KENSHI
The explosion summoned a thick cloud of smoke, devouring the female cult member. But the smoke didn't linger for long and was quickly blown away as if some gust of wind had passed through.
But it was no mere wind—it was caused by the woman's ability. Her psionic dagger—which had now grown in size and reeked more of evil aura—spun vertically around her, resembling a propeller. The wind it created was the gust that pushed the smoke earlier. I also suspected that this technique saved her from being exploded earlier by preventing the magic from making contact with her.
The enhancement of her ability entailed a gesture that I didn't like. And by taking a closer look at her, my hunch was right. The darkening of her skin and the evident deformities present in her body implied that she had consumed a Dark Orb. This reminded me of the battle I had with a similar opponent back at Geiya Village—
the same battle that killed Kana's mother, and pushed me to undergo a second awakening.
As expected, there was this overwhelming gap of power between us. But unlike before, the pressure brought by it was no longer present.
Is it because I fought several Dark Orb Wielders before that my body no longer senses it as new and unfamiliar?
"Okay, that was rude," the woman commented, referring to exploding her earlier while she was still talking. "Never mind. Wilmer will avenge me anyway. I saw how you fought earlier. Just like Mister Akihiko, it was my first time seeing an Awakened receive a second awakening. How did you do it?"
"Well, it happened because of you people. You almost killed my friend and murdered an innocent mother, and because of that, I received a divine blessing to avenge them both," I answered. I didn't mind telling her the story since I'd make sure she wouldn't live to tell the tale.
"Oh? Well then, thank you for the credit," she sarcastically thanked, along with a teasing bow. "But sadly, you will be the last Reawakened to have walked this world."
The woman waved her hand, sending three of her daggers at me. The daggers wheezed as they flew, resembling the sound of flying arrows.
I conjured three sharp icicles and threw them to intercept the daggers. Strangely, the daggers evaded them and proceeded to dash in my direction. Knowing my magic was ineffective, I held tightly to my sword and covered myself with Swift.
I evaded two of them, which struck the theater floor, while the remaining one changed its trajectory to escape the similar fate of the two. Since evading it was no longer an option given my position, I used my sword to deflect it by striking hard. The dagger shattered into pieces like broken glass, while the other two disintegrated. When I returned my eyes to the woman, three new daggers had already replaced the former.
So, she could conjure new daggers with ease once destroyed and control their movement mid-air.
Then something caught my eye—two of the daggers were missing. I quickly looked for them, but I was too late when I finally spotted them. The daggers spun around each other like a drill, and they were already a meter away from behind me.
Evading them would be useless as I had just landed from dodging the last attack. My mind was already preparing for the pain my body would receive the moment those two daggers struck.
But strangely, something long intercepted the daggers, shattering and destroying them. When I took a closer look at the object, I recognized it as a spear—and it wasn't just an ordinary-looking one. It was something a known spearman would wield.
The spear shook to loosen itself from being jabbed into the floor and flew somewhere. A loud ringing of metal followed, catching my attention. When I turned my head to see it, my eyes widened in surprise.
It was Uncle Avidius. He had removed his white coat ornamented with golden patterns, leaving only his white long-sleeve polo. Two buttons were undone near his neck, and the sleeves were folded up to his elbows, revealing his muscular and veiny forearms.
Uncle Avidius walked toward me, and I couldn't do anything but watch until he reached my side.
"What surprised you, lad?" Uncle Avidius asked, stomping the bottom end of his spear to the floor.
"Wha— How—"
"I'll tell you when we're done, so try your best not to get yourself killed," Uncle Avidius stated before skillfully spinning his spear and pointing it at our enemy.
"Isn't this bullying?" the woman inquired. "Two boys against a woman?"
"It's a compliment, because that just means we see you as a greater threat," Uncle Avidius corrected.
"Fair enough," the woman replied with a smile. "Now that there are two of you, I think it's time for me to get serious."
The woman raised her right hand parallel to the floor, pointing at us. Following this gesture, the daggers stopped spinning and then individually rose upward. When they reached the desired height, they reoriented themselves from pointing downwards to pointing at us. And with the flick of the woman's wrist, all of them dashed in our direction.
Uncle Avidius and I ran in opposite directions to divide the daggers into two groups. This would reduce the number each of us had to face. With Swift still in effect, I managed to dodge and deflect.
After some time, I noticed that the number of daggers on my side changed from six to three. Confused, I skillfully divided my attention between the daggers and Uncle Avidius.
