Chapter 281: Merciless Repossession
While Burapha was fighting Lost Ghost, Sila laid down on the wall, watching the people who were running out of the guild through the front gate. After observing Burapha for a while, he became more confident that, at the very least, his friend wouldn"t be easily defeated.
Unfortunately for Lost Ghost, based on the Five Elements principle, his Psychic Earth Attrition was considered a power of the earth element while Burapha"s psychic power belonged to the wood element that was strengthened by water. Wood drains Earth, so Lost Ghost was at a disadvantage. More importantly, Burapha had already secretly sent his gentle power inside Lost Ghost"s body. These facts encouraged Sila to think that Burapha wouldn"t lose.
Even so, that wasn"t a real issue for Burapha. The real problem was that while he couldn"t lose, he also couldn"t win.
It was a given that he couldn"t lose. On the other hand, he mustn"t win too fast. If he did, the rest would gang up on him, blocking him from escaping. The worst part was that Burapha couldn"t make his intention of stalling for time become too obvious, as it would raise suspicions. The enemies would quit standing around doing nothing and charge at him.
Sila was still waiting, looking at the last batch of people running out of the guild. All of the people running seemed to belong to Lost Ghost"s faction. He didn"t see any subordinates of the other Warlords at all. It seemed Bluebird"s intel was spot on. Since many cities were unsealed at once, the Heavenly Dragon Guild had to divide their forces. Only Lost Ghost and Ginny remained in the headquarters. It was a golden opportunity for their raid.
Bluebird"s intel was actually reliable without missing anything important for once. It was quite an eye-opening experience for Sila.
Sila checked the time again. Yardpirun would come online in eight minutes. Should he stay around for a bit more to help Burapha in case an emergency situation arises or not?
Bluebird"s original rescue plan was to enter the room at the last minute, distracting Ginny and seizing the chance to quickly help Yardpirun escape.
Considering the next courses of action, Sila soon shook his head. Seeing Burapha"s expression br.i.m.m.i.n.g with confidence, he soared inside the headquarters and stuck to the ceiling. Given his ability, he didn"t have to rely on little tricks like Burapha. He could leap through the air using qinggong and stick to a wall or ceiling using pulling power. It was a difference in physical specs between qi and psychic types.
Qi type didn"t have to rely on active skills. Their physical body was naturally superior to psychic types.
Sila believed the time had come for him to place his full trust in Burapha. In fact, he had just thought of the negative result that might occur due to the switching of duties.
The person showing up was Burapha instead of him.
This seemingly insignificant change of plan could easily lead to grave consequences of the operation. If the person showing up was Sila, most Heavenly Dragon Guild members would come out, probably including even Montra. On the other hand, Burapha making an entrance posed a certain risk. Although Burapha hadn"t shown up together with Sila frequently, someone might be able to deduce the relationship between the two, leading them to think that Sila could be here. They might realize that the chaos in the city was a diversion to lure a tiger out of its den, while Burapha was yet another layer of the strategy, luring more tigers out of their inner area.
Once they had realized this possibility, they would change their countermeasures, leading to an error in Bluebird"s plan.
If he was Bluebird, Sila would enter the room at the last minute, make a commotion, and flee with Yardpirun. However, the plan had already changed. Since this duty ended up in his hands, Sila decided he would use his own approach.
The war was about to start, yet Sila had never gotten a chance to utilize the aspect of his Lordship that made him choose it. He had yet to kill anyone belonging to the Heavenly Dragon Guild. Reducing one more Warlord meant his side"s chances of victory in the war event would increase. His desire to kill intensified.
War is about cruelty, fighting for the sake of survival. Even though Sila had known her before, Ginny at this time was one of the Five Dragon Warlords. Taking pity on her would only lead to his downfall.
The Ice Flame Warlord was alone in the room. Her overall strength was also inferior to Sila"s. There would be no better chance to eliminate her.
Once he had finished checking the surroundings and ensuring that no one was nearby, Sila descended and stood in front of a certain door. Bluebird"s intel implied that Montra had placed some kind of spell to limit the use of transporting items within the room. He had to bring Yardpirun outside in order to let her use a Crystal of Connecting.
Sila took a deep breath, circulating qi internally. He hid his hesitation under the powerful qi reinforcing his body. His two hands pushed the heavy door forward. The first sensation he felt behind the door was intense heat as if he was within Solaria"s Dragon Domain.
"Ginny."
The inside of the room was bright due to magical lanterns floating throughout. However, the source of this abnormal heat came from a cl.u.s.ter of flames next to the Ice Flame Warlord, twenty meters away from the door. Sila speculated that the spot where the flame was burning must be Yardpirun"s revival spot. It was his duty to make Ginny step out of that area.
Sila silently closed the door behind him while applying his qi to prevent sound from leaking out. As long as the level of battle in the room wasn"t too intense, he was certain that no one would be able to sense that a fight was happening inside.
"Sila."
Ginny furrowed her tiny brows. She opened her system window, trying to contact others. Immediately Sila flicked his wrist, and a lightning-cladded suntetsu flew abruptly and powerfully. Ginny sensed it coming and dodged it in time. The suntetsu struck the wall behind her and dug deep into it.
