Chapter 129
Chapter 129
The Girl Kidnapper (2)
Kairus let out a sigh. This was a place known for producing wine of decent quality at a reasonable price.
"They're not even making the booze they were told to."
Considering the size, it really was perfect. Instead of wine, they could pack the barrels full of battle gear, and when transporting, they could just insist it was wine. On top of that, since Gallia was a bishop, he could issue orders to the monastery and come and go freely.
It was the kind of incident that would’ve had Tanya Lysand pounding the floor in tears if she had heard. In any case, he’d gotten his answer and also learned the location of the wine cellar.
"Then wait for our call. If it checks out, we’ll get back to you."
Kairus finished the call and looked over at Nora.
"We're heading to the wine cellar of Solymieu Monastery. Stand by and if we’re not back in an hour, report to the Rose Garden and fall back to the rendezvous point."
"Okay."
It was time for a shift change. Nora stayed behind, while Kairus and Irena headed toward their destination. If Kairus and Irena didn’t return, Nora would contact Karen Alexis to come retrieve the hostage, then report the location of the wine cellar to the Rose Garden.
"When we arrive, the enemy’ll be waiting, right?"
While sprinting after regrouping, Irena posed the question to Kairus.
"Of course. They must’ve sent word ahead by now."
But it didn’t matter. Wine cellars required large open spaces and were typically built underground. While Kairus and Irena were only two people, there were likely more forces guarding the cellar.
Put simply, it was the perfect battlefield for Irena to unleash everything she had practiced before coming to this city.
"We’ll sweep the surface clean."
No need to overthink it—just use Swift Blade to wipe out the enemy on the surface, then head underground and grab what they needed.
"Nice. All that hard work’s about to pay off."
Irena gripped her sword tighter. After all, if you get to put your training to use right away, it’s only natural to feel excitement and anticipation.
"Just don’t get so hyped you end up hurting yourself."
"I’m not an idiot."
It wasn’t uncommon to get injured diving into a storm of power you couldn’t fully control.
The wind summoned by Swift Blade was immense, and the excitement of wielding such overwhelming power at will often led to mistakes.
"Right, if you end up dying after all that brutal training, you’d just be a complete idiot."
"Ha! Even if I mess up swinging it around, I’ll make sure I don’t get myself hurt. But you’d better be ready."
Her words sounded harsh, but there was no real hostility behind them.
"We're almost there. Enough joking around."
"Got it."
Their target, the wine storage facility, came into view in the distance.
The two began to move in silence.
"What I’m holding onto."
"Where the hell did that come from?"
At Irena’s muttering, Kairus shot her a side-eye.
"It’s nothing."
Before arriving at the hotel to regroup with Kairus, Irena had recalled the conversation she’d had over the phone with Dana Watson, the Captain of the Scarlet Leaf Order, to which she belonged.
While it was true that Kairus had helped her, Dana Watson’s advice wasn’t something she could easily ignore.
"Think I can take the lead on this one?"
"Full of passion, huh? No reason you can't."
Kairus agreed without resistance to Irena’s request. After all, there was no reason to stop someone who had raised their hand to step forward.
Besides, the determination on her face made it hard to tell her not to.
"Just don’t get too wild."
If Irena was going to take the lead, then Kairus’s job would be to support her.
"We’re looking at fifteen opponents."
Nine of them were armed with battle gear, and each of those weapons had some level of notoriety.
The remaining six would likely be using something else—procedures, tattoos, powers not related to battle gear. And judging by their alert posture, it seemed they had all received a warning ahead of time.
"So much for a surprise attack, huh?"
As Irena said that, she kicked off the ground and sprinted forward, swinging her arms in wide arcs. It wasn’t meaningless movement. Her gestures shifted the air, which then pulled in the surrounding wind and set it roaring.
Riding the incoming gusts, Irena charged ahead.
"Nice to meet you. Now drop dead, Shiny Dome!"
Her first target was a man known for his brilliant mind. He blocked Irena’s strike with a dark green three-section staff, veins bulging across his forehead.
"You bitch! I’m gonna beat you into a meat—"
"Huh? What was that?"
Before he could finish his threat, the rushing gale launched him into the air and sent him flying with a loud whoosh, like a leaf swept away by a broom.
The rest of the group, stunned for only a second, charged at Irena without hesitation.
"Show this crazy bitch what it means to be outnumbered!"
Numbers were power. Anyone in the business of cutting people down with weapons would agree—it was common knowledge.
Some brandished glowing tattoos, others gripped their battle gear tight as they lunged at Irena all at once.
"You punks..."
With a subtle flick of her hand, Irena twisted the direction of the wind, sending it spiraling skyward. At the same time, a dead zone formed in the flow of air—an unmoving gap.
The unmoving gap was left for herself—like how prison guards could move freely inside correctional facilities.
The enemies were being swept away by the raging wind, unable to even steady themselves, but Irena remained unshaken.
"That’s an interesting technique, miss."
A voice reached her as she moved to strike one of them in the neck. It came from a man who was somehow managing to hold his posture.
