At the same time, elsewhere, Rudi was fighting against Grand Marshal Corn Fredrick alone in a one-on-one battle.
*Wush! *Ctang!
Rudi zigzagged towards the marshal, attempting to stab him with his sword, but unfortunately, due to the Marshal's quick reflexes, his attack was once again blocked by the diamond shield.
His sword couldn't pierce or stab through that hard stone. He needed to find a way to injure his foe without being interrupted by the shield.
If only the marshal wasn't so muscular, Rudi would have challenged him to a fistfight from the start. However, the reality was different. The Marshal was incredibly muscular, and he didn't seem like someone who would lose in a hand-to-hand fight.
"Your body is quite muscular. Is it because of that shield?" Rudi taunted.
The shield was obviously heavy. It required a considerable amount of strength to lift that giant diamond. It could be assumed that his muscles came from his daily activities with his Souls Weapon.
"If you already know, it's better not to ask! Hyaghh!"
The marshal advanced, trying to bash Rudi with his shield.
Rudi tried to dodge to the side, but as he succeeded, he realized it was a mistake.
"Gotcha!"
Corn swung his shield sideways, and *Bruak!
"Argh!"
Shocked, Rudi was thrown into the air and slammed into the wall. The impact was so bad that the building he hit collapsed and crumbled.
"It seems this is your limit. I thought you were an anomaly, but it was disappointing," he said irritated.
The marshal walked slowly towards Rudi. His face bore a cunning smile. His steps sounded casual as he approached his prey. Slowly but surely, the distance between them closed. Rudi, lying in the rubble, could only feel the pain from the injuries he sustained after hitting the building wall.
"Goodbye, little mouse!" Corn raises his axe and tries to split Rudi's head in two.
*Wush! As his hand swung downward, he suddenly stopped. The distance between the axe's blade and Rudi's forehead was only as wide as a pinky finger.
He realized there was something underneath him. A circle of fire encircled the marshal's feet. The circle shone brightly, indicating that it would soon erupt into flames.
He didn't look surprised by the sudden attack. Instead, he has a flat expression, as if he is already very disappointed with his opponent.
"Can you cast magic without a spelling? Something extraordinary, but unfortunately not accompanied by a competent brain," he said flatly, glancing at Lidya standing on the balcony.
Corn immediately slammed the bottom of his shield into the ground and shouted, "Magia Block!" into the air.
Instantly, his body glowed green. His fear of magic was not gone; he was confident that he was now immune to all magic and ready to face the impending flames with open arms.
*Burn!
Eight bursts of fire erupted like fountains surrounding the man. As his magic's name, he felt nothing at the attack. Lidya's magic didn't leave a scratch on him.
The marshal glanced at Lidya with a look that seemed to say, 'Now you see?' then turned back towards Rudi lying amidst the rubble of the building.
But...
As he looked towards the collapsed building, he found Rudi's body was no longer there. He had vanished from the scene, and not by fleeing, certainly.
The man looked around and tried to call out to his opponent, "where are you?" to his surroundings, but there was no answer.
Feeling safe, Corn turned around and attempted to leave the ruins of the building. He found nothing there; Rudi's presence was truly gone from that place.
No effort was needed to search for him because outside the building, in the same place they first met, he found the person he was looking for, "I knew it," he said with a satisfied smile.
The person raised their weapon and challenged the marshal once again. "Let's fight fairly! Here!"
"With pleasure!
"
They both advanced towards each other. Rudi attacked with his sword, while Corn attacked with his shield.
*Ctang!
Diamond and iron clashed, producing sparks.
Rudi immediately leaped back and ran to find Corn's blind spot. Unfortunately, Corn always watched where Rudi was. He also didn't leave his back vulnerable to the man.
*Bak! *Buk! *Bruk!
Every time Rudi tried to open the shield with hand swings, Corn's muscular arms always blocked and thwarted him.
