As Hiro stood his ground, the room was filled with a palpable tension. The kidnappers, taken aback by the sudden intrusion and the fall of their comrade, hesitated for a moment. That moment was all Hiro needed. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his mind focused on the task at hand.
With swift, practiced movements, Hiro lunged at the nearest attacker. His hands, honed by years of training, moved with a speed that blurred the line between man and shadow, disarming the kidnapper before he could even react. One of them, seems youngest among the group moved to attack.
“Kill hi-!!” before he could say anymore, Hiro knocked him out cold. One by one, Hiro took on the kidnappers, his fists landing with precision and force. The sound of his punches echoed in the room, each one a testament to his training and experience.
The kidnappers were caught off guard. They tried to retaliate, but Hiro was too fast, too precise. Before they could land a single attack, they were knocked out, their weapons clattering uselessly to the floor.
Meanwhile, outside the warehouse, Sakura and Ray heard the sounds of the fight. They exchanged a glance, understanding passing between them, when they heard sounds of horses behind them, revealing the knights bought by Aiden.
With the rest of the kidnappers unconscious on the floor, only the leader was left standing. He was a tall, imposing figure, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and determination. “Of course, they won’t be able to beat him,” he thought to himself looking at Hiro. “Even if they are B-Rank adventurers, they can’t beat the hero of the Empire.”
He took his stance, his eyes not leaving Hiro’s sight, “You won’t get away with this,” he growled, his hand reaching for his weapon, a Greatsword.
In a swift motion, he forced his sword through the ground, activating his unique skill, “Terrablast!!”.
[Terrablast: a technique to crush the earth and use the uplifted bedrock as a shield. It deals damage to your surroundings and gets a barrier around the user of the skill.]
The ground beneath them shook violently as chunks of earth and rock erupted from the floor, flying towards Hiro. The warehouse echoed with the sound of the earth splitting apart, dust and debris filling the air.
But Hiro was unfazed. He dodged the flying rocks with ease, his movements fluid and precise. He closed the distance between them in a blink of an eye, his fist connecting with the leader’s jaw before he could react. The leader staggered back, surprise flashing in his eyes.
Hiro didn’t let up. He pressed his advantage, landing punch after punch. The leader tried to retaliate, but Hiro was too fast, too relentless. In a matter of moments, the leader was on his knees, gasping for breath. “Even if I am an A-Rank,” he thought to himself. “Or,” he looked at Hiro. “He doesn’t have any weapon with him… I am still not a match for the hero huh…”
Just as Hiro was about to capture him, he smirked. “Not yet!” He used the last of his energy to create a diversion, causing a cloud of dust to envelop the area. Hiro squinted through the dust, his eyes scanning the area. By the time the dust settled, the leader was gone.
Hiro stood in the now quiet warehouse, his eyes scanning the area. The leader had escaped. As the dust of the battle settled, Aiden arrived with a contingent of knights, their armor glinting in the dim light of the warehouse. Hiro stood alone, his gaze fixed on the empty space where the leader had vanished. The defeated kidnappers lay scattered around him, a testament to the fierce battle that had taken place.
Aiden approached Hiro, his boots echoing on the cold concrete floor. “Your Grace,” he said, his voice filled with respect. Hiro turned to look at him, his eyes as cold as ice. “Capture all of them and bring them to the dungeon,” he commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Just then, Sakura and Ray entered the warehouse. Their eyes widened at the sight of the defeated kidnappers and the knights moving to capture them. “Hiro…” Sakura’s voice was a soft whisper in the silent warehouse. Hiro turned to look at her, his icy gaze softening as he sighed, “The leader escaped.”
Sakura reached out and held his hand, her voice soothing, “It’s alright.” Ray and Aiden watched them from a distance, their expressions solemn.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Suddenly, Ray’s sharp eyes caught a glimpse of a door at the back of the warehouse. “Another room in a warehouse?” he thought to himself, as he noticed a faint glow was seeping out from the space beneath it. Intrigued, he approached the door, his curiosity piqued. As he pushed it open, a hidden path revealed itself, leading to an underground room. Torches lined the path, their flickering flames casting eerie shadows on the walls.
“Hey,” Ray’s voice echoed in the vast warehouse. Hiro, Sakura, and Aiden turned to look at him, their eyes following his gaze to the hidden path. “Kai must be here,” Ray said, determination etched in his voice.
They all nodded in agreement. Hiro, Sakura, Ray, and Aiden prepared to descend into the hidden path, their hearts filled with resolve. Meanwhile, the knights began to move, taking the unconscious kidnappers away.
