A swift punch from the young man knocked the storekeeper down to the floor. Without stopping, he rushed forward and kicked at the fallen man.
Just as everyone thought that the shop owner is going to be beaten to death, Kairos’ figure suddenly appeared in between them as the young man howled painfully holding his leg.
When the others looked again, they saw the young man’s toes were crushed and misshapen.
A few people screamed, but most remained quiet. The majority out of fear, the rest because the injury was strange.
“What… what did you do?” the elf asked with terror. He had smelled the scent of danger from Kairos a while ago, only things happened faster than he could warn his companions.
Only now did everyone snap out of their stupor and immediately someone ran for the guards.
Kairos shook his head nonchalantly and pointed at the young man rolling in pain on the ground, “Everyone here witnessed him kicking me while I stood there without moving. I am not responsible for his weak feet. If his legs are so fragile, he should wear more socks.”
They looked at the young man’s broken toes and back at Kairos screaming in their hearts, “Whose sock could stop that damage!?”
At this time the closest guards finally reached, a pair of thickly muscled dwarves that the crowd quickly parted for. They heard the two long before anyone seen them.
The dwarven guards stood right in front of the young man looking grimly at what happened.
One was short, the other shorter.
The smaller dwarf immediately shouted at the even tinier gnome nearby and asked her what happened. As part of the elf’s team, she immediately explained what happened.
In front of so many people, she was not brainless enough to weave a tall tale. Besides, the dwarves are well-known to be impartial.
Of course, the gnome did not forget to add plenty speculations of how Kairos could have attacked at a speed no one could tell or used some kind of Aura Art.
At the same time, his partner, the larger dwarf, is looking over the young man’s mangled toes.
On the ground besides them is a hovering glass ball that is flashing between blue and red. Those who sees it knows that the city guards are at work, and anyone who hinders their job – be it standing around and blocking the incoming healers or distracting the guards with noisy murmurs – will all be charged a hefty fine.
For these city folk, very often they will be rooted at a crime scene in the face of bloodshed, and this crystal ball serve as a reminder.
“Lad, what’s your name?” the smaller dwarf asked Kairos. In his voice there is no tone of accusation. Apparently, the dwarf guard wanted to hear both sides of the story before deciding who is at fault.
After Kairos said his name, he was asked about what had happened here. He explained his version but what Kairos did not say was how the young man got injured.
After all, not many people will believe it if they heard that those who attack him will be hurt much worse than the young man had Kairos not held back.
It is not only because Kairos’ Heaven Titan physique makes him so tough that those who hit him will feel like they are striking iron, his Astral Cataclysm, Eternal Empyrean, and True Heavenly Armour, made his defence as powerful as a fortress.
The True Heavenly Armour is the combination of the Heavenly Armour technique learnt from Enki – a divine being he met in the Ghost Maw forest – and the Origin External Cultivation Method.
The Origin Cultivation manuscript included a physical training method that caused External Cultivation runes to appear under the skin and only surfaces when Kairos cultivates.
Over time it is meant to strength Kairos physically, and of course, he had imparted this technique to his closest buddies.
His own – however – completely turned into something else.
The Heavenly Armour that Enki taught him are defensive body runes meant to protect Kairos, but its true usage is untested because it immediately merged with the pre-existing Origin External Cultivation runes in his skin and turned into the True Heavenly Armour.
This new technique is more potent in strengthening him physically causing him to be of a higher External Cultivation than his friends, and it also gave him three runes that will prevent deathblows. These three runes when used will take months to regenerate but otherwise there are no other major drawbacks.
Using Astral Cataclysm, Kairos can turn things he hit into dust by excessive force and incredible strength control.
Eternal Empyrean is a hardening technique that focuses on a localised area on the body. When mastered, one can be impregnable to spears and blades. Kairos upgraded the skill making use of its ability to focus power at any part of the body to become an explosive burst of speed, called Eternal Empyrean: Burst.
Further building on this technique over the years, he created what he called ‘Amplify’, which increases the physical power of any technique for an instant – including Astral Cataclysm and True Heavenly Armour.
With all three techniques combined, Kairos now have a passive ability – to reflect any physical damage with more power than what he receives.
This ability does not even have a name because it is not a skill but merely a by-product of training the three external martial arts and having a powerful body.
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If what happened here was simplified, it is merely what will happen if a person had kicked a rock. No, in the young man’s case, kicking Kairos was like kicking directly on a pointed spear.
In fact, if Kairos had actively protected himself, the young man’s leg would be completely crippled – and that is if Kairos had held back.
After all, kicking a pointed spear and kicking a pointed spear that is thrown at you is completely different. And with Kairos’ strength, it may as well be a battering ram flying at you.
Right now, if Kairos met Syriong again, he could fight the guardian to a standstill by himself.
If he completely activates all his defences, he can walk through an army like the Phrixus Royal Guards and any who strikes him will be the one to roll over dead.
After hearing Kairos say that the young man had mangled his own toes with a kick, the guard is obviously bewildered. He checked with a few onlookers and was told similar accounts. The injury definitely suggested it can only be self-inflicted but no matter how the dwarf looked at the boy’s slender legs, he didn’t think the kid had the strength.
With the city guards here, the elf and his party didn’t dare to protest. They may be arrogant, but they are far from stupid. There is a reason why no dwarf is invited to their little party in the first place.
At this time, the guard who had been busy tending to the boy’s wounds suddenly stood up and asked, “Hold on lad, what did you say your name is?”
“It’s Kairos.”
“Kairos… Now, where have I heard that? Right! The missy! Hey, let’s go get the missy over!”
“Missy? Who?” the other guard said.
“There’s only one missy!”
