all-for-power world.

"You – magus, do whatever you want to do."

The transmigrator gasped with heavy breathes.

A maniac who kills people without a word.

No wonder the magi lost the war.

Echidna silently looked at Thales lying on the ground, the expression in his eyes was quite bizarre. After a while, he suddenly had a strange and twisted laugh: "Hah ha ha, so this is also an unexpected accident."

Only to saw this freakish magus gently waved his right hand and lifted Thales up using the air.

But Echidna didn’t try to kill him anymore.

He waved his hand again, and the air pressure surrounding Thales's body began to flow at the same time, stopping all the bleeding of the transmigrator’s wounds.

Being carried by the magus, Thales landed on the ground with both feet.

But the transmigrator still looked at the magus in blue with disrelish - he no longer held any hope to be able to communicate with Echidna rationally.

"Child, you just used some kind of power to break my magicen barrier – the thing that you people call 'air wall'." Echidna spoke softly, there was some excitement in his tone.

"Only the masters who are at 'Absolute Boundary' can do this, yet you – moreover, the power in your body can interfere and affect my magicen energy. Do you know what it means?"

"I don't even know what ‘Absolute Boundary’ is," Taylors replied weakly. "Even if I knew, I didn't want to talk with a maniac who was just about to kill me."

Echidna put a smile on his face and looks at him with deep eyes.

"It seems that you don't know your essence, child."

"But it doesn't matter, everyone has lost control for the first time. We all started our first step from ignorance."

Please, somebody come and take this maniac - huh?

Thales regained his composure for a bit and thought about the meaning of Echidna’s words.

Immediately, he rose up his head in dismay and looked at the magus who had just wanted to kill him.

“The first time I lost control?”

"We?"

Echidna looked at the child, his eyes were full of delirious fanaticism.

"Yes, you and me – the Magi."

Looking at the eagerness in the eyes of the magus, Thales suddenly began to feel fear without any reason.

He unconsciously stepped back and shook his head in fright.

But the magus also pressed forward, following Thales closely. His tone is full of a creepy enthusiasm and madness:

"Yes, child. What you just said it right, your future value is definitely worthy enough for me to spare - no, it is worthy enough for me to do everything in my power to guide you! Child, what is your name!"

"Since being betrayed by those two whores, our number has been reduced more and more after the War of Termination!"

Echidna clung to Thales’ shoulders, as if he was afraid that if he let them go, Thales would run away.

"No."

Thales muttered, taking a step back, but Echidna’s hands was still holding on to him.

This kind of madmen, having unstable mental and killing people without blinking.

This kind of taboo existence, being chased and hunted by everyone around the world.

Are you kidding me! Somebody please come and take this maniac away!

The world of Elor seemed to have heard his prays.

"You can say 'no' but you can't refuse, this's only the first time you lost control, and each one - huh!"

Echidna, who had been talking nonstop since, was abruptly taken aback.

Only to saw that Echidna’s chest was suddenly pieced through by a smooth blade.

Echidna lowered his head in disbelief. He looked at the blade on his chest and let go of Thales.

Thales was also shocked. He took a few steps back, bumped into a plank and fell to the ground.

But Thales didn’t see fear, horror, panic or any other emotions from the eyes of the magus.

As if he hadn’t just been stabbed by a sword from behind but bitten by a mosquito, and was wondering "How can there be mosquitoes?"

It appeared that he can't even feel pain.

His heart was clearly pierced through—Thales thought in horror.

Echidna stared strangely at the blade on his chest.

"Impossible." Echidna frowned, looked up and pondered carefully, then spoke to the person behind him:

"Even if you are a skilled fighter at Absolute Boundary, you can't just stop breathing or moving without the flow of air around you being distorted, or having no air pressure inside your body. As long as there is breathing, there is air flow, and there is pressure change, it is impossible to escape from my supervision and command!"

"How long have you been in Red Lane Street? How did you hide yourself from of the Magus of air?"

