Chapter 60: [060] Beating Kellan
It was morning. The clouds were bright, and the sun had already risen into the sky.
Tension rose steadily at the border of Blackstone village.
The army of Kellan Blackstone, numbering over one hundred, each soldier armored and armed with sharp weapons, could be clearly seen.
They looked fierce and gallant.
They looked ready to conquer, which seemed very different from the enemies they were up against.
Not too far away from them stood just three horses, with three men mounted on them.
For a moment, silence was maintained. But it was soon shattered when some of the Blackstone soldiers began to laugh in mockery.
"Somebody tell me this is a dream. Just three men, led by a scrawny brat against our Lord Kellan and his knight?"
"This is hilarious. I at least expected a dozen or so."
"What were we even expecting? Their village population is not even up to our army population, and the last time I went, there were only old people and children."
The soldiers mocked their opponents without restraint.
Their soldiers took it as a joke, yet the two men at the front did not.
Breeze had briefed Kellan Blackstone beforehand about the prowess of Floki. Though he excluded certain parts, the information he provided was still enough to let Kellan know not to underestimate him.
Yet, Kellan did the exact opposite.
He wore a smirk on his face, one filled with clear disdain. It was the kind that could be seen on the face of a man looking down on another.
Breeze let out a lazy sigh and turned to Floki.
Floki remained steady, his eyes calmly gazing over the army in front of him.
They were all on foot, and their numbers were more than he had expected. Not that he was scared of losing, he just had not expected a village to possess such a large army. It seemed he had been wrong.
Yet he was not concerned in the slightest.
He turned slightly to observe his men.
Jabba and Anton were gripping their reins tightly, veins popping along their hands.
Their eyes were fixed on the lazy knight standing at the front of the army. Vengeance and anger were clearly visible in their eyes.
"Calm yourselves," Floki told them gently before turning his attention back to Blackstone.
At that moment, Kellan stepped forward.
"We meet again, brat," he began.
"Have you finally come to hand over the crystal of authority yourself?" he said with a wild grin spreading across his face.
Floki shook his head gently and spoke firmly, "I came to ask for your crystal of authority. If you hand it over peacefully, I promise to only kill you and let your men live."
His speech spread across the area. The subtle voice amplification effect of [Elite Authority] made it audible to everyone present.
What followed was a short silence, and then an uproar of laughter.
Every soldier of Blackstone openly ridiculed his speech.
"You’re joking, right?" Kellan asked.
"Can’t you see how many soldiers are standing in front of you?"
"Do you think you can take a tenth of them on your own?"
"Do you think just because you defeated a few weak goblins, that you would be able to fight my soldiers?"
"If you think so, you must be more delusional than I presumed."
Kellan rambled on and on without pause.
’So he only told them about the goblins,’ Floki wondered as his eyes glanced briefly at Breeze, who was smiling weirdly at him. ’Creepy,’ he commented inwardly.
His eyes returned to Kellan, who was still rambling. His rambling had now turned into pure bragging, and his words were beginning to strike a nerve.
"Your women are delicious."
"How do you feel knowing I have tasted all your women?"
"I had one this morning, and the sex is the best I have had in a few months."
His voice was grating. His behavior made it clear that he deserved death more than anything else.
His objectification of the women he had captured and forced into intimate acts deeply infuriated Jabba and Anton.
"What was the name of the slave I made out with this morning?" Kellan turned to his soldiers and asked.
"Teresa... yes, Teresa. She tasted good. She tasted even better when she collapsed after I was done with her."
The mention of that name triggered something within Anton.
He leapt off his horse and sprinted straight toward Kellan.
He drew out his weapons in one smooth motion.
The longsword and the one-handed battle axe caught the sun’s rays, flashing coldly as he closed the distance with rapid steps.
Jabba moved as well, rushing forward to join his brother, dragging out his warhammer with a heavy pull as he followed right behind.
Floki frowned as they rushed past him.
’I told them to remain calm.’
He would have warned them again and forced them to stop but it was already too late.
They had already stepped into Kellan’s range.
Kellan Blackstone remained completely unfazed, standing still as he stared at the two with a cold, unbothered smile.
"DIE!"
The two of them lifted their weapons and struck at once, their attacks coming down together without hesitation.
Kellan’s hands, from the elbows down, began to glow with a faint brown light. In the next instant, stone crept over them, hardening and shaping itself into solid rock gauntlets.
He swiped his reinforced hands swiftly and blocked the two weapons resulting in a sharp clang sound.
While the two brothers were shocked by the interference, Kellan struck his two hands forward in a blade-like motion towards their neck. He intended to kill them.
And their death was unavoidable.
Kellan grinned as he imagined their blood pouring on his body.
There was no one that could stop him now.
Nonetheless, just a few centimeters away from tearing the brothers’ necks, the wind around him suddenly became chilly.
He heard the sound of something moving speedily and before he could even turn, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach, causing his eyes to widen and his mouth to cough out blood. The reinforcement in his hands was deactivated instantly.
Kellan was sent flying back, clashing into his soldiers.
At his former location stood Floki in a casual pose as though he hadn’t just defeated someone whom everyone feared and revered.
Blackstone soldiers began to react loudly, discussion arose as they gathered around their chief to see his condition.
Breeze remained standing in his signature slouched pose, the creepy smile still adorning his tired but malnourished face. At this moment, he could only think of one thing — his freedom.
"Are you two okay?"
Ignoring all the reactions, Floki asked the two brothers.
They nodded and then apologized for being rash.
"Morally, you did the right thing. But next time listen to me." Floki reprimanded.
The two nodded.
Floki stood and continued talking to them without even looking back at the people behind him.
Some of them stared at him warily. A few of the foolish ones glared at him.
Kellan stood up with the assistance of his men and turned to Floki with a confused look on his face, wondering how he got that strong without his notice.
Then he turned to Breeze, the knight he had summoned using his crystal of authority and an expensive bunch of magical resources.
’This bastard..’ he cursed in his mind.
Now, he understood a little bit of the odd game being played here.
’He wants me dead. He wants to be released.’
Kellan gritted his teeth and turned to Floki.
He reinforced his arms once more. But this time he reinforced his legs alongside to boost his agility.
Floki’s back was still talking to his men and his back was turned against Blackstone.
’I will kill you.’
Kellan swore and swiftly closed the distance.
Another layer of reinforcement formed above the one in his hands. This one was much different as they ended in sharp claws.
Anton and Jabba spotted his figure approaching.
"Behind you, Chief Floki!"
"Behind you!"
They bellowed desperately.
But Floki did not budge, he continued speaking with them as though someone was not trying to kill him.
Kellan grinned mischievously.
He was now standing behind Floki, his claws tearing through the air and closing in on his back.
In this way, there was no way Floki could evade.
But he was utterly wrong.
Instead of inflicting pain on Floki, he was the one who felt it.
Not just pain, he felt the sensation of his body rolling like a ragdoll in the air as he was sent flying.