Chapter 118

Chapter 118Despite Frances and Russell’s sudden appearance, the storm in Pablo’s eyes immediately settled down, leaving a calm. When faced with something unexpected, a third-rate schemer would freeze up and a second-rate schemer would be flustered. However, first-rates and the best of the best could immediately come up with a countermeasure.

Pablo turned to Frances and Russell, one after the other, and said, “I see. So Aquamarine is willing to bleed for the sake of that boy? Is that it, Captain Frances?”

“Hm? Who knows?”

He glared at her with obviously murderous eyes. It was enough to make even Jack Russell flinch, but Frances’s expression was as bright as always.

“Well, unlike some people, I’m not so twisted that I would throw away a family member to use as a stepping stone. Besides, a piece of scum like Lucciano can’t possibly be worth as much as Leonard. Even if Bermuda did make that ruling, they wouldn’t stop me from raising an objection. However...” She paused before grinning. “Who said Aquamarine is going to be the only one to bleed? Do you think the Moby Dick Expedition Team will get away completely unscathed? If you really believe that...”

As her voice trailed off, the Aquamarine’s weapon system awoke behind her.

It was a masterwork of magical engineering that could fire tens of Class 6 spells.

Even a powerful Transcendence Tier fighter would be overwhelmed by the firepower of such a masterpiece if they faced it head-on. And even if they couldn’t defeat Pablo, it would be light work to take out all his lackeys surrounding the observatory.

Of course, there would be heavy consequences if they opened fire. To bombard District 3 after trespassing it? It wouldn’t just be Bermuda and the Council, all of Atlantis City would want to hunt her down to make her pay. Anyone would think that she was just bluffing.

“...shall we get started, Councilor Pablo? Right here and now?”

With that much resolve, it couldn’t be a ploy. Besides, Pablo could see with his own eyes that she was seriously about to declare war. Like Leonard, his upper dantian was open, so she couldn’t completely hide her intentions from him. Her eyes were as dark and dangerous as a deep-sea fish’s, bringing her intent to the surface.

Now that she was face-to-face with an opportunity to avenge her father, she was unconsciously emitting her hatred and her thirst for revenge. There was no fear or unease that someone would have for a battle they weren’t sure they would win. It was only confidence and fighting spirit that raged.

Pablo unwittingly knit his eyebrows together. This... isn’t good.

He didn’t know what Frances had prepared, but whatever it was gave her the confidence to dare see him as an equal opponent. Naturally, he was also aware of her political genius, so he was even more on guard.

If he stepped down right now, it would hurt his reputation a bit, but that was it. If he pushed her and got caught in a snare, the consequences would be immense. That was all he could predict.

But just as he was about to speak, Leonard interrupted and cut him off.

“One second. Russell, can you cast a spell so Fran and I can talk without any eavesdroppers?”

“Yes.” Before anyone could object, a magic barrier wrapped around the two of them, making them invisible and inaudible.

Pablo immediately concentrated Aura into his eyes, but a top-tier spell could block the sight of someone in the Transcendence Tier. When Russell saw him grow frustrated at the failed attempt, the Archmage’s lip curled up in a mocking smile. That only made Pablo’s face turn even more enraged.

While the two master fighters stared each other down with tension in the air, Leonard turned to Frances.

“It’s only been a few days since we last saw each other, but it feels like much longer. Don’t you think so, Fran?”

“Yes indeed. And I spent those days moving as fast as I could. Thankfully, it seems I wasn’t too late.” She was well aware of Leonard’s skill, but it was hard to imagine him being able to topple the Moby Dick Expedition Team all by himself.

They ended the formalities there. “I’d love to catch up, Fran, but I don’t have much time to explain, so I’ll just be straight with you. We have to take down Pablo here.”

“How?” Frances’s eyes widened. She couldn’t help herself. She was serious about using the Aquamarine to bombard him with attacks, but she didn’t think that they could kill him. At most, it would make Moby Dick take a step back, and she’d been planning to take care of the rest with political tactics, using Gordon Haywood and the Pequod.

