192 Six-Fifty

On an empty street at dawn, Thales raced down an alley, panting. He then came out to a wider roadway.

'Aida…'

Aida… should be fine. Despite how unreliable she seemed, she had taken down a supreme class Blood Clansman in the birch tree forest on her own.

'I can't be distracted. There's no use in thinking too much about it. It won't help...' Thales tried desperately to shrug off his worry.

He felt thirsty all of a sudden.

Thales scooped up a handful of snow out of habit; something he adopted as a child beggar during the winter. He then rubbed the ball of snow and stuffed it into his mouth.

Then the prince, whose jaw chattered in agony due to the snow, looked up at Little Rascal and asked, "Is this place West-Express Avenue?"

However, the latter remained speechless. Her head was lowered.

Thales melted the snow in his mouth and swallowed the water.

He stared at the dazed Little Rascal, feeling concerned.

The tragedy they witnessed in the palace, the havoc caused by the calamities, the assassination of the king and the blood spilled—this horrid day had terrified the poor child.

Everything that happened was too much for her…

Even he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

'How did all of this start?

'The moment Lampard sent his soldiers to escort me to Dragon Clouds City, he had planned all of this? His aim was to assassinate the king, and start a coup?

'How did he do it?

'If a legion of two thousand men were ignored because they came with him under the name of escorting him... then, when he brought the army into the city, did the vassals, nobles, citizens, soldiers, and officials not notice them?

'King Nuven appeared to be a brilliant king. The creepy old lady Calshan seemed far from harmless. How could the two of them allow such a flaw in the capital city's security?

'Unless…'

A horrifying answer arose.

'No way.'

He swallowed slowly and walked on, holding Little Rascal by the hand. He decided to think from a different perspective.

'I drew in the Mystics, didn't I?'

The fight between Giza and Asda wreaked havoc on Shield District. It demolished the entire area, and affected a significant portion of the armed forces in Dragon Clouds City.

That was why King Nuven left Heroic Spirit Palace and came to Shield District. 'So, the one who will take the blame for the king's assassination will be me?'

Thales was alarmed by his thought.

'If this was truly caused by the Mystics and me—how incredibly lucky Lampard was!'

Thales rubbed his forehead vigorously. His 'highly efficient brain', which had helped him greatly in the past was in distress.

He sighed, putting these concerns aside. He forced himself to stay focus despite the extreme fatigue and continued his journey.

This had to be West-Express Avenue. If he was not mistaken, this winding, empty street was Armor District.

Aida had mentioned that the blockade set up for the calamities lay beyond this path. He would run into people from the capital there.

Thinking of this, Thales hesitated.

She also told him that the patrol teams, or people who were dressed in patrol uniforms were suspicious. She was not certain how many of them worked for Lampard. 

It was best not to trust them.

Even the ones who were loyal to Walton could easily divulge his information to Lampard.

The once-magnificent King Nuven could no longer protect them. 

'Haih.'

How ironic. He was with the granddaughter of Eckstedt's king, but they ended up running for their lives in Northland's capital. They could not even find a person they could trust.

In such a critical time, it was best to seek help from a dependable individual, head back to Heroic Spirit Palace, back to Putray, and inform Walton's loyalists.

Thales stopped in his tracks.

He peered at a shop sign at the corner of the street, which was a few steps ahead. His expression changed as though something crossed his mind.

'When King Nuven can no longer protect us…'

There was a tiny, black dagger was printed on a shop sign before him, and below it was a tightly-shut, giant wooden window with a narrow door next to it.

Thales narrowed his eyes. He recalled a conversation he had in the past.

'"If you run into a dangerous situation that you cannot resolve no matter what in Eckstedt... a problem so great that even King Nuven cannot save you from…"'

Thales' eyes beamed.

That was it.

At the next second, he headed towards the shop's sign, dragging Little Rascal along.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Thales knocked on the wooden window under the sign with the dagger.

They might be under curfew and all the residents there had been evacuated, but if the shop owner was indeed just like he had heard and was often up to some shady business…

There was no response.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Thales knocked thrice again.

Still, no one answered the door.

The prince frowned, reaching his fist out once again.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Amid the increasingly loud knocking, Little Rascal recovered from her state of shock, and asked in a perplexing manner, "Uh… where are we?"

"A butcher's shop in West-Express Avenue," Thales answered briefly. "Anyone in there? We need help!"

