บท 68: 66th Adversary: Flameheart Resentment
(It's been nearly two months since that devastating battle that destroyed a section of the capital, yet we still feel the aftereffects.)
At Miko's home, Sora and Hina were sitting in front of a television watching a news program.
(With the death of Nebulous, criminals who were previously being held back are now running amok. Not only that, there are countless of those who are trying to get a piece of his criminal empire, which led to countless acts of violence across the empire.)
"Looks like Nebulous was more important than we thought."
Sora mumbled.
"Crime has skyrocketed, which isn't good because there's already tension between the Dragna and Flamehearts, so they might be slow to handle this flare-up of crime."
"It's gotten really bad though. Especially in Gael, I heard that it's become commonplace for someone to be killed in the middle of the streets. It's far worse than it was before."
Hina was also concerned.
"When it's like this, it's becoming like Gangster's Paradise."
She suddenly looked like she said something that she shouldn't. She looked beside her and saw Ace in a corner holding his knees while shaking.
"Game, game, I need to play a game, game!"
He mumbled to himself over and over again like he was in a trance. Hina sighed in relief.
"The last time I mentioned a game he went into a frenzy."
"That just means his withdrawals are getting worse."
Sora said.
"But seriously though, I didn't know someone could get like this from not playing games for a while. He looks like a drug addict."
"Momo said it might have to do with his Boost Player. Because his brain was reworked for him to see everything like a game, he probably needs to play them often to maintain his mental health; that way he won't mix up reality with the game world. In simpler terms, he's a super game addict that needs his daily dose."
"It's a pain in the ass, to be honest. Especially since he left all his hi-tech games at the apartment Miko gave us."
Sora stood up and walked towards him.
"Why don't you let go of your pride and play normal board games or something?"
"Never! You call those games?! Do you have no shame?!"
Ace stood and shouted which annoyed Sora.
"I want something more exciting! Like shooting, bombing houses, sword fighting and…."
Ace looked over at the tv and saw footage of the violent acts going on in the country.
"Shooting…."
He saw a shootout between rival gangs.
"Bombings…"
He saw buildings being destroyed by bombings.
"Swordfights….."
He saw people clashing with swords in the public.
"Oh no."
Hina was the first to realize what was going through his mind.
"I'm going to Gael!"
"Stop!"
Sora and Hina held onto him with all of their strength.
"Let me go! There's a real-life gangster's paradise out there waiting for me!"
"Idiot! If we go outside, there's a chance Krow will get to us!"
"Krow? Who the hell is that? Screw him!"
"It's no use. He's not thinking straight."
Hina said.
"What's wrong?"
Someone asked.
"We're trying to stop this idiot from going outside; isn't that obvious?!"
Hina answered.
"Oh? Want help?"
The person asked.
"What do you think?!...."
Hina and the boys paused and thought the same thing.
"Whose voice is that?"
They all turned around and saw a man dressed in a grey shirt, dark jeans with a chain around the right pocket, and a pair of dark boots. He had a good-looking face, curly brown hair which covered his forehead, and silver eyes.
"Who the hell are you?"
They instantly switched to serious mood. The man didn't seem to care and only stood there eating some potato chips and looking around.
"Oh? So this is where Miko lives? Not bad, it seems cozy."
Hina manifested a gun from a picture and pointed it at him.
"Last chance. Who the hell are you?"
"Hm? Did you forget me already? And we only fought less than two months ago."
He took out a familiar black and red mask.
"NoFace?!"
"Well, it's actually Jason, but whatever you're comfortable with."
After seeing that it was a former enemy of theirs, the three looked like they wanted to attack.
"Do you guys really want to fight here and destroy this place?"
Someone stepped out from the next room and stood next to Jason.
"Miko would be upset if you destroyed his house, you know?"
"Layla Song?!"
"Hi~. Have you been well?"
Layla spoke with a playful tone.
"You, how did you get in here?"
Sora asked. He didn't hear them come in, despite his superhuman hearing.
"Like everyone else."
She showed them a key.
"Through the door."
She showed a lovely smile.
"Let's forget all that. I'm here carrying out orders from my boss."
"Boss? Do you mean Krow?!"
"Goodness, no. I would rather die than work for him again."
She took out a card that had the insignia of a dragon entangling with a crow.
"My boss and your boss are the same person and I came to deliver his orders."
"?!"
Miko's face immediately popped up in the trio's head when they saw the insignia. Layla smirked when she saw their expressions.
"It's time to go on the counterattack."
Lushun, the Flameheart Palace.
*Bam!*
In the royal yard, an explosive sound rang out as two weapons clashed. One was a white saber that had a flawless design, the other was a dagger that had an emerald handle and a black blade, which had some flowers engraved on it. The owners of these weapons were Jeffrey and Luka Flameheart respectively.
"Not bad, Young Miss. Your physical strength has increased again."
Jeffery's saber was locked together with Luka's dagger.
"However, you still have a long way to go."
He stepped forward and his saber faded away. Luka, who put her entire body weight behind her previous attack, lost her balance and fell towards him.
*Swoosh!*
Luka narrowly avoided his blade, which came from her left, by leaping back. When her feet touch the ground, a cut appeared on her clothes.
