"Hahahaha, is this how you scream when you're terrified? Pingy!" James said, laughing at Xiao Ping's scream.
'How is this! Are we really flying!' Xiao Ping looked around him, ignoring James's provocation, and focused on the shape of the city from above. It was a heart-stirring view.
"Look at this! It's the beautiful side of Frendenstream, submerged in the smoke of its factories!" James said while pointing his hand towards the city below.
"You're right about that! But I think with all this beauty, you can't change the nature of the city, were it not for those palaces behind those huge walls!" Xiao Ping said, then added, "Tell me now, why are we flying using a piece of ground? And how did you do this?"
"Oh, you're referring to the nobles' district in the south! That area was built according to His Highness the Prince's instructions, and guess for what? Just so the nobles have a place to reside! But the main reason for building it in that excellent strategic location is because the Prince holds his birthday celebration there! So you're right, even if the city is beautiful at night unlike during the day, that doesn't change its nature at all, unless it's like that area designated for the nobles." James fell silent, letting his words sink in before saying, while holding his hat so the wind wouldn't blow it away, "As for your question about why we're flying using a piece of ground... it's because we never worry about being exposed, didn't I just say that? Also, my answer to your other question is... simple, because I channeled my power underground, cut a piece of it, and then made my energy propel upwards with force!"
'This Prince again! Hahaha, and what was I expecting? The nobles would take the best things, leaving fodder for their cattle to the commoners and the poor! This is why I feel inclined to side with the enemy nation, even if they impose humiliating conditions on this kingdom, because I want to eliminate these nobles one by one if I could! Just mentioning them reminds me of the filth of nobles in the Victorian era. But, it seems the Prince has solved that problem too.' Xiao Ping analyzed internally and said, "I understand! But! Can you control it?"
"Ah, I can control my energy to push it upwards, and also to direct it in one direction!" James replied, scratching his chin.
"..." Xiao Ping.
Xiao Ping fell silent for a few moments, then moved towards James, lifted him from his sitting position, grabbed him by his clothes, and said, "Are you crazy to do this!"
"Correction! We're a duo of madmen!" James said while gently removing Xiao Ping's hand and said, "Don't worry... I directed it to the south where the strongest energy is!"
"Are you stu... no, but why did you direct it to the south where the strongest energy is? Don't you realize it might be a high-level royal knight?" asked Xiao Ping.
"Yes, I know that! But that was the same energy that appeared earlier, chasing a low-rated person fleeing in that direction! And not just that, you and I realize there are many people under this serial killer's command, but they're currently fighting with official power-bearers. Also, this could be good training for you!" James replied modestly.
"You know all this? And you still want to drag me to commit suicide with you? And what do you mean by good training for me!?" Xiao Ping replied with a tone of despair.
"Yes, and what I mean by your training is... engaging in a life-or-death battle with someone above your level!" A devilish smile appeared on James's face.
'Damn, this is madness! I can't even handle the effects of my ability at Level 1 yet! And he wants me to fight someone above my level? Wait! It's not like I haven't tried my first self-created technique on someone above my level! He's right, this is excellent training for me, even if it's insane. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.' Xiao Ping thought to himself and started to like the title "Mad Duo" that James had given them.
"What do you say? Mad duo!" James said while extending his hand towards Xiao Ping. The fierce winds in the sky violently moved his short hair and black coat.
"Mad duo!" Xiao Ping said while extending his hand and shook James's hand for the third time that day! His coat and his black hair with golden streaks were also violently moving with the fierce winds in the sky like James's. But his hat remained firmly in place.
...
In Dark Lantern Street, between the eastern and western districts of the city, the dividing line between the middle class and the commoners, in that darkness under the light of the crimson moon in the sky.
There was a person running and moving swiftly over the rooftops of the houses on that street, bleeding profusely from his left chest area, and his foot and right arm as well. He left droplets of blood on every rooftop he moved across.
He was holding something strange in his hand; it looked spiral-shaped, but there were some electrical sparks emanating from it. That person channeled some of his energy into it.
"Please, work!" that person spoke with a trembling voice to the device in his hand.
But when that energy entered the device, a strange redness appeared on it.. so that person quickly got rid of it and threw it backwards.
"Damn it!" that person cursed loudly.
Boom! The sound of the explosion echoed from behind him. The blast wind propelled him forward even faster, but he suffered damage to his back from it.
"This desperate attempt won't hurt me at all! So stop and play with me!" rang a voice devoid of humanity from behind him.
"Damn you!" Guther cursed loudly. The person chasing him had features shrouded in shadows.
"I'll make sure to cut out that tongue of yours!" said that person from behind him, and long vines with sharp, dangerous thorns appeared. Those vines shot swiftly from behind Guther and would have pierced his heart from the back if he hadn't quickly moved to the right.
Boom! An exaggerated explosion echoed when those vines struck a two-story house.
"Arghhh!" Guther groaned in pain, seeing that new trickle of blood spill onto the rooftops he was fleeing across. Even though he avoided the attack swiftly, he still suffered a severe injury that affected him, and this increased his fear more and more of that person.
"Where is the backup!" Guther shouted in despair as he continued running.
