### Chapter 147: Familiar Faces
“We’re all waiting for you…”
The woman’s words made my heart skip a beat.
She said she knew who I was!
We…
We refer to—
I stared at her alluring face, a smile that could bring any man to his knees, while my mind was still processing her words. Out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a blazing red light flickering above the Black Fort in the darkness below.
An attack…
In the blink of an eye, a massive fire erupted from the tower, shooting skyward like a dragon made of flame, twisting and coiling into three thick streams that merged into a gigantic sword. Comparatively, it looked at least twenty meters long against the tower’s peak, casting a blinding light that threatened to illuminate the entire sky over the Black Fort!
“…Oh no.”
At that moment, the blonde girl also noticed, her smile vanishing in an instant. She turned to see the sword-like fire pointing at the night sky with a force that seemed to scorch the earth, her expression momentarily blank. But soon after, her face lit up with excitement: “Wow, wow, wow! Looks like you’re quite impressive too…”
Whoosh—
Just as she spoke, the flaming sword descended from the tower with a deafening roar. I could feel the rush of wind as it sliced through the air. In my field of vision, the fiery blade flashed with blinding speed, arcing toward us and threatening to engulf us in an unstoppable wave.
“Flowing Blade… Eviscerate.”
Boom boom boom boom!
Amidst the faint words, the rush of the fiery sword echoed like an explosive roar, moving at a speed my eyes could barely follow. In an instant, it was upon us, and I quickly pushed the blonde girl away.
It was him…
That deep, slightly magnetic voice was unmistakable—it belonged to Tarlasya, the Pope Knight, and he was—
“Ahhhh!”
Pushed by my shove, the woman fell off the ice platform with a scream, flailing her arms mid-air. I seized the moment to leap back into the night sky. The moment the fire blade struck, the ice platform beneath me shattered. The searing flames skipped by us, almost grazing our noses, the howling wind stinging our eardrums. I could smell the scent of burning hair, but thankfully, it wasn’t mine.
“Help me!”
As the flame blade flew higher into the sky, I heard the blonde girl cry out for help. Yet her tone sounded… completely carefree, almost teasing.
I turned to look.
There she was, still falling through the dark, gradually curling up, hugging her legs, gazing at me with a mischievous interest. When our eyes met, she stuck out her tongue and wore a goofy grin.
“Hee-hee, I’m getting excited~”
In an instant, I dismissed any thoughts of rescuing her.
Out of nowhere, the woman’s figure halted mid-air, swirling winds around her as her white skirt began to flow like water.
Hmph…
As expected, the Order of Wind.
Her body became like a dancing butterfly, drifting slowly through the air after her brief pause. It wasn’t quite as I had imagined—she didn’t take flight. Even with the Wind Order, only top talents like Viki or the Old Sword Saint could truly soar through the skies; she clearly didn’t measure up.
Still, this level of floating was impressive, at least more than that guy Rect could manage…
“Have fun!”
Her golden hair floated like soft waves in the night, blooming like golden flowers that complemented her flowing white dress. As she drifted out of sight, she blew me a warm kiss, like a fond farewell: “Bye! See you soon~ MUA—”
d*mn that woman…
I suddenly felt an urge to rush over and give her a good smack.
“Ice Order…”
Suddenly, before I could regain my composure, the towering figure wrapped in flames—part of me distracted by that woman—leapt from the top of the tower, closing in on me!
!
I spun around.
“It’s you.”
The man’s deep, resonant voice emerged from the flames, and right after, the fiery sword ignited the surrounding air, cutting toward me with its suffocating heat!
“That so-called reinforcement…”
Clang!
Crack—
At the last moment, I conjured an arc-shaped ice shield around me to withstand his intimidating strike. The blazing sword crashed against my indestructible ice surface, cracking it with a tiny fissure. The shards flew apart and melted into the flames, accompanied by a horrific sizzling sound that quickly enveloped our view in steam.
Boom!
A heavy thud rang out, abruptly erupting from the night sky over the Black Fort. After experiencing the icy and fiery clash, the impact sent both of us hurtling back, the wind whipping unpredictably around us. I tumbled downward, taking a solid ten meters to stabilize myself, while beneath my feet, the ice reformed into a platform as I readied myself against the night.