As Hiro, Sakura, Ray, and Aiden descended into the hidden path, the air around them grew colder, the flickering torchlight casting long, dancing shadows on the walls. The path was narrow and winding, leading them deeper into the heart of the unknown, as they reached the dark room.
The underground chamber, its ceiling swallowed by darkness. “It’s so dark here…,” Aiden looked around, when Hiro created a fireball in his hands. With the help of it, they were able to look around, when in the corner of the chamber, they saw two girls, Lala and her little sister Ana. They were unconscious, their bodies frail and weak, a stark contrast to the harsh environment they were kept in.
A gasp echoed through the chamber as they took in the sight. Hiro and Sakura approached them, their hearts heavy with concern. “How could they…,” Sakura whispered as she looked at the condition, they were in. Ray and Aiden followed behind, as Hiro and Sakura checked on the girls.
Just then, a chilling laugh echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the stone walls and sending a shiver down their spines. They turned around to see the leader standing at the other corner of the chamber, a sinister smile on his face, holding Kai on his right arm.
“I must commend you for making it this far,” he said, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “Kai!” Ray and Sakura called out, their voices filled with worry. The leader put a knife near Kai’s neck. “If you come any closer, he will meet his end.” As he put his blade close to his neck, a little cut was made as blood started to trickle down from it. As they saw that, everyone took a step back.
Just then, the leader took his chance. He created a gust of wind, with the motion of his left arm. Ray, with the rest covered themselves from the dust. As the leader saw it, he used the chance as an escaped through a path hidden behind him with a cloth. Hiro, tried to look at him, as he saw him escaping. “NO!!” he shouted, as he quickly dashed after him. Ray, noticing that, went after them as well.
Sakura looked at the two rushing through the way, then back at the girls. “Aiden!” Sakura called out, as Aiden looked her way. She asked Aiden to help the girls in front of them.
Back to the leader, as he ran, he quickly reached a dark alley, which the hidden path led to. He put down Kai on the corner, as he took a deep breath. He reached out to the wound in his stomach, which he got during his fight with Hiro. Kai sat himself properly, as he stared at the leader with cold eyes. “Curse that Archduke!!” he was checking on his wound when he noticed Kai looking at him, just like the way Hiro did. “That same look…,” anger grew in him as he kicked Kai in the stomach, throwing him back away.
Kai fell back to the boxes kept nearby, as the leader started to question himself. “What should I do now?! All of my men are captured!” he had many thoughts going on, until he finally decided, “That’s it,” he would run away. But before he could take that crucial step, a voice sliced through the darkness, freezing him in place.
“No, you won’t,” the voice echoed, its timbre both melodic and menacing. He turned toward the source, his eyes drawn upward to the rooftop of an adjacent building. There, bathed in moonlight, stood a girl. Her long hair, as dark as obsidian, cascaded around her shoulders. Her eyes, black and glittering, held secrets he couldn’t fathom.
She was the same girl, who encountered with the two assassins in the mansion.
“Who are you?” he managed to ask, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his heart.
“We’ll get to that later,” she replied, her smile enigmatic. With a graceful movement, she lifted her right arm and pointed directly at him.
“Hu- !!” The leader looked confused, until the world started to blurred around him, and pain exploded in his left arm. “Wha-!!” It felt as if a thousand knives had sliced through flesh and bone. He wanted to scream, but his voice was trapped, suffocated by some unseen force.
“Now, now,” the girl said, descending from the rooftop. Her feet touched the ground with unnatural lightness. “We play a game first.”
“The game of “Answer the question””, she declared.
Scene shifts to Hiro and Ray, who are rushing through the path. Ray glanced at Hiro, who had a serious, worried expression on his face. “You have to be alright Kai…,” he though to himself, as he continued to run through the path.
After few seconds, they both came to the alley as well.
Hiro scanned their surroundings. “Where did he go?” As he was looking around, Ray’s sharp eyes caught movement. “He’s here!” Ray pointed, and Hiro looked at the direction. He saw the man standing still, his left arm fully disappeared. “What happened to his arm…?” Hiro thought to himself as he approached the man. But before they could apprehend him, the unthinkable happened—the man was sliced into pieces before their eyes.
Hiro and Ray stood frozen, their minds struggling to comprehend the impossible. The body fell apart, crimson staining the ground. And there, amidst the carnage, stood the girl—the enigma with obsidian hair and eyes that held secrets.