Chapter 98
In the dark, narrow tunnels, a relentless battle raged. The Silver’s rcenaries, wandering knights, lowly sellswords, and the knights of the Eir family were locked in an unending struggle for the map.
“At last, I’ve shaken off that leech,” Jin declared, after a fierce chase.
Despite his pursuer, Baiken, being of a higher realm, the chaotic lee made it difficult for him to follow. Jin, finding a spot untouched by others, put his fingers to his lips and blew a sharp whistle.
Whiiieeek!
The whistle was quickly drowned out in the deadly scramble, but it caught the attention of so lowly rcenaries. They were special operatives in disguise.
“The captain’s call,” they realized.
“We must rendezvous as quickly as possible.”
The operatives, each gripping a sharp dagger, began to cut through the pandemonium.
Thwack! Stab!
Stab-stab! Stab!
They swiftly plunged their daggers into the solar plexus of those in their way, retrieving them with equal speed. Their silent efficiency went unnoticed, their assassination skills too covert for detection.
They raced towards the source of the whistle.
“Gu-, Gack!”
Jin, having just silenced a Silver’s rcenary, turned to the operatives.
“Bring out the maps you’ve found.”
At Jin’s command, the operatives presented their maps. Jin scrutinized them for any differences but found none.
“Hmm. They’re all identical.”
The maps, all freshly made from new parchnt, revealed no clues to the mastermind’s intent. Jin had acquired five out of ten maps, yet the villain’s purpose remained elusive.
Reports confird the authenticity of both the magic stone mine map and the warehouse filled with magic stones. Others might have forgotten about the revolutionary army, but...
“If we compile the information within the special unit, that too was true.”
Everything deed false turned out to be true, further obscuring the mastermind’s motives.
Then, sothing caught Jin’s eye.
Earl Eir and his knights were stealthily withdrawing from the fray, heading towards the exit.
Jin’s eyes narrowed.
“Could they have orchestrated this to find those who would face the revolutionary army?”
It was a plausible theory, but recalling information about Earl Eir made it seem unlikely. The Eir family’s military might was strong, but their intelligence was weak, and they lacked a strategist capable of such a cunning plan (鬼計).
Above all, Jin’s intuition did not point to Earl Eir.
Nevertheless...
“The situation demands verification.”
Jin gestured towards Earl Eir, and the operatives nodded silently.
As they were about to follow the Eir family...
BOOOOOM!
A trendous explosion erupted from beneath the tunnels where the struggle for the map had just taken place.
Jin and Earl Eir quickly turned their heads towards the blast.
* * *
Baiken, having lost Jin, was taking out his frustration on the wandering knights and lowly rcenaries.
With each swing of his sword, the bodies of the rcenaries were slashed diagonally and horizontally.
“Just you wait, you mongrel!”
Baiken’s subordinates dared not approach him as he spat out vicious curses, for they knew not what might happen should they approach him in his rage.
It was at that mont...
BOOOOOM!
With a colossal explosion, the rampaging Baiken suddenly froze in place.
Drip.
Blood trickled down Baiken’s cheek.
Tasting the blood with his tongue, Baiken let out a cold laugh.
“I suspected there was soone behind this, but to think it involved that dwarven scoundrel.”
Baiken chuckled derisively as he turned around.
There stood a dwarf, his beard bristling, aiming a hand cannon at him with eyes ablaze.
* * *
Dwarves: The Fallen Titans
Once, alongside beastkin, elves, and giants, the dwarves ruled the continent. Now, they are captives of the Empire, treated worse than beasts.
These artisans, who once built a resplendent civilization and crafted myriad wondrous artifacts, were defeated in the racial wars sparked by the Founding Emperor. They’ve been reduced to crafting trinkets for nobles in prison-like chambers.
Slaves of the Imperial Court.
That was the term that defined the current state of the dwarves.
“How did you find your way here?” bellowed Owen, the dwarf, with a chilling laugh at Baiken.
Though diminutive in stature, the force and spirit he exuded were as colossal as a giant’s.
“Your actions have jeopardized the sanctuary I’ve long sought!”
“Sanctuary? Since when do slaves have such luxuries?” Baiken sneered, wiping the blood from his cheek.
At those words, Owen’s eyes widened, and he ground his teeth with fury.
“You despicable cur!”
Bang!
With a stomp, Owen shattered the ground like a spiderweb.
Propelled forward, Owen’s form shot out like an arrow.
Baiken, sword in hand, aid at the charging Owen and unleashed a surge of blue energy, just as he had against Jin.
“Hah! You think such brittle energy can scratch ?”
Owen, facing the incoming energy, showed no intention of dodging.
Instead, he scoffed, leaving Baiken flustered by his audacity.
