13 Mink Street

Chapter 246: The Captain's Battle!

It was not that Karon was striking the most aggressive pose while saying the most cowardly thing. Agreeing was one thing, but he was not naïvely assuming that this woman would simply turn around and leave so easily. No matter what, she had killed members of the Church of Order. If no clues were left behind, that was one matter, but if any clue remained, what awaited her was inevitable pursuit and retaliation from the Church of Order.

Still, things developed outside of Karon's expectations, because after receiving his response, the woman actually began retreating with great speed. She became a streak of white light that vanished into the distance.

Karon continued to warily eye his surroundings while gripping his sword in a hand. He did not relax in the slightest. The woman was simply too fast. It was entirely possible for her to circle back around and launch a surprise attack.

Alfred did the same, standing slightly in front of Karon and to the side, his red eyes maintained the greatest possible vigilance.

Only after a long while did Karon say, "Alfred..."

"Young Master."

"It seems she really did leave."

"It appears so, yes."

"Why did she just leave like that?" Karon felt that if he had been in her shoes, he would still have insisted on killing them to silence them.

"Perhaps it has something to do with that thing on her shoulder."

"That fluffy white thing? Do you know it?"

"I saw it at the club. At the time, it was a little girl. She called me ‘uncle.’"

Karon immediately recalled the fluffy white thing’s unusual reaction when the woman had been about to attack him and Alfred.

The woman had clearly been there to rescue someone, which meant that the fluffy white thing was somehow important to her. If it was ordinary, the Church of Order could have taken it without issue.

So, for that thing's sake, sparing the two of us... It did seem to make sense.

"Let's get in the car."

"Yes, Young Master."

Karon and Alfred got back into the car together. As he started the engine, Karon could not help feeling a little emotional. His secondhand Pons really did have good fortune. Today it had nearly been stolen and then nearly been crushed into scrap iron, yet in the end, it had survived it all.

The car had only barely started moving when a streak of black mist swept past the window, chasing after the woman who had fled.

"Young Master!"

"It's alright." Karon immediately raised a hand, signaling Alfred not to panic. He rolled down his window to retrieve a blue shell from outside the car. "It's the captain."

Fannie had said that she had failed to get in touch with the captain by phone, but had sent him a black crow, so it was perfectly normal for him to appear nearby at this time.

However, judging from the captain's behavior, he seemed determined to pursue the woman.

Karon immediately told Alfred, "Notify Fannie and have her gather the squad. I'll try to catch up to the captain."

"Yes, Young Master."

As Alfred got out of the car, Karon asked him, "Did I just promise her that I wouldn't report this to the Church of Order?"

"No, you didn't. I didn't hear that."

"I did say it."

"Uh..." Alfred paused.

"But I didn't report it to the Church of Order. What I'm reporting is a sighting of Light vermin. After all, the captain of our squad is indeed Light vermin, and the squad you're gathering is the Light Vermin Squad."

"Yes, Young Master, you are absolutely right!"

***

The woman was very fast, and she moved above the city like a streak of white light. Her original destination should have been some nearby building, but she seemed to sense pursuit, which forced her to change course. She did not want her residence to be discovered.

For nearly a quarter of an hour after that, she continued to try to shake off her pursuer, but failed. No matter what method she used, she could not throw her tail, and instead, her pursuer steadily and unhurriedly shortened the distance between them.

At last, the woman gave up on running. She descended into a demolition site near the outskirts of York City, an area slated for the next stage of city development. The original residents had long since been relocated, and at night, the place was especially quiet.

As she gently stroked the fluffy white thing on her shoulder, she told it, "Rumier, I told you before, a man's words can never be trusted."

The fluffy white Rumier lowered its head guiltily as it rubbed against the woman's neck.

Nio landed in front of the woman, a silver mask covering his face. "What? No more running?"

"I can't be bothered to. If you turn around and leave now, there is still time. I'll pack up my things and leave York City, perhaps even leave Veyn." This was the concession the woman offered.

Nio shook his head. "That won't do. You can't just hit people when you feel like it, and then leave whenever you want. That doesn’t work around here."

"Hit people?" The woman immediately sighed. "So I should have killed those two earlier?"

"Perhaps, but because you didn't, my demand is very simple: go back and apologize. With that, I can pretend that nothing happened."

"That's your demand?"

"Yes. Very simple, isn't it?"

"Heh. People from the Church of Order took away my pet. They deserve to die."

"That's a separate matter. I didn't pursue you because you saved your pet. You frightened my squad member, and I happened to see it. You even pointed at his face and threatened him, saying all sorts of things about how you wouldn't kill him if this or that happened. Sorry, but that sort of talk makes me very uncomfortable."

"So his promise was dogshit, then?"

"Oh, no. He kept his promise. I simply wasn't included in that promise."

The woman looked around and asked, "Are you waiting for reinforcements?"

"If I wanted reinforcements, I could have sent a signal while pursuing you. There was no need to wait until now."

"An apology is impossible."

"Very well." Nio spread his hands, and two masses of black flame rose from them. "Then that’s enough talk. Let’s go."

