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Chapter Start:
Five minutes later, with all the easily reachable weapons packed up, Alex wonders how he should best resolve the situation.
Soulmate should burn the place down!
"Good idea... wait, why?" Alex wonders. "Doesn't he want us to lay low? I am not sure this is a smart idea."
Doesn't leave behind traces, and it sends a message!
"What message?" Alex asks. "Baroque Works is a secret organisation, I don't think they want to send messages in the first place."
Soulmate should just do it! No corpses to analyze, and it hides the fact that Soulmate and Princess Jewel have taken the weapons, money, and gems.
"Sometimes I think you just want to see the world burn..." Alex mutters before shrugging his shoulders.
"Fine," he says. "Why not?! Not like I actually care, and I want to leave already."
❤️
Alex begins casting multiple Fire spells, setting shelves, wooden beams, crates, and stacked boxes ablaze in a blue sea of flames. He continues to cast more spells as the flames grow, licking at the walls and ceiling.
Thanks to the dry desert climate and low moisture, the fire spreads quickly, returning to its natural red color and producing a lot of smoke, which quickly begins to fill the building.
He and Jewel rush toward the store's upper floors, setting more fires from time to time until they finally reach the rooftop.
"Well, that was easier than I expected," Alex says. "Let's just jump down and return to that shitty base."
Princess Jewel loves working with Soulmate! Despite Soulmate's apparent disinclination for Benezia's methods, in the end, everyone ended up dead, and the building is burning brightly.
Alex rubs his forehead, briefly going through the events again.
Maybe I could've handled things better... What was I even thinking? Was I thinking? It's so tiresome to take care of Mustrano and Jewel. Well, what's done is done. Let's leave before we get caught—this fire's visible from a mile away, and the smoke's already pouring out.
He walks to the roof's edge, Jewel nestled on his head. He slightly bends his knees, ready to leap down, when he suddenly feels his senses tingling all over. Warning him.
Soulmate! To the side!
Reacting instantly, Alex dives to his left, just as a massive object whooshes past him, narrowly missing his head.
You have received 7 damage
Rolling to his feet, he snaps his gaze upward—just in time to see a massive, human-sized Hybrid Falcon, circling in the air above, an exotic-looking blade clutched tightly in his talon-hands. He stops midair, turning to dive at him again.
Motherfucker... That could've sliced my neck clean off.
"Heh... you think you can stop me?" Alex growls, rubbing his cheek, as a small amount of blood drops onto the building from a fresh cut on his cheek.
Despite the cut, Alex already feels his high STA and [Drakul's Vitality R2] beginning to heal the wound, which won't even take a minute.
As the words leave his mouth, he senses another source of movement behind him.
Spinning around, he raises his [Executioner's Blade R2] just in time to block a brutal strike, thanks to his Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship, which also increases his defense with Swords and shields.
Skillfully blocking the strike, a giant figure looms before him—a towering hybrid of man and jackal, wielding a blade even larger than the falcon's, though not nearly comparable to his own.
"Yes," the jackal growls, voice deep and forceful. "I do. We were suspecting this corrupt merchant of acting against the Kingdom, which is why we observed him. I didn't expect a wanted criminal to show up! You'll regret targeting Alabasta, Butcher!"
He sprints forward with unnatural speed, using his strengthened legs to push forward, and slashes again, forcing Alex to block again. The sheer force of the blow sends him sliding backward across the rooftop.
You have received 2 damage
Okay... you've done it now fucker!
"Butcher, huh? That's not a nice name to say to someone you just met. However, I know you two as well—Chaka the filthy mutt and Pell the shitty bird," Alex says in a mocking tone. "It's time to change my method of killing. How about I roast you alive? This is your last chance... flee now, or pay the price! I'm giving you an out!"
"You'll be paying a price you can only afford to pay once in your life, butcher!" Chaka growls, eyes burning with fury.
Should I flee? No... the damn falcon can chase me anywhere—he's got good eyesight, so even with Zetsu, I might not be able to escape. Let me check my status...
Alex Kerber: Lvl 7
HP: 418/424, MP: 245/414 AURA: 219/304, BP: 123/123
I'm a bit low on Mana... I overdid it with the fire spells. Still, this seems manageable. How about I use these two as new test subjects? They seem worthy enough. Jewel, you can stay hidden. If there are more enemies, or if I'm in trouble, you can intervene. I want to try a few new combinations.
Understood, Soulmate! Princess Jewel will aid Soulmate with her genius commands.
Seeing Pell approach, Alex yells, "Fire!"—but smirks. Instead of releasing a fire spell, red magical lines appear in a small dome, weaving a complicated pattern around him. Exactly four seconds later, with Chaka and Pell both lined up perfectly and lunging in for the kill, Alex grins in anticipation.
Alex unleashes the Art Hydro Cannon, sending a roaring blast of pressured water at them. Chaka, with his sharp instincts and reflexes, manages to use his blade and leap to the side, evading most of the blast. Pell, however, flying straight at Alex, is hit head-on and crashes into the roof.
You have dealt 89 damage to Chaka
You have dealt 185 damage to Pell
You have stunned Pell
Powerful... too bad it has a base cost of 160 MP.
"Pell!" Chaka shouts in a deep voice, eyes wide with panic, continuing to rush toward Alex.
Alex reacts fast, using a Throw—a blue orb of biotic energy launching toward the jackal-man, slamming into him and nearly tossing him off the roof.
