"A-An SS-rank???!!!" Lin blurted out in disbelief. "They were real?!"
Elton had finished his explanation regarding the current situation, about no. 343 and even his true identity and rank. Providing her with an in-depth description of his plans and his acquaintance with the City Lord, Elton gazed at Lin's reaction, just like anyone would guess, she was confused beyond belief. The high density and cruciality of all the information were too much for her to fathom in such a short amount of time when she had so many different things to deal with, already.
"This space I've created is separated from the normal flow of time. Take as long as you need to understand the things I've said, I will explain again if you still need it," Elton said, staring up at the evening sky. Shifting his gaze somewhat downward, Elton now gazed out into the horizon, the beautiful setting sun in his view.
"E-Even if you say that... I thought a rank above S existing was just a legend... and for you to say that you are an SS-rank..." Lin responded softly and with doubt.
It was a natural reaction. The identities and ranks of all those AA-rank and above are strictly kept confidential precisely because of how absurd their existence was. It was perfectly natural for Lin to have only believed it to be a legend.
"My rank does not really matter. I was sent here to deal with the current predicament and 'am' indeed acquainted with the City Lord," Elton said. He was right, in the face of the danger the Empire was facing, whether or not Elton was being truthful about his identity or not was a trivial matter to consider. "I've already shown you the Empire's seal to prove myself," Elton reminded her and once again summoned a seal on the palm of his hand. The seal was dark gold in colour, translucent and was the image of three dragons coiling their head around a single blade. "This should be all the proof you need."
"It might prove your words, but it doesn't make it easier for me to understand everything," Lin spoke with a hand pressed against her forehead with furrowed brows. "My head is starting to hurt," she grumbled under her breath.
"As I said, take all the time you need in here, since this space is disconnected from the flow of time, no time will pass once we leave here," a small breeze began to blow and the tall radiant gold grass danced to its tune. "This should help you recover a little, mentally." The semi-cool breeze and serene movements of the grass were Elton's attempt at soothing Lin's mind, and it appeared to be working.
"Thank you, I guess," Lin answered with a little sigh of relief as she lapsed into deep thought.
"Your most welcome," Elton turned back to the horizon where the last fragment of the sun disappeared and the sky darkened with the absence of the previously reddish hue that painted it.
Some time had passed, or that's what it felt like since time did not flow within Elton's space when Lin finally snapped out of her thoughts and spoke. "There's not really much I can help you with," she said. "Yellow crystals are a rarity, even the City Lord does not use them without care. They are all stored in the City Lord's personal storage and each use of them is carefully recorded. The problem lies with the fact that the only one who can open the City Lord's personal storage is the City lord himself, and he is not here right now," Lin finished with a look of frustration. "It shouldn't take long for the City Lord to return, but taking any longer could be risky..."
"Well, we can't really do anything more on that part, we'll just have to wait until the City Lord returns," Elton responded to her worries.
"How are you planning on dealing with no. 343?" Lin asked. "If he casually erased two cities and instantly defeated even an AA-rank, how strong will he be if he actually decided to get serious?" There was worry and what seemed to be the slightest hint of fear in her voice, she looked to Elton with a strong gaze, probing him for an answer.
"I will fight him, of course," Elton announced casually.
"F-Fight?" Lin was taken aback by Elton's quick and unexpected answer. "W-With a monster like him? Can you really do it? If he so easily took care of an AA-rank then he could even be an S-rank, you know?" Lin's worries were reasonable, but Elton was sure that no. 343 was not a threat to him. If Elton's assumption were correct, and no. 343 did indeed possess an ability to erase things from existence, then it was the Port City that was in danger. "Plus, this whole thing does not seem natural to me. As if something much more is moving in the shadows, keeping itself hidden as it observes for the right time. I get a feeling like that," Lin mumbled under her breath, unsure about the strange sense of danger she felt.
"I agree with you there," Elton said. "There is definitely something else that we have yet to notice. This incident only seems like a distraction to me. The ones behind might be testing the waters... testing the empire..." Elton's words trailed off, a meaningful silence replacing them.
"Then how can you be so sure that you can take care of him? As it stands, should you not be a little more cautious? I doubt that you know anything about the enemy. Personally, I think you should play it safe since the fate of this town and everyone in it rests on your shoulders," Lin uneasily looked at Elton, not too sure of his success rate of winning.
