Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios
Barney and his crew were shocked by the voice and quickly put down their weapons before turning around.
Rhode frowned, but his grip didn’t loosen the slightest.
“What’s happening?!”
A man who wore a stunning magic armor appeared from the crowd which gathered to see what was happening. It was Frank, the leader of Jade Tears mercenary group. When he saw that the troublemaker was Rhode, a flash of coldness shone in his eyes, but it soon disappeared.
“Mr. Rhode, please release her. No matter what happened, what you are doing now is a provocation to my Jade Tears mercenary group.”
“What if I don’t let her go?”
Rhode loosened his grip slightly, allowing the half-elf girl to breathe again. However, she still had no strength to move, just like a puppet under Rhode’s control.
“If you’re smart, let her go. That would be the best outcome for the both of us.”
Both of them stared at each other intensely, unwilling to back down. The bustling crowd, who gathered to watch the commotion also began to quieten down.
“Alright, sure.”
Rhode pondered for a while and nodded. Then, he waved his hand and threw the pitiful half-elf girl to the ground while she screamed. Soon, some Jade Tears mercenaries came to carry her to safety.
“Leader, that guy, he…”
“I know.”
Frank held his hand up and stopped Barney from speaking. He glared at Rhode coldly as he slowly shifted his hands to the sword by his waist.
“Mr. Rhode, although I don’t know what actually happened here, isn’t it enough since you’ve already killed one of my men?”
“Well, for a start, stop contradicting yourself. You just mentioned that you didn’t know what happened here, so why are you telling me that what I’ve done is too much?”
Rhode maintained his terrifying smile. The sword in his hand gleamed in the sun with killing intent.
“Perhaps you can give me an explanation?”
“Sorry, I’m not interested in doing that. Moreover… I’m not done with that man over there.”
Rhode lifted his sword and pointed it towards Barney.
“I’ve already given my word that I’m going to bequeath him a gift that he will not forget. Are you going to stand in my way, Mr. Frank?”
“… Mr. Rhode. I hope you understand the implications of what you are doing.”
Frank’s face turned darker.
“What you’re doing now is declaring war with Jade Tears.”
“Declaring war?”
Hearing Frank’s response, Rhode smiled.
“If I’m not mistaken, what you meant was… you’re attempting to wage war against Starlight?”
Rhode lowered his voice until it was almost inaudible, but anyone who heard him felt a chill down their spine.
“And since that’s your true intention…”
Rhode slowly lifted the sword in his hand.
“Then I won’t hold back!”
Shadow Flash, activate!
A shadow flickered, followed by a bright red sword light piercing straight towards Frank’s heart. Meanwhile, Frank also yelled and pulled out his swords to parry the attack.
Clang… clang… clang!!
Numerous sparks flew out each time the swords clashed. Both sides took a few steps back and stared at each other for a moment. And as if it was a planned performance, the two of them suddenly rushed forward again at the same time.
Frank swung his swords and lunged at Rhode’s vitals. In response, Rhode spun his sword around and blocked the attack to his chest. At that moment, Frank discovered that Rhode threw something with his left hand. Three cards of different colors flew out.
“——!!”
In a blink of an eye, a dark fog filled the air and enveloped the two men within.
What’s happening?!
Frank had no time to react. A black spear suddenly appeared from within the fog and pierced at him.
What the heck is that?!
Frank was startled. He quickly retreated to dodge the spear, but before he could relax, a black hound covered in flames appeared from the fog, roaring and rushing towards him.
“Damn it!!”
Frank’s expression darkened. He crossed his swords to block the attack reaching for his chest, and when the black hound was just before him, Frank’s body split into three illusions, slashing at the black hound consecutively. The black hound was immediately split into several pieces, and at that moment, the flames within its body burst out.
Boom!! The explosion turned the ground to glass, mercilessly sweeping out everything around it. Even the surroundings became hazy as the air filled with dust. After this, anyone who is tasked with cleaning this place would probably curse and swear.