The woman raised a finger and pointed at Nio. A phantom of a stone stele appeared once again, and it crashed straight down upon him, yet Nio remained standing where he was.

When the stele slammed into his body, his figure suddenly twisted and blurred. In his place, the two black flames still burned, distorting the air, but the man himself was already gone.

A phantom instantly appeared behind the woman, and from it, a giant palm appeared to defend her rear.

Yet practically at the same time, two black vines emerged beneath the woman's feet and attempted to wrap around her ankles.

Her gaze sharpened, and she looked down. An invisible force spread out, instantly shattering the vines and revealing two hands beneath them. Those two hands were pale and flawless, exquisite and beautiful to look at, and in the blink of an eye they pierced the obstructions around the woman and seized her ankles.

Buzz! The woman thrust both hands outward, then slammed them downward.

Boom! The ground caved in, and the pair of hands that had just grabbed her dissipated in that instant.

"Order—Wall Fortification!" Nio's voice rang out from the perimeter, and massive black stone slabs began appearing one after another. This was originally a defensive Art, but was currently being used in reverse; not to protect, but for entrapment.

The woman clenched a fist and smashed it directly into the stone wall before her.

Boom! Boom! Boom! A string of explosions followed in succession, but the stone slabs seemed endless. No matter how many she shattered, another one would always appear before her to block her way.

The fluffy white thing on the woman's shoulder immediately let out a sound. At once, the woman's eyes shifted slightly to the side, and she pointed there with a fingertip. A blazing flame shot forth, pure white and carrying terrifying power that could incinerate the soul.

The flame pierced three layers of stone slab to at last reveal Nio's figure. A necklace flew up from his chest, emitting a soft radiance. Like a curtain of flowing water, it dispersed all of the terrifying flames the woman had projected.

Her eyes turned completely white. She raised both hands, and the ground began to burn. Beneath that searing heat, all of the Arts and ritual arrays Nio had laid down were broken apart.

Yet even after clearing away everything that imposed upon her, the woman immediately lowered her hands and reined in the spread of heat. Clearly, she did not want any disturbance from their clash to become too great and draw the attention of other forces in the city, especially... the Church of Order.

"Rumier." The fluffy white thing on the woman's shoulder flew up. White light flashed around it, and it split apart to cover her body. In the next moment, a suit of gray armor upon her.

The bracelet on her left wrist fell away at that same moment, melting in midair and turning into a slender sword that dropped neatly into her grasp. She had no intention of continuing an exchange of Arts, but was switching to close combat.

Buzz! The woman vanished from where she stood, reappearing directly in front of Nio, her slender sword thrusting forward.

A shield instantly appeared before Nio, but its protection meant nothing in front of the sword. The sharp tip pierced straight through, then flicked to the side in a smooth motion that simply shattered the shield.

The woman twisted her body to close the distance with Nio again. The length of the sword in her hand extended to stab Nio in the face.

He retreated and twisted to the side, but the flexibility of the slender sword seemed nearly limitless; It could bend in the middle of a thrust, and it directly pierced Nio's chest. Even then, it continued extending, rapidly wreaking destruction inside his body.

Black flames rose beneath the woman's feet, and the phantom of a ferocious beast with a horn atop its head opened a bloody maw, determined to swallow the woman whole.

She did not choose to trade injuries. Even though she believed that she could settle Nio for good, should she pay a certain cost, she did not choose to do so. Instead, she immediately retreated. Right before the beast's jaws could consume her, her armor released a glow that shattered the beast's form.

Nio dropped to one knee, pressing his right hand to his chest. Blood was still flowing from the wound there.

The woman flicked her sword while showing a slight smile. Then, she closed in on him once more.

Yet at that moment, a crimson light condensed from the blood that had fallen beneath Nio. Two rag dolls appeared, and after absorbing his blood, they also turned crimson.

If Karon were present, he would probably have found the two dolls to look very familiar.

Two crimson skeletons appeared and swung their scythes at the woman.

The woman shifted sideways to avoid the attack, then drove her slender sword straight into one skeleton. Its chest was pierced, and a smooth flick of the blade tore open a gaping hole. All the same, the skeleton continued attacking.

After dodging again, the woman struck the other skeleton, opening an equally massive gap in its form.

Nio formed seals with both hands, continuing to use his blood to manipulate the damaged skeletons in battle.

Pressed by the two skeletons, the woman began to pull back, but then, with a flash of movement, the armor covering her body opened. The woman freed herself, while her armor sprouted dense fur that instantly filled in the hollow armor, which then continued to fight the two skeletons while wielding the sword.

Having successfully escaped the encirclement, the woman charged straight at Nio, who was controlling the puppets. She moved as fast as possible, a dagger appearing in her hand.

Sensing danger, Nio raised his head. Beneath his mask, shock could be seen in his eyes.

A barrier appeared, but with a quick pull and turn, the woman slipped right around it to finally reach Nio. He rose and tried to retreat, but she was faster. Her dagger drove into the other side of Nio's chest, and then slashed diagonally upward.

The sound of ribs being severed was immediately followed by cracking sounds. As for the organs inside, they had undoubtedly suffered even more grievous damage.

