บท 21: Joining Hands
2/2
~~~~
"Almighty god, please forgive my sins upon this world…"
One slash to decapitate the head. Another in the name of god.
'Heretics… so many heretics in god's perfect world…'
He wished he could cleanse the world of these germs but alas, these germs multiply like insects and outpaced him.
He was from the church's Inquisition.
'These damn insects… they plague this earth with their sins.'
After cleaning up he walked before making his way into a normal office building.
"Welcome! How may I help you?"
"I'm here to see the King of Britain, sinner."
The receptionist acted confused.
"Excuse me? If you are looking for the royal family I would recommend going to Buckingham Palace."
The Inquisitor looked annoyed before pulling out a badge.
"Does this serve as enough proof for you, sinner?"
Her eyes sharpened before replying "...Through the stairwell."
The office building served as one of the entrances to the HQ of the Round Table.
'So many sinners… Almighty god, you test us with challenges to overcome… I shall overcome these challenges in your name…'
Everyone shifted away from the Inquisitor until he was in front of Arthur's office.
-Knock, Knock.
"...Come in."
"Oh? May I ask what business the church has with me?"
Arthur looked up from the paper he was working on.
The Inquisitor took out a document.
"We do not condone with this war you're putting on, sinner."
Arthur read the document.
"...You have no right to say what I can or can not do."
"Behind me is the British government and if anything Inquisitor, those cult bastards are more sinners than I am."
Arthur put the paper into the shredder disregarding the words of the Inquisitor.
"Are you defying the church's word?"
Arthur smirked.
"We both know that the church's power is starting to wane. Even in history your 'crusades' were nothing but a farce and now, in the present, the only truly powerful people number in the single digits."
The Inquisitor's face flushed with anger.
"So let me ask you, Inquisitor, are you challenging the Round Table?"
'These people have such black and white views on life. They may hold political power but that means nothing.'
"...This won't be the end, sinner."
The Inquisitor scowled and left with a huff.
Arthur smiled at the man's anger before returning back to his paperwork.
*
*
*
Once, twice, thrice.
I never stopped practicing.
It was like drifting in a haze, it felt like eternity but also an instant.
This was the true [Flow] and not the artificial one I made every time I used it in battle.
Time seemed to stretch and contract, space was infinite yet finite.
My eyes and mind were in perfect sync.
There was nothing constringing me.
Concepts like 'stamina' or 'energy' didn't exist in this mental realm of mine. Only improvement existed.
So I improved.
And improved.
…
[95%…]
[99%...]
[100%...]
Upon being alerted about my recovery I stopped my plan, forgetting my training and exited my inner world.
Light entered my eyes and I closed them before opening them again.
"How long has it been?"
My voice came out raspy, like I hadn't drank anything.
In my field of view, my hair had now noticeably grayed in color.
This was another reason why I didn't use this until it was my last option. Cutting off different parts of my body had drastic effects on it.
But I was fine with it. I had no reason to live a long life, so I wouldn't.
Getting up, I noticed just how sticky and gross I smelled and felt.
"My entire uniform is ruined…"
I mumbled, complaining about the countless cuts and dried blood staining it.
"...This is why I don't like eating that…"
The black ball I ate was a ball of highly concentrated carbs, fiber and minerals that tasted horrible and I made it for this specific Backup plan.
Using the rooftops as a means of travel, I went into my room through my window and quickly took a shower.
-Pssshhhh!
The sound of running water comforted me as I washed off all the blood sticking on me and let my uniform drown in it.
I was slightly saddened by my hard work going down the drain but my old uniform was better, this was only a temporary solution.
I rubbed my wet dark grayish hair before taking out one of the syringes containing the healing formula I relied on so heavily.
My wounds may have closed but not all the damage was gone just yet, my internal wounds were still present.
Stabbing my arm with a syringe, I felt the cooling feeling of my wounds healing.
I plopped down onto the hotel bed.
"Hah…"
"...Looks like I'll cash in the favor now…"
I left many anonymous tips about bases of the Cult into the governmental database of Britain as a way to contact the Round Table.
They were hard to find and this was one of the ways I thought of.
I rubbed a scar on my stomach, almost unable to distinguish it from the rest.
'That man is dangerous…'
I kept wondering how I was so injured.
'How?'
I didn't even notice it…
Even if I was in my [Flow] state, something should have sent triggers that told me that I was hurt.
Is it poison?
Hallucinogenic gas like a modified 'Fog of Disguise'? A/N: For the non-manga readers, the 'Fog of Disguise' is a poison that makes people unaware of the other peoples faces around them making them unidentifiable. Momo Yozakura used this to hide both Makoto and his face in order to stay hidden on a train.
What was it?
I tried wrapping my brain on how I never noticed but I came to no concrete conclusions.
Suspects were the highest rank in the Cult…
Did I get too cocky from thinking I was Gold Rank? I don't even compare to them… so do I even qualify myself to be on par with them? The answer is no.
A/N: In a rank where highly specialized individuals dominate it, someone who's a Jack of all Trades doesn't fit in the norm. He is a Gold Rank in overall ability but just not a Gold Rank in terms of Speciality which puts him at a disadvantage.
When I fought him, it was like my fight with Tora and Ryu all over again.
But even back then I wasn't that injured.
…
I have a long way to go.
Getting up, I opened my laptop and started sending the usual crypted message but this time instead of a location, I gave them an address along with a date and time.
I set the date for two days from now.
That should be enough time for me to fully heal and prepare.
Now then… What do I do with this?
I held up my now wet and cut uniform unsure what to do with it.
I could sew it back together, but the electrical components that were cut now had no function…
In the end, I decided to sew it back together. Some protection is better than none after all.