“According to the information I’ve collected on my own, there’s a high probability that Pablo has either made a deal with or is fully colluding with a being from a Rift. I can’t dare guess the plans or the scale of whoever’s pulling the strings. On top of that, they are closely connected with the majority of the most powerful councilors. If we try to drag out Pablo’s punishment for what he did eight years ago, I’m certain that we’ll be too late to stop whatever they’re planning.”

“...”

“Pablo dragged me to the spotlight with the justification that I killed his son, so we can use that as a pretext to challenge him to a one-on-one duel—”

Frances held up her hand, cutting him off. Even after receiving an enormous flood of information, she wasn’t shaken in the slightest. She immediately sorted through everything.

“You’re sure that Pablo is conspiring with something from the Rifts?”

“Yes.” Sёarᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“And the Moby Dick Expedition Team is merely an arm of whatever that is?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you get this information?”

“Herman Melville, the man who’s known as Moby Dick’s second-in-command.”

For the first time, a strange look flickered through Frances’s eyes. “Is he someone we can trust?”

“That’s how I judged him, at least,” Leonard replied.

“Well, that’s good enough. If everything you say is true, it would be a fatal mistake to let Pablo find out what we’re planning. I didn’t know things would turn out this way,” she mused.

“There were too many factors that were out of Aquamarine’s control. I’m impressed by you even now, in this situation,” he said encouragingly. “So now it’s my turn. I’m going to expose what he truly is in broad daylight so that all of Atlantis City will know.”

“...Hah.” Frances answered with a small sigh. She held back a small smile. “You always go far beyond my expectations. Seriously.”

As soon as she finished her sentence, Russell’s spell ran out, revealing Frances and Leonard to everyone around the observatory deck.

And then, Leonard turned around and locked eyes with Pablo. Those were the eyes of a schemer without a hint of disquiet. Those were the eyes of someone who fully believed that he had the whole world in the palm of his hands. That made the boy scoff.

“I!”

He amplified his voice enormously using mana, echoing across the whole deck—no, across the whole coast. It was clearly audible even several kilometers away.

“I acknowledge! That I have committed an injustice! Against Lucciano! The son of Moby Dick’s Captain, Pablo! I accept your challenge! Let us have a fair duel! Without interference! From either of our expedition teams!”

“...What?” Pablo’s jaw dropped, dumbfounded. The boy was essentially running headlong into his death even though he had a way out. Pablo didn’t know what the two had talked about in those few minutes, but Frances and Russell stepped back as if to signal their approval. They really were going to permit a one-on-one battle between him and the child.

No matter how Pablo thought about it, he couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening. His innate instinct as a schemer kept screaming at him in warning, so he resolved to hurt his reputation and stand down.

Before he could say anything, someone who shouldn’t be near the beach stepped forward, making Pablo freeze and show his astonishment for the first time.

“Impressive. The youngster’s courage is very commendable.”

Pablo glared at the man and growled in a low voice, “Gordon. Do you intend to betray me?”

“Hm?” The second most powerful person in the Council, the Class 8 Archmage Gordon Haywood tilted his head. “Betray you? Whatever do you mean?”

“Gordon!”

“Did the boy not say that he would accept the punishment for killing a man’s son in a dignified manner? If you stand down now, how many people would believe that your words and actions about justice are genuine? Hm?”

The onlookers who had started to gather nodded. They seemed to agree.

Pablo had dug his own grave. He gritted his teeth, realizing that using his son as an excuse to hunt down Leonard was now the very reason he couldn’t back out. If it weren’t for Gordon, his power and authority could override the external pressure, but Gordon was far beyond his reach.

“...Very impressive, Frances.” Pablo seemed to resign to something and stopped looking for a way to retreat. He turned to Frances and Leonard, who had been watching him closely this entire time.

He didn’t know how they got Gordon on their side.

He didn’t know what measures they had prepared to fight him.

“But no matter how elaborate a plan is, seeing it through is a skill of its own. I don’t know just how much you’re underestimating me, but...”