"Even if it is as you say, and no. 343 is really an S-rank, which I believe him to be..." Elton said. "It won't be the first time that I have faced off against an S-rank. If he is your average S-rank, then he won't be a match."
"'Average S-rank?'" Lin questioned with a surprised look. "Just what exactly is average about an S-rank?" She sighed.
"Either way, no S-rank is a match for me. After all, that is precisely why I am an SS-rank," Elton finished with a convincing set of words, though Lin was not fully accepting of his statements and still held some doubt.
"I am not sure about your talks of being an SS-rank, but since you have the Empire's seal, I'll just believe you know what you are doing," Lin put on a tired smile. "There's not much else I can do, anyways. Just to make sure, I'll close all the teleportation gates except for the one that is to be used by the City Lord and place guards around the city walls. To make sure there is no foreign interference, in case the Kingdom of Rior really is involved in all this."
Elton nodded in response and with a snap of his finger the space began to twist inward and outward intensely. A bug-eyed Lin, witnessing the unexpected, unnatural bending of the space around her soon found herself back in Savana's room, alongside Elton.
"I'll let you do your thing and I'll just pass my time while I wait," Elton relayed as he started for the balcony.
"Wait, you're leaving?!" Lin asked.
"Don't worry, I'll be back when it's time. You don't have to worry about me," Elton's voice resounded across the room, his figure vanishing from the scene.
"And~~, so he disappears again," Lin proclaimed with an exasperated sigh. She turned around to catch a glimpse of Savana who still lay peacefully asleep on her bed, despite all the recent commotion that had just occurred. The transparent yellow barrier around Savana's bed seemed to have disappeared along with Elton just now, leaving her unprotected. "I don't have spare time to just sit around, now do I? Let's get things ready," with that, she exited the room.
********************
Later in the day, the teleport gate directly within the City Lord's mansion grounds activated. A large pillar of blue light pierced the sky of the same bright colour. After subsiding, three people stood inside the teleportation gate.
A middle-aged man with a grim face stood between a pair of young male twins in their late teens, the twins positioned slightly behind their lord. His black hair contained small streaks of grey, and sideburns of the same colour lined on the side of his stern face. His black eyes held a strong determination that was matched by the power he carried his body with, even through his heavy, dark coat, the slightest hints of a well-trained muscular body would be apparent to anyone who possesses eyes great enough. He was the City Lord, Mark Rindell.
Behind him, a pair of twins stood. Their soft silver hair was neatly combed in opposing directions, a trait that made it possible for regular people to tell the difference between their identities. Both of them had deep blue eyes and beautiful cream-coloured skin. They maintained an upright posture and wore small smiles on their faces. Deducing from their clothing of black suits and leather pants, they were most probably the City Lord's personal butlers.
Lin walked up to the arrived trio and bowed gently before the middle-aged man in the lead, Mark Rindell. "Welcome back, My Lord," she greeted him with the utmost respect, a solemn expression on her face.
"I have returned," Mark Rindell answered her shortly. "How is the situation with Savana?"
The corner of Lin's lips tugged upward into a smile, "She is resting in her room, safe and sound," Lin gladly informed him.
"She's been found?!" Mark exclaimed with joyous surprise at the mention of his daughter being safe. "Ahem~," he quickly composed his excited self, the serious expression returning to his face. Due to Mark's position, showing favouritism toward any one of his children will only bring them animosity, hence why he keeps his interactions with all his children to the bare minimum. Being the daughter of the woman he loved the most, Mark has an incredible soft spot for Savana, even if he doesn't show it in front of others. "Where was she found? Who dared to kidnap a member of my family?"
"She was rescued... and bought to the mansion's doorstep," Lin responded.
"Rescued...?" Mark asked in light astonishment. "Was it not one of ours who found her?"
Lin shook her head, labelling Mark's presumption to be wrong. "It was a mysterious young man of unknown origin. I couldn't find out anything about him."
"You couldn't find anything about him even with our intelligence network? It must be no ordinary man then," the butler on the right side of Mark pointed out.
"I agree with Ethan," the other twin, Marthan, chimed in, of the same opinion as his brother.
"So, where is this man right now?" Mark asked Lin.
"Well... the thing is... he disappeared," Lin replied, massaging her head with one hand. "He bought an unconscious Lady Savana right in front of our gate and disappeared soon after. He reappeared again in Lady Savana's room after she had regained consciousness, made a scene and explained some things about Code 'Broken Arrow' and disappeared again, saying he would be back when the time is right."