Just as Irena swung her sword, his knee crashed into her abdomen. A sharp, drum-like impact echoed through the air, and she was thrown backward.
She endured the pain for a split second and moved her legs mid-air. A tailwind pushed her from behind, helping her regain her posture.
As she landed, she wiped the spit that had dripped down from the corner of her mouth and studied her opponent.
"What the hell... a prosthetic eye?"
In place of a real eyeball, one of his eyes had a glass orb embedded in it. That was the battle gear of the man who had just kneed her in the gut.
"That was fun, for a moment."
Just as Irena raised her sword again, the man blurred and suddenly appeared right in front of her.
Her vision wobbled violently.
"But I think you're a bit too slow to be playing with me."
In that blink of an eye, the man’s boot hammered into her temple. Her skull rang, and his voice echoed from far away.
The man was back where he had stood a moment ago. In the time it took for a breath, he had approached Irena, driven a kick into her head like a steel spike, and returned.
"This... really isn’t looking good."
Watching the scene unfold, Kairus clicked his tongue. For someone who’d confidently jumped in saying she’d take the lead, Irena’s performance was underwhelming.
No—“underwhelming” didn’t even begin to cover it. It was dangerous. The bodies of the men who’d been battered by the strong winds were now glowing faintly with white light.
"One of them handles healing. And that bastard with the insane speed..."
The rest hadn’t even revealed their powers yet. If he stood by and kept watching, Irena was going to get torn apart.
"Sorry, but you’ll have to try again."
Just as Kairus prepared to move in for real, Irena shook her head slightly and beckoned to the man with the prosthetic eye.
‘What the hell is she doing? Why’s she trying to take on something she can’t handle?’
Kairus clenched his jaw and pushed harder with his sprinting legs.
"You one of those freaks who likes getting hit? Great. I love hitting people."
Once again, the man with the prosthetic eye accelerated. As he sped up, the world slowed down. In that slowed world, he was the only one allowed to move normally.
‘This is the end.’
The same kick that had smashed into Irena earlier now targeted her jaw.
She wouldn’t even know what hit her. A crunch echoed as something broke with a sickening crack.
"Aaaaaaaaaargh!"
Kairus came to a halt, and the man with the prosthetic eye had his shin shattered.
Irena stood firm, her sword in hand. The sound of splintering bone hadn’t come from her jaw—but from the man’s shin, crushed by the pommel of her sword.
"Shut up."
The severed head rolled across the floor. Only after it landed did blood begin to spurt intermittently from the neck stump. The man who had been screaming while clutching his broken leg didn’t even get to finish his final cry.
Looking down at the headless corpse, Irena trembled for a moment.
"This is it."
This was it. The talent Irena had completely neglected for so long. The spark that had made Kairus consider teaching her Swift Blade in the first place.
She had been able to fight even with a three-second time lag. And now, even that lag was gone.
She could tell how the enemy planned to move. Not through process or analysis. It wasn’t something she sensed or calculated with her head.
"This... this is who I am."
Irena’s body trembled slightly. The remaining enemies seized the opportunity and launched themselves at her. Over ten enemies surged forward, determined to crush her completely.
And then, a smile tugged at the corner of Irena’s lips. A wave of euphoria coursed through her veins.
"I can see everything."
She could feel it all. She just knew how each of the enemies charging her intended to move.
Back before she learned how to use battle gear from Kairus, even if she knew how they would move, she had to figure out what to do three seconds in advance.
But now?
Now she didn’t need to think. She already knew. She could simply act first and block everything. With a look of disbelief, Irena began to move.
"You're all, all so stupid."
She felt like an idiot for throwing away this advantage for so long—and those charging at her, unaware they were about to die, looked just as stupid.
When she moved her sword, the enemy’s attacks were blocked. When she moved her body, the wind she summoned slashed across the path of the charging enemies.
They couldn’t lay a single finger on her. Just a few hours ago, this would’ve been a life-or-death battle. But now? She felt like a cat toying with mice.
"Is this it? Really?"
She could have killed them—but she didn’t.
The whole situation was too hilarious. The enemies lunging at her looked like clowns.
It was just too fun. No matter how wildly they flailed, no matter how hard they thrashed and raged, these bug-like bastards couldn’t even graze her.
She could keep playing with them for hours. No problem. She was confident.
More confident than the dozen enemies facing her now.
"I’m stronger than all of you."
She was clearly on top. Right now, there was no need to fight desperately for victory. It felt like playing with a gift—like a child with a new toy. She wished this delightful moment would last just a bit longer.
To do that, she needed to tone down the wind she had summoned. The power of her swirling gusts began to fade.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?"
At that moment, the wind broke free from Irena’s control, spiraling violently into five or six wild tornadoes.
The untamed winds raged, tossing enemies into the sky. Their bodies were shredded midair as the wind tore through them.
"No, stop!"
And then, riding those same winds, Kairus leapt into the air and swiftly ended the lives of the suspended enemies.