Chapter 170: Godless Second Form
Alen looked forward as the other guards started to near him to surround him.
"Wait, the device was just malfunctioning earlier. Is it possible that the detection failed and gave the wrong result?"
Alen suggested this to the guard who was holding the device. The man glared at him actively as he walked closer.
"There is no way the device can malfunction! Harold, give me the second device!"
The second guard appeared—the exact same one Alen had previously argued with before joining the line. He quickly handed over the second scanning device and gave a sharp look at Alen. Meanwhile, every other guard had already formed a tight circle around him, ready to sabotage any escape attempt.
The lead guard immediately walked toward him again and scanned his retina once more. The result appeared on the screen in red color. Everyone found out that the young guy standing in front of them was an imposter.
Suddenly, the guards summoned a pair of cuffs and roughly grabbed one of his hands to arrest him.
Alen felt the rough pull. He was already at his limit. His mind had already gone blank, as he felt like there was no other method to escape this place without doing a bad thing. Before the guards could grab his other hand to fully arrest him, he made his move.
With a swift movement, he headbutted the guard with all the strength he could muster.
*CRASH!*
He stood there calmly as he pulled his head back. He remained unaffected by the impact. His physique was far superior to the guard who was trying to seize him. As the man fell to his knees immediately, he looked up at Alen blankly as blood started to leak heavily from his nose.
The guard checked with his hand and felt the warm fluid dropping, not just from his nose but also from his bruised forehead.
"AHHHHHH!!"
"GUARDS, SEIZE HIM!"
Without waiting for the other guards to catch him, Alen moved. With a swift, blurry motion, he already disappeared from the spot. He knew it was no use sitting around explaining things to them and opening up his secrets. Escaping was the only viable option which might help him survive today.
But more guards started to come block his way.
"HALT YOUR STEPS, IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!"
Alen ignored their shouting words. It was not like they would spare him from torture after arresting him, especially after headbutting one of their own men.
Alen channeled his mana to punch the blocking guard, but his mana spread chaotically around his body and disappeared. The punch hit the guard without any use of mana, launching the man back several meters away purely through physical force.
Alen frowned as he kept running. He didn’t know why he wasn’t able to use his mana properly, but he immediately realized the reason as he noticed the black cuff hanging around his wrist.
He immediately tried to break it into pieces. But the metal was far too sturdy to break without strengthening his muscles with mana first.
’Damn, it seems it is a high-grade artifact. Probably elite grade to master grade. It won’t be broken easily...’
Since he had no other option, he started to run fast utilizing his pure physical capabilities.
His raw speed was still far superior to the guys in the same rank as him. The guards ran after him, thoroughly enraged after watching him trying to run away from them.
"Threat Level: Red! Capture him immediately! He must be some dangerous criminal if he can just hurt our guys without even using mana!"
They started to dive behind him, chasing him like madmen. On his way through the streets, Alen faced more of the guards who were using specific artifacts to teleport or appear in front of him. But before they could channel their spells, he was already upon them. A swift double-kick launched them backward, throwing them onto the hard road.
Alen kept more semblance of control than them. He did not throw them at the civilian houses or buildings, as he didn’t want any of the public to get hurt because of his escape. But it seemed the guards, who should be the ones to care about that, were ignoring the public disturbance they were creating. Different kinds of spells fired toward him, attempting to blast him out of the sky.
Alen dodged the incoming blasts himself, shifting his weight just in time. As the chase continued and time passed, he felt bored and annoyed by their constant following.
...
Current moment:
Surrounded by dozens of Walkers around him, Alen cast his gaze at everyone. Many were using different artifacts to fly in the sky, while he was the only one standing on the top of a tall building, surrounded by them on all sides.
’Sigh, that is unfair... I should also get to fly around the place...’
[Hmm, who are you saying is unfair? You are the one who is beating them without even using mana, and now you are saying it is unfair for them to fly around?]
’Tchh! Keep quiet, little kids shouldn’t speak in adults’ quarrels.’
[Hey! Who are you to call me a kid? I am an adult, even more than millions of years old! You are the kid!]
’So behave like it, you little shit, and come out immediately. I can’t handle this many by myself.’
[Hehe... Then beg me. I might consider it.]
’You little shit, it seems you have grown quite a spine, ignoring my orders. Come out quickly, before I force you to...’
Without waiting for her smug answer, Alen acted. Suddenly, the Crimson Essence expanded around his body. It flooded around his limbs, and the suppressing effect of the anti-magic cuff was negated. With a light, forceful press, the cuff shattered into several pieces.
Alen didn’t want to show off this power to anyone, but now after facing several flying Walkers, he couldn’t just stand still.
The Crimson Essence danced around his body excitingly. The red sparks swirling around him crushed the edges of the lower building, as large cracks spread out under his shoes. He stood there as all of the guards flying around him felt a cold shiver run down their spines. They felt a sudden, suffocating danger emitting from the boy in front of them.