"Marvelous. Your quick reaction was praiseworthy."
"I never thought I would one day be able to avoid your vanishing sword, Jeffery. Normally I would've been sent flying after failing to react."
Jeffery nodded.
"I guess I should step it up a little?"
"Eh?"
Jeffery faded away like mist.
"Wait!"
*Bam!*
She was hit in her midsection, back, and arms all at once. She dropped her dagger and fell to her knees.
"This is the new level I'll be sparing with you at. Get used to it if you don't want to feel true pain."
Jeffery sheathed his saber.
"As strict as always."
Luka complained under her breath. She put away her dagger and stood up.
"Hm?"
She looked around and caught a glimpse of some servants carrying crates into the palace. These crates had a symbol of a burning hammer on them.
"Vulcan….Those are anti-magic weapons."
"Oh. Looks like they've arrived."
Jeffery said after seeing what she was looking at.
"Jeffery, it seems like everyone is eager to go to war."
"It's natural. Our heir and family were killed after all."
"Did you love my uncle?"
"Well, Darius was a brat. I mean a really cheeky, stupid brat. But…."
The corners of Jeffery's mouth rose, and he showed a rare smile.
"I loved him like my own grandson."
"I see. I didn't know him, so I don't share the same feelings. However, I think I understand everyone's resentment. But…war isn't pretty. There's no true winners, just those who suffered the least."
Jeffery noticed that she was looking towards a window that faced the yard. This was Luka's mother's room.
"Do you still want to become the heir?"
She nodded.
"And if you do, will you seek revenge?"
"…..I don't know. The enemy is too strong, but they're the enemy of my parents; so they're my enemies too."
"Young Miss."
Jeffery placed his hand on his sword.
"When you're ready just say the word, and I promise you that I'll fight to the death with you. We all will. You're the future of our clan, so your worries are our worries. Your enemies are our enemies. And we Flamehearts refuse to live under the same sky as our enemies."
Luka looked at Jeffery's serious expression and nodded.
"But that's something in the future. For now, we must focus on the Dragna clan. Have the elders come to a decision?"
Jeffery nodded.
"We want Miko's death. Anything less and it's war."
"An eye for an eye, huh?"
Luka had a complicated expression.
"Young Miss, if a war was to break out you must do your best to survive, even if it means fleeing with your mother."
Luka was surprised to hear that.
"What are you saying, Jeffery?"
"Young Miss, I've known the Dragna clan since its creation; which means I'm fully aware of what they are capable of. If we fight seriously, it will be mutual destruction."
Jeffery looked around at everyone who was working in the palace. They all had determined expressions as they all looked like they were preparing for something.
"Yet, none of us mind dragging them to hell with us."
"All because of my uncle."
Jeffery shook his head.
"This has to do with your mother as well."
He gripped his sword again and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.
"Back then, it was the Dragna clan who stood in the way of our vengeance. They said that it wasn't worth it. Because of that, we lost Lady Lisa…and they took away Darius as well. That's unforgivable. They took away our prince and our princess, so it's fair we take away their everything."
"When you're talking about Uncle Darius's death, you're not talking about Miko are you?"
Jeffery showed a slight smile.
"As expected of you, Young Miss. The one I'm talking about isn't just Miko. It's that brat who thinks the world is his."
Jeffery's body was trembling with anger.
"He thinks that we don't know…..No, he knows that we know, he just doesn't care. But I swear on the goddess Aphrodite, I will cut him to pieces before I die."
Hatred filled his eyes as he spoke the name.
"That bastard, Krow!"
Somewhere in the Dragna Empire. Krow was relaxing inside a room by himself. In front of him was a huge monitor. He only glanced at the monitor as he admired a sword that was sheathed in his lap. The sword's sheath was black with golden dragons on it. The sword hilt had a Phoenix design and was made out of gold and had purple gems embedded in it.
(Still playing with that sword I see.)
The monitor in front of him turned on, but only the letter R could be seen on it. It was a voice call.
"You can't even see me. How did you know that I had it?"
Krow seemed amused.
(Because you're always playing with it whenever you come to this room.)
The person replied.
"Is that so? I've never really thought about it."
(Well, I understand why you're so attached to it. It's the legendary sword that your father used back during the war. You don't know how many higher beings searched high and low for that thing. Having tasted so much divine blood, it's a priceless war trophy to have. I'm honestly interested in it myself.)
"No one's going to get it. This sword belongs to me."
(You don't even use it in battle, but whatever.)
The person seemingly gave up because he knew that sword was Krow's greatest treasure.
(Anyway, you seem to be in a good mood. Are things going as planned on your end?)
"There were some unexpected events, but it's nothing major. I'll definitely win in the end."
(I see. I'm glad to hear that. I guess you will be bored for a while until everything's ready.)
"Not necessarily. There's someone I'm starting to develop an interest in. There's a chance that they will be one of those players in this grand game you're always talking about."
(Oh, I know who you're talking about. It's Miko, right?)
"So you guys are already keeping an eye on him?"
(Of course. An Irregular like him would be more than welcome in the New Era.)
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