Chapter 13 : Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Flame Speaker
Before Green's voice had even faded, Elaine and Lin Qi, who were behind Alden, exchanged a glance.
The two of them were smart and on the same wavelength. A narrow space like a room and a hallway didn't suit their fighting styles. They needed to move the battlefield outside.
Among the three enemies, Green, the deacon of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, was definitely a strong one—just from the sword technique he used to split that bullet.
Jones, the second-in-command of the Black Syndicate, was no pushover either. That meant the only weak link was the head of the Moer family!
As a noble, he definitely had the least combat experience. Using him as a breakthrough point was the right call.
The two exchanged a glance and made a quick judgment. Elaine's bracelet flashed, and a longsword appeared in her hand—the one Lin Qi had bought when they went to the Black Syndicate before.
At the same time, Lin Qi raised the Judgement and aimed it at Klingel.
Bang!
With the sound of the gunshot, Elaine raised her sword and charged at the three men.
"Secret Sword of the Dawn Star-Rail, First Form—Web Weaver!"
Dense, silvery sword light stabbed toward the three of them.
While the three dodged, Elaine and Lin Qi grabbed Alden and rushed toward Klingel.
"Hmph. Looking for death." Klingel snorted coldly and drew the fine sword at his waist. He planned to replicate what Green had just done—split this bullet!
But just as his sword was about to strike the bullet, the projectile actually changed direction in mid-air!
Guaranteed Hit!
Bang!
The bullet hit the flat of the blade that Klingel had raised in front of his forehead.
"Careful," Green said, pulling his sword back.
"That kid's got a Forbidden Object. He's loaded," Jones said with a sinister grin.
"Remember the deal. All Forbidden Objects go to the church. You can have the rest." Green shot Jones a sideways glance.
"Don't worry."
***
The three who had successfully escaped were now in the mansion's main hall.
"Isaris, you and Elaine run. Your uncle will hold them off here."
Alden was holding the Rose of Truth, which he had taken off the wall when they fled the room.
"What are you talking about, Uncle? If it comes down to it, we'll just fight them to the death!" There was a fierce edge to Lin Qi's voice. The Judgement had four bullets left, but the last three could land critical hits.
Let's see if your sword can cut through those!
"None of you are getting away." A figure appeared in front of the three.
Green.
"Sigh. I knew it wouldn't be that easy." Lin Qi sighed.
Looks like this Green was probably a Sequence 8.
The Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun followed the sacred pathway: the Sun Sequence.
Sequence 9 of the Sun Sequence didn't have a movement skill, but Sequence 8 did.
Sacred Pathway: Sun Sequence: Sequence 8: Flame Speaker.
Skill - Fire Walk: Allows the user to transform into flames and move within a certain range.
"Isaris, you two go first."
"No, Uncle. You go first." Lin Qi stepped in front of Alden. He still had a trump card—the Judgement plus the Fireworks from the previous quest might just catch them off guard.
"Haha, don't worry. Your uncle hasn't let his skills get rusty." Alden raised the Rose of Truth and said:
"I will protect you both."
The vow took effect!
Name: [Rose of Truth]
Type: [Longsword]
Grade: [C-Class Forbidden Object] → [A-Class Forbidden Object] (Vow active)
Ability: [1. Love's Oath: If the wielder makes a sincere vow of love to the sword before battle, the power and sharpness of their slashes increase with the emotional intensity of the vow.]
[2. Guardian Thorns: When the wielder faces an unavoidable fatal attack, the blade automatically transforms into a spinning storm of roses, deflecting or redirecting the attack with precise trajectories. Success rate is related to the strength of the vow's resolve.]
Cost: After each use, the wielder enters a state of absolute honesty lasting several hours.
Description: When you are willing to die for those you love, the rose is willing to live for you.
"I told you, none of you are getting away." With that, Green activated Fire Walk and lunged at Alden.
Alden held the Rose of Truth vertically in front of his chest and said calmly, "Roland Secret Sword, First Form—Sigh."
It was impossible to see. You simply couldn't see how Alden swung his sword. All you could hear was the sharp whoosh of the blade cutting through the air.
In an instant, four bleeding puncture wounds appeared on Green's body.
"Impressive. No wonder they call you the most talented heir of the Roland family in a hundred years. If you were a Transcendent—even just a Sequence 9—I might have lost to you."
Green had used Fire Walk to create distance. He looked at the wounds on his body and sighed.
"You talk too much." Alden didn't waste another word. He raised the Rose of Truth and charged at Green.
If the impression Lin Qi usually had of Alden was a gentle, polite middle-aged man, right now he was a sword-wielding killer with murder in his heart.
"What should we do? Mr. Alden's sword is too fast. If we jump in recklessly, we'll just get in his way." Elaine watched the intense battle unfolding before her, her voice urgent.
"Did you forget about us, little girl?" A voice came from above them.
Lin Qi and Elaine immediately leaped in opposite directions to dodge.
CRASH! A deafening sound rang out. Where they had been standing just a moment ago, a large crater had been punched into the floor by someone's fist!
Incredible physical strength and power.
Eternal Pathway: War Sequence: Sequence 9: Recruit.
"Don't zone out." Along with a playful voice, a jewel-encrusted sword suddenly appeared in front of Lin Qi.
Lin Qi reacted quickly, bending backward to dodge while activating Gravity Thread. The thread dug tightly into the wall behind him and yanked him to a safe distance.
"Oh? What ability is that?" Klingel stroked his small mustache and asked Lin Qi.
"You want to know? Beg me." Lin Qi straightened up and crooked his finger at Klingel.
"You really are asking for it, kid. You two were smart, picking me as the weak link to break out of the encirclement.
But why didn't you think about a noble's advantage? I'm rich, you little brat. In no time at all, I used potions to boost myself up to Sequence 8!" With that, Klingel activated Fire Walk and flew toward Lin Qi.
Damn it, you old bastard.
Not a drop of sweat. All money.
After exchanging a few blows, Lin Qi roughly gauged Klingel's level.
Sequence 8 strength and abilities. Street-thug-level combat experience.
Klingel's Moer family was completely different from Elaine's Morning Star family or Isaris's Roland family.
Families with technique inheritance started arranging a large amount of practical combat for their children from a young age to help them master those skills quickly.
Klingel was just an elementary school kid with power.
But just as Lin Qi was thinking that, the sword Klingel had swung—which Lin Qi dodged—suddenly bent in the middle like it had no spine!
Lin Qi pulled back and wiped the blood from his cheek where he'd been grazed.
"Don't underestimate me, you damn great nobles!" Klingel's wide eyes were bloodshot.
Ah. There it is.
That was a Forbidden Object.
A Sequence 8 Flame Speaker plus an unknown Forbidden Object.
"Hmph, this is a B-Class Forbidden Object called [Envy]. Its ability is Flexible Blade. The sword can switch between a straight sword and a flexible sword according to the user's will." Klingel said proudly.
Wait.
Is this guy an idiot?
Why would you tell an enemy your Forbidden Object's ability?