"The Golden Shield was the party you created!" said Mirani as he walked toward Seref and held him by the collar. "I looked for you in Avarice dungeon every day, even after receiving this wound!"
Mirani showed Seref his missing fingers, but the man looked at them with apathy. Then, he turned toward Mirani with his golden eyes. Seref did not answer but grabbed Mirani's arm and twisted it.
"Do not bla others for your weakness, Mirani," muttered Seref. "I used whatever I could to grow stronger enough to be the vessel. Regardless of the sacrifices along the way, the end will justify the ans!"
"They never do," said Mirani as he winced and punched Seref in the face. However, the latter did not try to dodge and allowed himself to be hit. Mirani took several steps back while Seref wiped the blood off his mouth,
"It is always like that, but no one works for the future as much as I do," said Seref while turning toward Mirani. "Are you satisfied now that you punched ?"
"As if that would be enough!"
"I have no obligation or ti to entertain your insignificant regrets. Let show you… what I have trained for the past tens of years."
Seref raised his hand toward the Mirani, and a suffocation pressure took hold of the man. Mirani could feel an aura gathering around him as if the tension was rising.
"Mana Interference: deprivation."
***
"This should be the place," said Julia while staring at the underground sewage system. "There are remaining parts of the motorcycle the younger brother has used."
"His na is Oren," said the man carried by her ring. "We must hurry because the rest of the soldiers aren't here. So leave here and go inside," said Kody Nightroad, the young scion of one of the wealthiest families in the world.
Julia treated him differently after realizing that he was a walking money bag. The Nightroad Family was said to have technologies far surpass the world's reach. If she can make them fund her research, it would be smooth sailing.
"We can't leave you here in the middle of an apocalyptic city," said Julia while shaking her head. "This masked guy can take care of Astra-rankers and below. As long as we don't et a hidden dragon, then we should be fine."
"…very reliable of you," said Kody as his breathing hurried, and the man winced. His shattered bones were healing as they talked. "What is this bubble, anyway?"
"This is a healing chamber. All mbers of Runera's families have one with them in case they are wounded. You should be grateful since I only have one."
"I noticed that you beca nicer after I told you my na," said Kody while glancing at her. Julia acted as if she did not hear him and looked around. "Regardless, I am indebted to you. But, please, save my sister as well."
"Oh, the daughter of Nightroad?" muttered Julia with surprise. "I did not make a mistake when I followed Alexie here. This city is full of treasures!"
Julia was here once before when she oversaw the examination. However, at that ti, she spent a few days in every city looking for a suitable candidate to be her assistant. It was also one of the training imposed by Grandmaster Yuvan.
Kera was never sothing special in her eyes, except for the prince's fiancé, who defended Arthur before. Besides having a famous dungeon, it was a lackluster city compared to Runera.
However, not even Runera could match the wealth of the Nightroad Family. Moreover, runes were far more common than advanced technology, so the latter was more expensive. But, if she could obtain the funding of such a superpower, there was nothing she won't be able to learn.
"I can see your eyes turning to money signs," interrupted Kody, and Julia coughed in embarrassnt. "If you save my sister, my father would reward you handsoly. He loves her even more than he loves ."
"That is a sad thing to admit," said the runemaster with a sigh. "Hey, masked man. Let us go inside. We must save the two kids and Alexie's mother before it's too late."
The masked man stared straight ahead and started walking even before Julia finished. The runemaster frowned before following after him, bringing Kody along. The three entered the underground tunnels while listening to the faint sounds of fighting.
As they reached the deeper parts of the tunnels, the three saw a pair of n fighting. One stood with blood covering his face, and the other was hanging in the air by the first man's grip.
"I always wondered, Mirani," said the man holding the other by the throat. "Is your ability capable of shielding you from death?"
"Freeeeze!" shouted Julia while crossing her arms in front of her. "No killing, please! We are here to investigate what is going on! So you, scary-looking man, what are you doing?"
The man about to finish the other turned toward them with confusion. He did not anticipate their arrival but did not seem to panic after being caught. In Julia's long experience with facial expressions, the man's lack of fear or guilt did not bode well.
"Runemaster," muttered Kody while the three stood at the entrance. The woman behind that man is no other than the one we are here for. However, I don't recognize either of them, so one of them is the enemy."
"And how do we know which is which?" asked Julia with a twitching brow before having an idea. "We are here to stop the fight, regardless of who is the enemy. It is the safest way to prevent confusion."
"I am glad you are here," smiled the man who held the other in a chokehold, his expression brightening. "You must be Oren's friends, right? This man is one of the soldiers who tried to kidnap my wife, Sarah."
Julia frowned as she heard his words. The man did resemble Arthur's face and eyes, so he must be telling the truth. However, the fact that he said that with a bright face covered with blood uneased her.
"That is… a lie…." The barely alive man tried to struggle, and 'Arthur's father' threw him away. The man slamd into the walls that broke due to the impact, and he couldn't stand again.
"Do not listen to him," sighed Arthur's father before he dusted his clothes and wiped the blood away from his face. "I am glad that you are here. Oren and Selena are inside, and we must find them!"
"I didn't say I believe you," said a frowning Julia, and the man paused. "There are all kinds of abilities, and a shapeshifter can be one of them. But, Li, apprehend him!"
"Take a look at this!" said the man before showing them a photo. Julia squinted her eyes, and her superhuman perception allowed her to see it clearly from a distance. It was a family photograph, including Arthur and his younger brother, Oren.
"It seems you are telling the truth," said Julia. "Where are the other soldiers?"
"Oren took out one of them, and I took care of the other. However, one of them escaped from here with a woman I don't know."
"There were three of them," muttered Kody from behind her. Julia sighed in relief and was shocked to find Arthur's father here, despite the records that he was missing.
"He is lying," a voice interrupted from the tunnel ahead, and the four of them turned to see Oren being supported by Selena. "He is indeed my father, but the man he attacked ca here to save us. I… don't understand it still… but this man is here to kidnap mom as well."
Julia took out her runic cards, and Li gripped his spiritual sword. The man standing in the middle of the confrontation did not say anything and smiled before he turned toward Oren.
"Is this how you et your father after so long?"
"Save it," said Oren with a frown. "I don't believe you are him. Selena told you worked with the soldiers to kidnap mom, and my dad would never do that!"
"You have dood everyone here to die, Oren," said Seref before he walked toward his wife and picked her up. "I wanted to tie any loose ends, but it seems it would take too long. After all, Arthur is fighting against Alio. I need to make him go through hell before it ends."
"What did you say?" said Oren as he glared at his father. "What do you an by that?"
"This is why I wanted this mother of his," said Seref as he looked at his wife. "I lost mine, and it changed forever. I wish Arthur loved his mother as much as I loved mine. Otherwise… her existence would be pointless."
"You plan on traumatizing Arthur?" asked Oren with a pale face. "I don't understand… for what reason?"
"It is simple," smiled Seref Silvera. "For the world to have a hero, it also needs a villain. There is no one else but to be the villain."
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