Chapter 86 - 83 : Shadow Guards

"It seems like you have nowhere to run to any longer. Am I right?" Arman Lagus, the town head of Riverdale Town, stared at his foe with a playful look in his eyes.

"Oh? And what makes you think so? Do you really believe that I will die today?" The Emissary glanced at Arman with interest. The matte haze around him, thanks to the undying efforts of the trio, had slightly reduced in size when compared to its original form. Even so, the Emissary still had that unbridled feeling that seemed to show that he could keep on fighting without pause.

Seeing his lax attitude and his not so weakened strength, a frown appeared on Arman's little face but he quickly wiped it off.

"Town Head Arman, What did you mean by that?" Deval asked with a curious look.

Deval was currently injured and his injuries looked quite serious, some much so that if someone else stood in his position, they would have already been dead due to excess blood loss. His turban was long destroyed, revealing a white coloured hair. His clothes, which were previously tattered and damaged, was replaced with a metallic armour. At a point in the battle, Deval no longer held back on his equipment as he needed them to hold on against the 'enhanced' Emissary since he played the role of an MT in this fight. Even so, the armour was slightly damaged and though it wasn't at the level of having holes, it was still dented at some parts, so much so that the dented points had even penetrated his body.

Despite all this, Deval still held on, showing how tenacious his will was and also how great his stamina and endurance were. It was thanks to these attributes of his that Deval had managed to clutch the title as Riverdale's strongest, excluding the Bishop and the town head of course.

"...have they already arrived?" Unlike Deval, Bishop Enzo Giovanni had an inkling as to what Arman was referring to. With his crosier in hand and his vitiated cassock and pellegrina, Bishop Enzo, who still looked slightly better off when compared to Deval, recalled their 2nd plan in the scenario where they couldn't finish off the Emissary. That was to wait for reinforcements!

'They must have arrived!'

. . . . .

Back at the cave in the unnamed mountain range…

The ripple that had formed at the mouth of the cave was still expanding at a rate that was neither slow nor fast. Within a few seconds, it had enlarged to occupy a height of 4 metres and a width of 7 metres. It looked to be a portal that lead to elsewhere.

A leg slowly stepped out from the other side of this 'ripple portal'. On the leg was a black coloured special kind of boots that looked like a triple combination of Chelsea shoes, plain toe shoes and military boots.

As the leg planted itself on the ground, the owner slowly appeared from the 'ripple portal'. It was a 'person' in black and gold coloured military coat with gold coloured buttons. Due to the fact that the outfit was somewhat loose, it was next to impossible to be able to determine the gender of the wearer. His/Her face was hidden behind a fox type Kabuki mask painted with black and red colours on a white background.

What was quite amazing was that despite wearing a clothing lineup with a dazzling color like gold and a white Kabuki mask, not much light was reflected off this individual. If one didn't focus well, they would barely sense that there was someone standing there. If not due to the fact that the individual arrived at the mouth of the cave thereby letting the light bounce of him/her, it would have been quite difficult to see him/her. However for the targeted being who sat within the cave, this difference didn't really flinch it as no matter where the maker individual arrived from, it would have sensed him/her.

As the masked individual stepped out of the 'ripple portal', two other legs left the portal; one from the left side of the masked individual and another from the right. The owners of the legs exited the portal and just like the first 'outsider', they both wore Kabuki masks but with different representations. One wore a tiger mask while the other had an eagle mask on. Despite reeling back their auras, one would feel that these three weren't so simple.

"The 3rd department of the Monarch Guards, also known as the Hidden department, the Shadow Guards. Am I right?" The seated individual spoke up.

The Monarch Guards was a regiment that was under the Monarch family, that is the King's family. As far as the public knows, the Monarch Guards are divided into two departments; the Palace guards and the King's guards.

The Palace guards, as their name states, are in charge of not only the Palace's safety but also the Kingdom's capital city which houses the Royal Palace. The King's guards are a set of strong individuals who answer only to the King and the Royal family. They are tasked with protecting him and his family.

These are the two departments that are known to the general public but there actually exists a third one and this one is known only by a handful of individuals, usually those in the upper echelons of the Kingdom and the Royal family. This department has been nicknamed the Hidden department due to their extreme secretiveness. Their real name however is the Shadow Guards.

They are usually tasked with handling all the underhand missions and assignments that can't be assigned to any of the public guards as such missions shouldn't be tracked to the Royal family or the King. Missions like assassinating a public figure or some other figure is usually given to the Shadow Guards.

Whenever the Shadow Guards undertake any mission or assignment, they usually complete it without leaving a single trace behind. They strike silently and at the moment one wouldn't expect. A good example is their entrance just now as the 'ripple portal' despite affecting space, it isn't easily noticed due to the absence of Mana being sensed in the portal. With this ability, they can easily assassinate a target and leave without being caught by a druid figure.

What makes them special is that they answer solely to the King of the Fallen Heart Kingdom and no one else, not even the Prince or the General.

Seeing that they weren't answering him, the figure continued

"For the Shadow Guards to visit me, I guess it isn't for a cup of tea?"

Finally, the one in the middle, who seemed to be their leader, spoke up.

"By the King's decree, you, Emissary of darkness, are required to come with us. Failure to do so in a peaceful fashion would result to our using forceful methods."

The voice of the speaker had a weird touch to it, making it seem neither feminine nor masculine but rather ambiguous in nature.

From the short speech of the fox masked individual, then being hidden in this cave was actually the true body of the Emissary. You should remember that the one confronting the trio of Arman, Enzo and Devis was actually a projection. Due to its high level strength, it couldn't actively participate in the battle with its main body or else it might draw serious attention so it decided to hide in this forsaken area that was along the boundary of the Fallen Heart Kingdom.

Despite all that, the King still discovered him but due to the fact that the area was along the boundary, the King couldn't head over there because his movements where monitored by foreign powers. Hence the decision of sending the Shadow Guards.

"Oh? Even after all I've done, he only wants an audience?" The Emissary spoke.

"What is your decision?"

"You should of course be aware of it. I bow to none other than 'Him'." The Emissary grinned before releasing a large burst of aura that seemed overwhelming and all encompassing. So powerful was his aura alone, that it burst a hole in the roof of the cave.

"If that is your decision then prepare for the consequences." The fox masked guard replied. At the same time, he/she also released their aura and surprisingly, though it wasn't as strong as the Emissary's, it wasn't so weak when compared with it.

The two by the side also released their aura and though theirs was weaker by a level when compared to the two main focus, they still weren't to be taken for granted.

"Those three barely let me warm-up. Now show me, Shadow Guards of Fallen Heart Kingdom, show me what you are capable of."