"Ah!!!" Nio let out a scream.

The woman gripped her dagger with both hands, preparing to make another diagonal cut and split Nio open entirely.

But just as she started to exert force, her expression changed. Her dagger was stuck in the wound she had just opened. More precisely, the ribs she had just severed had already somehow wound themselves back around her dagger.

Nio, despite already being gravely injured, released a surging aura. His hands shot out and seized the woman's shoulders. Her eyes turned white again, and two streams of searing flame shot from them.

Nio dropped down, avoiding having any vital points struck. The two flames merely pierced his shoulders, leaving holes the size of an infant's fist.

Yet within those holes, flesh and bone could be seen clearly regenerating at a discernible speed. In fact, the force Nio was exerting through his arms did not lessen in the slightest. Black nails grew from all ten of his fingers, stabbing directly into the woman's flesh. "Heh. My turn."

The woman released her dagger, which had become stuck inside Nio. She tried to break free, but Nio held her fast.

The silver mask flew from his face, revealing his features. His eyes glowed blue-green, and two fangs protruded from the corners of his mouth as he bit at the woman's neck.

She sensed mortal danger, realizing that her opponent had been waiting for this exact moment all along. Every opportunity she had believed she had created for herself, had he not been cooperating with her in preparation for this precise moment?

A white figure emerged from the woman’s body, like a bound soul breaking free. It hurled itself straight at Nio, detonating upon impact.

The woman was carrying no shortage of holy relics. This was the value of a strong foundation. In battle, the side that possessed better relics, and greater quantity, usually held the advantage. This was also why the credit shops run by the various churches never lacked for customers.

Boom! A terrifying shockwave swept out. Nio ultimately failed to drive his fangs into the woman's neck, which allowed her to break free.

Yet by escaping his grip, terrible bloody gouges were ripped down from both of her shoulders. It looked as though strips of flesh had been ripped out in a dozen different places. Her hair was disheveled, and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth. She looked completely miserable.

As soon as Nio stopped actively controlling them, the two skeletons went still. The gray armor flew back to the woman's side, protecting her again as a healing glow circulated over her body, though in her current state, such healing was little more than a token effort, especially when compared with the man before her.

Nio reached up and ripped the dagger from his chest, casually tossing it aside. The wounds covering his body began closing at once, though he still seemed unsatisfied. He raised a hand and rapped his own forehead. “You old bastard, you never stop buzzing in my head all day long. It’s time for you to do something useful.”

The moment he finished speaking, the wounds on his body began healing even faster.

"A Bloodfiend?" The woman clearly recognized what Nio was. In this world, there was no shortage of families and churches that possessed rapid healing abilities, yet of them, the only one that displayed it so directly were the Bloodfiends.

Nio rolled his neck and crooked a finger at the woman. "Come on, let’s keep going. I was just used as a lab rat on my last mission and have held a belly full of anger ever since. Thanks for showing up."

"A Bloodfiend who believes in the God of Order? How is that possible!"

"What, why not?" Nio walked toward the woman.

She clenched the hilt of her slender sword once again and snorted coldly. "Even with a Bloodfiend bloodline, recovery isn't endless. I want to see just how much blood you can keep spilling."

The gray armor released radiance again, augmenting the woman as she charged at Nio of her own accord. As long as she did not overreach and did not foolishly seek a quick end to this fight, but instead kept fighting at close range, Nio would have no opening.

However, halfway through her charge, shock and confusion appeared in the woman's eyes, because Nio raised an arm and intoned, "Light—Knight's Protection!"

Holy light appeared over Nio's body. A suit of Light Knight armor formed over him, while a greatsword of light appeared in his hand. In an instant, he became a heavily armored knight.

Karon had always known one thing: the captain using Order’s Arts was not their true captain. Only when the captain used the power of Light was he fighting in earnest.

The woman's astonishment was too late for her to stop her charge. Beneath Nio's greatsword of light, her slender sword was unable to even block the holy brilliance radiating from it, and her weapon crumpled immediately.

Clang! The greatsword of light swept across the woman's body, though the damage was blocked by her armor. Taking advantage of the opening, Nio pressed in, slamming into her with his shoulder. Backed by the power of his knight's armor, he slammed straight into the woman's chest.

Bang! She was hurled away to crash heavily upon the ground in the distance. She struggled to rise back up, but Nio was already upon her once again.

In truth, the woman was not lacking for combat experience, but Nio's possessed far richer experience. More importantly, he had already begun absorbing the doctrines of Light from the thing inside of him, which meant he had probably long since absorbed other aspects as well, such as... combat experience.

The woman raised her slender sword once more. Flooding it with her power, the sword extended to thrust at Nio as she tried to buy herself room to dodge.

The armor covering Nio simply dissipated, and the sword stabbed right into his completely unprotected body. He followed the blade, letting it pass straight through him, ignoring his own injuries to forcibly close the distance. He then drove one foot down onto the woman, just as she was about to rise.

Bang! The woman was viciously stomped back to the ground, and Nio's greatsword of light came to rest beside her neck. "I can choose not to kill you, but you must promise me that you will not report what you just saw to the Church of Order."

"..." The woman.

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