Chapter 120
Chapter 120
Appraisal Report (2)
Inspector.
A rank given to executives dispatched to the branches of the Rose Garden scattered across the globe.
In ordinary times, they acted as both guardian and executioner, resolving crises too great for a branch to handle and monitoring for any signs of insubordination within.
Santos Erego, the Rose Garden executive currently facing off against Kairus, was one such Inspector.
‘Not quite the Rose Garden’s best, though.’
Still, he was skilled enough to be classified as core combat power.
Even within the Rose Garden, the number of people Santos acknowledged as stronger than himself barely hovered around twenty.
“If you want to stop here, I don’t mind.”
Kairus had already proven the extent of his power. The fact that Santos had used this much strength already meant that, for Cecilia, the outcome was more than satisfactory.
“Who said it’s over just because you want it to be?”
But Kairus himself showed no intention of ending the duel.
The shockwave earlier had been intense, and it had left Kairus with considerable damage.
“I haven’t shown everything yet. If it ends like this, I’ll feel damn disgusting.”
The Flicker in Kairus’s hand began to tremble with an ominous sound.
At the same time, a flask hanging from his belt released a plume of mist. Seeing the mist surge in, Santos looked slightly rattled.
Neither the strange sound coming from the blade nor the rolling fog were techniques he had ever been briefed on.
“So if you want to act like a hotshot, do it after you block all of this.”
As the mist whirled around, Kairus’s figure flickered in and out of sight.
“I expected something impressive, but this? Just a cheap trick?”
Santos raised his baton with a disappointed look.
“Cymbals.”
As if speaking to himself, he murmured the word and moved his baton. A powerful shock radiated outward in concentric waves from his position.
“Piccolo.”
Each time Santos spoke and swung his baton, the shock came for Kairus in a different form.
‘Wind instruments pierce, string instruments slash. Percussion sends out shockwaves from the user.’
And depending on the size and motion, each variation was assigned a more specific instrument name.
“Looks like I still need more practice.”
Santos replied as he moved his baton within the mist, responding to Kairus’s comment.
“This body has many shortcomings. Can’t be helped.”
It was difficult to control the battle gear’s output in silence, so he had given each technique a name.
By saying the name, he could instantly picture the technique in his mind, and that quick visualization helped him control the battle gear better.
“Still, not something I care to hear from a worthless scrub like you.”
“Bullshit. I’ve already won.”
Until he saw Kairus, his opponent could only use percussion instruments.
‘Those with the names of string and wind instruments can’t sweep across an area.’
To put it figuratively, they’re like flying arrows or swinging swords. If they can't see their target, they can’t strike.
The real problem was the shockwaves that periodically burst out from Santos’s body.
Just one hit had left Kairus’s whole body covered in bruises. If he kept taking hits and the damage piled up, he would eventually be forced into defeat.
“I’m not even confident I can deal more damage than those shockwaves.”
No sooner had he spoken than three or four shockwaves pierced the spot where Kairus had been standing.
Santos had enough skill to pinpoint his opponent’s position with just sound.
‘Still, it looks like he can’t see through the mist.’
That alone was a massive relief for Kairus. If the opponent had something like x-ray vision, there wouldn’t be a single moment to catch his breath.
Even so, just controlling the mist to obscure his opponent’s vision wasn’t enough. The moment he let his guard down, the enemy would move out of the mist, pinpoint Kairus’s location, and unleash a relentless barrage.
"…."
Kairus clenched his fist around the gauntlet on his hand. A flechette launched and struck the wall with a sharp sound.
“Bassoon, Violin.”
At that instant, shockwaves rained down toward the wall where the sound had come from.
‘Good.’
A shockwave was a wave, and the mist trembled along its path. Just as his opponent had determined Kairus’s location from sound alone, Kairus could now determine the enemy’s location by tracing the tremors left in the mist.
Breaking through the fog, the vibrating blade sliced through the air.
“Nice try, but that was way too obvious.”
“Fuckin’ hell.”
Kairus didn’t bother responding. Instead, he flung wind to launch his body backward.
The howling gust pushed him away. A violently vibrating shockwave chased after the fleeing Kairus.
“You son of a biiiiiitch!”
The shockwave moved faster than Kairus could run.
To put it plainly, Kairus took another direct hit. After rolling across the floor a few times and bouncing backward, he knelt, trembling.
“Let’s end it here.”
Santos judged that Kairus had been neutralized. And it was true. He could still fight but if he did, he would surely die.
There was no chance of victory for Kairus. At least, that’s what Santos concluded.
“It’s not over yet.”
“No, I said let’s end it h—”
Just as Santos tried to put his foot down with a scowl at Kairus’s stubbornness, the wind surged wildly. Kairus wiped the bloodied spit from the corner of his mouth and smiled.
“When you’re trying to take down someone stronger than you in a closed space, nothing beats this.”
Air began draining from the training room. He had attempted the same trick before with stained glass. There was no way he would fail doing it again with Flicker, which had similar output.
“You bastard.”
The amount of air remaining in this space had dropped to about one-third compared to the outside.