And I was impressed by how he handled the attacks so easily. He waved and spun his spear—to his side, over him, even transferring it from one hand to the other—and with little footwork, he destroyed every dagger that came near him. This was why the woman had to shift half of the daggers from my side to his, hoping to overwhelm him.
But based on how things were looking, her sudden change of plan remained ineffective. This tipped off the balance of the woman's attention on my side.
With her focus fixed on Uncle Avidius, the moment I destroyed the daggers attacking me, I lunged at her. And just as expected from a Dark Orb Wielder, she managed to stop me halfway by sending three daggers again.
But I could see she was starting to have a hard time. She was now using both hands. Aside from that, her once confident and arrogant smile vanished, replaced by a wavering frown. Her converging brows also implied her growing annoyance.
The woman suddenly raised both of her hands into the air, retrieving all of her daggers. Uncle Avidius and I grabbed the opportunity and were about to launch at her when each of her daggers multiplied into smaller versions of the original.
When she dropped her hands and pointed at us, all the tiny daggers dashed like bullets.
I slammed my fist on the floor, protruding a large chunk of earth as cover, while Uncle Avidius spun his spear rapidly until it spun nonstop, positioning it in front of him where it levitated, blocking the attack.
The barrage of daggers persisted, and as time went by, my wall of earth began to crumble as it took the assault. Some of the daggers managed to graze the exposed parts of my body, sending sharp stings through my nerves.
"Let's see if you can still block this!" the woman screamed, and when I peered my head to look, two gigantic daggers were being prepared to be thrown at us.
As expected, the daggers flew right at us.
"Uncle!" I called, and thankfully, he understood. We converged at the center, and following that, the daggers shifted direction—this time, spinning like woodcutting saws. "Behind me!"
Uncle Avidius positioned himself behind me while I jabbed my sword into the floor, placing both hands on the hilt. I closed my eyes and began chanting:
"By the light that blocks the dark,
Justice descends, igniting the spark,
With righteous fury, let truth descend,
Enact your decree—Holy Judgement!"
Uttering the last word, I opened my eyes, and at that moment, a gigantic golden circle appeared beneath us. Following the symbol was the materialization of a humongous, see-through shield made of pure holy light.
Just in time, the two spinning daggers made contact—and in an instant, they shattered effortlessly.
The woman was bewildered by what had just happened, failing to notice Uncle Avidius preparing for an attack. The moment she realized it, Uncle Avidius jumped and threw his spear at her.
"ARGH!" the woman screamed as she pointed both hands at the incoming spear. An average-sized dagger intercepted Uncle Avidius's spear. The two blades clashed with such force that sparks flew. "What can a mere spear do against my dagger?" the woman asked.
Uncle Avidius spoke calmly, "Divert you."
That was when the woman realized I was no longer where I had been earlier. By the time she sensed my presence behind her, my blade was already an inch from her neck.
Swiftly, my sword cut through the flesh of her neck, disconnecting her head from the rest of her body. Because of this, her magic deactivated, clearing a path for Uncle Avidius's spear. Before I even knew it, the spear had already pierced through the woman's chest and into the wooden floor.
Blood dripped and trailed down the spear until it pooled beneath the woman's lifeless body. Her head was bathing in blood as well, with her eyes still gaping.
I wiped my sword clean of its bloody filth before sliding it back into its sheath. At the same time, Uncle Avidius reached my side.
"That was intense... and fun," Uncle commented.
"Now, can you tell me why you have a spear, and since when do you know how to fight?" I asked.
"Since I awakened, Kenshi," he answered.
My brows furrowed. "But I thought you never awakened?"
"A lie I told both you and your father," he confessed, wearing a smug look as if proud for keeping it a secret for so long. Sadly, Father wouldn't have the chance to learn about it. But I bet he was listening now—and quiet in shock.
"Captain!" a guard shouted, and when he saw me, he instantly covered his mouth as if he'd said something he shouldn't.
"Captain?" I asked, squinting my eyes at him.
Uncle Avidius beamed a bashful smile while scratching the back of his neck. "Hehe~ I am also the captain of the guards."
"Is there anything else you aren't telling me?"
"No. That would be all."
"Are you sure?"
"When did I ever lie, Kenshi?"
"Uhm... let me guess, after all this time, Uncle Avidius!"
"Hmph! It's not like I'm obliged to tell you everything about me!"
"Whatever... Captain."