Wherever Okarino and his team went, only cries of sorrow and horror would be left behind. Their trail was smeared with the blood of old and young.
Slowly yet surely, they arrived close to the assembly hall, where Arash mostly stays.
However, just as they were about to take another step forward, they halted. They raised their heads and looked at the white ceiling.
Boom
The next second, the ceiling broke, and from it dropped a girl in shining silver and yellow armor. The sword in her hand was impaling one of Okarino's men to the ground, and many like him were also lying by the side.
Okarino and his team felt a raging mana pressure blasting toward them. He couldn't see her face because it was covered by a helmet, but he knew exactly who she was. "So, you are the elusive City Guards Captain. I didn't expect it to be a girl."
Okarino knew and had seen every single person in the city. He had marked those who were strong and were in the category of threat level. The only one missing was the City Guard Captain. He had tried many ways to find her whereabouts, but it seemed Arash had hid her as the demon army camped on the edge of the forest.
"You fiends will die here under my blade." The girl pointed her sword at them and declared with a serious tone. "The audacity to attack Sire Arash and his family. It was fortunate that Sire told me to camp here."
"It looks like you are a strong and quite brave young lady. May I know your name?" Okarino asked politely.
However, to his disappointment, the girl didn't answer; instead, she went to her battle stance.
"Unfortunately, if you act like that, then I have to remove you from this world too." Okarino sighed before looking at her with a deadpan expression. "But I can't do it with my hands. You guys, take care of her."
Just as he ordered, his team rushed forward simultaneously.
"Do not underestimate me!" She yelled, giving a big horizontal swing. From her sword, a lightning aura burst out that blasted all of her enemies in front.
However, after clearing the obstacles, she saw that Okarino was no longer there.
Thud
She looked back and saw the door leading to the assembly hall shut down, indicating he had easily bypassed her.
'Damn it.' Cursing to herself, she prepared to chase behind him. But Okarino's team was there to stop them.
This left the City Guard Captain no choice but to fight. 'I hope, sire can handle him.'
…
Assembly Hall.
Okarino stepped in and saw the door behind him close all by itself. 'Interesting.'
However, dismissing these useless thoughts, he shifted his focus to the front, where the main goal of his mission was.
Arash was sitting on his throne, resting his head on the stand he made with his arm. Beside him was a golden spear with angelic wings spiraling around its shaft. He looked down at Okarino with emotionless eyes. "So, you are the one who is the culprit behind all of this. I didn't expect it to be you, Okarino?"
Okarino smiled at him and replied. "You look quite scary now, Arash. Where did your humble attitude go?"
"I am humble to my allies. But…" Arash stood up and took the spear in his hand. "A tyrant to my enemies."
Okarino pulled out his sword too and entered in a standoff with Arash.
However, their standoff didn't last long, as they vanished from their spots, appearing in various places. One could only get a glimpse of them when their weapons clashed.
Ting Ting Ting
Arash's attacks were aggressive and straightforward, with no fear in his heart. Meanwhile, Okarino danced along with those attacks and nimbly deflected them with his rapier.
It didn't take long for Okarino to finally find a chance. As Arash's spear thrust was about to hit his legs, he quickly shifted them and evaded the attack.
Seeing the opportunity, Okarino quickly raised his left leg and stomped on the spear, not letting Okarino pull back for another thrust. He thusted his rapier at defenseless Arash's head.
Arash was prepared for that the moment his spear got locked under Okarino's feet. Dodging the rapier's sharp point in the nick of time by ducking his head to the side, he swiped his spear to the right, freeing it from Okarino's control.
Arash pulled his spear as far back as possible and said, with his eyes open wide as he swept his spear at Okarino, " [ Light Whip ] "
A blinding glow of light shot out of his spear, hurling it toward him like a thick rope.
Okarino stopped in his tracks by sliding his feet on the floor. Then, pointing his rapier at Arash, he said. "[ Blooming Lotus ]".
Water burst out of his rapier point and formed a giant lotus that acted like a shield.
Bang!
Just after the light whip clashed against the lotus shield, steam emerged that blocked Okarino's sight. But he swiped his rapier and blasted it away.
Okarino didn't attack right away but commented, standing straight. "So, that is the rare light element. People who are blessed with rare elements are guaranteed to achieve greatness, and your class seems like that of a Soldier of Light, a warrior subclass that is also very rare. But these all went to waste for a reason because here you are, a lowly Baron at a remote place."
"You know a lot. It looks like your background isn't small. Who sent you here? Who wants to kill my family?" Arash asked with a stern look.
Okarino went silent, wondering if he should say it. But after pondering for a bit, he felt there was no harm in saying it now. "Arash, you should have taught your daughter to respect the higher royalties well. You can say this is all her fault."
Arash's eyes widened as the realization hit him. 'So, that explains all of this. The prince would do anything that would harm his chance of getting the throne. He might not do anything to Ana, but he wants to break her mentally by killing her family.'
"Why did you go silent? Regretting your choice to send your daughter?" Okarino asked, curious about Arash's response.
Arash stared at Okarino, who was filled with pride, surprising Okarino. "I never regretted anything in my life. Like the moment when I discarded my future for my wife. I didn't care about what glory I would get with my powers. I just wanted to protect my queen's smile and lead a happy life with her. Many showed disdain for what I did, they said I was a coward and a weakling to be entranced by a lowly woman."
"Hahaha!" Arash started laughing, remembering the past. "What a joke! Aren't we all using these earth-shattering powers to achieve our happiness? So, what is wrong with me having mine? Those fools! But… I do feel sad for them to hurt my mana core, crippling me to helplessness. If I had my original strength, this battle would have been a joke to me."
Finally, Arash looked back at Okarino again and said, "Just like how I didn't regret anything in the past, I also do not regret sending my daughter and her choices. She is doing what is best for her and thinking about her family. How can I be sad about having such a wonderful daughter?"
Okarino stared at Arash's bright eyes with admiration, whispering softly. "I wish we were on the same side and I could ride your glory, but fate is cruel. I, Okarino, soldier of his future duke, vow to erase you and your lineage from the face of this world."
Arash didn't get mad at his remarks. He could see Okarino was just doing his job, a soldier for the kingdom to the very core, which made him have respect for him. "Come, Okarino. Try to kill this wounded Lord. You have to try your hardest. My weak situation might make you slack. So here is a reminder, I am not a Soldier of Light but a Commander of Light."
"Come!" Okarino yelled, pointing his rapier at Arash.
Arash thumped his spear shaft on the ground and said. " [ Heavenly Skin ] "
Arash's entire body glowed in golden and orange light. In a matter of seconds, his appearance changed. His cloak has turned golden and orange with light mana, and a full body armor appeared on his body, made of that same light. His helmet only showed his eyes, and two short ribbons waved in the air that were stuck to his helmet.
'Fuu~' Arash took a deep breath inside. 'One minute. I have one minute to finish this fight.'
Okarino's eyes widened in shock as he could feel the power emanating from Arash. 'That is probably a high-level spell that he learned when he was in his prime. This is going to be hard.'
Giving each other one last glance, they rushed forward, full of killing intentions.
Bang Bang Bang
Now, their every clash shook the assembly hall as their blows shattered the pillars, the walls, and the floor. Completely changing the assembly hall's appearance.
---------
Okarino — 9th Stage Fleshcrafting Realm and 9th Stage Novice realm. (Knight of Solidary Lake)
Arash — 6th Stage Bloodline Strengthening Realm and 5th Stage Master Realm(Prime). Current Combat Strength: 1st Stage Adept realm.
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