…Tarlasya.
After taking several of my punches, that man had the audacity to bounce back so quickly, looking unharmed and ready to retaliate…
Hmm, he’s got some bite.
I adjusted my hood, my face shrouded in black cloth; that strike didn’t even scratch me, though my clothes seemed to be more tattered than before, which was not particularly comforting.
A stir of feelings bubbled within, something I hadn’t even realized, as I gazed at the ember-lit figure of him plummeting through the shadows. He crashed “boom” into the street near the Black Fort, sending a cloud of dust flying. But the next moment, with another explosive roar, the fire leapt skyward again, barreling directly towards me like a cannonball!
“Bring it on—”
In a resonant, dramatic declaration, Tarlasya, the Pope Knight, wielded only a single sword in his hand, while another hung on his waist… suggesting he hadn’t even gone all out, and that one strike earlier was enough to showcase his impressive affinity with order.
“Please take my next strike.”
Before I knew it, he charged back at me, shrouded in flames, the fire wrapping around his sword, emitting a horrific swirl of heat and smoke as he raised the sword above his head, swinging down toward me again!
“Hah…”
I couldn’t help but let out a breath.
What a…
Conceited guy.
“I admit…”
While I spoke, the flaming sword was slicing through the night towards me with a stunning whistle, the oppressive heat already bearing down.
“I underestimated you a bit earlier.”
I didn’t dodge or create an ice shield for this fierce strike; instead, I quickly raised my right hand. In a flash, a glistening blue ice wrapped around my arm, hardening into an impenetrable gauntlet. With a solid thud, I caught the flaming blade in my grip.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…
In an instant, the air filled with steam.
There was no explosive sound, no terrifying impact. Just as I grabbed the flaming blade, I stepped back, twisting to dissipate the weight, and with a powerful yank, I sent him flying.
Whoosh—
That large body plummeted into the city below, crashing “boom” into a different street, slightly farther from the Black Fort.
This time, I wasn’t going to let him get back up.
Swish!
I turned, leapt, and propelled myself off the ice platform like an arrow. I curved in the air, heading straight towards the street where he had landed. In the blink of an eye, I was directly above him, raising my ice-encased fist.
At that moment, Tarlasya had just risen from the shattered cobblestones, noticing the impending threat. As he looked up, I caught a glimpse of a smile creeping onto his lips amidst the swirling dust.
?
“You’re strong.”
With a whoosh, just as my fist was about to connect with his face, he transformed into a flash of fire, dodging over thirty meters away. He halted at a distance.
What a quick reaction…
“Stronger than I expected.”
He addressed me…
But he didn’t seem like the chatty type.
I ignored his words; after my punch missed, I knew I had to take things a bit more seriously. My palm shot out, releasing two streams of ice mist, and just before hitting the ground, I pivoted sharply. Blue light surged in my eyes, and a furious chill swept around me as I charged forward.
“Wait.”
However, that man…
Seemed to lose all will to fight.
He called out “Wait,” and with a flick of his hand, extinguished the flames on his sword. Facing my imposing attack wrapped in cold frost, he raised both hands slowly, as if surrendering.
Surrender?
As that thought crossed my mind, I heard him speak slowly but firmly, “Rect has delivered the message.”
!?
The icy wind suddenly vanished into the alley.
My fierce fist stopped just shy of his abdomen, leaving less than ten centimeters of space between us.
“…What did you say?”
I stared at him in disbelief, as if I misheard.
Looking at his face, half shrouded in darkness and flickering firelight, I suddenly heard him ask again, “Has that guy Carlos died in the Eastern Continent?”
“……”
This time, I heard him loud and clear.
What…
What was that about?
What does this guy mean…
“Someone asked me to deliver these two messages to you.”
He slowly sheathed his sword, now completely defenseless against my still-raised fist: “But that second part is actually what I wanted to ask.”
He glanced around as if searching for anyone nearby. Two seconds later, he turned back to me, staring intently for a moment before delivering the jaw-dropping line:
“Familiar faces, little girl.”
