CHAPTER 20: AN UNEXPECTED EVENT
The voice on the phone gave its order, cold and harsh.
"Then bring him to the base immediately. We're in a hurry."
Raimen answered calmly.
"Understood. I'm on my way."
The sun was about to set. Evening was almost falling. Master Woli and his team were racing back to the capital at full speed.
Kaito pulled his horse closer.
"Master, what are you going to talk to Chief Erwin about?"
Woli's answer was short and sharp.
"You'll see when we get to the capital, brat. Now we need to hurry. Evening is coming. We could be attacked by Djinn at any moment."
Ren agreed. His blue eyes gleamed in the darkness.
"Master Woli is right. We need to speed up. We just got out of a fight."
Rin whipped her horse.
"If a large group of Djinn shows up, they could cause us serious trouble. I'm in favor of speeding up too."
The team picked up the pace. After a while, the sun disappeared. Darkness fell.
In the small Aurelia Kingdom city of York, something huge had happened.
YORK CITY – EVENING HOURS
Commander Garm was barking orders at his soldiers.
"Soldiers, find any citizens who haven't made it home yet and escort them there. Maintain guard everywhere. Djinn attacks have been increasing lately."
A tall man wearing a ronin hat spoke in a very relaxed tone. This was Master Andre.
"Hey, Commander Garm, calm down. Djinn have never been known to attack cities. There's no need for this much discipline."
Garm nodded.
"Chief Erwin's orders are clear, Master Andre."
Andre waved his hand dismissively.
"Ah, I see. That old geezer is sending useless orders again. He's far too cautious."
"You're right, but orders are orders. Being disciplined doesn't hurt, after all, does it?"
At that moment, in a split second, the head of a soldier standing guard right in front of Master Andre and Commander Garm was severed.
Garm's eyes widened.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING? WHAT IS THIS?"
Suddenly, a family of several people trying to make their way home on the street began being slaughtered by something invisible.
Andre's eyes narrowed.
"Th-this is a Djinn?"
Garm stepped back. "A Djinn? But I can't see it?"
"You don't have Ren, Commander. No one without Ren can see Djinn. Tell the soldiers immediately to get inside their homes. Everyone needs to get inside, now!"
Just then, several more soldiers were torn apart by a Djinn.
Andre stepped forward.
"Hey, Djinn! Come here! Fight someone on your own level!"
At that moment, the Djinn attacked Commander Garm. Just as it was about to sever his head – Andre appeared right in front of him.
BAM!
A massive energy explosion erupted. The force of the blast sent Garm flying back several meters.
Andre asked without turning around.
"Hey Commander, are you alright?"
Garm slowly got to his feet.
"I-I'm fine."
He turned to the soldiers behind him.
"All soldiers and citizens, get inside your homes immediately! Leave this to him!"
Andre studied the Djinn.
"This is incredible! Djinn have never been known to attack a city before. How is this possible?"
Just then, the Djinn's form became visible. It had taken human form. It had red eyes and yellow hair. It was about one hundred and seventy-five centimeters tall.
Andre's eyes narrowed.
"So you can take human form? That means you're either close to high-level or you are a high-level Djinn."
The Djinn spoke for the first time.
"You're clever, human. Let's see if you're as strong as you are clever."
It grinned.
"Come on, show Bumb all your power."
There was mockery in Andre's voice.
"So your name is Bumb? What a shitty name. Fine then, let's begin."
CAPITAL FLORIS – HUNTER'S PALACE
The news had already reached the capital.
A messenger ran into the palace, covered in sweat and blood, heading straight for the Hunter Chief's chamber. The hunters who saw him in the corridors knew something was wrong.
One hunter couldn't help but ask.
"Hey, where are you going? What's the hurry? Did something important happen?"
The messenger answered breathlessly.
"Not now! I have to deliver this news to Chief Erwin immediately!"
He pushed past and kept running.
Finally, he reached the Hunter Chief's chamber. He knocked. A gentle voice came from inside.
"Come in."
When the messenger entered, his breath caught in his throat.
The room was so tense it barely allowed breathing. The council members sat in their designated chairs. Behind them, in his luxurious chair, sat Chief Erwin.
He gave the messenger a single command.
"Speak."
The messenger swallowed hard.
