Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Warrior and the Mage (2)

The sharp, chilling killing intent sent the birds fluttering into the sky.

At the same time, I felt it — this man was someone who far surpassed me in strength.

“Leon, can you buy me some time?”

Retina asked in a serious tone.

For a mage of Retina’s caliber, most opponents could be subdued with a brief incantation.

Yet, for her to ask me to buy her time… it meant that the opponent before us was so strong that even she needed preparation.

‘Troublesome. Warriors and mages don’t make the best pairing to begin with….’

But I couldn’t just refuse. If I didn’t step up now, Retina wouldn’t be able to defeat him.

In the worst-case scenario, that man alone could wipe us out.

‘There’s a lot to think about, but… in this situation, the only thing I can do is…’

In an instant, a fierce wave of energy burst out from my entire body. Retina’s hair whipped violently in the turbulent wind.

The blue-haired man’s eyes gleamed.

“You look no older than twenty, yet that pressure… It wasn’t a mistake picking a fight with the Oblis Brothers after all. Where are you people from?”

“Not going to answer? Fair enough — nothing dumber than giving information to your enemy. I’ve got a lot of questions, but… I’ll deal with that troublesome mage first.”

He had already seen through our plan. I heightened every sense in my body.

I couldn’t predict when or how he would strike. I had to be ready at all times.

But he was much faster than I had anticipated.

A heavy fist twisted through the air like a drill and slammed into my abdomen.

As my insides twisted in pain, a single thought crossed my mind.

‘Fast! I didn’t even see him move!’

His punch carried terrifying destructive force.

Had I not instinctively wrapped my core in inner energy at the last moment, that blow could have ruptured my organs.

The man seemed surprised that I had withstood his strike and muttered,

“I aimed to burst your guts, but… you’re pretty solid.”

He wasn’t wrong. My clothes were torn to shreds where his fist had landed, and a dark bruise had already blossomed across my abdomen. Each breath I took sent a cold, stabbing pain through my chest.

‘Any warrior other than me would’ve gone down from that hit. Ordinary warriors can’t handle internal energy .’

My sword tore through the air with a sharp sonic crack. The man froze for a split second in surprise.

If not now, I wouldn’t get another chance to attack.

My blade flashed in a straight line — aimed at his neck.

The sword hummed with my desperation.

A wailing sound, like a ghost’s cry, burst from the blade.

The eerie resonance made his body stiffen. He didn’t recognize what that sound was — the Sword’s Cry. It was only natural that he’d be shaken.

Retracting his fist, the man swung his sword. Though his movement was far slower than mine—

He still managed to catch up to my attack in an instant.

By then, Retina’s magic was complete.

It felt far more violent than the one she had used against that back-alley champion.

Blue flames coalesced in her left hand, and ice crystals shimmered in her right.

She thrust both hands forward, activating her spell.

A blazing fire erupted, scorching everything in its path. The flames roared like a dragon’s breath, alive and raging.

The spiraling ice crystals wrapped around the flames — and though they looked cold enough to freeze anything they touched, they didn’t melt.

Instead, the flames burned even fiercer, empowered by the very ice that should have smothered them.

The blue-haired man’s eyes widened. Even he hadn’t expected such magic.

In the next moment, the cataclysmic blaze swallowed him whole.

It was the spell of a quasi-knight-class mage. No matter how skilled a swordsman, there was no surviving that.

With a massive explosion, the blue-haired man was hurled backward.

He crashed into a wall before finally coming to a stop.

He coughed up blood — and from the bits of flesh in it, it was clear his insides were wrecked.

“What the hell is happening in a filthy alley —!”

He spat the words through clenched teeth and forced himself up.

His endurance was astounding — to still stand after taking a blow like that.

Though, he wasn’t unharmed. The way he staggered made it obvious he hadn’t fully absorbed the impact.

Retina patted my shoulder as she stepped forward. Read full story at NoveI[F]ire.net

Her expression had regained its usual calm arrogance — as if she hadn’t been tense at all moments ago.

“Where are you from?” Retina asked.

“Blue hair… You’re that famous swordsman people have been whispering about in the back alleys lately. I heard you were strong, but this was beyond expectations. Why were you after the Oblis Brothers? You don’t look like some drugged-up fool.”

Instead of answering, the man tightened his grip on his sword.

At that moment, I dashed in with Dawn-Drifting Falcon Step and kicked him in the back of the head. His body slammed into the ground.

Bleeding from his forehead, he glared up at Retina.

“It was the boss’s order. The Oblis Brothers made quite a fortune through their drugs. The boss said to use that sharp-minded bastard to make even more money.”

“I see…” Retina murmured.

“The boss predicted there’d be monsters like you showing up, too. He had even planted some of our people in this factory — talented ones from the back alleys… But I guess you’ve already killed them?”

“Well, I didn’t find anyone who seemed particularly talented,” Retina replied.

“He was the champion of the back-alley arena. You’d know him if you saw him.”

“Oh, the big one?” I said.

“Yeah, he was strong — but he’s dead now.”

