The man dodged, using Glory to create a thin layer of ice for him to slide effortlessly backward as Zhao's palm formed on the floor, emitting a bright green aura and slightly touching the icy surface.
Zhao didn't stop there; he continued to deliver several more palm strikes, adorning the bar with hand-shaped imprints, making the bar owner shake her head.
Zhao grumbled in frustration as his opponent continued to evade successfully thanks to Glory, resulting in the room now being adorned with layers of ice, some of which were shattered into pieces. Zhao couldn't exert more power than this as it would endanger the lives of the visitors who, for some unknown reason, hadn't left yet.
As Zhao was about to ask his black hair bestfriend to evacuate everyone, he suddenly realized that his friend was still standing in front of the door, guarding it to prevent anyone from escaping. "Open the door, you idiot! You're preventing them from escaping!" he shouted, deliberately maintaining GH's (referred to as GH by both of them because G-Hunter sounded too boring) position far from the staff door.
However, GH took advantage of the opportunity, creating a thick cloud of dust in the room, forcing Zhao to protect his eyes. Unbeknownst to Zhao, his opponent had already drilled through the ground and ran through a narrow alley beside the bar.
Once the dust cleared, Zhao and black hair individual hurriedly exited the building, looking left and right, trying to find the figure in dark clothing but unable to locate them anywhere.
Zhao sighed, realizing they had to do this in order to find that person, or else they would lose them, and they would be late for the predetermined schedule.
Slowly, he closed his eyes, controlled his breathing, and spread his energy throughout Elecya, in order to sense any artificial mana belonging to Glory. It didn't take long for him to locate it in the midst of the kingdom, hidden among the bustling crowd, constantly looking back to search for pursuers.
"Damn it, he's already in the heart of the city. We can't let him escape with Glory. Go to the northern gate and wait for him there. We'll corner him," Zhao instructed.
Black hair nodded.
They then separated, moving towards their respective positions, leaving me alone in front of the bar, unsure of where to go or what to do.
"Ah, ah! You stay here until they return," Euna retorted, pulling me back inside. "You're their guarantee. Don't think you can step outside until they've paid for the damages."
Zhao soared through the air, attempting to intercept Dale faster to prevent the Glory user from escaping once again. This was one of the reasons why he despised GHs (Glory Hunters).
They were too slippery, too adept at evading capture because Glory always provided them with what they desired.
He was grateful that Glory couldn't grant powers like teleportation, invisibility, time manipulation, and various other illogical abilities. If it could, perhaps GHs would rule the world and create widespread chaos.
In less than a minute, he spotted Dale briskly walking towards the west, intending to flee using an airship since the harbor was located there. Dale kept looking back, suspecting that his pursuers were trailing him on the ground, unaware that one of them would appear from the sky and lift him high up.
He created a heavy burden consisting of a collection of large iron balls bound to his body by chains. Unprepared, Zhao fell alongside him, trying to stay airborne or else people would be crushed by the iron balls.
He sighed in frustration, exerting more power than planned and successfully slowing down their descent, while shouting, "Get out of the way if you value your lives!" to the panicked elves below as they witnessed several iron balls descending towards them.
As they reached the surface of the road, Zhao's body suddenly became enveloped in thick ice, trapping him.
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Dale grinned proudly as he saw something behind him. "Your story ends here. Whiteranger is heading this way. Farewell, my friend, until our next life," he said, tapping the ice a few times and using the same ice layer as a slide to swiftly head towards the harbor.
"Umm, do you need any help? We can melt this ice for you," offered a young elf, feeling a bit scared of the Murim figure who had closed his eyes.
"Don't worry, I can free myself," replied Zhao gently, reassuring the young elf and causing them to take a few steps back as the ice began emitting a bright light that grew stronger, almost blinding, before shattering into small pieces.
Zhao stretched his body, glancing towards Whiteranger who was approaching with their white wyverns, arrows ready to be shot. "Alright, you're the one who forced my hand," Zhao Feng prepared himself, requesting the group of elves in front to make way. With one powerful kick, he launched himself at high speed, creating a strong gust of wind.
