Sword of Salvation-Chapter 33: - Criminal, Rebel, and Mercenary (4)

"I assume you are the man named Oz."

Oz wanted to know how his lightning laser had disappeared. However, his instincts screamed loudly, warning him that the masked man in front of him was extremely dangerous.

Oz had been close to death many times. So, when his instincts gave a warning, he knew his opponent was someone who could bring him to the gates of death. He could feel the power emanating from the masked man even from several meters away.

"So, the sewer rat not only paid Medea. And the necklace... you’re a member of Ultores."

Anyone who knew about Ultores would think twice before facing one of their fighters.

That organization only accepted high-level mercenaries. If you compared organizations that employed mercenaries, Ultores stood at the very top. No wonder One Eye’s headquarters had been destroyed in less than a night.

Oz remained silent, his mind racing to formulate the best choice he could make. Should he run and catch up with Bearbro? Should he stay and sacrifice his life? He might be able to defeat the Ultores member in front of him, but there was a chance he would die as well.

What... should he do?

"I have a question before I kill you. Tell me, to whom do you pledge your loyalty?"

Oz hadn’t expected such a question to be directed at him.

He was a criminal. The masked man should understand that criminals were only loyal to money and themselves. Oz had no delusions that the majority of One Eye’s members were any different. If another criminal organization offered them a higher pay, they would leave in a heartbeat.

Yet, the guy still asked him about his loyalty. Did he think he was different from other criminals?

Ah, no. That wasn’t it.

Oz discarded that assumption. He was foolish to have taken the question seriously. The man was just mocking him. There was no need to think deeper about the question.

Oz took a deep breath, his body once again wrapped in lightning. Then, in a single breath, he surged forward.

In the blink of an eye, Oz was right in front of the masked man who revealed half of his face. With both of his signature daggers—also cloaked in lightning—Oz swung them in opposite directions.

"...!!"

Oz’s eyes widened as suddenly, both of his daggers hit an invisible barrier.

He poured all his strength into trying to break through the barrier blocking him. Oz even used his spirit power. It was clear from the black wolf ears that appeared on his head. A tail also emerged behind him. His pupils became vertical, his claws sharpened, and they became far more dangerous.

However, nothing changed. Oz’s strength and speed had increased, but the invisible barrier in front of him remained unbreakable. If he could, Oz would have used his second-level spirit power. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that. Oz wasn’t talented enough to master spirit power. He became strong through hard work; he wasn’t born with innate talent.

"You don’t want to answer my question?"

Oz growled. He knew the guy in front of him was strong, but this was far beyond what he had imagined. The guy didn’t even seem threatened by Oz’s power.

Oz repeatedly swung both of his daggers. And failed. How could he defeat him if he couldn’t even reach him?

This was insane. The guy was truly insane. How could someone be this strong in their teens?

The world was never fair; Oz was once again forced to swallow that bitter pill.

"There’s no point in answering your question," Oz muttered as he jumped back, creating some distance between them.

"I thought you were strong, but I was wrong." The youth expressed his disappointment. "You’re useless to me. There’s no point in letting a criminal like you live."

Oz was tired of hearing the word "useless" thrown in his face, so he took the youth’s disappointment calmly. However, being labeled as an average criminal wasn’t something he could just accept.

"Mercenaries like you are no different from criminals," Oz hissed. "You work for money. We work for money. You don’t care what job you take as long as the payment is good. I’m the same. What’s the difference? There is none."

"Heh, you’re joking."

"I’m joking."

"In that case, you have no regrets about dying, right?"

Oz didn’t bother answering that pointless question. He threw both of his daggers aiming for the youth’s face and stomach. Then, he clenched both of his fists and punched the air. As his daggers collided with the invisible barrier, thick lightning wrapped around both of his hands.

Then, as the daggers fell onto the building’s roof, Oz rushed forward again. His fists hit the part of the barrier that had previously been targeted by the daggers. He didn’t stop there. He attacked the youth from all directions, trying to find a gap in the incredibly strong transparent barrier.

Right. Left. Above. Behind. He tried from every angle.

However, none of it worked.

