While Lawkey stood there, swordless, everyone else couldn’t help but watch in complete shock.
With half-agape mouths and wide frozen eyes, they all almost looked like dead corpses rather than living people.
“Auntie, is uncle going to be okay?” Sana asked, tugging on Riana’s arm.
The turquoise haired siren looked down at her niece, then patted her on the head. “Don’t worry, that idiot can handle this much without trouble.”
However, many did not share Riana’s sentiment.
“As I said, a single hit is all it’s gonna take!” Cleitus raised his arm again and called upon the element of wind to heed his summon.
He gave his opponent no time to think, no time to flee.
Rapid Wind Vortex!
In a split second, a violent torrent of wind swirled around Cleitus’ arm and whipped through the air towards Lawkey, homing in on his every move.
Buddy, of course you win with one hit if you disarm your opponent before the duel even starts! The bladeless swordsman complained before quickly crossing his arms in front of him in an attempt to protect his vitals for now.
Crash!
Just like the old triton Cyan, Lawkey was pushed back with the violent vortex, crashing him into a nearby building.
Watching the rising dust cloud, Alviss couldn’t help but grind his teeth. He turned to Lamia next to him.
“Pretty mermaid lass! What did ya do with ma weapons?”
Pretty? Lamia was taken aback for a second, then answered, “Your weapons? They should still be on your boat. Why?”
Not good… Tis too far away. I feel some of ma strength comin’ back, but… Alviss stroked his brown beard in thought, then he quickly remembered what Lawkey had said earlier, finally understanding what he meant.
“Come with me, mermaid lass!”
“What? Where are you taking me?”
Lamia was suddenly grabbed by the hand and led to the side before she could even figure out what was happening.
To the side, Cleitus was already walking back to his companions.
“You actually won with one hit? What the heck?” Bakari shielded his eyes with his palm, trying to see inside the cloud of dust for the outcome.
“Well, it seems despite my warning, he still bit more than he could chew.” Cleitus snickered.
But then…
“?!”
“Ugh, I’m completely covered in dust now!”
“Oh?”
“I see how you win your duels now.” Lawkey flicked his finger, activating his shadows as he put on his signature smirk, “You’re weak. This duel won’t even help me improve at all.”
“I’m weak?! Don’t get cocky because you survived one hit, newbie!” With Cleitus’ bellowing voice, his left hand combusted into a torrent of wind. In his rush, he didn’t notice the shadows forming on the handle of Eclipsed Dawn, the sword he was holding with his right hand. “The next hit will do it!”
Rapid Wind Vortex!
Whooshh!
Seeing multiple wind torrents coming his way, Lawkey simply sighed. Just before they were about to hit him, his figure disappeared upwards, causing them to collide with the ground instead.
“?!”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Cleitus’ eyes shot up, following his opponents’ figure jumping through the air.
“He’s in the air?!”
“It’s really weird doing this without my sword.” Lawkey commented as he used tangible shadows beneath his feet to continuously jump and reposition himself, avoiding all wind torrents coming his way.
“He can step on shadows?!”
A Shadow Manipulation Sign user? Just like…! As Cleitus’ puzzlement continued, the shadows connecting to Eclipsed Dawn’s handle quickly shaped themselves into black chains that spread out into the sky.
What the hell?!
Grip!
“I’ll be taking that back now!” Still in the air, Lawkey grabbed onto his shadows chains and pulled on them, forcing the blade to leave its sheath behind and take to the skies once more.
Kashak!
“Finally! Back where it belongs!”
As Eclipsed Dawn resumed its owner’s side, Lawkey immediately used the momentum to position it behind him at the ready.
“Ughh! I’ll show you, rookie!” Cleitus screamed as he pulled the remaining sheath behind him, and then threw it up at his opponent.
“!”
As much as he wanted to catch it now, Lawkey ignored his precious sheath that his mentor had given him, and jumped on shadow platforms. This time, heading downwards at his opponent.
“There will be no safe landing for you!” Cleitus put both his arms over each other in front of him. He forced the wind to swirl around his entire body upwards, only to connect at the tip of his interlocked fingers.
“?!”
Multi-Razor Wind Vortex!
The air pressure suddenly changed as if to signal the coming of a windstorm. Every siren and triton braced themselves as the giant wind vortex pulled everything from the surroundings on its way to the descending swordsman.
Lawkey quickly narrowed his glowing emerald eyes and with both his hands, he gripped the handle of his sword, now fully engulfed in shadows. He didn’t need to remember his training, it was engraved in him now.
Shadows quickly exploded from his sword as he kicked the last platform behind his feet, launching himself downwards.
One Shadow Sword Style - First Stance!
Endless Night!