The wyverns were startled by the strong gust of wind that made their eyes sting, halting Whiteranger from restraining the unexpected Murim figure who turned out to possess great power. They realized they couldn't handle this alone and called for reinforcements, someone they knew would be a worthy opponent for the figure.
Due to his high speed, it took Zhao less than five seconds to locate Dale, who appeared terrified upon realizing that someone was approaching him at such a high velocity.
Dale reacted too late, allowing him to be caught by the pursuing figure who looked so furious that Dale felt he had to plead for mercy to avoid being sent to the gates of death.
Oh, how Zhao Feng yearned for that, desired it so much that his grip on Dale's clothes tightened. However, he refused to let those negative emotions take control.
Zhao took a deep breath and exhaled, embracing the peace that had filled his heart, only to have it trampled upon when a large arrow swiftly flew towards his right hand. Reacting instinctively, Zhao released his grip on Dale's clothes, watching as the man ran away, laughing triumphantly before being apprehended by several Whiterangers.
Both of Zhao's hands clenched tightly at the sight, realizing that the situation had become even more difficult with the GH being held captive by the elves and the Glory about to be stored in their weapon storage.
He couldn't allow these elves to possess the Glory, or it would lead to a large-scale war between the Murim and the elves, all for the sake of obtaining the artifact. Indeed, the artifact held little significance for both races. However, for him and the black hair, it meant saving the world from destruction. As for the elves, you only needed to remember one thing:
Who would refuse additional power?
"A Murim inhabitant and not just an ordinary resident, but a symbol of the world itself. Zhao Feng, The Jade Master. Why would someone like you create a disturbance in Elecya?" asked a female elf dressed in a bright white uniform adorned with elegant and gentle golden lines, the uniform of a Whiteranger.
On the chest of the uniform, there was a special medal bestowed only upon the leaders of the Whiterangers, shaped like a miniature golden Yggdrasil that appeared alive. It was intricately engraved on the medal.
The long-haired blonde woman gracefully descended using a transparent golden staircase that materialized using mana with each step she took.
Once she reached the ground, she stood on the surface of the road, holding a magnificent white big arrow in her right hand, adorned with beautiful ornaments. She gazed at the figure in front of her and asked again, "Won't you answer?" as the person before her stood in silence, eyes closed.
"The man you captured is a GH. I must detain him in the Murim," Zhao Feng replied after taking a deep breath.
The woman turned her gaze towards Dale, who was now being held by her two members, while the others placed Glory inside a cream-colored wooden box and sealed it with magic. "Hmm, but he is within our territory, so it is only fitting for us to detain him. Or... are you actually after his Glory?" she questioned.
She approached, stopping just two steps away from Zhao, who was exerting all his strength to control his emotions. "Why would a renowned Murim inhabitant, known for their chi powers, be interested in a meaningless Glory?"
The black hair watched from a distance, peering through a window in a tower not far away, furrowing their brow even deeper as he tried to find a way out.
"Of course, because we need it. For what purpose? You have no right to know," Zhao replied coldly.
His response offended the elf, who jumped back with an arrow ready to be shot. "I'm sorry, but it belongs to us legally. You can't just take it away like that, and you know it."
Zhao sighed, about to unleash his power but decided against it. He raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine, have it your way."
The leader of the Whiterangers was surprised, not expecting Zhao Feng to back down when their prey was right in front of them. From the stories that circulated, this gray-haired man with wolf-like ears was a dangerous individual. Someone who knew no rest until his mission was accomplished.
The elf shrugged, considering that perhaps all those stories were exaggerated to elevate the reputation of the Murim world. She returned the arrow, which was almost as long as a spear, to its place and allowed Zhao Feng to leave.
She realized that if she insisted on capturing the man, there was a high likelihood that this western part of Elecya would be utterly destroyed by their powers. And all that just to capture a man who could easily escape prison?
It wasn't worth it.