Letting the uniform air dry on the wall, I started making other chemicals and poisons that could help me in my upcoming fights.
Underestimating any more of the Suspects or the Cult itself would be a dumb endeavor since I was so thoroughly beaten from a Suspect and almost died.
My pride and arrogance almost cost me my life, something I need in order to fulfill my revenge.
I'll never let this happen again…
*
*
*
Kosim barged into Willaim's office.
"I would have liked it if I didn't see your ugly mug today, Kosim." Willaim said, stirring the tea in his cup with a small spoon.
"...I need some information."
Kosim asked in an annoyed tone.
"You of all people need information? Color me surprised! I never thought that the fighting meathead would ever need information from poor me."
Kosim's leg went straight up into the air before heading back down, crushing Willaim's cup and wooden desk.
"...I'm not in the mood to deal with your antics today, Ostrog."
William's face turned somber like Kosim's before replying, "I could say the same for you, Kosminski."
For a few seconds, both Willaim and Kosim stood in a tense atmosphere.
"...Hah… What do you want."
"I want information on a member of ours, who had dark blue hair, a Bystander about five foot nine inches."
"A Bystander? Really? I'm not some houdini you know? Do you even realize the amount of people that could fit that description, let alone in our most populated rank that has dozens if not a hundred people joining every few weeks or so?"
William said, but still went into his file room looking for the man Kosim described.
"..."
"Are you sure about all those features?"
William called out from the file room.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Hmm… I have a couple of files."
William came out with ten to twenty files in hand.
"Here… Why do you still wear that outfit? Are you still mentally unstable?" Willaim harshly asked.
Kosim untied the knots and took the files in hand, disregarding Willaims remarks about his fashion choice.
"...Did you get all the right ones?"
"All of them? Are you seriously doubting my information gathering skills right now? Of course that's all of them!"
William frantically waved his hands, completely sleep deprived.
"..."
"I'm done here."
"Hey, wait a minute you meathead." William grabbed Kosim's shoulder, irritated by the man. "You still need to pay for my table."
*
*
*
Two days flashed by in the blink of an eye.
As I made my way to that cozy cafe from before, I noticed a 'presence'.
…
It was as if their 'existence' made a dent on reality allowing me to feel their overbearing aura.
'A… king?'
-Ding! -Ding!
Once I opened the door I saw the blonde haired man and knew it was him who I had to talk to.
"Good afternoon sir…"
I sat down and asked.
"Arthur, it's a pleasure to finally meet our anonymous tip giver."
I shook his outstretched hand.
"You have the presence of a king…"
I said, still baffled about this anomaly's existence.
"Yes, I do get that a lot."
"I never would have expected to speak with the leader of the Round Table, I expected one of your subordinates to be honest with you."
"You have helped us in our war against the Cult after all. I couldn't let one of my subordinates go and if you were from the Cult this could have easily been a trap, a leader's duty is to lead and that is what I intend on doing."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the glint of a sniper's scope.
"I… see…"
"This doesn't bother you does it?"
My lips twitched at the nonchalant attitude the actual king of Britain had.
"...This is a fair precaution."
I could escape the snipers if I wished, but the man in front of me?
That was a whole different issue.
I felt naked in front of him, like he peered into my very existence.
"Now, on behalf of national security, would you mind explaining to me how you got into our digital data banks so easily?"
He asked, taking a drink out of his cup while doing so.
"..."
"Your firewall is lacking."
"Our firewall is lacking?"
Arthur restated, bewildered that I called his government's firewall 'lacking'.
I went into detail on how he could improve the firewalls on the databanks.
"You make good points. Since the formalities are out of the way, shall we discuss why you called us out here?"
My expression turned serious.
"I'll just tell you the truth. I'm here to take revenge on a group of people."
"Who? The Suspects or the Cult?"
"Neither, but the Cult most likely has the location of one of them which is why I joined them recently in order to find it."
I lifted my shirt in order for Arthur to see the Bystander mark.
"She goes by the name of Virus."
Arthur tapped his fingers in a rhythm.
"If I recall, Virus was a rather famous alumni from Teiou Academy wasn't she?"
"Yes, she was."
As Arthur kept thinking I went on.
"Here is my offer, I keep giving the Round Table with locations and maybe what I think is the main HQ of the Cult but in return I want the information that the Cult has held that relates with Virus."
I thought of it as a fair deal.
"...Let's assume that everything you said is true. You want revenge and shall act as a double agent for us. But what if it's not?"
"My best friend recently went to a location you provided us and lost an arm along with the entire squad he went with. Those were heavy losses on our part. How can we trust you enough that you'll do as you say you'll do?"
I smiled.
That was it?
"Simple. You can put whatever you want on me. Whether it be a listening device, or a kill switch I don't care as long as my revenge is fulfilled."
Arthur's face showed surprise.
"Hahaha! You are quite crazy aren't you? Alright, let's see if you live up to the deal."
"What is your name?"
"Takara Takahiro. Pleased to make your acquaintance, King Arthur of Britain."
I shook Arthur's hand once again, this time one step closer in finding Virus' location.
~~~~
A/N:
I was reading a Wattpad story FF about Mission Yozakura when I realized I had made a mistake.
While it was ever explicitly stated when Ban started his mission gathering information in jail, it doesn't make sense for him to be there over ten years does it? When Ban made his first appearance in here that was over ten years ago… so one thing to fix.
I just realized I made yet another crucial error.
Taiyo's family died in 2017.
I said Takahiro killed Taiyo's family back in 2010…
Nooo!!
I'll need to change this…
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ObsessedNovelist
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