Chapter 58: Code Name: Armaros

Taking off his shirt, Ace tightly wraps it around his leg to stop the bleeding, gritting his teeth as he feels a sharp jerk of pain after tying the final knot.

As if he were waiting for Sky to leave the premises, Crow stands idly by, not doing or saying anything as Hazel and Violet sit there silently. Soon satisfied with how far away Sky had gotten, Crow throws his daggers out, clutching onto the chains as the daggers implant into the ground just beside Hazel and Violet.

The chains begin to wrap around the bodies of both girls, forcing them to sit up on their knees, their butts now resting on their ankles. Hazel tries to resist as the chains shackle them around their upper bodies. Still, her feeble efforts toward breaking out are only in vain.

Then, as Crow throws both arms across his chest, Hazel and Violet are flung toward one another, brutally colliding with one another, the clash causing both to wail in pain. Ace’s eye twitches.

Why doesn't he just put them out of their misery?

"What's the point of this? I thought you said you didn't want to waste any unnecessary time here," says Ace, immediately regretting opening his mouth right after finishing his statement.

Crow, not saying a word, only redirects his attention as he begins walking, stopping just in front of Ace. Maintaining his silence, Ace feels he’s being towered over as he fearfully awaits what Crow will do or say next.

Not having the slightest bit of strength or ability to react as Crow places his frigid, rough hands on Ace’s bare shoulders… Crow heaves Ace toward him before striking Ace in the gut with his knee.

Hacking out blood, Ace snaps his fingers, igniting everything in a small radius around him. But as if Crow had predicted that exact attack, he'd already recalled one of his daggers as he hurled it above him. The dagger swiftly embeds itself into the underside of the branch, the chain then wrapping around the branch before pulling him upward. Recalling his other dagger, Crow flings it out to his side, using his momentum to swing from tree to tree like some sort of jungle boy.

With Ace’s eyes still glimmering a bright orange, he tries to track Crow, who flashes behind various scattered trees. Eventually, Crow circles back around, casting himself toward Ace, threateningly clutching his dagger over his head. Snapping his fingers again, Ace lashes a wave of flames at Crow, only for Crow’s body to instantly fade away.

Cursing, Ace instantly surveys the area, but before he can gather even the slightest idea of where Crow is, a powerful punch strikes Ace across the face from his left and then his right. Instantly collapsing onto his back, Ace’s body tempers down while his vision rapidly blurs, inevitably blacking out just seconds later.

***

Scar’s POV

Huffing as I stand in place, I anticipate the obvious. That laugh could only mean one thing, Crow is here.

Sure enough, it doesn't take long before a man cloaked in nearly all black gradually reveals himself as he trudges out from behind a thick tree trunk, blocking off the path back to camp as he positions himself directly in front of me.

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So... this is Crow?

I take a breath.

If he wanted me dead, he would've killed me already. This means his being here is intentional, and he must want something from me. Suppose I'm right, and he's been watching us all from the beginning. In that case, he must be aware that I'm one of the people in more of a leadership position, which can be a double-edged sword in a situation like this.

However, this double-edged sword isn't necessarily harmful to me. All I need to do is skew his view of whatever he's after to a perspective where I hold the advantage. If I accomplish that, this sword that may very well be my downfall now... could become something I can swiftly corner him with.

"So what do I owe the pleasure?" I cockily remark, trying to get the upper hand on the conversation.

"Hmph, no wonder Ace took a liking to you. It seems you're just as much of a smartass," Crow replies, his deep tone only hinting at a well-concealed notion of bloodlust. Besides his statement, however, he hasn't given me any insight into his thoughts. There's always something to be extracted from what people say.

"Considering how you're speaking, you must've run into that reckless fireball yourself today. Even further, I take it you haven't killed him yet, considering how casually you just addressed him."

There's a short pause before Crow gruffly replies, "Him being alive is not something you should prioritize your concern with right now, Scar."

Manifesting two daggers, the kinkling of chains compliments Crow's new stance as his eyes sharpen. Reaching behind my head, I grab the handle of the sword I brought and hold it up.

"You're right, I guess I should be addressing the more concerning matter now. So tell me, where is Code? Is he already dead?" I press, not expecting a straight answer.

A dagger swings beneath his right hand as he loosens his grip on the handle, latching his fingers onto the chains instead, "Once again, Code's well-being is not something you should be prioritizing your concern with right now..."

I see… I need to switch my strategy before it's too late and Crow initiates combat.

"I'd like to ask you a question. It'll be my last, and this question pertains to you. I'd appreciate a straight answer," I state, lifting the sword an inch or two higher.

"Go on."

"Why are you here?" I sharply request, my face not flinching out of lack of resolve.

There's a long, strenuous pause, but I patiently await his reply. Then, after releasing his grip on the chain, the dagger flings into the air, and he swiftly snags the handle on the way down. Pointing the end of the dagger in my direction, Crow utters, "I know who you are… who you really are, and they made a terrible mistake."

Who I really am? I'm having trouble correlating how his being here and my past life are connected.

"They shouldn't have let you live, the fact that they foolishly upheld their moronic traditions over what's morally ethical…" Crow grits his teeth. "What a farce, you should've been executed like them for what you've done… it's not fair."

What is he talking about? Who let me live? Who wanted to kill me? Executed like them?

None of what he's saying makes any sense right now. I'll just keep my lips sealed, and hopefully, he'll continue talking until I can start piecing together what exactly he's implying or referring to.

"After all, they aren't the first you've killed, and they certainly won't be the last if I don't put an end to you now," rambles Crow before taking a deep breath and preparing his daggers for combat.

"Code name… Armaros. Racafi's infamous assassin."

As I heard those words, my thoughts seemed to disintegrate, and my limbs went numb. A force suddenly arose from deep within my soul, and my consciousness was washed away in a vicious torrent as I tumbled backward. Now freefalling, I reached my hand toward the light slowly leaving my eyes as I plunged into a bleak, dark abyss.