Rumble!
The lightning and thunder became grave as the wind whistled through the house. Then there was a heavy downpour of rain, pattering against the roof like large hailstones which seemed to tear through the roof and soak the individuals inside.
Walter wiped his mouth and clenched his fists, keeping a fighting stance. His eyes were narrowed, looking intently at the man—he didn't dare lose his guard.
Whoosh!
There was a gust of wind as the man rushed towards him, clenching his katanas tightly. With each step he took, he seemed to be moving in the air.
Swoosh!
The blades cut through the air like blades of fans, spinning towards Walter who wondered how someone could wield a katana like that. He didn't even know the swordsmanship as he only mastered a few martial arts—a few deadly ones.
Walter's back curved backwards, his feet flying off the ground. They moved so gracefully, dancing towards the pair of katanas.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The slashing became intent, the katanas filled with power and might. It was obvious the man didn't one to give Walter a breathing space anymore.
With each slash, several blade marks appeared on Walter's sneakers. The katanas even slashed at his feet which were concealed within the sneakers, though they didn't deal any great damage—just a few cuts could be seen around Walter's feet. It was obvious the force had been reduced by the sneakers as well as Walter's powerful kicks.
Walter had to stop the kicking and moved backwards. But the man wouldn't relent. He kept on attack Walter, not giving him a chance to attack. Walter could only dodge the numerous blade attacks which came his way while taking some of the attacks with his hands which were as hard as iron.
Slash!
The man continued attacking, forcing Walter against the wall. The latter who had been focused on dodging became mildly alarmed when his back touched the hard, cold wall and saw the man nearing him with each blade moves.
With each step the man took, Walter could feel the atmosphere becoming colder and colder. It was as if he was in an ice cellar in the North Pole. The martial arts which the man was displaying was enough to plunge anyone into the dungeon of perplexity and awe. It was as if the man had the help of supernatural forces while fighting!
Swoosh!
The man raised his right hand up while his left hand thrust towards Walter. His feet carried him effortlessly, sliding him towards Walter with a gust of wind. It was even as if he was the wind itself!
Slash!
He brought the right hand which was suspended in the air down, slashing at Walter's head. The attack came with coldness and pressure which was enough to cause an opponent to be frozen on spot. It was a martial arts he had mastered. It was called the Frozen Sword of Karma, a martial arts which affected the body, soul and spirit. It was capable of robbing the thought of the opponent, subjecting him or her to a state similar to paralysis.
That very moment when the katanas neared Walter's head and torso, he snapped to reality. Due to his status as an Arcane Guard and after undergoing genetic modification, Walter's will had also been strengthened. He possessed a powerful will which made him immune to abilities which could attack the soul and spirit. Realizing this, he made a quick decision which was brought about by his instincts.
Pa!
He raised his right hand upwards, his palm approaching the blade. Then he spread his fingers and grabbed the blade without it touching his palm. By doing this, he successfully avoided his right hand being slashed in halves. He wasn't even sure his Fist of Dragon art would work.
Since Walter had defended against the katana which would have slashed his head, the other katana stabbed him in his right chest. It tore through his muscles and ribs, bursting out through his back. Crimson blood flowed immediately, staining Walter's cloth and the blade of the sword alike.
Although Walter was in great pain, he still had the will to fight. The pain he was feeling was totally ignored as he grabbed the man's left hand and spun around with great strength while his right hand was still clutching at the right katana. This movement caused the man to lose grip of his sword but then, the man wasn't bothered about it.
Pa!
The man's right fist tore through the air, punching Walter's back.
Crack!
Walter felt half of his ribs shatter, rupturing his muscles. The force also sent him crashing into the wall, landing at the bedroom.
Walter coughed, lying in the debris. His body was covered in blood which had flowed into a crimson pool. Several white bones engulfed in blood were visible on Walter's back. The blade of the katana was also seem sticking out.
"Hehe," the man laughed, walking towards Walter slowly. "I never thought you'd give me such a tough fight."
Walter who gasping in pain rolled slowly, facing upwards. His brown hair was matted in blood and his face stained by it. His brown eyes were losing their usual vigor and his lips quivering. It was obvious he was in inexplicable pain.
"It's hard to come by Arcane Guards as talented as you," the man said. "I think you should have the honour of knowing my name."
Walter stared at him, not saying anything. He was trying to muster strength to stand up as fight the man. Although he could heal very fast, the damage done to his body was too fatal for him to heal from in a couple of minutes. He could only lie down to regain his energy.
"My name's Dan," the man said. "Dan Richards." Then he smiled after saying that.
Hearing the man's name, Walter frowned despite his pain. He knew the name! This was the same person who had brutally murdered a whole family in South Suburb! It was a case he was going to investigate after Castor's case. And here was the same person trying to kill him!