Ginny frowned as she showed a stern expression. She had only removed her gaze from Sila for an instant, but the distance between them had been shortened by Sila"s Twelve Celestial-Traveling-Steps.
With no change in his expression, Sila declared, "Prepare yourself, Ice Flame Warlord."
Ginny summoned both of her signature swords. She quit trying to contact outside as she fully realized that there was simply no way for her to achieve that when Sila was this close to her. The moment her concentration was split or moved, Sila"s hidden weapon would mercilessly put a stop to her movements instantly. She had to be extremely wary of Sila"s hands.
Similarly, Sila was wary of Ginny"s dual swords. The two swords were as mesmerizing as before. No, in fact, with the two of them being together, they both eluded magical charm, elevating their beauty to yet another degree.
Recently he had been having a headache about where to find proper swords. It was fortunate that he met Ginny here today.
"If you give me the two swords and swear to separate from the Heavenly Dragon Guild permanently, you can leave. I won"t follow you," Sila offered.
"What did you just say?"
"You heard me. There"s no reason for me to repeat myself."
Ginny tightened her grip. "You"re exactly like how Revin described you. You pretend to be a good man, yet underneath that mask is a vile person. You"re no better than a bandit."
Upon listening to the insult, Sila didn"t feel angry at all. His psychic power was difficult to control when he was enraged, so his mental fort.i.tude had grown stronger as he practiced controlling the ability. Sila at this moment was extremely cool-headed compared to his past self. From an outsider"s point of view, it wouldn"t be strange if they thought Sila had become a totally different person.
"I don"t know what Revin told you, and I don"t care either. But if we"re going to point out bandits, let"s start with you. I won those swords fair and square from a bet—a bet that you came up with yourself. Burapha set their price at two million gold, right? Until today I still haven"t gotten even a silver coin. So, which one of us actually the bandit here?"
Ginny gritted her teeth. "Burapha traded these swords for the Dragon Killer Sword. The two of them now belong to me, legitimately."
"Legitimately?" Sila scoffed. "Those swords, I merely left them in Burapha"s care. That didn"t mean they belonged to him. In any case, the word "trade" is a stretch. Everyone knew that Revin intended to kill Burapha and s.n.a.t.c.h his sword back. Burapha was just fortunate enough to live through the situation. I would say Burapha got his hands on the Dragon Killer Sword with his own ability, not through trading!!"
Sila"s voice became louder with each word. He wasn"t there when his friend was bullied and nearly died. His mental oppression intimidated Ginny, causing her to reinforce her body with magic power.
"...You said you didn"t want them. You even said you wanted to give them to me for free," Ginny shouted back, "You have changed, Sila!"
"You too have changed. Ginny in Colossia City was a proud woman. At the very least, she wouldn"t accept items that didn"t belong to her."
Ginny"s eyes trembled for a brief moment. Sila took the chance to move his feet.
Noticing that her opponent had vanished without a trace, Ginny immediately activated her ultimate skill, afraid that it would be too late if she didn"t use it now.
"Ice Flame Dual Slashes!!"
Since she couldn"t tell Sila"s position, she summoned flames to engulf the entire room while the sharp materialized ice shards flew all over the place. Sila was a scary opponent. She had to exert the full extent of her ability to cause damage to the room, notifying her guildmates to help her.
Ginny ducked down, rotated her body, and swung both swords toward her blind spot. Revin once gave her pieces of advice that when an enemy disappeared, she would usually find them in her blind spot and that she should pour her attacks toward the spot with no hesitation.
This would work against ordinary players. However, her opponent this time was Sila, a martial artist who excelled in melee combat. There was no way some general advice she heard in pa.s.sing would work on him.
Dual Overwhelming Attributes — Water extinguishes Fire, Flame-Ice Dual Strike.
A flame made of qi spiraled around Sila"s right wrist while psychic power that was as cold as dry ice coiled around his left. Both powers supplemented and overpowered each other, generating hot vapor and distorting the s.p.a.ce. The magical flame from Borderless Sea of Flame was extinguished by the chilling frost while the ice shards from Seismic Avalanche were melted by the scorching flames. Sila"s face that Ginny saw through vapor was no different than an evil spirit ripping the s.p.a.ce apart with his two claws.
Sila"s right fist wildly struck the Dorolia Sword as he materialized a chain to wrap around it, along with Ginny"s hand. At the same time, his left hand, clad with ice power, slashed at her other wrist with no mercy.
Showing mercy to your opponent is equivalent to endangering yourself. A fight would only result in a winner and a loser. Be it religion, nationality, age, or gender, none of it mattered. It was a genuinely fair world, a contest between what someone could do and what their enemy could do.
The materialized sword that was used through Flame-Ice Dual Strike was sharp and heavy. It severed Ginny"s wrist with absolute precision. The cut was neat with no spilled blood and was beautifully frozen as if it was a masterpiece created by a first-rate artisan. Nevertheless, it was a cruel work of art. The iciness of the frostbite digging her flesh was so strong that Ginny shed tears. She gnashed her teeth, refusing to express her weak side.