Pablo began to grow. He was already over two meters tall, but now he was turning into a giant.

No. People’s eyes were playing tricks on them because his power was flaring. The coat draped over its shoulder slipped off, flapping as it flew away into the distance as if running away.

The shoreline, which was naturally rowdy during the day, was oppressed by a suffocating silence.

A considerable number of people went breathless when they felt Pablo’s aura. He was powerful enough to make them forget to breathe. He was a monster that few, even among Transcendence Tier fighters, could match, and he radiated a potent bloodlust.

“If you want me to kill you so badly, I shall grant your wish.”

He gave off an energy that resembled a Rank S monster’s energy more than it did a human’s. It was a similar feeling to what Leonard would pick up on in the heart of Galapagos Island, but it was still different. He couldn’t help but let out a laugh in the face of such immense power.

It was an instinctive reaction to sensing grave danger.

Leonard placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and stood his ground.

I knew it.

Now that Pablo was letting out his true power, the Five Elements True Dragon Ring sensed the presence of an enemy and invigorated him, washing away all the fatigue left over from his battle with Herman.

If Leonard put his mind to it, he would be able to use the Five Elements Augmented Qi as well. Even if Pablo was powerful enough to be in the Profound Realm, since he hadn’t actually crossed the threshold, Leonard could win a one-sided victory if he used the Five Elements Augmented Qi, and it would be even easier than his fight with Herman.

But he didn’t seize the opportunity. In fact, he calmed the True Dragon Ring’s rage.

This is it.

Instinctively, he knew that he had to defeat Pablo in this fight without borrowing the power of the True Dragon Ring.

He opened his subspace pouch, and his swords spilled out, clattering to the ground. Two of them lifted into the air as they moved into position.

Two in his hands, two floating by his head. His Five Swords Style was still incomplete, so by using four swords, he was signaling that he would use his best techniques from the beginning to the end.

Pablo felt a strong sense of déjà vu as he raised his fists. “That doesn’t look like the same style as Herman’s... but either way, I’ll make this quick for you.”

He’s coming! As Leonard’s eyes flashed wide, he saw Pablo’s fist shoot out with immense power.

The air was unable to withstand the force, making it heat up, sending sparks flying. It was hard to call his attack a punch when it was closer to an explosion.

As his fist flew toward him with a ripping sound, Leonard’s four swords drew into the shape of a full moon.

Five Elements Style, Four Sword Style

Black Tortoise Ninth Form: Great Moon Anti-Yin Mirror

As soon as Pablo hit him like a beam of light, the Mirror tilted by a few degrees, deflecting the blow to the ground.

Booooom—!

His punch left a crater behind, and dirt flew into the air as if there had been an explosion.

“...Geez. What a ridiculous amount of power,” Leonard muttered. Even though he’d deflected the attack perfectly, his wrists tingled.

Pablo’s punch didn’t even have a particular technique behind it, let alone martial principles. It was more of a greeting than an actual blow, yet it shook the Anti-Yin Mirror. This was the very shield that deflected the Mind Kraken’s giant tentacles, but Pablo’s attack was so powerful that the Mirror couldn’t neutralize it completely.

A human couldn’t have this much destructive power.

Even a basic punch can do this much damage. I don’t know if he uses techniques outside of fist arts, but that attack just now was stronger than the Divine Monk’s One Hundred Steps Divine Fist.

Pablo’s eyes were full of astonishment. He was shocked for other reasons. He didn’t think that he would kill his opponent with just one strike, but he didn’t make even a single scratch? Even Herman always tried to dodge instead of block or deflect because of the force behind his blows.

It had been a while since he’d come across a fun piece of prey.

Pablo didn’t even consider that it was possible for him to lose as he slowly raised his fists.

“Very interesting. Let’s see how long you can last.”

After joining the Council, Pablo mostly stopped participating in expeditions, so most people never had the opportunity to see him fight.

The curtain concealing his true power was beginning to lift in broad daylight.