Unexpected Truth

  Blade had agreed to help them, and so he was already on his way to fulfill his task. Kis had already given him the location he needed to go to. “A city over” was what he had said, yet what he saw when he got there was not what he expected.

  ?The city had been just a couple of minutes away, hours for a normal person, yet it hadn’t taken long for him at least. And unlike the one Rugo came from, this was much more modern, but more importantly, far more luxurious.

  ?It was a much more flourishing village, with the people looking far happier and much more lively. It wasn’t on the level of Central City, but compared to Rugo’s village, it was far better.

  ?Walking through the gates with his hood back on, he was greeted by the guards standing by. Was this what wealth got you? Happier citizens, happier civilians, a better overall life?

  ?It really didn’t make sense to him. How money could make such a difference. But he also wouldn’t truly know. He never experienced poverty himself. He was taken in by the ones who found him, and then Ryuma took him in. Neither Ryuma nor he had ever really known what to do with a lot of money even if they had it. That being why Blade had always been given such a lot of spending money or gifts. Partially because Ryuma was unsure how much Blade needed, but also because he wanted to get rid of some of the money he himself held.

  ?Walking around, he took in the different houses and scenes as he quickly found himself in front of the biggest building in the area.

  ?A giant, corporeal-looking building with windows covering it fully. When he saw people walking in and out of the building, he simply followed them as he walked inside.

  ?Inside, it was even grander than on the outside, and Blade felt he would get lost if he was left inside. He didn’t really know how to explain the inside. A mix between hospital ease and a feeling of unease.

  ?He ended up in front of the counter as he looked at the woman who greeted him. She was wearing a simple white dress with black lace, yet the most defining trait of her outfit was the slave collar around her neck. She didn’t seem to mind his gaze, or maybe she simply didn’t notice as she asked.

  ?“What could I do for you, sir? Would you like an appointment with one of our workers, or maybe make a deal with our master?”

  ?He thought over how he would go about this before taking a piece of paper and writing something on it. Afterwards, handing it over, saying.

  ?“If you could simply give this to Kis, it would be much appreciated.”

  ?The woman seemed fine with his request until he said Kis, with the word suddenly making her go still. Tensing up nervously, she looked around before leaning forward slightly and saying.

  ?“Are you sure you need... him? Any of our other workers can do just as well.”

  ?Noticing this, he believed it scared her as he shook his head.

  ?“I will unfortunately be needing Kis.”

  ?The woman stayed tense for another moment before relenting. Giving Blade a nod before leaving to deliver the notice. When she left, Blade did the same, but he went to an empty alleyway on the outskirts of the village, as he had mentioned in the note. In fact, everything he wrote was as follows.

  ?“Meet me at the alley at the outskirts of the city. I want to talk to you about Rugo.”

  ?If his belief was correct, then Kis would definitely jump at the chance of any information related to Rugo and Scarlet, and as he looked up, his suspicions were proven correct.

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  ?“I get a note of information, and what I find is you standing here. I can take it, I'm not getting any info.”

  ?“Correct. You are getting death, though,”

  Blade said, summoning Severance as he pointed her at him.

  ?“So I see. Guess I misjudged you. I thought you were someone like me. Guess you were nothing but a hired killer.”

  ?Conjuring a metallic wizard staff, Blade noted how it was made by multiple different segments. Getting in a stance, he rushed at Blade, who quickly sidestepped. Jumping back, Blade sent multiple slashes towards Kis, only for them to cut completely through Kis' weapon.

  ?That was when Blade figured out the reason the staff had multiple segments, as Kis made them reconnect. Despite this, the face he showed wasn’t one of calm, but of surprise at Blade’s strength.

  ?“Why is someone of your strength working for such a man?”

  ?“Well, unlike you, I don’t like scum,”

  Blade said, rushing at him as he tried to cut Kis.

  ?Dodging the first strike and evading the second, the third took Kis by surprise as Blade hooked his sword with Kis’ staff before kicking him away, now with his staff in his hand.

  ?“You won’t be needing this anymore,” Blade said before tossing the staff aside.

  ?“I truly underestimated you. I do still lament your not working for me, or anyone else for that matter,”

  Kis said, before throwing up his hands, creating a fireball before throwing it at Blade, who quickly dodged before running at Kis.

  ?Jumping over the fire, he cut off Kis' arm before landing and trying to cut off his neck, only to be dodged. Blade was never one to prolong someone’s suffering, but he wasn’t someone who wasted energy on what wasn’t necessary either. Creating a dagger as he threw it into Kis’s thigh and kicked him in the face.

  ?Trying to cut off his head again, he was kicked into the air, before fireballs spawned around him, trying to burn him to a crisp. Blade cut through the fire before he noticed that Kis had been leading him closer to the center of the city, using the fire to distract him.

  ?Landing on the ground, he stopped holding back as he ran towards him. When Kis launched fire towards him, Blade used it.

  ?“Heavenly Reversal

  ?Timing it correctly to when the fire hit him, he swung around himself in a circular motion, using it to gain momentum and gained distance on the dodging Kis, who tried using the fire to slow him down.

  ?Yet Blade wasn’t relying totally on Heavenly Reversal. Though it was the basis, he had taken more inspiration from Indra’s fight style, though if it could even be called a style was up for debate.

  ?Indra relied on instinct when he fought, effectively adapting and acting on his actions. Iris, meanwhile, used logic in her fights, relying more on her brain. Blade relied more on his reflexes, using a combination of his brain and instincts to fight. By emulating the way Indra fought, combined with Heavenly Reversal, he could get a similar result to how Indra fought. If he could train on it a bit more, he could probably emulate Iris and Raiden too.

  ?As the flames burst, his blade met Kis’ neck as he cut through. The fire followed his movement and circled around him.

  ?As his head dropped, Blade looked at the burns that followed his severed neck, and so did the bystanders standing by, as they looked on in horror.

  ?Blade had expected a shocked reaction of negativity. Yet the sheer horror and wave the death of Kis caused was beyond what even he understood.

  ?Negativity came spewing towards him in waves.

  ?“You Monster! Do you enjoy killing the innocent!?”

  ?“Why did you?... What did he do? Why Kis!?”

  ?“Another one of our men down the drain.”

  ?Suddenly the woman Blade had met in the reception pressed through the crowd. Yet the look on her face wasn’t of someone who had been redeemed or freed, but of someone who had been doomed for eternity.

  ?In her hands, she clutched the note he had asked her to deliver to Kis, and it was what made Blade truly understand how wrong he had been. Her words weren’t loud like the vocal ones, nor of despair like the grieving ones. They were simple, yet the most impactful.

  ?“Why?”

  ?The single word made Blade suddenly turn and run away before he even knew it. Had he done wrong? Was Kis not the evildoer? Where had he been wrong? How had he done wrong?

  ?As the thoughts flew inside his head, duplicating over and over again, trying to press themselves in front, Blade simply needed to know what was going on. Was the only thing he wanted.

  ?When he reached back to the village, he stopped in front of Rugo’s house, yet as he planned to open the door, the sounds coming from inside made him freeze. What were those noises? Shrieks of fear? Yells of pain... or?

  ?Pushing through everything that felt wrong, he opened the door, yet felt his knees give out under him at the scene in front of him.

  ?There on the ground lay Rugo and Scarlet, in what could only be called a twisted dance of intimacy.

  ?Blade was falling. Deeper, without escape. Nothing was making sense anymore, he simply felt... lost.

  ?Gripping the door frame tighter, it didn’t help steady him. He was far too confused. Was he supposed to stop this? Ignore it? Let it happen? Would he be protecting anyone? Has he truly ever protected anyone?