Chapter 100: Battle (Part 2)
Bam bam bam bam bam!
The sound was like a million hammers all striking the ice at once.
In an instant, the heavy pressure radiated from my swinging arm, and I could faintly hear the massive ice shield we hastily formed emitting a piercing, desperate shriek as if it was about to crack under the strain.
I shot my eyes open.
Whoa…
Not too shabby!
A flicker of blue light shone in my eyes, the chill around me intensified, and the ice shield in front started cracking ominously with “ka ka ka” noises. In the blink of an eye, it thickened, turning into a pale blue chunk of ice that resiliently withstood the oncoming torrents, completely blocking the attack.
Just then, the Kanli swords finally reacted.
“d*mn it…”
“The enemy has appeared!”
“For grandma’s sake, how did they even escape under those conditions—”
“What a bunch of tough cookies today…”
These elite warriors from the royal city, though young and with possibly less experience, were anything but mediocre. They just seemed weak in comparison to someone like me.
In reality, each of them excelled in responsiveness and combat talent. Once they realized they were under attack, they quickly scattered, agilely taking cover behind the city walls and launching a round of fierce attacks on the icy surface below.
In an instant, flames, torrents, earthen rocks, and lightning swirled through the air, transformed by the Power of Order into various beautiful streams of light, all pouring down into the river with a whoosh, smashing into the ice as solid as rock!
Boom boom bam—
As the low rumble echoed, the pressure on the ice shield suddenly lessened; the torrents stopped pouring in. I swiftly waved my hand, flinging the massive ice shield down towards the wall, leaped onto the battlement, pulled down my hat, and scanned for any signs of the enemy.
The ice fog cleared.
Below the water gates, the river lay frosted over, solid as a rock with not a single crack in sight. Even the nearby pebbles and fences were coated in a layer of white ice.
But still…
Would they really survive?
“Where is everyone…”
I murmured instinctively, only to be interrupted by Rect jumping up beside me and giving my shoulder a hearty slap. “Over there!”
He pointed, and I followed his gaze.
In the distance, beyond the completely frozen river, in the normal stretch where boats docked, there was a small dark shadow. It moved with an agile grace but had an oddly stiff demeanor, as if walking on water like it was solid ground, sprinting in the opposite direction from us.
Then, the shadow sizzled and vanished into a shower of golden light, reappearing far down on the southeastern riverbank.
That guy can perform miracles; he wants to escape!
Chase—
The thought surged in my mind, and I didn’t even stop to wonder why he wasn’t frozen into a solid ice statue. His speed was enough to raise a few questions. I activated Moon Step and took off after him.
Thud thud thud!
The sound of the air exploding filled the space, and in an instant, I shot forward several hundred meters, leaving the northern city water gate and the Kanli swords far behind. With the howling wind roaring past my ears, I had closed the distance by at least half in a blink.
However, as I looked towards the eastern bank of the river, I just caught another glimpse of that shadow flicker, disappearing once more into golden light.
Darn it…
Instant teleportation? So useful and yet so cheap.
I landed on the icy river surface, which was nearing the threshold of solid ice. Looking around for what felt like an eternity, I finally spotted that escaping figure again near the city wall on the east bank—he seemed to be entangled with the city guard!
I lifted my foot to continue pursuing him.
“Hey—”
Suddenly, I heard a call from behind. I turned to find Rect floating in mid-air, zooming toward me.
“Whoa?”
That caught me by surprise.
He floated right over from the wall?
And he was actually able to keep up with me…
Mr. Wind-whisperer landed next to me in a swirl of gust. Since he was the only one who could keep up, without waiting for me to say anything, he blurted out, “Could you at least give me a heads-up before you dash off next time?”
“Heck no!” I shot back. Now isn’t the time for this nonsense. “Did you see how fast that guy is running? You called me just to say that?”
“I get that you want to take down Chris solo, but take it easy. We need to figure out where the Divine Reliquary is—if he even has it—and what the deal is with the other companions. The other side might only have one person, but we can’t rule out the possibility of a bait-and-switch.”
Rect’s face grew serious. “And if it really is that Chris, don’t engage in the crowded market; it’ll just get civilians caught up in it. That guy is clearly acting like a mad dog, regardless of what church he’s from, but you can’t afford to be reckless.”
“Get to the point.”
“East riverbank, Felic District—it’s deserted, not many people there. Know where that is?”
“Got it.”
“Make it quick.”
“……”
Boom—
No more chit-chat with him, I leapt into Moon Step again, diving towards the shadow’s location.
The distance was about a thousand meters…
He was still battling the city guard, surrounded by a dozen people, half of whom were already down. It was clear he didn’t want to stick around; he broke through and turned to flee… 500 meters.
The figure dashed eastward at a rapid pace, the armored city guards couldn’t keep up, but nearby cavalry was closing in. He seemed to sense the commotion, reaching into his coat.
200 meters.
I could see the figure’s attire clearly now; it was a simple black leather embroidered coat, commonly worn by the city’s physicians.
He pulled something out from his coat and suddenly scattered a visible shower of sparkly dust behind him, then kept running. Two cavalrymen who were the first to catch up were completely unprepared and dove into the dust. They pushed through it for a moment before tumbling over, man and beast alike, completely immobilized.
50 meters!
“Chris—”
A mighty gale swept down from above. I called out the Birdbeak Doctor’s name from within the wind, and he heard me, suddenly turning back.
His pace slowed, a hint of hesitation and confusion flickering in his eyes.
In that moment, I drew the Dragon Claw from my waist, my full might and speed surging as I swung it down at him!
In a nail-biting instant, he displayed extreme decisiveness—he didn’t dodge, recognizing he couldn’t escape this blow. Instead, he swiftly turned to face me, slamming on the brakes. His shoe soles screeched against the Bluestone road, and he raised his hands, gripping the Blade just as my Dragon Claw was about to meet his face. He barely managed to block the violent strike.
Clang clang clang clang!
The metallic clash echoed, as if it could rupture eardrums.
Although he blocked the strike, the sheer power behind it made the man’s pupils dilate in shock.
It was like trying to move a mountain; although the resistance lasted only a split second, it wasn’t enough for him to react. In the next moment, he was sent flying like a piece of torn cloth caught in a hurricane. “Whoosh!”