"What?!" Ethan exclaimed in shock, his eyes wide open. "Are you saying he entered the mansion grounds?!"
"But how is that possible, only people with the City Lord's permission should be able to enter the mansion grounds, and the gate should be the only way to do so," Marthan calmly assessed Lin's words.
"Well, he said that he was an acquaintance of the City Lord and that he had permission, that's why he was able to enter," Lin answered Marthan's queries.
"Friends, huh?" Marthan looked at the City Lord, the others following after him.
"Did he leave a name?" Marthan asked. "Or something to identify him by?"
"All I know is that his name is Elton and that he was dispatched by the Heavenly Guild. He claims to be an SS-rank," Lin answered.
"An SS-rank, huh? And you believe that?" Marthan expressed his doubts.
"I don't fully believe him about his rank, but he should not have any reason to lie," Lin said. "In fact, he had the Imperial family's seal to prove his words."
"I see, the Imperial family's seal, huh?" Marthan calmly contemplated. "If that's the case, then his credibility is strong."
The City Lord silently listened with his eyes closed until now. "I see, it must have been him. So, he's already here. He was always fast, that one..." Mark mumbled under his breath. The others traded confused glances, unsure as to what Mark was mumbling about. "You all, I have something important to discuss. It's related to the city's current predicament and why I was summoned!" Mark announced. "I believe that that guy has already explained things to you, Lin?"
"Ah, yes. I have also taken measures and finished the processes required to devise a countermeasure" Lin responded, affirming Mark's question.
"Okay, I'll go check on Savana first, afterwards tell me the details," Mark instructed Lin.
"Yes, My Lord," Lin bowed as a respectful gesture of understanding.
With a nod, Mark started for the mansion, the twins behind him and Lin behind the twins.
"This guy sounds interesting," Ethan remarked with an amused smile as he walked forward beside Marthan, carefree. "I wanna fight him~~"
"Don't you dare act without permission," Marthan shot him a threatening glare and Ethan looked away dismissively.
They soon arrived at Savana's room and a relieved Mark walked up to his sleeping daughter, the others stationing themselves by the door. Mark's figure gazed down at the sleeping Savana, providing him with peace of mind. "I'm glad she's okay," Mark uttered with an expression of relief. "Let's let her rest."
After the momentary stop at Savana's room, the group of four with Mark at the head reached their final destination, the City Lord's office. Ethan, the twin whose hair was neatly combed to his right side, closed the door to the room.
Mark sat on a table at one end of the room, glass panes that displayed the magnificent view of the ocean outside just behind him. In the middle of the room sat two couches, facing each other with a moderately large round table in between them. Ethan, Marthan and Lin stood standing by the door, their attentions directed toward Mark, awaiting his next words.
"We have a criminal god on our hands," Mark began. "After destroying two cities, his next target is presumed to be here, the Port City of Miles," he narrowed his eyes as he looked at the others.
"I see, that was the reason for your summoning," Marthan concluded. "But to think he destroyed two cities, what are the Heavenly Guild doing? Why have they not dispatched anyone to eliminate the target?"
"But the thing is they did. An AA-rank was put to the job. The result was that he did not even have time to make a move and apparently just vanished into thin air," Mark sighed.
"An AA-rank was defeated in an instant you say? Now he seems strong... and fun!" Ethan exclaimed in exhilaration. Unlike his calm and calculating brother Marthan, Ethan was a battle maniac who loved violence and fighting. His incredible strength only makes it unlucky for anyone that he deems to be strong as they always become his toy. A problem child and the possessor of an incredibly childish personality, that was Ethan.
The others frowned at the face of his usual behaviour and Marthan intervened, "Not the time, Ethan. He is at the level, if not stronger than an AA-rank. Playing around here might cost you your existence," he warned Marthan.
"Yeah~ yeah~" Ethan cooly brushed off Marthan's warnings.
"It definitely doesn't feel like you understand anything," Ethan placed his index finger against his forehead and shook his head from side to side, sighing. "So, what is the plan, then?" Marthan tracked the conversation back on track and probed Mark for answers.
"The criminal god was assigned the no. 343 and there is a chance that he is a potential S-rank. There are other unnatural points surrounding this incident... mainly, that the higher-ups are suspecting this to be the work of the Kingdom of Rior," Mark finished.
