Belch Area, 13th Street
A procession of luxurious carriages halted in the very middle of the street. Each was drawn by massive red-feathered ostriches. One of the fastest carriage-drawn wild birds; compared to horses, they ran nearly double the speed. Their size was no smaller than any ordinary horse.
Other carriages that wanted to cross stood frozen at either end of the street. A few took other routes to reach their destinations. However, those who had no other way but needed to cross the street did not shout or make any comment. They simply stood where they were.
These were the carriages of the Bernardi House.
A few people crossing the street on foot looked at the scene in surprise. These carriages had stopped in front of the Ressel Forging House. Moreover, these elite people were visiting a third-rate forging house. With a single look, they could tell these people were not here to do business or buy equipment. Quickly, the news of the strange visit spread around the nearby area as people began to gather along the edge of the street.
Among the gathered crowd at the corner of the street stood Jasper.
After those bastards had literally thrown him out of the mansion, he took a carriage and came to visit the Ressel Forging House. He wanted to ask some questions about the White Crystal and about the promise Mr. Erminio made when he said, "You did nothing wrong, kid." However, before he could reach the forging house, the Bernardi House carriages arrived before him.
Looking at the current situation, Jasper no longer believed the White Crystals were a small matter. He had become involved in a big issue without even realizing it.
What should I do now? Should I leave the town? Jasper wondered.
Boom!
Before he could decide what to do next, a deafening noise came from the forging house. The wall of the building crumbled away, and between bricks and debris a person flew out and eventually crashed into one of the luxurious carriages, causing it to collapse to the other side. The impact sent the carriage flying to the opposite side of the street.
Amid the debris, the person who caused the damage stood upright and brushed his clothes as if nothing had happened.
Jasper, who stood at the corner of the gathered crowd, could not see the person's face clearly, so he moved to the side to see who it was.
"Did those guys kill Mr. Erminio just because he bought some White Crystals?" Jasper muttered while trying to recognize the face.
However, when he looked through a gap and saw the face of the person walking away from the ruined carriage, his expression darkened.
It was not Mr. Erminio.
It was the old man he had met a moment before.
Nerio Bernardi.
Before he could understand what was happening inside the Ressel Forging House, the roof burst apart as fragments flew everywhere and another figure shot out of it. As the figure flew through the air, numerous thread-like ropes shot back to attack someone inside the building.
Jasper recognized this person as well.
Jacques Bernardi, the one who had threatened to hang him in public.
The Ressel Forging House building crumbled almost completely as several more figures flew in different directions. Only then did Jasper notice a single figure standing in the center of the hall. Upright, and in his hand he held something.
Jasper looked carefully and noticed it was a sword.
His face twisted with rage.
Mr. Erminio.
Erminio soon walked toward Nerio, who was also walking toward him. His face held no less rage than Erminio's.
Nerio quickly drew the sword from his hip and swung a vertical arc, intending to cleave Mr. Erminio in two.
However, Erminio did not slow down his advance. He swiftly raised his sword to block Nerio's strike and lifted his right leg, delivering a powerful kick to Nerio's midsection.
The force of the kick sent Nerio crashing once again into the ruined carriage across the street.
Before Mr. Erminio could take a breath, his body was bound by black ropes. They coiled around his body, preventing him from moving.
Seeing the opportunity to strike, others rushed from different directions and quickly closed in with the intent to kill. Within a second, a middle-aged man wielding a spear thrust toward Erminio's side, aiming to puncture his lungs.
Crumble!
Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, the ropes controlled by Jacques were cut into pieces. With a flick of his sword, Erminio sliced the spear in half. The man wielding the spear widened his eyes as his right arm was severed from the elbow.
A moment later he screamed while clutching the stump of his arm.
Enraged by these events, Nerio swung his sword frantically. Erminio stepped back as he deflected every attack aimed at piercing his body.
Amid the raging attack, Jacques prepared to strike again. However, every time he sent his rope threads to bind Erminio, the threads were cut apart instantly.
Jacques could not believe his eyes.
How could a mere blacksmith fight toe to toe with his father, an awakened Level 200 Grade Five swordsman?
The arrogance he carried when he arrived here to teach a lesson to a third-rate blacksmith drained completely from his face.
He had to do something.
He would not allow a mere blacksmith to humiliate the great Bernardi House. If that happened, their family would never be able to hold their heads high again.
He gritted his teeth until they nearly snapped and charged wildly toward the blacksmith who was parrying his father's sword strikes.
When he was close enough, he extended his hand. Black rope threads shot forward like seething snakes, trying to bite down on the enemy.
However, in the next moment every snake-like rope was cut into small pieces.
Jacques screamed at the top of his lungs when his attacks failed to reach the enemy.
In blind rage he charged forward without any strategy, no longer using the ropes.
When Nerio noticed his son charging blindly, his face turned grim. He quickly moved to stand in front of him, protecting him from the vicious sword strike.
"Fall back now," Nerio ordered as he stood before him.
Hearing his father's command, Jacques' eyes turned red.
How could this be happening?
The great Nerio Bernardi, a Grade Five swordsman and guild master of the Sky Victories Guild, could not land a single strike. If this news spread, their family's reputation would be dragged through the mud.
But he could do nothing for now.
He would only become useless in this fight. It was better to retreat and leave the battle to his father.
Thinking this, Jacques quickly retreated far away from his father.
Similarly, the other members of the Bernardi family withdrew as well, leaving only two people standing in the ruined forging house, their swords clashing ferociously.