Chapter 187: Impatience, the Clown's Murderous Intent!
As soon as the first round of matches concluded, Arthur was stopped by Shinguuji Kurono and Saikyō Nene.
An unexpected person requested to meet with him.
Inside a street-side diner outside the Portside Dome, the air was as heavy and solid as solidified lead.
Arthur didn't even bother to look up, instead flipping through the menu with Fou.
In contrast, Kurogane Gen, who sat opposite him with a stern expression, clasped his hands under his chin, his cold, iron-gray eyes fixed on Arthur.
"The committee has a new perspective on the Daoist Scripture," Kurogane Gen, unable to hold back, spoke first, his voice as cold and hard as his name.
"Oh?" Arthur's lips curled into a blatant sneer. "Are they trying to renege on our agreement so soon?"
Kurogane Gen calmly shook his head: "You eliminate the Rebel Army, and we give you a copy of the ancient scroll. That's a fair trade."
"Now, the committee wants to give you the item in advance, but they want to add an additional condition."
Arthur's eyes darkened, and his fingertips tapped rhythmically on the table, making a clear 'tap-tap' sound that echoed distinctly in the quiet diner.
He needed a large amount of data to study souls and Intrinsic Arts, and the O洲 Branch was eager to get rid of the Rebel Army's constraints. This was originally the basis for their cooperation.
But now, he had only dealt with one Rebel Army member, and those politicians were already so eager to offer a "thank you gift"?
"Nothing offered for free comes without ulterior motives," Arthur's voice deepened. "Uncle Kurogane, you're not a stubborn man. Just speak your mind."
Kurogane Gen's brows were tightly furrowed, and before answering, he instead posed a question that had been hidden in his heart for a long time.
"Who exactly are you?"
"I used every contact I have, but I could only find your enrollment record at Hagun Academy; everything before that is a blank."
"If your threat to this country cannot be eliminated, I would rather reject the committee's wishful thinking!"
A flicker of thought crossed Arthur's eyes: "So, after ruling out the Rebel Army, you now suspect I'm with Alliance?"
Kurogane Gen didn't answer, but the gravity in his cold eyes said it all.
Arthur tossed the menu onto the table casually and shook his head indifferently.
"Alliance and The League are like fire and water. Isn't it only because the Rebel Army is a thorn in the middle that a fragile peace is barely maintained?"
"Assuming I really am with Alliance, what benefit would I gain by helping you pull out this thorn?"
Kurogane Gen's face twitched stiffly at the corner of his mouth: "You also killed Moon Shadow."
Arthur scoffed: "Because it deserved to die."
Kurogane Gen remained silent for a long time, eventually revealing the O洲 Branch's predicament, a hint of weariness in his tone.
"The Rebel Army, which had been secretly pressuring us, suddenly went silent. Even Ouma, who joined as a guest, has gone missing."
"Those people on the committee are scared. They want to eliminate all their visible pawns as quickly as possible before the Rebel Army brews its next storm."
"Additionally, they hope that you and Stella Vermillion will officially join the KOK League after graduation."
Arthur shook his head indifferently: "Graduation is still far off; we'll talk about the future later. As for the committee's request—"
He met Kurogane Gen's anxious gaze and nodded slightly.
Kurogane Gen's clenched fists under the table finally loosened silently.
"I will notify the committee immediately; the Daoist Scripture will be delivered to you very soon."
Arthur glanced at the menu and quipped.
"It seems Uncle Kurogane doesn't plan to treat me to a meal, so that's that."
Before he finished speaking, he had already stood up and left, not bothering to exchange even a polite word with the other party.
Kurogane Gen, on the other hand, immediately pulled out his mobile terminal and relayed new instructions to the committee.
...
When Arthur returned to the Portside Dome, the upper bracket matches were nearing their end.
Those few members of the Rebel Army did not show deference to each other as he had expected.
Hiraga Reisen severely injured Kazamatsuri Rinna with an overwhelming display of power.
Sarah Labraderry, on the other hand, won by default due to Kurogane Ouma's unexplained absence.
Finally, there was Tatara Yui. She was lucky not to run into one of her own, and her next opponent was Arthur.
At this moment, Tatara Yui, who had just secured victory, seemed to sense something. Her murderous eyes suddenly swept towards the audience, precisely locking onto Arthur.
