BOOM!
The ground yielded under Arthur Silvera's strike, creating a giant crater several ters deep. Haro and Captain Munro were blown away by the explosion, sending them flying several ters before landing, rolling on the ground.
"Gah!" the sharpshooter coughed blood as his mask broke in half, and the crossbow fell from his hand. His back bent so much after being struck by Arthur Silvera's palm that Haro thought his spine was crushed.
Haro struggled to stand up since her injuries were still healing and realized that her helt flew away in the explosion. She pulled back her black hair, which rolled down, to see what had happened to the two.
"Sier will be furious about losing this," said Arthur Silvera as he picked the crossbow, his foot pressing down on the sharpshooter's back. "Not even Sier would tolerate such a failure. Do you think he'll kill you, Zas?"
"Give it… back," said Zas as he raised his hand. His mask fell apart, revealing his face. Arthur Silvera stared at him silently before kicking Zas to flip him over. Then, he pushed his shoe on the sharpshooter's chest to pin him down.
"You asked for this the mont you ambushed ," said Arthur Silvera while staring at the bow. "I knew you guys were in Helios, but what made you co here? Did you have the sa goal as I did?"
"That is none… of your concern," said Zas while gasping for air. "Boss will win in the end. He always does, and you know it. There is no escaping from the future he sees!"
"I escaped the future once before," said Arthur as he raised his fist. Mana gathered around it like a ball, covering it. "This is the mana you attacked with, and I'm giving you a taste of it!"
"Boss will win!" hysterically shouted Zas. "At that ti, everyone will bow to him! Fate has already been written!"
"Has your death been written too?" asked Arthur with a frown before he brought down his fist. Mana exploded from it, descending on Zas' face. However, he still had a grin on it.
"Can you stop now, Arthur?" asked a voice behind them. Haro turned around toward the man from the main building, who wore a cloak and a mask. As soon as Arthur Silvera heard him, he froze.
"That voice…" muttered Arthur Silvera, his fist inches from crushing the sharpshooter's head. "What are you doing here?" he asked, both confused and angry.
Haro could feel a subtle change in Arthur Silvera. Although he seed familiar with the sharpshooter, he was apathetic toward him. However, the newcor was different. She tried to look at his mask and obtain clues about his identity, but all the mask had was a four-leaf clover engraving.
"I should ask the sa thing, but it would be an idiotic question. As long as there is movent in the world, you will be there, right?" said the newcor as he descended the crater. Dirt followed his footsteps until he stopped several ters from Arthur Silvera. "I can't let you kill him."
"Are you a part of Mistletoe now?" asked Arthur while glancing at the sharpshooter. "He tried to kill . Should I have allowed him to do that because of our friendship?"
"I tried to stop him, but you know a fool is a fool," said the clover mask while shaking his head. "Killing him will be the point of no return in your relationship with the seer."
"And that is a priority to you?"
"It is since my relationship with them depends on that balance," said the clover mask. "Trust again and let this go. This should not be your goal in Helios, right? Our goals align: saving the Bear."
Arthur Silvera was silent. Haro could not follow through with their conversation, and Captain Munro was busy reporting to the headquarters. Finally, after a montary stalemate between the two, Arthur Silvera kicked Zas toward the newcor, who nodded gratefully and picked him up.
"Be careful," said the clover mask after carrying Zas over his back. "An old acquaintance of yours is here. Furthermore, the red array suggests that a Trinity mber has been summoned. You have less than ten minutes before they are here."
The masked man walked past them, and Captain Munro didn't care about him. Instead, his focus was on the world-class criminal, Arthur Silvera. As for the man in question, he watched the leaving n until they disappeared. Then, he turned toward them.
"Are you here to arrest or just to report my location?" asked Arthur Silvera, glancing at Captain Munro's badge. In response, the captain flinched and fumbled with his badge to hide it.
"Y-You are-! You-! You are under arrest, Arthur Thilvera!" stuttered Captain Munro, grabbing his sword and pointing at the world-class criminal. In his fluster, he even bit his tongue while saying the na.
"Ah, yes. Good luck with that," said Arthur Silvera while the mana left his body. Then, he turned to stare at Haro, making her body stiffen. "We et again, young knight. You fought well earlier. What is your na?"