Sila squeezed her hand holding the Dorolia Sword, crushing her bones in the process. He knocked the falling sword in mid-air then held onto it himself.
Unexpectedly, the sword"s natural coldness was immensely powerful, running through Sila"s veins. His arm was frozen first before the rest of his body, freezing him alive in a single breath.
"The First Summer."
Ginny cast one of the spells belonging to Season Magic. A warm sensation enveloped her body and alleviated her pain. However, that was it"s limit. It couldn"t regenerate her severed hand. To regrow a missing organ, a special kind of magic or qi with healing properties was required.
Ginny took a glance at the ice block with Sila inside. It seemed she had gained victory this time due to luck. Still, being lucky was also a skill.
"Just wielding it doesn"t mean it"s yours, Sila. It"s still registered in my weapon slot. The sword doesn"t acknowledge you as its rightful owner. You"re not worthy of it," Ginny said to no one but herself. She just wanted Sila to know the reason behind his loss.
She sighed. The system had yet to inform her about Sila"s death. That meant he still had a chance of survival. Sila was too dangerous. Leaving him alone might cause a problem, so she decided to land a killing blow to him before it became too late. She acc.u.mulated magic power into the Solaria Sword, preparing to strike at the defenseless Sila.
"Summer Flash."
Flames burst out from the Solaria Sword, shaking. They flared up and danced upon Ginny"s hand as if she were holding a giant sword made of flames.
Suddenly, Sila"s voice, which was soft yet clear, entered her ears. It was like a grim reaper was whispering words next to her.
"It"s actually you who is not worthy. You haven"t slain even one dragon. You don"t deserve to be the swords" owner. Their value is wasted in your hands."
Listening to the words, Ginny became frantic. She hurriedly swung her sword at Sila. Despite her speed, the ice was broken before she hit it, showing Sila holding the Dorolia Sword covered in black flames. He had unleashed Flaming Cloud Qi to suppress its freezing power just in time.
Heaven"s Dismissal — Sixth Sword Style, Surging Flame.
The Dorolia Sword let out a dreadful sound, as if it was being tortured, burned by black flames. The black flames on the sword absorbed the power of nature around them to strengthen themselves. At that instant, Ginny felt thirsty, her body became weak and her skin became dry as if she had been lost in a desert for a long time. Even the flames on the Solaria Sword were incinerated.
The exchange of swords lasted only an instant. The clash between the two swords radiated intense heat, immediately burning Ginny to death with no time to scream.
The symbol of Sila"s Lordship was shown under his feet. Sila traded half the experience points he was supposed to get to extend Ginny"s resp.a.w.n time. With this action, Player Ginny wouldn"t be able to partic.i.p.ate in the upcoming war event. He had successfully crippled the Heavenly Dragon Guild"s power to some degree.
The Solaria Sword without an owner dropped to the ground and entered Sila"s system window, along with the Dorolia Sword, due to King"s Treasury. The system notified him about Ginny"s death and what he had obtained. For the record, the experience points he acquired from defeating her were nowhere near enough for his experience bar to budge. Thinking that he would need to defeat monsters of players of a similar or higher rank in order to level up, Sila shrugged.
Reminded of the words that the Slime King had left him before he departed, Sila opened his system window and looked at the four swords in his possession. He muttered to himself, "I was worried it would be difficult to get my hands on high-grade swords with the war event"s beginning so close. Luckily, I obtained two swords sooner than I thought. This many should be enough, I guess."
Personally, he didn"t want to reclaim the items he had given to others. However, these swords were related to the reward he was supposed to acquire from accomplishing the racial quest, Decolonize the Slime Kingdom. There was a reason why he needed numerous weapons that could resist Montra"s powerful spear.
A white light soon emerged next to him, revealing Yardpirun. She tilted her head, wondering why Sila was here instead of Bluebird. Still, she knew that the situation was risky, so she didn"t ask anything to waste time.
Sila brought her out of the room and handed her a certain Crystal of Connecting. He then contacted Bluebird, informing him of his success, but chose not to contact Burapha, as he didn"t want to interfere with his concentration. Regardless, he still told Bluebird to a.s.sist Burapha on the way back. He suggested the two make an escape without waiting for him. He was confident in his mobility. If it was just escaping, he was positive that he could make it out this place alive.
"Sila, aren"t you coming with me?" Yardpirun asked.
"I still have unfinished business here. You can go first, Yardpirun. Bluebird will follow you soon."
She then disappeared with another flash of light. Bluebird soon sent Sila the map leading to Montra"s room. The previous black zone on the map was finally visible, and the middle of it was marked with a red cross. The map came with a message from Bluebird, telling Sila to be careful.
Ginny was one of the Dragon Warlords. It was highly likely that her death would have already appeared on the guild"s activity log. If Sila wasn"t hurry, things might become more hectic. Thus, he forwent concealment and poured everything into speed, rushing to Montra"s room.
Since he had already entered the dragon"s nest, he should grab as much as he could. He had to meet Joshua today, as there wouldn"t be another chance.