The man lowered his head.

“Do as you wish — kill me if you want. I failed the boss’s orders. I’m ready to die.”

“You’re quite the loyal one,” Retina remarked. “Leon, take him with us. We can still extract more information.”

She began patting down his body as she spoke.

I asked, “Why are you touching him, exactly?”

“It's a method to block the mana inside his body. It would be troublesome if he tried to escape, wouldn’t it?”

‘So there’s something similar to acupoint sealing in this world too. Back in my wandering days, I couldn’t memorize the meridian points, so I never learned how to do it. Maybe I should ask her to teach me later?’

Who knows — someone of Retina’s level might actually know how to use it.

This world was different from the martial world, yet in many ways, it bore a striking resemblance.

Curious, I carefully watched the method Retina used.

Soon after, I bound the man with a rope. Even without mana, someone who had trained their body to that extent still possessed considerable physical ability.

If I didn’t restrain him properly, there was no telling when he might try to flee.

As we walked through the back alleys with the man tied up, the people around us looked at him with pitiful eyes.

He was clearly someone who had brought chaos to the back alleys — so why such sympathetic looks?

That question was answered the moment we reached the tavern.

As soon as Retina sat the man down, she began the interrogation. Her methods felt… rather harsh.

Each time he failed to answer a question, a nail was driven into his finger.

If he answered correctly, the nail was spared.

Thanks to that, I soon learned the man’s plan.

The person he called Boss was a woman named Gehenna.

She had approached the Oblis Brothers with an ambitious plan — to “purify” the back alleys.

Her detailed plan was to sell the Oblis Brothers’ drugs to foreign nations and amass wealth.

Then, she intended to use that massive fortune to transform the back alleys into a lawful place.

Her intentions sounded noble, but I couldn’t view them kindly.

Selling those drugs to other countries — didn’t that mean she planned to sell them to Elphrel as well?

I had heard that there were already people in Elphrel who had fallen to addiction.

The idea that it was fine so long as it wasn’t the Empire left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Leon, come with me.”

Retina suddenly spoke. I followed her silently. For some reason, her expression had darkened.

Once we were far enough from where the man was held—

“This is troublesome,” Retina said.

“That name, Gehenna — she’s well-known in the mercenary world. The man we interrogated was probably brainwashed since childhood.”

The unexpected word left me stunned.

The continent was divided among three nations.

The northern Elphrel, the southern Holy Kingdom, and between them — the Empire, which stood at the center.

Because of its location between the two, strange and complex incidents often arose within the Empire.

Those who couldn’t accept Elphrel’s warrior supremacy applied for naturalization, while heretics who rejected the Holy Kingdom’s faith secretly crossed the border.

Outcasts from both nations — most adapted to life in the Empire, but those who couldn’t became a criminal organization.

“Flower. That’s the name of the group. It’s a mixture of people — warriors who worship martial strength, devotees of the gods, even criminals of the Empire.”

“There’s such a place in the Empire?”

“The Empire is far more liberal than other nations. It’s only natural that odd types gather here.”

“I see. But still, the brainwashing… Are there people in the Empire capable of such sorcery?”

“Not exactly sorcery — it’s holy power. They were brainwashed using divine energy.”

“……Are you saying a believer who illegally entered from the Holy Kingdom performed it?”

“I told you — it’s a criminal group. Even if they claim to worship God, their beliefs could easily be twisted. Anyway, the Emperor entrusted us with handling the back alleys for this reason. Flower hides in the shadows everywhere. Especially in cities where the Emperor’s influence is weak, their power grows stronger.”

“He’s the Emperor who rules the Empire. Why doesn’t he just eliminate them?”

“They’re not something that can be wiped out so easily. No matter how much you clean filth, it always returns. And more importantly, Flower is an old criminal organization. Even if you kill their leader, they have the means to rise again.”

“So, in short, it’s impossible to eradicate them completely.”

An organization even the Emperor couldn’t destroy it reminded me of the demonic sects of the martial world.

It struck me again no matter where people live, the same kinds of things repeat.

“Some of the worst ones from the Holy Kingdom even worship Demon Beasts as gods. There are members like that among Flower.”

“They worship Demon Beasts?”

“As you know, Demon Beasts are remnants of the ancient Evil God. And the mad ones — they don’t hesitate to worship that Evil God as a deity.”

“An ancient Evil God?”

“You didn’t know? Even children know this. A thousand years ago what we call the ancient era there wasn’t just one god. There was the one we now worship, Solar, and the Evil God, Jeozudin. You at least know that much, don’t you?”

“Were you not educated as a child?”

“I only learned how to become stronger.”

This is why warriors are hopeless.

Retina shook her head and handed me a few silver coins.

“Spend some time studying at the library. How do you plan to live without knowing basic knowledge of the world?”

She already looked at me as though I were some troublesome fool.

“I’ll take care of the man we caught earlier. In the meantime, go to the library with Ryan.”

“Where are you taking him?”

“It’s rare to see someone that strong who’s been brainwashed. I’ll take him to a priest for examination.”