(Brendan POV)
I was tackled to the ground before I could even try and attack the guy.
One of the guards pinned me to the ground, holding me in place as I watched the piece of trash pull out his sword with deliberate slowness, a twisted smile on his face.
This bastard… THIS BASTARD! HOW DARE HE?! HOW DARE HE?! DOES HE KNOW WHAT HE'S DONE?!!
Master fell backwards gasping and groaning in obvious pain.
MASTER IS THE ONE WHO CAN CHANGE THIS WORLD! YOU DARE! YOU DARE!!
"Heh… Come to my town and make a mess eh? Too bad I was already expecting you," the city lord smirked.
I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!
"We're not even the ones who killed those people!" I screamed, struggling against the one restraining me. "We found a few of their Sect members dead at the entrance of the town and went to their Sect to investigate! You got the wrong guy!"
The city lord glanced at me, his smirk widening, "Did I? Heh heh heh… Doesn't matter right? People die here every day, you guys are just another one of the numbers."
KILL! KILL! KILL!
I gritted my teeth, "Why are you doing this?!"
"Does it matter? You'll be dead soon anyways!"
"It's so that he can hide his involvement in helping the Dongs create a tunnel through the Death Mountains."
KILL! KILL! KI– Huh?
The city lord narrowed his eyes at me, "Oh? A sharp one are you? I'm surprised you know about this already. I knew you guys were after something!"
"Yeah… Got that and much more. Seems like you've been doing this for quite a while already."
His smirk turned into a frown, "Hmph, even if you know about it, what can you– Wait a minute."
All of us turned back to look at the path we had used to ascend here where the voice had been coming from.
Master stood there, the image of absolute tranquility, flipping through what looked like a business ledger in his hands.
"Looks like the country of Dong pays good money indeed. Really helpful that you keep all your transactions recorded here. Afraid that they might double cross you perhaps?" Master mused.
We turned back to look at Master's 'dead body', just as it crumbled into dust.
"A clone body," Master explained without prompting. "I had gone ahead to search through your house while the guards were escorting the clone to the town hall. Though I have to admit, I didn't expect you to outright kill it without at least some conversation first."
The lord leveled his sword at Master, "Who… Who are you?!"
Master raised an eyebrow, "Huh… You don't know? And here I thought you might already know since you just stabbed my clone without hesitation. Wasn't that you wanting to get rid of me before I can retaliate?"
"What… What nonsense are you speaking? How would I know about someone as insignificant as you?! I have the entire country of Dong backing me! Who are you compared to me?!"
"Oh? Big words coming from you now. Aren't you just under their payroll?"
"Huahahaha! Without my help, The Dong's wouldn't even get the idea of tunneling through the Death Mountains! It is only because of me that such a thing is even possible!"
Master snapped the book in his hands shut, "So that's how. You've been mining the Death Mountains for resources already, right? Using the already existing tunnels, you're seeking to expand to the other side of the mountain with the Dongs doing the same on their side."
"Heh, You're an observant one, I'll give you that. But you think you can leave here alive after knowing all this?!"
Master grinned, "What are you going to do about it? Kill me?"
"Very observant indeed! Men, get rid of the two of them! I'm talking to an important person inside so don't bother me unless you need to!"
He walked back into the building, not even sparing us a second glance.
Two of them immediately slashed their swords towards him, Master ducked under one and used the spine of the ledger to stop the other.
Clenching his free hand, he punched at the torso of one of the guards, the shockwave causing the guard's back to explode into pieces. I think I saw his heart splattering on the wall behind him.
He yanked his other hand, pulling the guard's sword out of his grasp to embed itself into the ground a distance away. The guard didn't even have time to react to his disarmament before Master smashed him on the head with the ledger, caving his skull in.
"Some guards you are. Quite 'elite' indeed," Master scoffed.
"Youngster, you dare?!" Another one yelled, rushing towards him with his sword raised.
His sword was just in the motion of descending when Master swung his hand in an arc, slapping the guard across the cheek with the back of his hand and sending him sprawling onto the ground.
Master raised an eyebrow at him, "You look like you're in your twenties, who the hell you calling 'youngster'?"
"So…. Sorry… Force of habit…" The guard groaned, holding his swollen cheek with a hand.
That was when I felt the cold sensation of something metallic pressing against my skin.
"That's enough!" The guard that was pinning me down shouted. "Make another move and I'll slit this guy's throat!"
I gritted my teeth, to be used as a piece to inconvenience Master is unacceptable!
"Master, don't worry about me! Just get rid of them!" I yelled, prepared for my own demise.
Master simply gave me a small smile, "Brendan, you have so much to learn if you think I will let my disciples get hurt so easily. Why don't you try saying 'Defense array force activate'?"
I blinked, "Err… Defense array force activate?"
My body began to glow before there was a sudden brilliant flash of light. I, myself, was temporarily blinded by the light, but somehow the light felt soothing and calming to me. A shrill scream and the sudden removal of the pressure on my neck told me enough about how the light was affecting the others.
When my sight was restored, the first thing that greeted me was the sight of all the guards rolling on the floor and screaming, all of them covering their eyes with their hands where blood poured out of. The one who had been pinning me down was now a charred corpse smothering a distance behind me, the body disintegrating into ash slowly.
Master was standing a short distance away, looking at me while scratching his chin, "Ok… I did not expect it to be that effective… It was just supposed to disorientate and blast away any hostile people around you, not burn out their eyes and disintegrate them… Gonna have to work on that."
I blinked, "Would… Would it have activated without me saying it?"
"Hmm? No, this is another function of it." Master chuckled. "If that guy had tried to cut you, another inscription would have activated which would put you in a sort of shield."
For Master, the one who can flip the entire world on its head if he wants to, to care so much about someone as insignificant as I am… I am truly humbled and grateful.
He reached out his hand towards me, I needed a moment more to realise his intentions before grasping his hand with mine, allowing him to pull me up to my feet.
"Now, let's go slap that city lord's face, eh? I still have some unanswered questions I want to ask him."
Master picked up the blood stained ledger from the ground before turning back to kick down the door, not even giving a backwards glance at the still groaning guards around me.
Too strong… Master is just too strong!