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

He knocked a few more times.

Still, there was no response.

Thales felt the hope in his heart slowly sink.

'Haih.'

He stared at the shop sign and heaved a sigh.

The guy in there had most likely evacuated as well.

As Little Rascal eyed him weirdly, a disappointed Thales turned away from the butcher's shop, pulling her along.

After he took the first step however, he jolted and stopped walking.

"What's going on?" Little Rascal asked blankly.

Thales whipped around, and shouted at the shop sign.

"Six-fifty!"

There was no response.

Thales clenched his teeth, and shouted again.

"Hey, six-fifty! Six-fifty!"

Perhaps, he was yelling a little too loud. Thales began to pant, patting himself on the chest.

There was still no response.

The two of them were the only people on the empty street.

Thales lowered his head dejectedly.

'Forget it.

'Perhaps he…'

Suddenly, the sound of friction between wooden planks rang, followed by the sound of the door unlatching.

*Pluck.*

Little Rascal hid behind Thales out of instinct, whereas he looked up in surprise.

The wooden window was opened.

'Some…

'Someone's inside?'

In the window, a man with black hair and eyes, as well as flat, rounded facial features was glaring at them.

It made Thales feel his skin crawl.

'Wait a minute.

'He's a…

'Far Easterner?'

"Who are you people?

"How do you know about this?"

The Far Easterner clearly had a Northland accent. He sounded rather impatient, as though he was dealing with big trouble. "Six-fifty?"

Thales was startled.

'There's someone here…

'There's someone here!'

He gawked at the man until the latter attempted to close the window. Thales then recovered from his shock and excitedly said, "Wait… Umm… We are-We are Kaslan's friends!

"This code was given to us by Kaslan! He said that when we needed help, we just had to come here and say this code…"

The Far Easterner narrowed his already small eyes, appearing to be inspecting them closely.

"You-You are…" Thales scratched his head, trying to recall his meeting with Kaslan in Hero Tavern. A few seconds later, he managed to wring the words out of his brain. "It's Mister Gu, isn't it?

"We need help!"

The Far Easterner—Gu—remained silent. He stayed idly in the shadows behind the window frame, watching them.

"Please!" Thales was panicking slightly.

A moment later, Gu opened his mouth.

"Kaslan's friends, are you?" The Far Eastern man gave a light hum and slowly said, "Come in."

…..

At the intersection point of Armor District and Shield District, a duel between the supreme class fighters had begun.

*Whoosh*

A blade was swung with a swooshing sound.

Aida hopped into the air, charging at Kaslan.

Her machete drew an arc in the air, fleeting past the tip of his nose.

The former Commander of the White Blade Guards wore an emotionless expression, and leaned back calmly as he ducked the blow, which was aimed at his head.

The blade was merely an inch away from his nose.

"Getting your feet off the ground in a fight is suicide," Kaslan said flatly. He wielded the two-meter-long Soul Slayer Pike. His movements seemed effortless and swift.

The spear then began to curve as he swung it!

As though it had come alive, the spearhead slashed at the elf with a sharp swoosh.

Like many duels between supreme class warriors, the defense and offense positions switched within seconds.

"Your rule only applies to humans," Aida said with disdain in the air.

At the next second, she nimbly grasped the top section of the Soul Slayer Pike in one hand and applied some slight pressure.

The black pikehead of the Soul Slayer Pike swung past her ear.

Aida hung from the spear like a fluttering cloth, following Kaslan's movements as she danced in the wind.

A great force surged within Kaslan's arms, and the spear trembled!

Aida was shaken off the spear as if she had received a violent a blow.

Kaslan's spear did not slow down or hesitate. Like a viper that sprung up to strike, it shot through the air, targeting Aida's waist!

Nevertheless, Aida exhibited the agility of a bat once again. She leaned here torso backwards in the air. With her legs stretched to her back, her body curved into a 'C' shape.

*Poof!*

The spearhead pierced the air, emitting a booming sound.

However, Kaslan's deadly spear arrowed through the hollow space created by Aida's posture, fleeting past her back.

It was a close miss.

Kaslan frowned and the spear advanced again!

Aida pulled her left hand back, grabbing the handle of the Soul Slayer Pike and following the direction of Kaslan's attack. Her flexible torso sprung like a spring!

Using her left hand as a center point, she took a full circular swing on the Soul Slayer Pike, and with the help of the momentum, she bounced backwards. 