"Ch-chief… a major incident has occurred in York City."
"Continue."
"A Djinn attacked the city. Master Andre is currently fighting it."
Hearing this, the council members immediately straightened up in their seats.
Malrik spoke.
"That's impossible! No Djinn has ever attacked a city before."
Erwin was silent. He leaned his staff against the table. He placed his arms on the ultra-luxurious table in front of him and rested his forehead on them. He was in deep thought.
Throne spoke.
"What are you thinking about, Erwin? Aren't you going to order any hunters to go there?"
Malrik nodded.
"Throne is right, Erwin. You need to give an order immediately."
Erwin raised his head.
His gaze was almost enough to extinguish the candles in the room.
Everyone who saw his face fell silent immediately.
Erwin spoke slowly.
"Nothing."
Malrik's eyes widened. "N-nothing?"
"Andre is strong. He prefers one-on-one fights. There's no need to upset him."
Throne's voice rose.
"Are you joking, Erwin? A Djinn has attacked a city and you're saying 'do nothing'? What if Andre loses?"
Erwin's eyes narrowed. His voice was calm.
"Then I will intervene personally."
The room fell ice cold.
YORK CITY – THE BATTLE
Andre attacked. The Djinn took a defensive position.
"LIGHT SWORD!"
Andre raised his hands slightly. Suddenly, a bright yellow light sword materialized in his hand. He attacked with all his strength.
There was surprise in Bumb's voice.
"Light powers, huh? Impressive!"
"BLACK EARTH!"
He slammed his palms hard against the ground. Suddenly, a massive, pitch-black chunk of earth rose from the ground.
Andre executed his slashing attack at that moment. But the black earth in front of him wouldn't let him through.
Bumb raised his right hand and pointed it at Andre. The massive black earth chunk began moving rapidly toward Andre.
Andre's eyes narrowed.
"So you can control this black earth at will, huh? This will be interesting."
He raised his right hand. He brought all his fingers together. He brought his arm to a horizontal position. His hand suddenly glowed bright yellow.
Just as the black earth was about to pierce through him, Andre countered. He swung his arm as if making a slashing attack.
SWISH.
Andre's hand had completely sliced through the black earth.
Bumb's eyes widened slightly.
"Excellent! I haven't fought someone on your level in a long time. I can't read your Ren. That means we're equals."
Andre's gaze hardened.
"No… I am stronger."
Meanwhile, Master Woli and the others were still on the road.
Woli spurred his horse.
"Come on, faster! York City is ahead of us. Let's stop there first. Then we'll head to the capital."
Rin calculated.
"Master, it's at least an hour and a half from here."
"Then speed up. Let's get there quickly."
The battle intensified.
There was now a challenge in Bumb's voice.
"So you're stronger? Then prove it. Come on, counter this!"
"BLACK EARTH MANIPULATION!"
Bumb raised his hands. Immediately, all the earth in the vicinity began converging toward his hands. But something was different. The earth gathering in his hands was taking on a black form. And the black earth grew as if it were limitless.
Andre's eyes scanned the area anxiously.
"I-if this continues, this city will be destroyed."
He turned his head.
At the windows, everyone, including the soldiers, was watching the battle. There was fear on the children's faces. There was worry on the mothers' faces.
Andre thought to himself: "The people of this city trust me. I cannot betray that trust."
He raised his hands to chest level.
Yellow energy was practically erupting from his blond hair.
His blue eyes turned yellow.
He shouted with all his strength.
"AAAAAA!"
"SUN SPHERE!"
In Andre's hands, a massive, sphere of dazzling yellow energy began to form. The sphere's temperature was almost the same as the surface of the sun.
Bumb had also prepared his attack. Black earth flowed limitlessly in his hands. He shaped it into a massive sphere made of black earth.
Bumb's eyes gleamed in the darkness.
"Let's see whose is stronger. First you, then I will brutally slaughter everyone in this city."
He threw his sphere.
At the same moment, Andre threw his sphere.
The two massive spheres met in the very center of the city.
On one side, Sunlight. On the other, pure Darkness.
BOOMM!
A massive explosion erupted. Some houses were completely destroyed.
In the same second, the explosion ended.
And everyone's mouths hung open.
Because the outcome was not what it seemed.
TO BE CONTINUED...