Chapter 253: Kukured
Bathing Town.
As the name suggested, the place was famous throughout the Empire for its hot springs.
The town sat in the middle of a vast freshwater lake, built on an island surrounded by water on all sides. Because of that, people also called it Hot Spring Island.
At the center of the island stood a massive volcano.
The scenery around it was breathtaking.
After being developed by a certain noble, the island became Bathing Town, home to the Empire’s largest natural bathhouse and countless entertainment venues.
Guests and nobles came every day for pleasure, drawn by its reputation. Almost all year round, the town prospered without pause. Its economic value was enormous.
Caelum held a map of Hot Spring Island and checked the outline of the island.
A moment later, he ruled it out.
"Not this one either."
He tossed the map aside and began enjoying himself on the island in a good mood, paying no attention to the startled looks around him. He had not the slightest awareness of being a wanted criminal.
"A 5 million bounty!"
One bounty hunter’s eyes widened the moment he saw Caelum. Excitement rushed into his face so fast it almost looked unreal.
Before he could make a move, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
Wherever Caelum passed, bodies dropped one after another.
Anyone who intended to attack him was knocked unconscious on the spot.
"Is that..."
"Owl?"
The passersby also recognized Caelum. After the first shock, they hurried out of the way, afraid of being dragged into a fight.
To be honest, Caelum did not like the title Owl.
It sounded awful.
His Conqueror Haki had now reached such a level that even someone with Legion Commander level strength could not endure a single breath before him. They would lose consciousness almost instantly.
As for these terribly weak bounty hunters, there was nothing to say.
He could not even be bothered to draw Cloudrend.
As he wandered, a figure walked up beside him.
It was Cedran.
The kid sighed and said, "You keep showing your face and whereabouts like this. Should I call that carelessness, or confidence?"
Caelum picked up an apple and tossed it into Cedran’s hand.
He had long known Cedran, Tekular, and the others had arrived.
"Here to help me?"
"Yeah."
Cedran took a bite of the apple and spoke as he chewed.
"The Empire is serious this time. My advice is to hide if you can. This really is not a joke."
Tekular had received secret intelligence. Supposedly, the high nobles had sent out the Executioner Unit.
After learning of the unit’s existence, Tekular’s mood had been heavy for quite some time.
The Empire’s hidden strength was even stronger than he had imagined.
The Executioner Unit had around fifteen members, and every one of them possessed at least Legion Commander level strength.
Even though Caelum had once defeated the First Legion Commander, facing such a terrifying force and escaping unharmed would probably not be easy.
"The Executioner Unit?"
The more Cedran said, the more interested Caelum became.
He was curious how many among them could withstand his Haki.
He wanted to see exactly how powerful this force, the one the Empire’s upper nobles relied on, truly was.
Hopefully, they would not disappoint him too much.
"All right."
Caelum patted Cedran on the shoulder.
"You probably have about sixty seconds. My advice is to get as far away from this island as possible."
Cedran’s face changed. He immediately understood.
"The Executioners are here?"
"Probably."
"Do not die."
Cedran left those words behind and ran.
With his current strength, he could not help much. Staying would only make him cannon fodder.
Tekular was the real force supporting Caelum.
Sixty seconds later, a thunderous roar erupted.
An enormous slash split the lake surface open and rushed straight toward Caelum.
Its wild, overbearing force looked ready to cut the entire town and island apart.
"Not bad."
Caelum drew Cloudrend from his waist and met the slash head on.
He blocked it, then guided his blade along its force and changed its path, sending it straight into the clouds.
The slash shot into the sky and exploded.
The burst scattered all the nearby white clouds, and the roar rolled like thunder beside everyone’s ears.
The nearby guests and townspeople froze before the sudden scene.
Then they came back to themselves and fled in panic.
In no time, the area fell into chaos.
Without a sound, more than ten figures appeared around Caelum and surrounded him completely.
Their powerful auras pressed into the air until it seemed almost solid, making the space around them feel frozen.
A man walked forward slowly with a blade in hand, his face cold.
It was Kukured.
All fifteen members of the Executioner Unit had arrived.
That alone showed how seriously they treated Caelum.
Although Kukured felt it was unnecessary, he still believed caution was better.
"Owl. You cruelly slaughtered the entire Saliver family, trampled the Empire’s dignity, and committed a crime of utmost evil."
"If we do not publicly execute you, the nobles of the Empire will lose all face."
Black and red lightning crackled around Kukured.
As an Executioner, he declared Caelum’s arrest, his tone filled with the arrogance and confidence of a noble.
All fifteen Executioners were present.
He did not believe Caelum could fight against this force.
Not just Caelum. Looking across the entire Empire, there might not be anyone capable of doing so.
Conqueror Haki.
Caelum understood.
No wonder Kukured had such confidence.
His strength was indeed powerful.
Aside from him, the other Executioners around them were not weak either.
At the very least, each of them had Legion Commander level combat power.
"The nobles’ face?"
A long absent excitement rose in Caelum’s chest.
Black and red lightning also erupted around him.
Conqueror Haki at tenfold intensity was released at full force.
An unmatched spiritual impact exploded outward.
In an instant, Kukured and the others’ faces changed sharply.
A chilling sense of danger surged from their hearts.
Powerful Conqueror Haki wrapped around Cloudrend’s blade.
Caelum’s aura seemed ready to crush the sky itself. The surrounding buildings and ground split open with cracks in the blink of an eye.
Several muffled impacts sounded.
More than half of the Executioners could not withstand Caelum’s Haki and lost consciousness on the spot, collapsing to the ground.
The rest remained standing, but their minds still blurred for a moment.
Only Kukured performed somewhat decently.
After that instant of daze, he forced himself through Caelum’s spiritual impact and stayed conscious.
But that alone already explained the situation.
Kukured’s confidence shifted to doubt, then to alarm.
The change happened in a heartbeat.
A drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead.
"This Conqueror Haki..."
Caelum’s strength had far exceeded expectations.
He was much more terrifying than Kukured had imagined.
Caelum’s aura towered over the field.
"To me, the face of the Empire and the face of its nobles are both worth nothing."
"You wanted to capture me, did you not? Then show me your strength and let me enjoy myself properly."
As soon as he finished speaking, his nearly tangible Conqueror Haki erupted with overwhelming force.
The Executioners, already unable to stand firm within his Haki, were blasted away all at once.