Chapter 13: The Arrival Of The "Empire" (2)
With each step he took, it felt oddly heavier each time, like he was stepping on a tightrope where there was nothing below him.
'How didn't I notice this before?'
Maybe it's due to him being a Master-rank in attainment, but he felt it was hard to breathe when under exposure to Astella's aura.
There isn't much gap from an Apprentice to a Master, and yet the gap between Master and Pioneer is enormous, to the point where it seems impossible for a Master to defeat a Pioneer.
Jessie told him that's just how it is for the difference in attainment.
The reason for this difference is due to the hidden ability that was unlocked when you increased in attainment.
A Pioneer can draw out hidden human energy, allowing them to have skills far surpassing any mundane martial artist; their limbs become sharper and more dangerous than sword and arrow, and their skin, flesh, and bone more durable than even steel, all without counting their abilities!
In the Empire, there are thousands, if not ten thousand, who are Spirit Bearers, but there are only less than a hundred who are Pioneers.
Such a powerful being is what they have to face right now.
'Calm down, there's a chance he might be able to sense my fear.'
At this point, Liam has treated Astella not as a human but as a monstrosity far stronger and more illogical than anything he had encountered.
Arriving at the center of the village, he found that it's actually quite crowded here, despite this being a...
'Right, I never really have the chance to experience this part.'
Usually, after the ceremony, people would just return to their ordinary lives since there isn't any new Spirit Bearer.
But now, there are not one but three Spirit Bearers who emerged from the village, so the Rite Of Woth will be initiated.
After struggling to climb up onto the roof of a hut, much to the owner of that hut's displeasure, he managed to see six people standing in the center of it all.
Three people were chosen this year. Dorian, Lilina and Thomas
Both Dorian and Thomas look nervous since the people here are much more so than they had anticipated and Lilina is still aloof as usual.
But Liam's attention was drawn toward the culprit of all his worry.
'Astella Terra, the chieftain!'
But Liam wasn't just wary about Astella but also the two masked men who stood next to him.
Both of them wore sophisticated clothing with a long coat and a white vest underneath and black trousers.
They also wore those gloves and pants only used in farming, but unlike ours, which were rugged and muddy, these were white and gave off an elegant and comfortable feeling.
Who would have thought that these two would join hands with Astella to massacre everyone here!
At first glance, they looked like people who would come from a powerful empire, but the truth is that it was just a facade.
A person from the Empire wouldn't bother themselves with fancy suits like those in the secluded village, but they would dress simply like Jessie.
They are from the fanatic cult that Jessie has talked about, The Executioner.
'I too would have been a fool if Jessie hadn't told him.'
Even until now, Liam wondered why he had fully trusted Jessie's words instead of doubting her and trusting the chieftain, whom he had seen for years, not harming the village's benefits or life even once!
…Maybe it's because his mind and body believed that a person like Jessie couldn't lie?
'That's absurd! How could a person not be capable of lying?'
But seeing Jessie's uncanny behavior and ability to suppress her expression, he found that such a thing could be true!
'Besides, she looked quite pitiful. Maybe it's because of my heroic nature, hehehe… I should focus on the mission.
This is a bad habit of his to cope with his stress; he tries to make himself laugh in order to ease his mind and calm down.
But now, it seems this bad habit has made him lose focus on the mission at hand.
'Concentrated, Liam treated this as a life-and-death situation.'
Because it literally is a life-and-death situation.
He then studied the two masked people behind Astella and found that, despite it being hard to see, they both wore the same mask as Astella, a black mask resembling a boar, but unlike Astella's realistic mask, these two seemed to be carved out of wood.
'Are those masks related to Spirit Of Four Tusk'
As he concentrated on the one to the left of Astella, a blue system screen popped up.
*****
| The Path Of Spirit Bearer |
[Stat]
Title: Eye Of Steel
Age: 22
HP: 100%
Status: Alive
Rank: Master
[Spirits] (3/7)
Spirit Of Richocheting Bullet (Lesser Spirit) (Unification Completed)
Spirit Of Bullet (Avatar Spirit) (Unification Half-Completed)
Spirit Of Rain (True Spirit) (Unification Started)
[Ability]
Ricochet: Your projectile, when struck, could ricochet in a direction under your will.
Piercing Shot: Enhance the power and speed of the next bullet by ten times
Lethal Rain: Summon raindrops around you that can pierce through any metal.
*****
This is the status of the thin one among the two, and as it turns out, he used guns!
Liam has heard about the power of a gun through stories that say that when shot, its sound is louder than a lion's roar and its power is strong enough to pierce through any beast's hide…
'Maybe the story is a bit exaggerated but I shouldn't underestimate the power of a gun.'
But when he looked at the screen of the large person in Astella on the right, he squinted his eyes to see if he was not concentrating enough.
The man on the right isn't a Spirit Bearer?
"Now let the Rite Of Worth commence!"
Liam jumped up in fright due to the sudden shout from Astella.
It seems that the rite has begun—
Under Liam's and every villager's eyes, the strange man standing to the left of Astella pulled something out of his waist and raised it toward Thomas.
It was an L-shaped object that seemed to be made out of wood and iron crafted together; this was something Liam had seen before in a historical book.
'A flintlock pistol?'
Before anyone could react, the man pressed his thumb on the thing stick at the end of the barrel, creating a clicking sound.
And then he pulled the trigger of the pistol using his index finger while aiming at Thomas.
"W-Wait!"
Bang—!