By the end, Corn was getting bored with Rudi's monotonous movements. He knocked Rudi down with just one swing of his shield. *Brak!
"Such a nuisance!"
Rudi's body once again lay on the ground, but this time his consciousness didn't fade. He still struggled to fight back.
"You should be a bit smarter, kid!" Corn taunted back.
*Standing up from his slumber.
"Maybe." His short reply confused the marshal. He tried not to care and continued the fight.
This time, he approached Rudi not only with his diamond shield but also with the axe he carried. He had failed to end the fight once, and it wouldn't happen for the second time. This time, his opponent would surely die.
"Prepare to meet your maker!" he shouted with joy.
Seeing death approaching, Rudi smiled contentedly. He looked like a fool who had just wasted his money on gambling. Nevertheless, the marshal knew the reason behind that smile. His friend would definitely launch a surprise attack now. However, he ignored it. His gaze on them was nothing more than a weak people pretending to be strong.
But then, he realized he was wrong...
*Dor! *Dor!
Two shots from nearby hit the back of the marshal's head. The shots caused a hole in the marshal's head. His terrifying expression, as he tried to execute Rudi, was still visible, even though he was already dead.
Behind Corn stood two youths, one male and one female. They were Micah and Lidya. Lidya stood, supporting Micah's arm, while Micah stood beside her, looking very tired and trembling as he held his smoking pistol.
*Bruk!
The Marshal collapsed instantly, falling on Rudi, who was lying there. Blood flowed from beneath his head, drenching Rudi's entire body.
"Who wants to fight fairly?" Rudi's breath was ragged as he spoke. He tossed the marshal's body aside and rose to face the one who had done it.
Rudi didn't know how much he would have sacrificed if he lost his trust in Micah. Fortunately, he was right.
Their hearts were still beating fast from the adrenaline of the battle, and there was no sign that it would return to normal soon.
Micah, his body covered in blood everywhere. He still saved his friend again, making himself even dirtier with blood.
"Yo!" Micah greeted with a smile, raising his palm.
"It seems you've exhausted? What a weak mortal." Rudi smiled bitterly without daring to look.
Both Rudi and Micah didn't have a normal voice. Their breathing was heavy, and their throats felt hoarse. For now, it is impossible for them to speak normally.
They both tried to ignore the body covered in blood beside Rudi. Their eyes still couldn't bear to see something like that, even for Micah. It only had a small effect.
"Is it over?" Rudi asked like a fool. His gaze looked towards the sky which was starting to darken.
They never expected this chaos and turmoil to happen just because of the three of them. They were the ones responsible for the dozens of humans, Eruplions, and flying turtle corpses lying there. If only the kingdom's authorities saw this with their own eyes, they wondered what they would do. Surely, they would immediately consider the three youths as a major threat to the country.
By doing this, it officially meant they had become the most wanted person in all of Hamud Kingdom. A ton of gold would surely be offered to anyone who could bring them to the duke. However, they doubted if anyone other than the kingdom would dare to come forward after hearing or seeing this.
"This is not the end, fools! This is just the beginning!" Lidya said, her breath on the verge of exhaustion.
"Yes," Micah nodded, looking at his two friends. "This is the beginning of our long journey."
"A journey where we don't know the endpoint," he pointed to the sky.
"A journey where we must keep going no matter what happens," he gestured towards the corpses.
"A journey where we seek a way back to our world," he pointed to his chest.
Micah spoke like a philosopher. His manner of speaking seemed casual, but in his heart, he cried. Every word he uttered came from his heart, longing to return to his world. The place where they should be.
Unnoticed, the sun began to set again. The day grew dark after a long battle. They watched the setting sun together on the pile of corpses. They didn't feel regret for what they had done. It had to happen; they wanted to go back. And if anyone dared to stand in their way, they wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them.
Thus, the day ended with the three youths slowly being consumed by the dark shadows that only emerged as the sun departed.