"No, you can't break through the air wall, if that’s the case you would just attack me in the gambling house, am I right?"

"Tell me, now."

No answer.

Echidna turned around with a darken expression. Regardless of the blade still inserted in his back, he coldly told the ambusher behind him:

"Tell me, now."

This time, Thales saw the ambusher behind Echidna clearly.

The ambusher stood there quietly, wearing a hooded black suit, everything was black from his gloves to his boots.

Even more bizarre is that the ambusher has a violet mask on his face, while this mask has only two dark-color lenses in its eye sockets.

He didn't move.

Just like a ghost.

At that moment, anger passed over the nerves of Echidna that were made up of magicen energy.

Anger, this kind of human emotion, had been away from him for a long time.

Therefore, the magicen power in his body quickly surged and helped him to calm down and be rational.

"I think you must be very patient." Echidna said softly.

"You waited for the chance when my magicen became unstable and my perception declined, just to attack me?"

"Well done, you did it, you hit a magus by sneak attack." Echidna didn’t care one bit about the blade on his chest, only stared at the ambusher wearing a strange mask.

"So, who are you?"

"Someone specialized to deal with me?"

"Which house are you from?"

After several consecutive questions, the strange masked man was still motionless.

Echidna frowned. Even after asking a few questions, he completely could not perceive the flow of air pressure inside the strange man’s body. Was he not surprised or paying attention at all? Did he have absolutely no reaction to these questions?

Going through hundreds of difficult trials and proving itself to be like a mind reading power, the Perception of Air has actually failed?

I can only use brutal force now.

"Do you truly think this will kill me?"

Echidna took a step closer and gently raised his left hand, in his eyes, it seemed like there was no emotion or thought.

As he moved his fingers, the air began to flow, and the space around the strange masked man began to be squeezed by the increased air pressure.

Cannot spread this beyond the Red Lane Street - Echidna thought, otherwise, the Kingdom's Wrath and Black Sword will soon discover about this and arrive, then today's action will be meaningless.

First move a small part of my magicen, I only need that much to get rid of this masked man.

At this time, the strange masked man spoke up:

"No, the magi cannot be killed."

His voice penetrated the mask and faintly came.

"So it turns out that you are neither mute nor blind." Echidna looked at the two lenses on the mask, but he didn’t see anything except the complicated mechanical gear behind the lens.

Thales almost exclaimed.

Because the voice of this strange man was an indistinguishable hoarse voice.

It was the voice that made him "keep your head down" during the battle between Yara and Rolf.

The strange masked man gently walked pass Echidna.

As if the horrifying air pressure surrounding his body can't even stop a single step of him!

Under the astounding gaze of the Magus of air, the strange masked man instantly reached out his hand, only to see that the short sword had disappeared from Echidna’s back and reappeared in his hand!

It was a lustrous and smooth baselard sword with crossed guard, having a bit darker color.

Echidna’s face appeared unkind, but he was surprisingly restrained and only looked coldly at the uninvited guest, considering the situation in front of him.

What is he relying on? According to the intelligence updated yesterday, the Spear of Judgment is on the Western front, the Bow of Immobilization is in the city’s outskirts, the Scepter of Stars is in the royal palace, as for the Sword and Shield of Sovereign, half is still in its cool down time, half is in the Dragon Eclipse Fortress, and the other ordinary Anti-magic weapons in Eternal Star, they are not enough to seal a magus above Absolute Boundary.

This masked man, why is he so calm?

Thales disbelievingly looked at the masked man taking away the short sword on Echidna’s back – On the magus’s chest, the wound where blood should have flowed out even emitted a faint blue light.

Then the blue light turned into his clothes, bright as new, just like he had never been pierced by a short sword through the chest.

The magi -- Thales began to believe Echidna's previously insane words. What kind of monster are the magi?

But Thales didn’t have time to think about this problem as he was covered by a figure.