But that person continued attacking with that plant! In fact, he increased the number of vines and hurled them towards Guther's back. Each time Guther avoided one of those vines, he had to be cautious of the explosion it would cause.
"Why are these vines ridiculously strong? Then I have no choice but to use my two trump cards!" Guther spoke while turning around and closing his eyes. He stood on one of the house chimneys on the street and looked towards the crimson moon.
At that moment, his skin began to decompose and peel, revealing his body's veins and blood vessels and his red flesh that covered his bones; his internal organs became easily visible from the outside. Guther released violent groans of pain, but soon hard, black scales began to grow on his red skin, covering his veins and blood vessels, and a tail appeared behind him, violently striking the roof of that house, causing it to shake violently. A huge skull appeared on his small head, but it soon shrank to fit his body, and the scales extended from his feet to his head.
At that moment, that lizard-like creature raised its head towards the sky, opening its black eyes that reflected the crimson moonlight and turned them red.
The beast opened its mouth and released a strong, loud, terrifying roar, destroying all windows and street lamps within a 500-meter radius.
"What do we have here! A person from the Tamer Path! At Level 3, but he managed to transform into a Level 4 beast; this is an achievement you should be proud of before you die!" said that person, his features shrouded in darkness due to what the beast did to the street lamps, but there was some light from the crimson moon above, which reflected off the beast's scales, making them like twinkling stars in the night.
The beast didn't wait a moment; it disappeared and appeared above that person in the shadows.
"Too fast," said that person while sending a vine to strike the beast.
But when it hit its body, it didn't pierce it or explode; instead, it reflected back towards him, but he avoided it nimbly and disappeared into the shadows.
"And finally, someone who plays with me without fear!" That person moved nimbly between the shadows and appeared in front of the beast, delivering a punch with his hand.
Bang! The sound of his hand colliding with the beast's body echoed... and fierce winds erupted from the impact.
But the beast looked at him while exhaling hot breath from its nostrils towards the person who hit it, before aiming a blow with its large tail at him.
The person avoided the tail attack, and fierce winds blew behind him due to that attack, leaving gashes in the air.
"Ancient beast!" said that person while sending numerous vines towards the beast as he evaded its frenzied strikes.
But all his vines reflected back towards him, forcing him to dodge them. However, the consecutive explosions caused by those vines when they struck shops, houses, and the street were affecting that person's movements.
The beast roared while moving between explosions without even a scratch on its scales, appearing before that person and striking with its sharp, giant claws.
That person didn't dodge it; instead, he gathered energy in his foot and kicked those giant claws directed at him with all his might and without the slightest fear.
Bang! The sound of a powerful collision echoed; the wind moved violently in the opposite direction, sweeping away everything within a 100-meter radius.
That man was thrown back forcefully, but he dug his feet into the ground and kept dragging them until he finally stopped being propelled backward at high speed.
"This is fun! Good game!" that person said as his features became visible; he was a person with fiery red hair and strange purple eyes.
He removed his torn robe from the previous collision and threw it on one of the street lamps, looking at the beast that was emerging from the black smoke and fierce winds... shaking the ground with every step it took.
"Are you ready?!" that person said, looking at the beast, which was about 50 meters away from him, then appeared before it swiftly.
The beast roared and threw another punch, but that person avoided it and struck its jaw forcefully. Not content with that, he pressed his foot hard on the ground, then delivered numerous unexpected punches to the beast's body.
The beast showed no signs of feeling pain or stopping from looking at that person, who was delivering thousands of punches per second with bored expressions. The beast just charged its tail with some energy and swung it at that person.
"This is fun!" that person said madly after receiving that attack from the beast's tail, which launched him like a rocket, piercing through thirty houses on that street, showing no signs of stopping. So he extended his hands and grabbed onto a house forcefully, stopping himself.
Only a second had passed since he stopped, but the beast suddenly appeared before him and threw a punch with its claw!
Boom! A huge explosion sound echoed in the sky.
That person flew, tumbling violently in the air until he collided with the giant wall of the nobles' district, causing a tremendous explosion.
Many black figures appeared at that moment, different from the guards who had accompanied the princess earlier.
"How dare you attack the great walls of Luciana's nobles!" said the person at the forefront, flying in the air with many other flying people beside him. They were looking at the explosion site on the giant wall.
"It seems that's the source of the explosion!" one person spoke, directing his gaze towards the beast that was walking calmly among the buildings.
"An ancient beast!" said the person at the forefront and added, "That's Guther! One of the official power-bearers, and that's his ultimate transformation at his third level, allowing him to transform into a Level 4 ancient beast. Don't attack him; he's on our side! But who is that person fighting him, forcing him to use his ultimate transformation?" After finishing his words, all eyes turned towards the smoke rising from the wall.
"Kekekekeke! More, more! I want more! Let's fight until our blood runs dry!" that person laughed in a devilish manner... as he was extending his arm and emerging from that huge hole in the nobles' wall.
"You, stop right there!" shouted the young person at the forefront, speaking to the person emerging from the hole in the wall, and said, "You will face the death penalty for your unforgivable actions!"
...
End of Chapter~ To be continued