You have dealt 4 damage to Chaka
With Chaka momentarily forced back to the edge of the roof, Alex looks at Pell, who's struggling on the floor, soaked and dazed, unable to fly.
Soulmate, use Thunderbolt!
"Shut the fuck up!" Alex growls back, casting Thundara. A surge of crackling lightning crashes down on the drenched falcon. The impact is terrifying—an unexpected, thunderous boom echoes across the rooftop as electricity surges through Pell with devastating force, the impact far stronger than usual.
You have dealt 112 x 6 = 672 damage to Pell
You have killed Pell
It's very effective! ❤️
Shut up, Jewel! Enough with the shitty references, this is serious.
A double critical hit—probably because of his natural weakness and the water. I almost feel sorry for him, he's helpless against Thunder magic.
"PELL!" Chaka roars, charging toward Alex in blind rage.
Without hesitation, Alex activates Barrier, forming a shimmering biotic field around himself, then follows up with another biotic attack—Warp this time.
Chaka charges straight in, expecting the same forceful push from before. In desperation, he stabs his sword into the burning roof to anchor himself—ready to withstand the biotic impact.
Instead, a crackling mass of unstable biotic energy explodes against him, bypassing his guard and causing him to scream in agony.
You have dealt 92 damage to Chaka
Flames continue to climb up the walls. The roof rumbles, as the building collapses, and the ground shifts beneath Alex's feet. The magical fire he'd set on multiple parts of the building is spreading rapidly—far faster than any normal blaze. The whole place is minutes away from collapse.
I need to finish this quickly.
Deciding to bolster his defense, to focus his attention solely on the offense, Alex activates Sealion's Icewing Embrace, a thick frost armor forming around his body, merging with his biotic barrier and making him look almost untouchable.
Chaka, despite the pain and fury twisting his features, rushes forward with no regard for Alex's defenses.
No need for additional defenses or blocking... I'll end this now.
Alex drops his guard entirely and activates Ko, his Aura focusing solely on his sword. He charges forward, choosing to meet the jackal head-on.
Chaka's instincts and speed let him strike first—his blade flashing twice across Alex's body before jumping back, narrowly avoiding a counter from Alex, who only hits air.
You have received 0 damage (blocked by barrier)
Icewing Embrace durability -2
You have received 0 damage (blocked by barrier)
Icewing Embrace durability -2
He's fast. I need to use something else... He knows Throw and Warp... but what about Pull?
As Chaka charges in again, Alex unleashes another orb of biotic energy—Pull. The ability hits dead on, yanking Chaka forward faster than intended, causing him to fly at him with tremendous speed.
Grinning, Alex prepares his sword.
"DIE!" Chaka roars, stabilizing himself midair and thrusting his blade forward.
The two clash mid-charge—Alex's blade cutting deep into Chaka's torso, while the jackal's sword scrapes past Alex's armor and pierces him.
With both attacks hitting each other, Chaka's body finally crashes into Alex with brutal force.
You have dealt 170 damage to Chaka
You have caused bleeding (chest)
You have received 61 damage (partially blocked by barrier)
Icewing Embrace durability -6
Thrown back by the impact, Alex rolls to the side and slowly gets up, wincing, but smiling as he examines the shallow wound on his side. The sword had barely pierced his flesh. Chaka, meanwhile, is bleeding heavily from his chest, which now has a grievous wound.
Low on both MP and BP, but not hesitating, Alex channels a Flying Sword Slash with his blade, sending a wave of slashing energy straight at his wounded enemy.
Chaka, too slow to react, takes the hit full on.
You have dealt 95 damage to Chaka
"The legendary... flying... sword..." Chaka murmurs, staggering—then collapses.
Before Alex can catch his breath, a flurry of arrows fires from a nearby rooftop, raining down on him.
Soulmate!
Jewel reacts instantly, spitting out a wide spray of sticky webbing into the air. The threads tangle the arrows mid-flight, forcing most of them off-course.
"Save our head guard!"
"Take him down! Kill the evil Butcher!"
"I'll get his head!"
"The bounty is mine!"
Alex stares at the crowd, not only seeing Alabastian soldiers, but also mercenaries and all sorts of people.
This might be cruel... but we just fought to the death. I need to escape, and I can't afford to spare you.
Alex sprints toward Chaka, who suddenly howls and rushes at him once more, fueled by desperation.
But his speed is gone, and Alex easily sees through his attack.
Alex ducks under the wild swings, spins on his heel, and unleashes a clean spinning slash—his sword slicing through Chaka's neck.
You have dealt 113 x 3 = 339 damage to Chaka
You have killed Chaka
Let's leave, Soulmate! There are hundreds of soldiers coming! Princess Jewel has also spotted a few strange Peasants! She suspects players could be involved!
I'm low on resources... I don't want to keep fighting. Time to get the fuck out of here.
With arrows still flying, Alex quickly checks the area around Chaka's and Pell's corpses and spots two glowing Blue Chests.
He grabs them both without hesitation, then bolts for the far end of the rooftop. Without slowing, he leaps off—his icy wings from Sealion's Icewing Embrace still intact, letting him glide down through the smoke, vanishing into the city below.
As he lands in an alleyway a few hundred meters after the building and immediately deactivates the icy armor and uses Zetsu, vanishing from detection as he slips into the shadows. The guards stationed below the now-burning weapon shop yell and scatter—but none can catch up with him as he slowly disappears into the now dark city.
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