Born into a family of assassins, her lips stretched into a sinister grin, and she raised her hand to slash across her neck, a clear act of provocation.
The engine of her chainsaw-shaped Intrinsic Art, the Plunderer Centipede, roared, emitting a mournful wail like that of a specter.
Arthur's brow twitched in the stands. He could clearly feel that the killing intent emanating from her was terrifyingly pure.
That was the mark of a true villain, one who would not hesitate to wield a butcher's knife against any stranger.
"Compared to those old foxes on the committee, these lunatics from the Rebel Army are indeed sicker."
As Arthur mused, he strolled towards Hagun Academy's spectator area, only to see an even more unexpected figure.
Sarah, a member of the Rebel Army, was pressing close to Ikki with a fanatical expression, fiercely confronting Kurogane Shizuku, whose murderous aura was almost tangible.
Everyone around them had a subtle expression of wanting to speak but holding back. Even Nagi Arisuin, who usually protected Shizuku, chose to stand by.
Arthur blinked: "What play are you all putting on?"
Stella and the others immediately turned around, explaining the bizarre, chaotic scene in a few words.
It turned out that the artist Sarah had taken a liking to Ikki's physique and appearance and wanted to invite him to be her nude model, claiming it was a noble art devoid of any impure thoughts.
The result, naturally, was a stern refusal from both siblings, but she, like a stubborn plaster, was impossible to shake off.
Arthur, having roughly understood, tapped his chin and loudly suggested to the troubled Ikki.
"The enemy and us are clearly defined, why not just directly drive her away?"
No sooner had he spoken than, before Ikki could respond, Sarah's entire body instantly erupted with powerful magic, her paintbrush Intrinsic Art appearing in her hand, its tip pointing at Arthur.
"I will never compromise when it comes to my passion for art!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow: "Is the Rebel Army's recruitment standard based on the thickness of medical records? Is each one more over-the-top than the last?"
"Oh my, such a comment is truly disheartening."
A gentle yet playful voice suddenly rang out. Hiraga Reisen, dressed as a clown, tiptoed and appeared silently near everyone.
"We were the losers of the last confrontation, so why do you all harbor such great hostility?"
Unlike the art-obsessed Sarah, Hiraga Reisen's unique words and actions failed to win anyone over.
Suddenly, flames ignited in Stella's eyes, and Arthur, too lazy for words, lightly stomped his foot on the tiled floor.
Boom—!
Crimson cursed power swept across the ground like an invisible ripple, and a series of subtle cracking sounds echoed in the air!
Hiraga Reisen's body shook violently, as if struck by an invisible heavy hammer, causing him to retreat repeatedly!
Blood seeped from the tips of his raised fingers, staining the barely visible threads floating in the air!
Only then did everyone realize that, without their knowledge, an assassination and counter-assassination had already concluded!
Arthur habitually stretched his wrist and said coldly.
"Attacking a contestant outside the arena, you truly live up to your identity as a member of the Rebel Army."
Hiraga Reisen raised his hands and smeared all the blood beads from his fingertips onto his clown mask, creating eerie blood-red patterns. His tone grew increasingly contemptuous.
"Only third-rate assassins are fixated on methods; true assassins only care about achieving their goals."
"We'll see each other in the arena."
With that, countless Hell Silk erupted from behind him, wrapping around the still-bewildered Sarah, forcefully dragging her into the shadowy passage of the stands, and vanishing instantly.
Arthur gazed down at the almost transparent fine threads remaining on the ground, his eyes darkening.
Stella stepped forward, asking softly in his ear.
"Are you alright?"
Arthur crouched down, picked up the delicate Hell Silk, and shook his head.
"I'm fine."
He looked at the thread on his fingertip; it was cold to the touch, yet seemed to carry a faint pulse, like a living thing.
"...However, that clown gives me a very unsettling feeling."
"Even Shinomiya Amane's killing intent towards me was far less pure than his in that instant. And this thing..."
Arthur's pupils contracted slightly; he remembered Kurogane Gen's words.
The Rebel Army suddenly went silent...
A bizarre Intrinsic Art, pure killing intent, and that composure after being instantly exposed...
How could this be a pawn?
This was clearly a more reckless and sinister player than all previous enemies!