Chapter 47 - Weight of Life.

Stern of the ship…

Stiles dived to his right the moment he heard the gunshot, avoiding the metallic projectile.

He had used his heightened senses to pick up the sound of the bullet, tracing its path to successfully evade it.

'What an anxious individual…? he couldn't even wait to confirm my identity…' Stiles smiled, immediately tracking the scared male.

He had thought for a while on how to deal with the alliance forces from this side; firstly, he could capture them alive—but he distasted that idea.

Secondly, he could eliminate them, playing the role of an assassin—which meant, he would kill them sneakily. Still, this idea didn't fit his taste.

Slowly, his demonic urges built up as he thought of the third method—it was so sumptuous that he salivated imagining the scene.

'I will fight against the whole ship, giving them the advantage of numbers, while I take the advantage of sight…'

It was something that suited his taste to explore the world—battle was one of the things that could give him an understanding of his true self.

To fulfill this goal of his, Stiles did not end the male in one go. Instead, striking the male's arm, causing him to let go of the gun as he fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

'Sorry, buddy… you know, my favorite genre is action… Though I enjoyed romance, I still prefer action…'

Stiles was confused for a second about his best genre… after all, he had read a mix, so deciding became a pain in the ass.

'I'd just say action was one of my favorite genres… no need to make things complicated…'

Stiles raised his knee in one fell swoop, slamming it on the wailing male's head, silencing him forever—that is, excluding the spirit world.

The other soldiers in the stern who had picked up the strange movements, brandished their weapons in the direction of the disturbance, retreating slowly and steadily.

Not all of them were that anxious to fire their guns. They had fought battles in the past, so this was no new situation and they knew calm was needed to survive.

'Hmm, careful, are we now?'

Stiles put in a little force to his feet, racing to the closest moving object.

Though careful, their motion could not escape Stiles's keen sense of hearing, leading to their exposure.

Smart ones were able to notice the unhidden sound approaching them, brandishing their weapons in that direction as they prepared to empty their shells.

Klink…

Klink…

It was like a contest, but one with their lives at stake.

"Urgh!" A soldier released a muffled sound as he felt five fingers to his throat. Despite his alertness, he had failed to sense his assailant's presence, leading to his current state.

Stiles clenched tightly, snapping the soldier's neck.

Despite the difference in size, Stiles was able to achieve this length through his superior physique and training. After all, he never failed when it came to physical prowess.

The other soldiers who had noticed this subtle trend, released a round of bullets from their guns, those with short-ranged weapons lashing their weapons recklessly around their proximity.

Stiles, with his great reflexes, avoided the projectiles, taking down the soldiers on the steer, one after another—it was a turn-by-turn matter.

'10… 11… 12… 20…'

Stiles counted as he killed… he had read in many books that keeping account of the lives you take directly, aids in fast maturity.

It was said that you would gain a clearer view when deciding on matters related to lives—weight was the keyword in this concept.

Even though they were enemies, their lives didn't mean less. Still, empathy was something Stiles lacked—at least, to individuals who he had no connection with.

'Seems I need to learn more… Though those books provided a view of how the world works, it's still someone's handwork.

I can't rely on someone's prejudice to live my life. Instead, I'll live as my own being…'

Stiles subconsciously deleted his idea to die, his will to live building up slowly inside his immature heart…

Rising, Stiles cleaned off the blood splattered on his face with the back of an arm.

His steps were heavy as he calmly moved ahead. Due to the foggy area, he could only make a rough outline of the ship, hindering his movement at times.

'Though I can't see it clearly, it's such a magnificent craft. Xadora is truly a force to be reckoned with… talk less of its alliance with the other two states.'

Stiles chuckled deep down… he clearly had a huge fight before him. After all, this battle was just the tip of the iceberg. If he truly wanted to rule a whole Kynburgh, getting rid of these communities was essential.

'Anyway, I can think of that at a later date… completing this task should be my priority.'

On his way, he came across some of the alliance forces that he finished off without wasting time.

It took a while, but Stiles finally arrived at the ship's baseline.

Stiles observed the baseline through its vague structure, before moving his palm on its exterior in search of the entrance.

Feeling a metallic handle in his hand, Stiles twisted it to the left, pressing his body on the door, and receiving an immediate response.

The creaking sound of the door blended with the waves of the sea, giving the scene a more serene atmosphere.

Passing through the rectangular space, Stiles strolled gently, using his arms to avoid the furniture in the baseline.

'This place surely has different sections… The captain's room should be in here too.' Stiles thought for a moment before coming to a decision.

'I should leave this place for last… it won't run anyway… though they are some soldiers who jumped into the sea—how reckless…'

Stiles felt dying in the war was better than swimming through the Mist Sea—though the coast side was not dangerous.

Stiles hurriedly found the door to the ship deck. The first thing in his sight, as he stepped out of the door was a bright light.

'Seems there's strong resistance here….'