"Don't tell him, Haro! He wants to take revenge later! Ah, no! I ant Levinah! Her na is not Haro!" shouted Captain Munro while standing in front of her. His clumsiness revealed her na, and the fact he tried to change it made them look less reliable.
"Hah," sighed Haro while returning Arthur's gaze. "The na is Haro Goldner. If he wanted to harm , he had a thousand chances."
"This is rely an acknowledgnt of respect, and I have a feeling this is not the last ti we et," Arthur said before turning toward the inner mansion. "I don't mind that you reported my existence here to the knights. However, if you keep that sword pointed at , I will consider you an enemy."
Captain Munro gulped down, and his sword was shaking. Haro sighed and walked forward, using her hand to lower his sword for him. Then, she turned toward Arthur Silvera.
"Are you going to harm anyone other than the Mansell Gang?" she asked, and Arthur Silvera pondered her question. Then, he shook his head.
"As long as you guys don't attack , then I have nothing against you, for now," Arthur Silvera said. "Leave this place now since it seems there are so powerful people inside. Evacuate the citizens from the nearby streets in case it gets out of control."
Haro watched Arthur Silvera turn away and walk toward the main mansion. His words didn't seem to be that of a criminal but a caring commander. Captain Munro raised his sword again and stepped forward, but Haro blocked his path.
"If you want to live another day, then go ahead," she said, her resolute eyes intimidating him. "However, the mission has been accomplished, and the only reason we are alive is that he spared us."
"We need to fight, even against the odds!" said Captain Munro after composing himself. "You were ready to die earlier, but now you are chickening away?"
"Earlier, I believed in what I was doing. However, now, I'm not so sure. If we protect evils, doesn't that make us evil too?" asked Haro, staring at her fingers as they regenerated.
"If we allow vigilantes to run amok, then there will be no peace for the citizens! Instead, the empire will be thrown into a civil war!" said Captain Munro with conviction. "A disorganized and self-imposed justice will only lead to a civil war!"
"I know that much!" shouted Haro while watching Arthur Silvera enter the main building. "However, a self-imposed justice is better than a tyrannical, selfish one that we follow blindly out of fear!"
Captain Munro glared at Haro before sheathing his sword, grabbing her collar, and pulling her toward his face. He gritted his teeth while his slightly chubby face morphed in wrath.
"Never say that again! Do you have a death wish?!" barked the captain in her face, his narrow eyes widening as he looked around. "I will say this once. If any other Holy Knight hears you, you will join the execution row!"
"…I understand," Haro bit her lip and wanted to object, but she knew Captain Munro just tried to protect her. The empire caused the fear they lived in, which was deeply rooted in their hearts.
Captain Munro's face then eased up, and he nodded, even adjusting her collar for her. Then, he looked around before sighing and heading toward the entrance. Haro gave the main building one last glance before she followed her captain.
The two of them reached the entrance without running into any gangsters since most of them were either knocked out or killed. However, when they reached the gates, a figure of light materialized in front of it.
His white armor had a red cross on it, making his identity known with a glance. Captain Munro and Haro panicked and threw themselves to the ground, kneeling in front of the Trinity mber.
"What are you doing here?" asked the man, whose face could not be seen through the conjuring light. "You two seem to be the ones who reported the world-class criminal's location, so what are you here for?"
"Your Eminence," gulped Captain Munro while he faced the ground. "We confird Arthur Silvera's location, but he was too strong for us to do anything. As a result, we decided to head back toward the headquarters and summon more knights."
"You t Arthur Silvera…" began the faceless voice, "and you did not fight him?" his aura turned nacing. "Were the Holy Knights always a bunch of cowards?"
Haro glanced at Captain Munro, whose face was drenched in sweat. She opened her mouth to admit it was her responsibility, but Captain Munro raised his hand toward her.
"I decided this was the best course of action, sir. Any punishnt you have can be considered my responsibility. I am…"
Captain Munro's speech was cut short, and Haro heard a thud beside her. She glanced at it and saw sothing rolling toward her foot. Once it stopped, Haro found Captain Munro's face staring at her, his mouth still open.
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