"I know you must have remembered," Dan laughed. "Hehe. You're one of those talented Arcane Guards who love cracking tough cases."
Hearing the man's laugher, Walter felt a feeling of rage rising in his heart. It was like a tide, rising and surging.
"Yes, I killed them," Dan said. "Just as I'll kill you. You know, I was paid now and then. It feels awesome."
"You killed them," Walter's voice was calm although his face wore an angry look. "You killed my uncle and his family."
Dan smirked, "So? You're going to die anyway. Why do you give a damn about the dead when you'd be joining them soon, huh?"
That moment, Walter pressed his hands to the ground and pushed himself upwards, landing on the ground.
"You killed my uncle and his family!" Walter's voice was now filled with rage. He was very angry right now. When he heard that his uncle and family had been murdered, he was filled with rage. He wanted to sort revenge immediately but could only wait after investigation. Who knew the same killer would come knocking on the door and reminding him about the incident?
The feeling of losing his family, his friend and his relatives built up the anger in his heart, making it surge forward with great force.
Dan smiled, looking at Walter. He was impressed with his strong will to fight even though he was weak from several wounds.
Arcane Guards were a combination of sorcerers and knyghts, possessing the qualities of both. They were taught magic and combats at the same time and also, all of them underwent genetic modifications.
Dan understood this very well and knew an Arcane Guard would possess the condition of a knyght. But then, the Tiers of knyghts were different from the Array of Arcane Guards and sorcerers. The Combat Tier was shorter than the Magic Array and also very powerful. A Tier one Knyght equaled an Array two Arcane Guard and sorcerer.
This was what bothered Dan. Walter couldn't have lasted till this moment. He wouldn't have also possessed such a strong will as well!
But before he could think, he saw Walter charge towards him with rage. He could feel the powerful aura seep out of Walter's body, filling the whole room.
Pa!
Walter punched at Dan, his fist tearing through the air like a blade cutting through paper.
Dan quickly reached out his right hand into his waistcoat and took out a silvery revolver. This was what his mind told him this very moment. The aura around Walter wasn't the aura of an Array two Arcane Guard, rather it was the aura of a Tier two Knyght.
A Knyght who just advanced to Tier two was equivalent to an Array three while the one who had mastered his powers was equivalent to an Array four. Dan actually felt Walter was a Tier two Knyght who had mastered his abilities—an Array four Arcane Guard!
Since he knew he couldn't engage in a combat with Walter, he could only resort to firearms.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
The revolver sounded as it spewed at several bullets. Although Dan was confident of his marksmanship, he didn't dare take any chances now that Walter had turned out to be mysterious.
Walter's muscles bulged out as he leapt forward, not trying to dodge the bullets. He wanted to use this chance to finish Dan once and for all without making him escape.
As an Arcane Guard, he had plenty experience. He knew criminals who would fire shots and when the other party dodged, it would stall time for him to escape.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
The bullets rained down on Walter's body, pattering at his skin like pebbles. Several sounds of metal hitting rock sounded across the room. The bullets didn't hurt Walter and bounced off his skin!
"D-dragon Scale art..." Dan muttered in fear, knowing which technique Walter used. It was called the Dragon Scale art, a martial art which focused on hardening the skin of martial artists. When a user had mastered this technique, his skin would be like metal!
But then before he could react, Walter's right fist had already hit his right chest.
Crack!
His ribs shattered behind his chest and his chest was sent flying out through his back, crashing into the wall and exploding into smithereens.
Dan coughed out a mouthful of crimson blood as he was sent crashing to the ground with a thud, his backbone shattering as well.
He gasped in pain, his eyes staring at Walter who was approaching him. He couldn't breath and his vision was becoming blurry.
"Who sent you?" Walter asked. He wanted to know who sent Dan so that he would add the person to his vengeance list. He wouldn't spare the person no matter what.
Dan who was staring at Walter could only hear faint whispers, his eyes becoming blurrier. He couldn't even breath again.
"Who sent you?!" Walter grabbed the collar of Dan's waistcoat and pulled him up slightly so he could sit.
But then, he saw that the lustre in the man's eyes were gone and his breathing had seized. He was very dead. Only a Knyght could last as long as he had lasted with such a fatal attack which sent his heart flying out of his chest.
Walter released his grip and allowed the corpse fall down to the ground. Staggering, he found his way to the sitting room and took the telephone which was lying on the table.
He dialed the emergency number and when it went through, said, "Walter Anderson on the phone, Unit 005. Case of assassination...Dark Alley, South Suburb..."
Then he hung up the call and sat on the chair, closing his eyes. He forgot the pain all over his body and the anger he felt. He just sat down with an expressionless face, breathing heavily.
Rumble!
Thunder roared outside, the rain becoming heavier. Lightning flashed, illuminating the house which was already a mess—a mess from two men engaging in a combat fight.