Numbers x Casket-Chapter 23: Battle At The Ball

"E-Efraim," Lindsay stuttered, calling out the man's name.

Her heart fluttered in excitement, but her mind was still clouded with doubt. She shook her head before opening and closing her eyes a few times, discerning if they were not playing games at her.

Then, after a while, she came to a realization that those deep black eyes, darker than the abyss, staring at her were the real thing.

Thus a smile brooded over her face, and without giving a damn about the people's curious stares, she threw her arms around the appraiser, giving him a tight hug while a teardrop fell at the corner of her eyes.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

"You're really here!" she exclaimed; the high pitch in her voice showed how sincere her emotion was.

The appraiser was startled by her sudden actions, though he didn't push her away; instead, he returned her embrace while gently patting her back.

"I thought you had already forgotten me," Efraim stated with a warm smile.

The woman's charming fragrance assaulted his nose and made his cheeks redden for a second.

'I miss this smell,' he thought.

They were in the middle of their heartfelt reunion when a sound of a clap came from the crowd. Then, the atmosphere around the area shifted into something menacing.

Efraim glanced to where the intense pressure was coming from, and he saw a person with brown, spiky hair standing in a corner. His amber-colored eyes were like daggers staring at them.

"For my betrothed, embracing another man in an event designed for us. How shameful!" the individual exclaimed without averting his gaze from them.

Upon hearing his voice, Lindsay opened her eyes and looked at Zack; she wanted to curse him to death, but when she saw the Grand Lord standing at his side, she dismissed the idea.

Though her father was not saying a thing, she knew how disappointed he was.

Given this fact, she glanced at the appraiser, waiting for his next course of action.

'What would you do, Efraim?' she contemplated, hoping that he would stand for her.

However, reality betrayed her expectations as Efraim let go of her and freed himself from her embrace.

"No! You're mistaken. I'm just here to say hi and see how great her future partner is," he stated with an apologetic smile.

Afterward, she moved behind Lindsay and pushed her towards Zack's direction. His words left Lindsay stunned, and she began questioning her choice.

'Did I expect too much?' she pondered while letting herself be moved forward.

'Why?' she added in her line of thoughts.

Then, her emotion shifted once more when they came to a halt several meters away from Zack. Seconds later, Efraim stepped forward.

"But upon closer inspection, you're not that great for her, so you better forget that little fantasy of yours," he disclosed.

Lindsay stared at Efraim's broad shoulders, and her face exhibited a gentle smile while the whole crowd gasped upon hearing the man's remark. They all looked at the Chronos' heir while others murmured, cursing at the appraiser.

"Are you dumb?" a man shouted in disdain.

"Calling the strongest battle mage not that great? Who are you to say that?" another one concurred.

However, with just a step from Zack, the cacophony of disapproval came into silence. His stomp sent a gust of shockwave, enough to make everyone present shiver in fear.

"Are you making fun of me?" Zack exclaimed; rage was present in his eyes.

"Grand Lord, you wouldn't mind seeing a death performance before starting the ball, would you?" he added.

And without waiting for Riel's response, he folded his sleeves up to his elbow and cracked some bones on his hands. Then, a man went to his side; on his palms was a spear wrapped in a silver cloth.

"Your weapon, Young Lord," the attendant stated, but Zack ignored him and gently pushed the thing away.

"My fists are enough," he declared.

Meanwhile, the people stepped backward to give the fight some space and for their safety as well. Though, their eyes were gleaming in excitement. To see the strongest battle mage in action was a memory they would always be proud of.

On the other hand, Efraim closed his eyes for a second, and the moment he opened them, his left iris was replaced by a cyan hexagram pattern, making the crowd thunderstruck by its appearance.

"His eye turned into a magic circle!" someone yelled while pointing at the appraiser.

Even the Grand Lord dropped his jaw in amazement upon seeing the sudden change in the man's physical appearance. Then a few seconds after, his lips curled into a smirk.

Zack looked at his opponent; like the others, he was curious about the man's eye, but he didn't let him notice it. Without wasting time, he lunged forward and struck the appraiser on the face, sending him flying towards the crowd.

"Efraim!" Lindsay yelled, her voice tinged with worry.

A few mages were caught behind Zack's attack; their bodies cushioned Efraim's fall.

"All talk," the battle mage sneered while staring at the appraiser lying on the ground.

Then he glanced at Lindsay and walked towards her, but an annoying laughter reverberated, which made him halt his steps.

'Impossible!' Zack exclaimed inside his thoughts.

He turned, and his brows furrowed upon seeing the appraiser sitting while laughing at him.

'I definitely struck him hard enough to make him unconscious,' he added.

Efraim stood up, his face unscathed from the attack. Then, he raised his left hand and shook it several times.

"That was a solid one; if I had failed to block it, maybe I would be crossing the rivers of hell by now," he stated, praising his opponent yet mocking him at the same time.

Afterward, he clenched his right fist and stared at Zack, no, at the figures floating on top of his head to be exact. Written in a bright yellowish hue, a number ninety-five.

'So this is the strength of this color,' Efraim conveyed in his thoughts.

Then, he sprinted towards the man while his right arm was bent backwards. However, Zack didn't stand still; he pushed himself forward and welcomed the appraiser's attack, his fist coated with flickering brilliance.

Their punch collided, causing an outburst that sent the two people flying backward. Zack landed next to his attendant; he looked at his hand; it was bent in an awkward position while his arm was still trembling from the impact.

With his strong will alone, he pulled his hand to rearrange the dislocated bone. Then, he glanced at his side and grabbed his spear before dashing forward.

Meanwhile, the right sleeve of Efraim's robe was torn apart, and the massive tattoo on his arm came into view. Then, as soon as he saw Zack with a weapon in hand, he didn't hesitate to unsheathe his blades.

With the Seventeenth Shard on his left and Serpentine Fang on his right, he charged towards Zack. This time, he was aiming for his life.

However, in that split second, before their collision, a massive barrier appeared between them, preventing their attacks from taking each other's lives.

"What's the meaning of this, Grand Lord?" Zack snorted in amusement before slamming his spear on the concrete floor.

At this moment, Efraim shifted his gaze to the middle-aged man with a pair of golden eyes, the supreme leader of Celestia and Lindsay's biological father.

"Riel Nightfall," he uttered in silence.

The appraiser gulped as he looked at him; at first, he just ignored the numbers floating above his head, but this time, he couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

'Thirty-three, so is that the color after gold?' Efraim conveyed inside his thoughts while staring at the figures written in white.

The Grand Lord took a step forward upon noticing that he had all the people's attention. The looks on their faces waiting for an answer, especially the battle mage.

So with a wide smile on his face, he answered. "The night is getting deeper; we should start the ball."

Everyone tilted their heads in confusion, even his very own daughter.

'How could we start an event in this state?' Lindsay contemplated.

However, the Grand Lord's next statement made the crowd more puzzled.

"Due to this incident, I realized one thing..." he paused for a while and let his eyes roam on the crowd before continuing. "I broke off the engagement between the Nightfall and Chronos!"

With their mouths partially opened, the people felt shocked, but no one was bold enough to question the Grand Lord's decision.

Zack clenched his fists in anger; he felt betrayed. Just a few moments ago, he was the main character, but now he had become a laughingstock.

With his eyes gleaming with rage, he yelled, bombarding the Grand Lord with questions. "Why? What do you mean by this? Are we, the Chronos, a mere joke to you?"

And in that moment, Zack felt a shivering chill run down his spine; he foresaw his death from the Grand Lord's gaze.

. . . . .