"Kingdom of Rior, are they planning to go to war or something?" Marthan asked.
"Not as of now. If they really wanted to, then we would have already been in the middle of a war. Currently, our forces and military strength are on the same level as theirs," Mark said. "If they go to war now..."
"Then they would incur great losses even if they managed to win, which is undesirable," Lin finished Mark's sentence and he nodded in confirmation.
"That's why they are trying to destroy the Port City so that they can block our trade routes, dealing heavy damage to the Empire," Marthan said, fully aware of the situation now. "So, what do we do?"
"We do nothing," Mark said. "We don't need to do anything."
"What do you mean?!" Ethan jumped in with a scream. "There's a criminal god who's about to destroy the city, obviously we have to stop him!" He announced with childish confidence.
"As I said, 'we' don't need to do anything. Someone else is going to take care of it," Mark said. "So you are not going to get a chance to fight. Sit tight!" Mark looked at Ethan, reinforcing his words with a razor-sharp glare.
"Ehhhh~~, but--" Ethan tried to protest, but his words were cut off by a much more dangerous glare from Mark. "Fine~~" Ethan whined, accepting defeat. "Tch, such a buzzkill."
"Is the one taking care of it that 'acquaintance' of yours?" Marthan queried, receiving a slight nod from Mark in response.
"Lin, explain that man's plans," Mark directed his words at Lin.
"Yes, My Lo--" Lin was ready to accept, but another voice belonging to a newly arrived person interrupted her.
"No need. I will explain," the voice said. The others looked down at the couch on the left of Mark in bewilderment, Elton now seated at that very place.
'I-I couldn't feel his presence until just now...' Marthan contemplated.
'This guy... he's strong!' Ethan jumped from joy, inwardly.
'And here he appears again, from thin air,' Lin sighed in her mind.
"Long time no see, Rindell," Elton greeted Mark.
"You tell people you are my acquaintance and then go ahead and call me Rindell..." Mark pointed out the oddly distant attitude for someone who claimed to be an acquaintance.
"Oh right, sorry about that, Mark. Just been a long time since I saw you," Elton apologized with a blank expression.
"Yeah, it's been two hundred thousand-something years, if I remember correctly," Mark said. "But still, you and your expressionless face really haven't changed at all in all this time."
'T-Two hundred thousand years...?' the others stared, wide-eyed at the two who were making conversation like normal.
"What're those stupid looks on your faces? Me and this guy go way~ back," Mark crossed his arms, nodding, matter-of-factly. "The last time we saw each other was two hundred thousand years ago, but I've known this guy since he first became a divine hunter, that was about a few million years ago. I am not sure, lost count."
'A f-few million years?!'
"Enough catching up for now, we can save the rest for later," Elton said.
"Oh, that's right," Mark agreed, resuming their main topic of conversation. "So, what do you have planned?"
"Mhmm, that's..." Elton began his explanation, telling Mark and the others present of his plan to set up a divine array to protect the city and hide it from the sight of external forces. "If I'm right, this criminal god could be a danger to this city."
"You're right. If he can really erase things from existence, we have to hide the city's entire existence while you take care of him," Mark said.
"I have already prepared the requirements," Lin spoke up. "All that's left is for the City Lord to open his personal storage and bring out the yellow crystals."
"Are you sure you're not gonna need our help?" Ethan asked from where he stood. "I would be happy to fight no. 343 if you want."
"No need," Mark rejected Ethan's offer. "If he can't take care of it, then there's no way you will be able to help," he told Ethan bluntly.
Ethan opened his mouth to rebuttal, but no words escaped his throat. He was unable to even sense Elton's presence, he knew full well that he was outclassed, making Mark's reasoning something he could not deny.
"Alright, let's not waste any more time and get things ready," Mark rose to his feet.
"Yes, My Lord. I have already ordered the gates leading to the City Lord's treasury to be opened," Lin responded.
Mark nodded and the rest followed him as he led the group to the treasury.
********************
At a distance, the size of a few galaxies, a blurred figure travelling too fast to perceive, sped toward the Port City of Miles at a rapid rate.
'I'm almost there. I'll make the damned Imperial family pay for what they've done! Just wait and watch, Elena! I'll destroy this Empire that destroyed your existence! I'll destroy it even if it's the last thing I do!'
The figure harboured a thirst for vengeance, an unsatiable rage burning at the surface of his violet eyes.
'I'LL DESTROY IT ALL!!!'