If Thales had been present, he would have probably gaped and shouted, "You know how to swing on the high bar!"

The elf performed an acrobatic flip in the air, and landed steadily on her feet.

*Clunk!*

In the meantime, the spearhead also landed, jabbing into the stone tile.

The treacherous match ended right then.

Carrying her machete, Aida stood up. Her hood had flopped down to the back of her neck due to her drastic movements, revealing her silky, braided white hair.

Kaslan on the other hand, was twirling his spear. His calm expression unchanged.

"I have fought enemies from White Mountain, and met the envoys from Late Dusk Kingdom," the old tavern owner said slowly. "But the color of your skin… is neither of the White Elves or Demon Elves."

Aida lifted her chin, revealing her exquisite, girlish face and a pair of sharp, perfectly-curved ears.

"You're a Sacred Elf, aren't you?" Kaslan exhaled softly, adjusting his spear-wielding posture. "Of course, I've never met High Elves and Grey Elves from the East Peninsula, but I guess you're most likely from Sacred Tree Kingdom; that's why you're in the Prince of Constellation's entourage."

"Good guess." Aida snorted, eyeing the Soul Slayer Pike vigilantly. "Little Northland brat."

Kaslan nodded and smiled.

"I know that Sacred Tree Kingdom is a longtime ally, and royal in-law of Constellation." The old man sighed and said, "But I didn't expect that the kingdom would even go as far as to assign a supreme class bodyguard to Constellation."

Aida's expression changed.

"Bah!" The elf waved her machete in frustration. "What bodyguard? I am a supreme class elite warrior. Their grandfather, grandmother, father, mother begged me repeatedly and hired me with the promise of high pay!"

There was a slight jerk in Kaslan's eyebrow.

"I am a tenured honorary instructor of Constellation's Royal Guards!" The elf pointed at herself with the machete, and announced proudly, "Aida Laura Carter Gisele Durielos…"

Then, as though her words were stuck in her throat, she stopped abruptly.

She rolled her silver eyes, and looked down in frustration.

"Haih, I cannot remember what comes after… call me however you like."

In the meantime, Kaslan's expression turned grim.

"I see. The instructor of the Royal Guards." The spearhead in the old man's hand was raised. The way he looked at Aida changed. "We White Blade Guards often say that, other than the Glacial Sentries, if there's another armed force that can rival the elite troops of the White Blade Guards, the Dragon's Imperial Guards…

"It would be you, what we call the 'Emperor's Praetorian Guards—the Royal Guards of Constellation.'"

Kaslan heaved a sigh. His eyes were brimming with nostalgia.

"Whoa." Aida swung her arm with contempt. "So, you do remember that you're a member of the White Blade Guards… When your people were taken down, one by one, were you there to witness it?"

Hearing that, a painful look appeared on Kaslan's face. His eyebrows wrinkled into a knot.

"They were a group of good warriors, good kids," the old man said sadly. "They just happened to meet their worst fate at the worst time."

Aida gave a cold huff. "Look who's talking—the legendary 'Ground-Shaker', as it appears, is only a traitor."

Kaslan squeezed his eyes shut.

"Let's get this over with… If we continue to stall for time, our men will arrive. We won't have the chance for a fair duel." His voice sounded incredibly weary.

Aida remained quiet, staring at him coldly.

"Throughout history, fights between the Dragon's Imperial Guards and the Royal Guards have been rare—I sparred with Zakriel once when I was young. It was an honor," Kaslan said, opening his eyes. His white hair glimmered under the frail dawn light. "Instructor Aida..."

"Zakriel?" Aida's expression changed. She looked as though she was reminiscing. "Was he that snot-dripping, donkey-faced brat who slacked around on the training field every day… I often punished him…"

"He is the notable 'Knight of Judgement' in Constellation." Kaslan smiled in nostalgia. "I haven't heard of him for twelve years."

Aida's expression darkened.

"That fellow is in the Prison of Bones in the Western Desert," the elf said, sighing. "He will most likely be in there for the rest of his life… That silly kid…"

Kaslan was slightly startled.

"Really…" the old man mumbled.

"What a shame." Kaslan shut his eyes regretfully. "He was a good opponent."

The next moment, the fight resumed.

Kaslan's spear sprung up without warning, stabbing at her three consecutive time!

They were all aimed at Aida's legs.