“Sparrow? Oh! Alright,” and the smaller dwarf ran away huffing and puffing all the way.
A short while later, the cute dwarf girl that Kairos had treated a pot of ale at the city gates came hopping over with an older gentleman by her side.
“Daddy! This person is Kairos, the brewer!” she exclaimed excitedly to the dwarf beside her.
She had told Kairos that he can count on her if there are any trouble in the city! A wide goofy grin appeared on her face when she thought she can make good her words.
The larger guard immediately straight his back and saluted, “Captain!”
The older dwarf waved a hand and smiled, “I’m retired so there’s no need for formality. Well, since I’m here, tell me what happened.”
When the guard explained what happened here, Sparrow immediately pointed at the young man and said, “Let’s arrest him and all his friends then!”
Large beads of sweat are already pouring down the young man’s face from the pain he is suffering. He had thought that with the impartial dwarves, Kairos - the person who caused his wounds - will be locked up for certain and he had been patiently waiting.
Yet, now he is the one to be arrested?!
“On what count, you mangy cur!” he shouted.
Immediately, everyone around fell silent.
Sparrow, however, remained cheerful and only added, “For assaulting a storekeeper, and now for insulting a guard on duty.”
The young man was about to shout again when his friends stopped him. The elf went forward and greeted them briefly then said, “We are envoys from three core races, the humans, gnomes, and elves. I understand my party may have acted rashly here today, but our status grants us leeway.”
A serious light flashed across the older dwarf’s eyes and he asked, “Do you have any proof of identification?”
“We received our envoy passes today, you may check our cards,” the elf said and handed some documents over which the dwarf promptly passed to the guard.
After using a magic device to confirm what the elf said was true, the documents were returned.
Only then did Sparrow asked again, “So can we arrest them now daddy?”
“Missy…,” the man began with a helpless look on his face, “They are envoys…”
“I’ll ask grandpa then!” Sparrow said without being the slightest dejected.
“Whoa, hold on there. Let’s not jump the beards.”
“Even envoys can be put to death for insulting royalty,” Sparrow insisted.
When the elf heard that, his already fair complexion turned gravely pale. Only after a few seconds that he asked, “May I know who your grandfather is?”
Sparrow shot him a smile and said, “The dwarf king of course!”
The elf had a bad feeling when his reckless friend shouted at Sparrow and the crowd turned deathly quiet. Now he know that he was not being paranoid. They had really kicked the wasp’s nest now.
Although it was the young man who insulted her, he will be punished by extension as a member of the party. It might not be execution, but the penalty will be great enough that he will rather die than face what will happen after he return home.
Not only did the fail a sure-win bet, they gotten in trouble with dwarven royalty right under the nose of the dwarf king. The famous granddaughter no less!
Kairos looked at Sparrow in confusion, “You’re a princess?”
The dwarven girl giggled and nodded.
“But why are you guarding the gates?” this time it was Relestia who asked.
“It’s part of our tradition!” Sparrow explains, “Every dwarf royalty must live with the people and learn from them! Only by understanding our people may we better lead them!”
Kairos and Relestia both went into deep thought and nodded to show they agree.
Both of them had experiences as leaders, and their status meant that they are destined to continue. The dwarves may employ such a tedious method given that they can live as long as seven hundred and fifty years, but their hearts are in the right place.
At this time, Linda jumped down from Leo’s embrace and looked at Sparrow with wide-eyes, “I’ve never seen a princess before!”
Sparrow patted the little girl on her head only to see Relestia squatting next to Linda and say cheekily, “Your big sister, I, am a princess back home too.”
Linda: “Really!?”
Sparrow: “Really? No wonder you had such elegance about you!”
Leo: “Two princesses?!”
Kairos: “Better believe it.”
Leo: “Kairos, don’t tell me you are a prince yourself?”
Kairos: “I’m not.”
Leo: “But you have a ruler’s aura about you.”
Kairos shrugs. He couldn’t just explain that he have all auras because of his Demiurge Aura. It will give Leo a heartattack.
Kairos looked at Sparrow apologetically and said, “Please let them off this time, princess. They still have to honour their bets. Landing in jail will delay things.”
Sparrow nodded but there is steel in her eyes, “No imprisonment, and no execution. Gotcha! Let’s make them pay a biiiiiiig fine then.”
Kairos laughed, “That sounds fair.”
Sparrow continued, “For the crime of beating up a feeble man to near-death, it will cost you ten thousand mana stones.”
The storekeeper blushed terribly. He had long since recovered. After all he only received a punch. Even though he is still a little groggy from being knocked to the ground, but he is not even close to near-death. Unfortunately, the princess claimed he is, so he started holding his chest and coughing.
Sparrow flashed him a look that he is commendable, then added, “For the crime of insulting a princess in public, another three hundred thousand mana stones!”
The elf and his friends already turned grim when they heard about the ten thousand mana stones. They can still settle that debt without alarming their families. But the penalty of three hundred thousand mana stones for insulting a princess will require them to ask for help. At that time, the punishment for their failure will be more than they can endure.
Just as the elf wanted to ask for mercy – after all, the fool that mouthed off was the young man – Relestia came over.
“My sister. That amount is insufficient. A princess represents the crown, and by extension, the dignity of all dwarven kind.”
The poor elf was about to have a heart attack, the young man already fainted, the girl besides him is trembling, the gnome looked like she is about to cry, and the girlie hid herself further back into the crowd – hoping for dear life that she wouldn’t be dragged into this mess.
Three hundred thousand mana stones, even if she sells herself into slavery would not put a dent in that kind of debt.
Sparrow looked at Relestia and nodded, “You’re right sister. They should receive the maximum fine. A million mana stones of the standard cut in exchange for their lives.”