Chapter 240: The Three Core Members
The executioner checked the time, then pressed Tekular’s head onto the guillotine without the slightest courtesy and locked it in place.
The suspended blade above reflected a sharp, chilling gleam.
After that, the square sank into silence.
The atmosphere grew unbearably heavy.
The executioner looked around, as though waiting for something.
The noble standing by the window with black tea in hand cursed under his breath.
"So slow."
A moment later, the executioner decisively waved his hand.
"Execute him!"
The sharp blade dropped at high speed.
The pulley let out a shrill sound as rope scraped against it.
At the critical moment, the execution platform suddenly collapsed.
Wood splinters flew everywhere.
The enormous blade shot into the air and landed in the square, frightening the onlookers into shouting as they scattered in every direction.
A figure swept past the collapsing platform.
Tekular was immediately carried away.
The executioner remained calm.
At the sight, he shouted.
"Catch them!"
"It is the rebels!"
"Do not let them escape!"
Then a large number of Imperial soldiers surged out from all directions and surrounded the entire execution square.
At the same time, a group hidden among the spectators suddenly burst into action.
Without fear of death, they blocked the Imperial soldiers rushing in.
"Get the commander out of here!"
"Leave this place to us!"
Quite a few rebels had infiltrated the square.
For a time, they truly managed to hold back the soldiers of the First Imperial Legion.
Panicked commoners fled everywhere, and the entire square descended into chaos.
There were also plenty of people gloating or watching the excitement.
They stood like rocks amid a turbulent current, observing the situation around them with cold eyes and no intention of moving.
"Hahahaha, I knew there would be a good show!"
"Is that... an Imperial Relic?"
"There are only thirty six Imperial Relics in the entire Empire, yet we can actually see one here. This trip was worth it. Still, with only one Imperial Relic, resisting the First Legion will be difficult."
Amid the chaotic battle, a slender figure supported the badly wounded Tekular and retreated at high speed.
Just as they were about to escape the square, an officer in an Imperial uniform rushed over even faster.
"Tempest Kick, Siege Cannon!"
The officer kicked out.
A sharp and heavy kicking technique released an immensely powerful invisible shock wave in an instant.
It struck Tekular and his rescuer head on.
The shock wave tore across the square, carving a deep mark through the ground before reducing a house at the edge to ruins.
The power was astonishing.
This was the martial art of the Empire.
Its principle was the same as a swordsman releasing a slash.
Through speed and strength that broke the limits of the human body, one could use fists and feet to release powerful slashes or shock waves.
The Empire’s martial art had six forms, so it was also known as the Six Forms.
Tempest Kick was one of them.
It allowed the user to release powerful slashes or shock waves through kicking techniques.
This was a martial art exclusive to the Imperial army.
Only within the Imperial army could one gain access to the training methods of the Six Forms.
Learning even one form was enough to possess decent combat strength.
As for learning all six, effort alone was not enough.
One had to possess considerable talent.
Most high ranking officers generally mastered only one or two forms.
The shock wave dispersed, yet Tekular and the girl had vanished.
The officer who used Tempest Kick immediately frowned and realized the problem.
"An afterimage?"
An Imperial Relic.
The moment the afterimage was shattered, the forms of a young woman and Tekular were revealed.
The young woman had her hair tied in a ponytail and a determined face.
On the right arm supporting Tekular, she wore a silver white bracer.
This bracer was her Imperial Relic.
It allowed her to enter an invisible state for a short time or create afterimages.
Once an afterimage was destroyed, the Imperial Relic would enter a cooldown lasting twenty seconds.
"There!"
The officer’s expression sharpened, and he immediately charged toward them.
But a dangerous presence suddenly appeared.
His steps stopped sharply, and he quickly pulled back.
A gunshot rang out.
A bullet flew straight past the officer’s face, nearly piercing his skull.
The officer turned toward the direction of the gunshot.
A man who looked like a dust covered desert traveler held a flintlock pistol in his hand.
White smoke drifted from its barrel.
His gaze remained fixed on the officer.
When the first shot failed, he immediately drew another loaded flintlock pistol from his waist.
This man was named Darian.
The young woman leading Tekular away was named Selene.
Together with Cedran, the three of them were the core members under Tekular.
Seeing that he could not free himself to chase Selene, the officer immediately gave an order.
"Do not let them escape. Musketeers, fire!"
"Yes!"
"Do not even think about it!"
Just as the First Legion’s musketeers prepared to fire, Cedran reached them.
His sword was faster than it had been a few months ago.
Sharper as well.
Sword light flashed.
More than twenty musketeers were instantly cut down.
Every rebel was covering Selene and helping her bring Tekular out of the encirclement.
Just as the rebels saw Selene about to leave the square, a young man blocked her path.
There was no time to react.
The young man’s speed was nearly teleportation.
The instant he appeared in front of Selene, he kicked her away cleanly.
Selene had no power to resist.
She flew backward and crashed headfirst into a nearby house, causing it to collapse.
Tekular rolled onto the ground.
Hardaway turned him over, only to discover that this was not Tekular at all.
Hardaway understood.
"So that is it. A substitute."
"Selene!"
Cedran’s heart tightened, and he hurried over to support her.
However, Hardaway was faster.
Before Cedran could get close to Selene, Hardaway had already appeared in front of him.
Cedran’s pupils contracted.
The hair across his body stood on end.
Hardaway’s expression was cold as he threw a punch.
The powerful impact poured into the ground.
Like a shell exploding, it blasted open a large pit in the square.
Cedran took the punch directly and nearly lost his life on the spot.
"Cough!"
He lay in the pit as blood kept pouring from his mouth.
Agonizing pain battered his nerves, and his consciousness seemed to be sinking gradually into darkness.
Cedran tried to climb up, but he had no strength to move.
He had no idea how many bones that punch had shattered.
Perhaps even his internal organs had ruptured.
The situation was terrible.
A bullet flew through the air.
Hardaway tilted his head slightly and avoided Darian’s shot.
Then he suddenly reached out and grabbed into the air.
Selene, who had tried to sneak up on him while invisible, was caught by the neck and lifted in one hand.
"Invisibility? A little trick that does not belong on a real stage."
In only a few breaths, Hardaway had heavily injured Cedran.
Selene had also taken a kick earlier and was now close to her limit as well.
She endured the agony of suffocation and smiled.
"At least we achieved our goal."
Hardaway did not care.
"If you truly think that, then you underestimate us far too much."
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