*Zoom! Zoom! Zoom!*

The spearhead zapped into the ground three times, stirring up countless gravel.

But as if she was performing a peculiar and graceful dance, Aida took six consecutive steps. Each time, she landed just in time to avoid the attacks.

Amid the splattering gravel, Aida did not retreat. Instead, as she dodged the gravel, she came close to Kaslan!

Thus, the defense and offense positions switched once again.

*Swoosh!*

While Kaslan was not able to withdraw the spear, Aida launched a surprise attack, swinging her machete at his head. 

The legendary Commander of the White Blade Guards whipped around and dodged the attack.

His experienced eyes never left Aida's shoulders.

Following Aida's moves, the blade was turned abruptly three times!

Each slash targeted the directions in which Kaslan intended to move towards.

Nevertheless, relying on his sharp eyes and intuition, Kaslan managed to dodge the three murderous slashes.

The blade shot past the old man's face.

And it sliced off a lock of his white hair.

Kaslan finally withdrew his spear. The old man lifted both arms, and waved the spear, drawing a large circle around him!

*Ssssssss!* As the spearhead was dragged on the ground, the friction caused an ear-splitting sound.

Meanwhile, Aida had already performed two back flips in the air, far away from the Soul Slayer Pike's range of attack.

The nerve-wrecking exchange came to an end. The two supreme class warriors put the fight on hold once again.

"Excellent flexibility and agility," Kaslan said, sighing. "Good combat instincts, sturdy slashes, nimble footsteps.

"You have perfectly exhibited the dual advantages of being both an elf and a woman."

Aida chuckled, eyeing her opponent's face closely.

"You will suffer if you underestimate a woman, you know."

Each of them stood on the opposite side of the street, staring at one another in silence. Both were highly vigilant, and secretly calculating the other's next move.

"I would never dare," Kaslan said with respect. "After all, I was a contemporary of the 'Heart of the Rain'.

"Nonetheless, these are all the natural advantages of an elf. There's nothing surprising about them," the old man said flatly.

Aida's pupils contracted.

Kaslan stared at the surface of the ground, his gaze focused on the three stab holes. "What surprises me the most is... you've managed to provide a good countermeasure to every offensive and defensive move without delay. It's nearly perfect."

"Ah." Aida shrugged. Her sharp ears wiggled. "I'm just really good."

"Haha, really?" Kaslan's expression brightened. His face was beaming.

"I attacked your legs to restrain your movements.

"I splattered the gravel to counter your agility.

"The last swing of the spear was to get you for good as you were closing in."

The old man nodded with admiration. "Yet you've managed to evade the stab aimed at your legs, and in turn came at me, dodging the splattering gravel, and countering. You even dodged my swing in the end."

Kaslan lifted his chin, peering at Aida.

"All three of my attacks, merged into a combo, yet none of the attacks have succeeded.

"This can't be explained away with good reflexes or experience." He shook his head slowly.

"There's only one possibility."

Aida's expression remained unchanged. She tightened her grip on the machete in her hand.

'That combo earlier was spot on.

'But…'

Kaslan sighed. His utterance was intertwined with huffs and puffs of heavy breathing. "You knew what my next moves and tactics were, and responded with the perfect countermoves, isn't that right?"

Aida's expression changed.

'No way.

'This old fellow…

'How long has it been since we started fighting?'

Kaslan chuckled.

At that second, the legendary Ground-Shaker seemed to revert to his younger self.

"I've heard that the possibility of elves obtaining psionic abilities is far higher than that of humans—it's an interesting phenomenon, isn't it?" The old man swung the Soul Slayer Pike once again. The spirit of a warrior burned in his eyes. "There's a wide variety of psionic abilities. Each is unique in its own way."

Asda's expression darkened.

She paid the infamous Soul Slayer Pike all her attention just now, but now, as it appeared, compared to the Soul Slayer…

She had underestimated the Ground-Shaker.

Back then, all she had heard of him was that after he left the Tower of Eradication, he never lost a battle as the leader of the White Blade Guards.

'But…'

Kaslan's eyes gleamed and he calmly said, "However, I didn't expect to encounter such a unique psionic ability."

Aida sighed.

"Instructor Aida, you're a Psionic—No, you're of a supreme class, so I have to call you a Psionic Warrior'." Kaslan stared into Aida's silver eyes, and said in an unrelenting manner, "You can read minds."