As the energy blade neared his forehead, Owen raised his left arm.
The energy clashed with Owen’s arm.
Boom! Rumble...
A dust storm erupted within the tunnel, not a sound of slicing, but of collision.
Baiken frowned.
‘Not even a scratch from the energy?’
Whoosh!
Owen burst through the dust cloud at breakneck speed, now wielding a greatsword larger than himself.
“Die, human!”
With a thunderous cry, Owen swung the greatsword down with enough force to cleave Baiken in two.
Baiken hastily retreated.
Crack!
As the greatsword embedded into the ground, Baiken was about to sigh in relief when...
Click.
Without pause, Owen aid his hand cannon at Baiken.
Sizzle.
The fuse burned down, ready to explode at any mont.
Baiken gritted his teeth.
“A War Smith, was it?”
War Smiths, the chosen champions of the dwarves, once protected their people with weapons influenced by their advanced civilization, each a near-superhuman force.
‘But I heard no dwarf survived the racial wars to inherit the title of War Smith!’
Baiken, too, would have been unaware of the War Smiths had he not wandered the continent, gathering tales.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots fired from Owen’s hand cannon.
‘Too late to dodge.’
As the projectiles flew at him, Baiken gripped his sword tightly and swung at them.
If he couldn’t dodge, he’d slice through.
But the projectiles didn’t slice; they exploded.
Boom!
Baiken’s hand trembled as he held his sword.
Even for one who had reached the realm of superhumans, it seed impossible to cleanly slice through a projectile ticulously crafted by a dwarf.
Baiken, sent flying backward, felt a flicker of fear at the sight of Owen charging with terrifying montum.
The sight of him, undeterred by the imnse firepower, was reminiscent of a vengeful spirit.
‘This is a War Smith.’
His arm, still numb from the explosion, had yet to regain full sensation.
Baiken quickly pulled sothing from his pocket.
Owen, charging with a face twisted in rage, grimaced at the sight.
“...Smoke bomb?”
As soon as he identified it, Baiken threw it to the ground.
Fssssss!
The smoke bomb released a stream of grey gas upon impact.
In an instant, the grey gas swelled and filled the tunnel.
Owen roared in anger.
“Do you think you can escape ?!”
Explosions echoed repeatedly through the grey gas.
His resolve to land at least one hit on Baiken was clear.
* * *
The Cunning of Jin: A Web of Intrigue
From a distance, Jin surveyed the chaos and shifted his focus from capturing the count to ensnaring Owen. After all, the revolutionaries had always been their primary target.
Even if Earl Eir was plotting sothing outside, Jin doubted he would dare to harm the special task force, risking total annihilation.
Extracting a wire from his cloak, Jin wrapped it around his wrist and headed towards the tumultuous tunnel where the battle raged.
“What a ss they’ve made,” he muttered.
The tunnel was filled with a pale gas, obscuring vision, and the ground was littered with the bodies of knights and rcenaries, casualties of Baiken’s massacre and the aftermath of Owen’s fight.
“Where are you hiding, you rat?” Owen’s furious shout echoed in the distance.
Jin pinpointed Owen’s location and began to move.
‘To miniaturize a cannon to such an extent... I hadn’t realized our current technology was capable of this.’
It was a level of tech that could threaten existing weapon systems.
‘That the revolutionaries possess such technology is indeed a cause for the empire to be wary.’
Jin clicked his tongue and started laying out the wire across the stalactites and the floor.
As ti passed, the smoke from Baiken’s grenade dissipated.
Owen, who had been firing his hand cannon wildly, slowly turned his head.
There stood Baiken, leaning heavily against the wall, seemingly exhausted from his failed escape attempt and the barrage from Owen’s cannon.
“It’s the end of the line for you, rat. How dare you interfere with my work?” Owen sneered, aiming his hand cannon at Baiken.
Sizzle.
The mana he ignited set the fuse ablaze, and fear of death crept into Baiken’s eyes.
At that mont...
Snip!
The fuse on the hand cannon was severed by sothing.
Owen, his face contorted in anger, swung his arm around.
Sothing had tightly wrapped around his arm.
“...Wire?”
Owen’s gaze followed the wire wrapped around his arm to its origin.
There stood a shadowy figure, silently observing him.
“There was another rat lurking around.”
“Owen Valdi, key mber of the revolutionary army. I hereby arrest you for violations of explosive managent, attempted murder, and criminal organization laws, among others.”
“Arrest ?”
Owen chuckled at Jin’s declaration and drew the greatsword embedded in the ground.
And so, the three-way battle comnced.
“Hmm... It seems even the captain of Earl Eir’s knights would need to step in to match Owen’s level.”
Yan watched the fight unfold from a corner, far removed from the fray.
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