Meanwhile, Frank was in quite a sorry state. He rolled on the ground a distance away from the explosion; his beautiful clothes were now incredibly dirty. Even if he tried to wash it, it would probably take a long time.
However, there was a much more imminent threat than his dirty clothes.
A holy flame split the dust cloud apart. The angel girl turned into a flash of lightning and shot towards Frank. Her white wings shone even under the cloudy sky. No matter how much dirt landed on her, the holy flames would keep her clean and pure.
Angel!?
When he saw Celia, Frank’s eyes narrowed. He stared helplessly at the sword that was almost on him. Then, he stretched out his hand and held onto a beautiful pendant on his neck.
The next moment, he crushed the pendant.
The holy sword pierced through his body, but it didn’t cause him any harm. With the power of a magic equipment, Frank escaped from being mortally wounded and fled the danger area.
But that didn’t mean that Rhode was done.
The sound of hooves echoed from behind.
Frank, who had already spent all his concentration on the angel, didn’t have time to dodge the attack that came from his rear. The Centaur Knight lifted its shield and bashed onto Frank’s face, sending him flying towards Rhode. At the same time, a red sword glowed brightly and scattered into a thousand fragments, shooting towards Frank.
Is it the end?
As he stared helplessly at the attack coming for him, his heart sank. He had just begun his journey, was he going to die without accomplishing anything?
I am not willing, I am not willing!
“Stay your hand!”
Accompanied by an old voice, a mysterious rune barrier appeared and blocked the fragments. Rhode narrowed his eyes when he heard this voice. He flipped his hand and a card reappeared on his palm which quickly disappeared into thin air.
A gust of wind blew away the dust.
Everyone could finally see the scene before them.
The street was now full of holes. Rhode stood quietly by himself, staring at Frank emotionlessly. As for Frank, he was lying unconsciously on the ground.
An old man wearing a white robe stood beside Frank.
Space Barrier… an inner circle Mage.
Rhode clenched the sword on his hand.
A big fish was finally lured out.
“Young man, you’ve gone too far.”
The old man looked at Frank’s wound before studying Rhode. Facing his gaze, Rhode looked at him without the slightest fear.
“I don’t think I have done anything excessive.”
Rhode said while putting down his sword. At the same time, Sereck and the Old President walked out from the crowd anxiously. Since such a big thing happened outside, there was no way they didn’t notice. It was just that Rhode moved too fast and they didn’t have the time to stop it. Seeing the situation finally eased down, the two of them quickly stood forward.
“Stop it! Are you crazy? You actually dare to make a fuss in front of Mercenary Association’s entrance! Do you even still put mercenaries as people in your eyes!?”
“Old man, I’m also a mercenary.”
“You… alright enough, cut the b*llshit, I will carefully investigate what was happening here! Wait here. Before I clear up the mess, you are not allowed to go anywhere!”
“I’m not planning to go anywhere.”
Rhode shrugged.
“It’s just that Mr. Frank’s Jade Tears was declaring war on me. I only agreed to his request, it’s that simple, isn’t it?”
“Don’t falsely accuse people and talk nonsense!”
Barney heard Rhode’s voice and quickly spoke out.
“You clearly were the one who killed our men first and now you’re trying to alter the facts? Mr. President, this b*stard…”
“That’s right, I actually forgot something important.”
A sword flashed.
Barney’s suddenly stopped speaking and his voice immediately turned into grief.
“Aaaahhhhh!! My ear! My ear!!!”
He stretched out his hand and held his left ear that was already gone. Only blood flowed out from in between the gaps of his fingers.
“Let’s go Shauna. The show is over.”
Rhode said without even turning back. The girl was dumbstruck. Before she could react, Rhode had already left.
Such a pity, it was a very good opportunity to kill a dangerous rebel…
But… the there’s always another opportunity.