Thanks to the Featherwing family’s procedure, Kairus could move without issue. Even if the oxygen level dropped to a far more extreme level, he would still be fine.
But his opponent wouldn’t. If the fight continued under these conditions, Santos could begin to suffer from shortness of breath.
“Let’s keep going.”
That was the crucial point. Now, Kairus needed to force his opponent to exert himself enough to induce that shortness of breath.
In an environment already thin on oxygen, what would happen if the opponent had to move frantically—so much that it left him gasping?
The result was already written in the death of a previous opponent and Kairus’s own survival. The fight continued.
In the thinning air, Santos slowly began to feel his vision blur.
“You… son of a bitch!”
Still, Santos had his pride. He was a Rose Garden Inspector—he couldn’t afford to lose to some gutter-rat nobody who’d crawled out from God knows where.
No matter how highly Cecilia evaluated Kairus, a loss was still humiliating.
A vibrating blade halted right in front of Santos’s nose.
“Damn.”
Surrounding Kairus’s body were dozens of shimmering heatwaves, violently trembling.
Both men stood in a situation where they could kill the other. Fortunately, Kairus still had his reason and so did Santos.
The two who had fought so ferociously their eyes were bloodshot now stared at each other with those red eyes and brought the battle to a halt.
“Let’s call it a draw.”
Kairus staggered backward. At the same time, a hissing sound signaled the return of air filling the training room.
“Khuhhhhaaaagh!”
Now finally able to breathe properly, Santos let out a guttural sound as he sucked in air greedily.
“If you step up to the next level…”
Catching his breath, Santos responded to Kairus’s words.
“You won’t win. Most likely, the Representative won’t send anyone else either.”
So that’s the level of difference they saw. Kairus looked slightly disappointed.
“Still, I kind of wanted to try going up against them just once.”
Cecilia must’ve decided that this was enough. No—in fact, Kairus had far exceeded her expectations.
Even Santos, who had been sent under Cecilia’s orders for this challenge, had been chosen because they were sure Kairus couldn’t beat him.
‘And yet it ended in a draw.’
If they had been outdoors, where it’s harder to maintain low air pressure, Kairus wouldn’t have been able to use this method.
However, Swift Blade was inherently more powerful when used outside. And Santos was well aware of that fact.
With a bit of exaggeration, it wouldn’t be impossible for Kairus to summon a whirlwind and wipe out an entire area just to take on someone like Santos.
While Kairus was lost in thought, the door opened, and a member of the Rose Garden approached Santos with a letter. After reading its contents, Santos turned to Kairus with a rather surprised expression and said,
“She said to come have a drink with her this evening at 8.”
A drink? With Cecilia?
Kairus hadn’t considered that possibility at all, so the sudden invitation caught him off guard. Still, it wasn’t the kind of invitation he could refuse.
An invitation to drink from Cecilia was highly unexpected for Kairus. And once invited, there was no question—he had to go.
So, after resting, Kairus washed himself clean, got dressed, and followed the guidance of the Rose Garden members.
The destination was Cecilia’s mansion, located on the outskirts of the city.
“Welcome. Last time you were here, it was as a deliveryman, wasn’t it?”
As he stepped through the open door, he saw Cecilia seated in a chair.
“It brings back memories.”
At Kairus’s words, Cecilia nodded.
“In Bennett City, it’s rare to see someone rise in influence this quickly. Please, have a seat.”
Kairus obediently sat across from her. A glass was filled with wine the color of brick.
“Well then, let’s hope this meeting turns out to be pleasant. A toast.”
As Cecilia raised her glass, Kairus lifted his as well. A clear clink rang out as their glasses met, and the wine flowed into their stomachs.
“After the Pontus incident, I did a bit of digging.”
“About me?”
Cecilia nodded.
“Well, I found out you were serving a life sentence at Carlson Labor Correctional Facility and were released.”
For a moment, Kairus nearly lost his composure. If she had discovered that much, then she might already know who he truly was.
‘But…’
At the same time, something about it felt off to Kairus.
“Life imprisonment for treason. Well, if you can use Swift Blade that well, it’s only natural that the Featherwing family gave you a lot of support.”
Something wasn’t lining up. If Cecilia had truly found out Kairus had been released from Carlson, then this wasn’t the conversation they should be having.
“Still, your loyalty to a fallen house is quite admirable.”
Something was definitely wrong. As he listened to Cecilia continue, Kairus became certain of one thing.
‘She doesn’t know I’m a direct descendant of the Featherwing family.’
Cecilia of the Rose Garden didn’t know. That one realization hinted at many things.
Right then, Kairus made a gamble.
“Actually, I’m the last surviving member of the Featherwing family.”
Hearing that, Cecilia burst into laughter and refilled her glass with wine.
“You joke well. Hm, I did consider the possibility, of course. But it wasn’t the case.”
Not the case? The fact that she had even considered the possibility meant she had investigated in that direction.
Watching the wine being poured into his own glass again, Kairus sank into a deep and overwhelming confusion.
Just what the hell was going on?