In a mere moment that most spectators couldn’t even follow, the swordsman’s figure zapped through the air, almost disappearing, only to reappear behind Cleitus with a wave of shadows cutting the opponent’s back.
Cleitus staggered forward as he immediately felt the heat rise all the way to his shoulders. On this way down, his eyes quickly faded, “With just… one hit?”
Thud!
As he hit the ground, Lawkey stood with his back to him, holding his sword up to the sky.
Before anyone could mistake it for some victory pose, his previously thrown sheath turned around in midair before landing perfectly into the blade, sheathing it.
“Heh, you kept on saying things that don’t make sense. Here’s one for you, you shouldn’t even bite, if you don’t know how to chew, senior.” Lawkey snickered as he turned to the unconscious opponent he just beat.
“Uncle won! Yay!” Sana jumped in place to cheer, but before she could run to him, Riana quickly held her back.
“?!”
“Shit! He lost!” Without a second wasted, Bakari drew his stolen blade in a panic.
Even in his wildest dreams, he didn’t believe the strong Cleitus would lose to a mere rookie swordsman.
“What now?!” Liv asked, unsheathing her own katana on her back.
“We fight, obviously!”
“Seriously?! This was supposed to be a quick job, you know!”
“Is this how ya wanna spend yer lives?!”
“?!”
Before the remaining Golden Garden Guild could do anything, everyone’s attention was stolen by a voice coming from the side.
“What is he doing?!”
“Is he crazy?”
Both sirens and tritons couldn’t help but question what was happening.
On top of the Keymen’s Lock for this island and clan, which the design of seemed tailored for the Merfolk, the dwarf stood there towering over them with a puffed up chest and a stern expression.
“...” Lamia, who had helped him up after much back and forth, walked back with slightly flushed cheeks out of embarrassment. Carrying a short man on her back wasn’t something she saw herself doing as a Clan Leader.
Especially when she had no idea what he was up to.
What is he planning to do? Riana questioned as she looked up as well.
“Are ya really okay with this?! Dependin’ on low scum fer yer protection?!” Alviss didn’t falter beneath all the gazes on him and continued, “Where is yer honor?! Yer pride?! Ya had no trouble fightin’ each other earlier, but ya refure te fight the common enemy?!”
Both sirens and tritons avoided looking up in the dwarf’s direction, even trying not to look each other in the eyes either.
But behind them, Lawkey smiled in acknowledgement. This was what he wanted from the start, but he isn’t someone who can deliver a speech and rally others. He had hoped they would come to this conclusion by themselves as he watched from the sidelines, but now he was glad the short man he saved was a dependable fellow who can do what he couldn’t.
“Why ya so scared?! Ya can beat ‘em if y’all unite together! Take yer fate by the hand! Don’t let those bastards use ya!” Alviss pumped his fist forward and raised his voice even more, “Tis better to struggle with honor, than bow yer heads to scum!”
Naturally, Alviss didn’t know all the ins and outs of the conflict at hand. For one, he had no clue that the golden statue in the central square was the actual former leader who tried to do what he is currently trying to preach to them.
Nor did he know the outcome of such an attempt, or the symbol it represented.
That is why he couldn’t understand them turning their heads toward the statue after his speech. He wanted them to take up their weapons, put aside their differences and fight to take back their freedom, but instead they were simply standing in place, shivering and hesitating.
“As if they are going to listen to your bullshit!” Bakari shouted, breaking the silence.
But just then, a single siren stepped forward.
“He’s right!”
“Auntie…!”
“Stay back, Sana! Hide and wait for me!” Riana sauntered forward with her spear held in front of her.
Enough worrying, enough shivering in place! When I take action, I just hope they will too! Riana decided before glaring at Bakari, forcing him to take a reflexive step backwards.
“...” Lawkey watched in admiration, but just before he could join her, he noticed a sudden disturbance in the shadows around him.
…?! This is…! He whipped his head around, but the one disturbance quickly changed into a dozen, bringing forth multiple presences with it.
“?!”
“Auntie…! Uncle…!”
Just as everyone noticed what was going on, Lawkey and Riana turned in a panic, only to see a figure rise from the shadows and snatch Sana’s small body.
Although Lawkey had expected to see Kojiro, it was clearly someone else who had risen from the shadows. A man that looked in his early twenties, but half his face was covered by the blue half-cloak he was wearing around his shoulders.
But that all didn’t matter, because in a mere second, both Lawkey and Riana had already kicked the ground beneath them to close the distance.
“Sana!”
They shouted in unison as they whipped through the air.
However, all they could do was watch as Sana’s body fell into the shadows beneath.
Her last cry lingered in their minds.
“No…! Help… me…!”
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image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]