The strange masked man walked up to Thales, and before the latter could react, he took the skinny boy into his arms.

Thales wanted to struggle, but the strange masked man only needed to gently press down the back of his neck, the transmigrator felt that the strength in his whole body slowly disappeared and softly fell into his chest.

In the middle of panicking, Thales saw from the side of his eyes Echidna was raising his hands.

"Hey, be careful with him--" The boy wanted to talk, but his mouth was covered by the strange masked man.

The man didn’t even watch for Echidna behind his back.

This boy was too important for him.

"Since you know that magi can't be killed, why did you attack?" Echidna’s magicen surged, he mobilized all the air in 50 meters surrounding him.

"You can't be at “True Boundary” level, but at least you should be one of the top masters among 'Absolute Boundary'."

“And you even have an ability to hide yourself from magicien?”

Echidna waved his hands with unkind eyes. Immediately, Thales could feel that the air pressure around him was different.

The Magus of Air was going to attack.

"But no matter who you are -"

However, Echidna’s words were interrupted by his own fearful discovery.

"This! What is this?"

Interrupted along with those words was the increasing of surrounding air pressure.

Thales looked up through the shoulder of the strange masked man, seeing that Echidna’s eyes were terrified.

The magus shivered and stepped back, looking at his chest, there, in the hole that was pierced by the strange masked man, there was a purple glow.

That was the first time Thales saw panic in the eyes of the magus.

The strange masked man bowed his head near Thales, and the hoarse voice echoed in his ear: "Magi cannot be killed, but magi are not invincible."

Somehow, Thales’s heart suddenly settled down.

He subconsciously felt that this strange person in front of him was much safer than the maniac behind him.

Echidna was now covering his chest in panic!

The purple lights shined like it would blow open his chest.

He jerked his head up, looked at the strange masked man and spoke with fear and hate in his tone!

"This is - the kingdom’s - Legendary Anti-magic Weapon!"

The strange masked man reached out and covered Thales’s eyes.

"Those two damn whores-"

Thales couldn’t hear the rest of Echidna’s angered and panting words.

Because in the next moment when Eichdna, who was biting his teeth in indignant, turned into hundreds of flashing beams and burst out an infinite amount of energy, Thales seemed to have entered another reality, where all the sounds and light disappear from his senses.

Thales knew that he was far away from the Red Lane Street.

This night was finally over.

——————————————————

When Yara woke up again, she found herself being carried on a stocky shoulder.

The streets on both sides were slowly receding.

After realizing her situation, she hurriedly hit this familiar person:

"Hey hey! Edmond! Let go of me! I have to go back to -"

The fat cook just snorted impatiently: "Let you go back to find your jack-a-dandy lover? Who is also a scoundrel? If big sis hears about this – he he -"

Yara’s face turned red: “That scoundrel is not my lover!”

"But I clearly saw you lying in his chest, that happy face of your --"

"Hey, you didn't pay attention to the environment around us!"

"I did! It was a loooong, windy and quite night, the sky was dark, and there were flowers under the moon, a rendezvous no one knows -"

"You focus on wrong aspects, fatso!"

"Wrong or not, we shall see -"

"Hey, I don't want to talk nonsense with you, I have to go find someone -"

"If you’re like this, don’t expect me to let you go back,"

"You damn fatso! You bastard of a cook! Let me down, I will fight you!"

"Just by you? You are only exceptional among 'Mortal level', reach ‘Transcended level' then comeback to me."

"Hey, I really have a very important person to look for -"

"Not mentioning it's a scoundrel, even if you are looking for a prince, it's useless!"

"You damn fatso, how dare you use this story to threaten me! Hey, ah, alas, please me put it down, okay, my dear uncle Edmond -"

"You’re already in your twenties right? Do you still think that you are a little girl or something? Be ashamed of your coddling."

"No no, uncle you are also over forty years old, aren’t you still as young as a three-year-old kid?"

