Arcane Era-Chapter 36: True Fear

WHOOOSH!!

Without wasting a second, Theo charged at the Mercenary King.

He was incredibly fast—faster than he had ever been in his life—and his eyes glowed bright amber as the ground beneath him cracked as a result of the immense pressure he put it under. Thrusting with all his strength, he shot his fist forward.

However—

BAM!

"Not bad, kid..." The Mercenary King easily caught his punch, his eyes gleaming silver-gray as he stared at the enraged Theo.

With his initial attack caught by the enemy, Theo leaped and sent a ferocious kick whipping through the air. His powerful feet targeted the King’s neck, but the latter raised a hand and blocked the attack right as it was about to hit its target.

Despite seeing this, Theo didn’t give up.

His pure animosity towards the man before him protected him from the creeping fear that threatened to paralyze his entire body.

WHUUM!

Twisting in the air, he sent another kick—this one straight for the King’s face.

He evaded it.

Theo then rolled in the air, propelling himself forward so he could head-butt him. This surprised the Mercenary King, as it was an unnatural move. However, he stopped Theo with his unoccupied hand the moment he got too close.

Afterwards, a low growl echoed from beneath the mask.

"That’s enough."

He tightly gripped Theo’s face, raising him in the air like he weighed nothing. The boy’s struggle meant nothing to him—as it was almost akin to a rat squirming in the powerful grip of a merciless human.

"Useless..." Uttering those words, the Mercenary King swiftly crashed Theo’s entire body to the floor just from his firm hold he had on his face.

BOOM!

The ground beneath them shattered as Theo’s body violently slammed against it.

"Ack!" His eyes bulged as he felt his very bones grate in pain.

His body bounced back up due to the recoil from the brutal impact, and the King punched him right in the stomach, causing his face to contort as even greater pain assailed his whole body.

Nearly paralyzed from the pain, Theo groaned and grunted, raising a fist up so he could keep fighting. However, the Mercenary King easily kicked it aside and stomped on Theo’s chest, causing him to cough out blood.

"A-argh... ack! Gurgh...!"

In merely a few seconds, the Mercenary King had completely dominated the boy. For the first time in his life, he felt completely powerless in a fight.

"You’re not a bad fighter..." The King said. "You must have had a rough life, seeing as you can fight this well and endure so much pain without an Armament."

Slowly picking Theo back up, he grabbed him by the throat and brought him close to his masked face. The boy’s defiant eyes remained constant—almost as if he felt no fear at all. Blood covered his lips, but he kept gritting his teeth like a wild animal.

"But you’re not the only one who grew up on the streets. I did, and many of my comrades did as well. Rather than siding Shen, you should—"

"Ptueh!" Theo spat his blood-mixed saliva at the Mercenary King, staining his black mask with the fluid as he kept his defiant glare. "I don’t care about any of your stupid rhetoric. You hurt my friend... and I’ll never forgive you for that!"

"I see... that’s a shame."

Tense silence pervaded the room, as the Mercenary King maintained eye contact with Theo.

"But, it’s not like I don’t understand those emotions..." He whispered. "Even I..."

He stopped himself before going any further, his jaws clenching as his eyes narrowed in controlled rage. Tightening his grip on Theo, to the point where the boy began to choke, he let out a mild sigh and controlled his own rage.

While this was happening, Kaycee was speechless—trembling in powerlessness, even as he watched his friend near the realm of death. He wanted to say something, but words remained trapped in his throat as his body endlessly shivered.

He feared that if he spoke, or even moved, he would be next.

And, just from the terrified look on his face, he was frightened of that very prospect.

He didn’t want to get hurt.

He didn’t want to die.

The Mercenary King tightened his hold on Theo some more, until the face of the boy grew paler, and he began to lose consciousness.

"I could kill you very easily right now, but doing so at this point would only risk the premature exposure of our plan. You’re connected to Shen and the Zenith, so making you disappear would be a difficult task." He glanced at the unconscious Liyah and frowned. "Getting rid of her is equally as problematic, and while I can eliminate the last one, I’m sure you’d resist even more and act like a rabid dog if I did that."

Kaycee shivered as soon as he felt the Mercenary King’s gaze on him.

Unlike the other two, he was nothing special.

If the King killed him at this moment, the only thing he would have to suffer for was the wrath of Theo and Liyah—both of whom were already too powerless to stop him.

"Let me make it clear to you, so you understand. And I know you’re listening, because you aren’t fully unconscious yet, brat." He drew Theo closer as he addressed the entire group. "The three of you are insignificant kids who can’t do anything to stop what’s coming. My plan has been in the works for so long, and I have infiltrated even the deepest recesses of this Guild. I have ears and eyes everywhere, and I have nearly taken control of everything..."

His words were scary, almost unreal, but the convicted manner by which he spoke made it clear that this was no bluff.

Everything was real!

"If you attempt to cause even more trouble, while I might be hesitant to directly kill you, I won’t think twice about killing anyone else you come in contact with, including anyone you talk to about our business. The Ak’ashi Guild you thought you knew doesn’t exist, and trust me when I say that I will be aware of your every action." He added, finally throwing Theo to the ground.

The boy groaned, moving slowly like an injured worm.

"Stay out of my way... and you just might survive what is coming."

After he uttered those words, he turned to the four men in trench coats, giving them a signal which caused them to instantly step forward. Kaycee’s eyes turned bloodshot as soon as he watched them near him—quickly shutting his eyes just from the overwhelming fear assailing his whole body.

However, much to his surprise, he felt no pain.

Instead, a sudden wave of drowsiness hit him, and he found himself slipping into the realm of unconsciousness.

Within a few seconds, he fell asleep.

Theo and Liyah were also hit with the same dizzy effect, and they too fell unconscious.

"Are you sure it is alright to let them live?" The man with the frowning mask asked the Mercenary King as they stepped out of the room—leaving the four men to handle everything else afterwards.

They walked within a dark corridor, seeing light at the far end of their path.

"Indeed. We’ll also return the Armaments we confiscated from them, and lodge them in the apartment of that boy, Theo." He firmly said. "It’s better if no one suspects anything until it’s too late, so we should also heal them of the damage inflicted on both of them."

"But sir—!"

"There’s no need to address me so formally now that it’s just the two of us, my friend..."

"Sorry, but..." The man in the mask sighed. "... Healing Armaments are very rare, and the one we have is already damaged. If we use it on them, the integrity will be reduced irreparably."

"Yes. But it’s a small sacrifice to make for the concealment of our plan."

"I still believe killing them is better."

"Really?" The Mercenary King stopped walking and turned to the man in the frowning mask. "And then what? We have Shen’s inner circle breathing down our necks? Based on the Intel I received, that boy has met with Shen. Do you really think he’s ordinary, or that Shen will let someone like that go out without finding out what happened."

"I... I was too shortsighted."

"Haaa... indeed you were." The King shook his head slightly. "Besides, they’re just brats in the end. I’m sure I properly etched the consequences of any act of defiance into their minds. They won’t be rebelling anytime soon... and by the time they get over the fear I have evoked in them... it would already be too late."

"Understood."

The Mercenary King and his Jack walked into the light, leaving the three kids completely trapped in the darkness of their creation.