"Everyone, be careful around him! Don’t underestimate the criminal!"
Alen stood there while raising his hand to grab the empty air. The Crimson energy started to shape into a solid weapon. It took the form of a jet-black spear with a crimson glowing core, covered in sharp, jagged edges that gave it a dark and menacing appearance.
Everybody’s eyes went straight to the weapon in his hand. They felt the crushing, heavy weight of the weapon’s aura, and they all felt like their senses had forcefully decreased drastically.
"WHAT IS THAT WEAPON? WHERE DID HE BRING THAT FROM? IS IT HIS SOUL WEAPON?"
"I don’t know, but do not let him intimidate you! It might be some kind of artifact, and we have outnumbered him!"
Alen looked at them while he felt the effect of Godless appearing in his hand. But it was a complete contrast to the guards’ experience. He felt like all of his overall senses had been enhanced to ten times their original capacity. He could now sense everyone’s presence around him, even the civilians hiding far away from him. The breeze of air felt louder, his hearing had deepened, and he could smell the distant canopies of the trees lining the street.
He fully understood the phenomenon of what exactly happened. With every form he unlocked, he got some sealed abilities of the weapon unlocked as well.
It was exactly like how he got a massive boost in his physical strength when he had only been on the First Form.
With his enhanced senses, he looked around at the enemies surrounding him. All of the nervousness vanished from the back of his mind, as he felt like everything was in complete control.
A slow, twisted grin formed on his face. His eyes blankened with a new intensity which defied all of his earlier calm fighting style.
"Let’s start!"
...
26 September, Year 2502. The Human Empire. Vekran City, Western region.
Location: Veridius Mansion.
On the top floor of the luxurious mansion, a black-haired woman was seated in the head chair while working on the tall piles of paper placed in front of her. These documents had always been hers to take care of.
Her face showed tiredness, not from the stress of the work, but from the massive responsibilities of handling everything. She pulled herself back into the chair.
Just as silence maintained the large office, a knock on the door drew her attention.
"Come in..."
The door opened, and a maid appeared with graceful steps. She bowed slightly, showing utmost respect after seeing the lady.
"Sorry for the disturbance, My Lady. It is time for your afternoon tea..."
Sylvia nodded. She stood up from the office chair and walked toward the couch, sitting there and crossing her legs.
The maid moved with practiced ease, having years of experience serving as the personal maid of Sylvia in the mansion. She served the hot cup of tea, placed it gently on the table in front of her, pulled back, and stood there waiting.
Sylvia picked up the cup and drank the tea quietly. As silence maintained around the quiet room, it felt genuinely peaceful.
"My Lady, if it is not rude, can I ask you something?"
Sylvia took another sip of her tea and nodded without turning her head. The maid, who was used to her stoic attitude, didn’t feel anything as she questioned.
"Why are you forcing them to marry each other, when they clearly don’t like each other? Why did you lie about the promise?..."
Sylvia sat silently without answering as she continued to drink the tea. She waited until the last sip of the tea emptied the cup. She put it down while shifting her face toward her maid. She didn’t look offended by the probing words, which might have annoyed or enraged her if any other person had asked.
"It is because it is the best outcome for them. I know they don’t like each other. I do not expect them to accept this arrangement with a happy face. I have my own reasons for doing that..."
The maid held a blank face as she nodded and pursed her lips. She didn’t dare to ask what the specific reason was, as she knew if the lady wanted to reveal it, she would have already done so.
Sylvia’s gaze flicked toward the empty cup of tea. She stayed silent for a long time.
"It is for saving her life..."
The quiet whisper slipped from her lips unconsciously as she pursed her lips.
"Serve me another cup."
The maid bowed as she took the elegant pot and poured another cup of tea for her.
As Sylvia picked the cup of tea up and was just about to drink, her movement halted. She turned around to look out of the large window with a blank expression.
"What is happening there?..."
The maid stood there while gazing out the window too.
"There was an inspection from the Association going on near the dimensional gate. It seems some brave criminal is trying to run away..."
Sylvia looked out the window silently. Her eyes pierced through the vast distance, already able to reach his figure even though he was kilometers away from her.
"Go and bring him in front of me..."
The maid blinked at her sudden, strange order. She immediately bowed and answered firmly.
"Of course, My Lady. Just wait a few minutes."
Before Sylvia could answer, the maid’s figure had already vanished from the room like a passing breeze.
Sylvia sat there staring at the distant city. She sensed some of the ’laws’ of the world getting suppressed around the area. It seems some bizarre person had appeared in their city.
"Interesting..."
She sipped the tea while taking her gaze off the window. She leaned back on the couch and relaxed herself, while on the other hand, some other person was waiting for more troubles to fall on him.