"Humph, only my mind is young -- huh? This sentence doesn’t sound right."

——————————————————

At the same time, on the other side of the street, Cohen was awake with a slap.

Still unaware of the surrounding, he soon found out that his direct superior was in front of him, Locke Zillah - Chief of the City Watch Department!

It’s only that, without changing expression, the chief was applying medication to the gravely wounds on his body. When he saw Cohen waking up, he opened his mouth with anger:

"Mr. Hero, wake up? Went out strolling for a whole night, did you exterminate the Brotherhood and the Blood Bottle?"

"I--"

"Oh you are so courageous! An unscrupulous hero who openly disobey order! Are you very proud of yourself now?"

"But--"

"But what! If this wasn’t on the behalf of your father, I have already smashed your face! Should I really come to see you after seeing all that fighting?"

"May I--"

"May I what! Having a subordinate like you, I really feel like biggest mold of the day! You think that you are the main protagonist of some drama made by Dark Night Temple, and the girl from just now is the main heroine, right?"

"She was--"

"Don't mention that girl! If your father knows that you wandered to Red Lane Street to find women in the middle of the night -"

"I didn’t--"

"You still have the dignity to say that? Even Miss Lillian, the famous beauty of Raya Club, came to report a case. She said that you visited her bedroom in the middle of the night!"

"This is --"

"A patrol Captain, a second-level City Watch officer, openly violated the order, looking for joy in the middle of the night! I tell you, go back and ready to be temporarily suspended!"

"Ugh--"

But this time, at the center of Red Lane Street, the loud noise of a second explosion came again!

"BOOM!!"

The entire Eternal Star all heard this terrifying explosion!

"BOOM!"

This time, the shock wave of the exploding air went straight into the sky!

The high-temperature dust that was burst open by the explosion suddenly struck from the distance!

Chief Locke and the somber Cohen were shocked when looking the direction of Red Lane Street’s center!

"This’s – pretty bad," the chief mumbled. "My urban construction fund has just been approved -"

"Chief, I think you focus on the wrong matter!"

"You don't have to make money for your own family, so shut up!"

On the other side of the street, the cook Edmond and Yara on his shoulder were surprised to see the aftermath of the explosion.

"Hey little Yara," Edmund murmured: "Lucky for us, we ran pretty fast and got far away."


“Is this the matter we should focus on?”

"But big sis did say, safety first."

"You – you’re really my three-year-old uncle!"

"Ah, how dare you say that?"

———————————————————

When Thales’ legs landed onto the ground again, he couldn't help but lied down on the floor and cough.

The wounds on his body seemed to start to hurt at this moment.

The strange masked man stood still on one side, as if nothing had happened.

"Echidna - did that magus die?"

“No,” the hoarse voice replied: “But he will not appear again for at least a few decades.”

Thales’ tightened heart from just now was immediately let go.

The hysteria, abnormality and bizarreness of the magus gave him a really deep impression.

More than ten years, I have enough time to come up with some countermeasures.

Thales suddenly raised his head as he remembered something:

"I have a companion, when she protected me -"

"She's fine," the hoarse voice seemed to know what was in his mind and immediately replied: "She’s on her way back to the Undercity Districts."

Thales released a sigh of relief, his whole body went numb.

But he immediately thought of a very crucial point.

"You – sir," With the terrible example of previous contact with the magus, Thales carefully asked:

"Who are you?"

Thales did not expect the masked person, who was covered from head to toes, would answer him amicably.

But the next scene almost let his chin fall to the ground!

Only to saw this strange masked man, who was full of murderous intent just a moment ago, suddenly and exquisitely stepped back and kneeled on one knee. He then pressed his right hand on his left chest, put his left arm behind his waist and bowed down. He replied respectfully and solemnly:

"My name is Joel, Joel Gatos, at your service."


End of chapter XVI – Next chapter: The dawn, the blood, and the lamp