Oz was certain that Nico would die instantly if he were hit by Oz’s blow. Let alone Nico, even Bearbro would be severely injured. Yet, in front of the youth’s absolute barrier, Oz’s most lethal attacks were like a passing breeze. No matter how many times he tried, the result was always the same. A million multiplied by zero was still zero.

Was there no weakness in the barrier?

Oz refused to believe that a barrier could truly be perfect. It was illogical. Everything had a weakness. The invisible barrier wasn’t an exception. Oz knew the guy couldn’t attack while the barrier was up, but that wasn’t a weakness. All barriers generally worked that way. So, what was the weakness?

Oz racked his brain, trying to find a solution to the big problem that trapped him.

However, even after his breathing grew heavy from the relentless attacks he had unleashed, Oz couldn’t find any useful solution.

Time might be the only solution. Oz just needed to keep attacking until the barrier disappeared on its own. However, Oz didn’t have enough prana or stamina to do that. And what if the masked guy could activate the barrier for an entire day and night?

Oz unleashed his lightning punch for the umpteenth time, but this time, he included a frustrated scream.

Why was the world so unfair? Why was he born without any meaningful talent? Why did he have to work so hard, while the youth in front of him could just stand there relaxed? Didn’t the world know the meaning of "equality"? How rotten this world was!

"Hah, hah, hah." Oz exhaled heavily after jumping back. "You really underestimate me," he said between his breaths. "You’re really arrogant. You think you can defeat me without even moving a finger? Tch, damn bastard!"

If he was being honest, Oz was more frustrated with himself than with the masked youth in front of him. He could turn around and flee. It was that simple. But something inside him refused to do that. Even though he knew Bearbro needed to know what happened tonight, running away never crossed Oz’s mind.

Ego? Arrogance? Who knew. What was clear was that Oz didn’t want to leave.

"Your resistance isn’t bad," the masked guy praised as he straightened his right arm. His index and middle fingers were straight, while the other three fingers were bent. Then he brought his left hand to grip the upper arm of his right one. "Your effort is worthy of appreciation."

Oz snorted. Instead of a compliment, those words felt more like mockery.

However, he didn’t have time to complain. His left shoulder was suddenly pierced by a wind sword. Oz saw the energy forming at the tips of the guy’s fingers, but he wasn’t fast enough to react when the energy shot forward. It was so quick, almost instantaneous.

Despite that, Oz only grimaced once. His mind had found an opportunity within the opportunity, with no time to focus on the pain in his shoulder. The attack released by his enemy required him to drop the barrier. That was an opportunity Oz couldn’t pass up. He shot forward without caring about the pain he received.

Unfortunately for Oz, he didn’t consider that his opponent had anticipated his move. And that was a huge mistake he would pay dearly for.

Instead of landing his attack, he received a kick to the face. His spirit power had vanished without him realizing it. The lightning that had surrounded his hands also disappeared. His body was sent flying and skidded along the ground, before finally falling off the building’s roof.

As soon as he hit the brick ground, Oz tried to get up to avoid a follow-up attack.

However, he was a bit too late. Before he could rise fully, a blast of wind slammed into his body with immense force. His half-risen body was immediately slammed back onto the hard bricks. This was followed by a knee strike to his back. Blood was instantly expelled from Oz’s mouth.

"I won’t kill you," said the masked man as he sat down on Oz’s back. "I want you to spend the rest of your life destroying the One Eye branches scattered around. Free the slaves. Eliminate every One Eye member you encounter. After that, you can live your life freely."

Oz wanted to snort. He wanted to laugh. What nonsense he was talking.

The fact that he was younger than Oz made him even more annoying. No adult would listen to the advice of a child, let alone take orders from one. It was ridiculous. Most adults would immediately become furious.

However, Oz wasn’t in a position to snort. He couldn’t laugh even if he wanted to. In addition to sitting on his back, the teenager was also pressing his head down quite hard.

"If you don’t do what I say, death won’t be what you’ll face when we meet again. I haven’t practiced the art of torture. You’ll become my first subject for experimentation. This is not a threat. It’s a promise. I’ve marked your presence; I can find you wherever you plan to hide."

The weight on his back and head disappeared as soon as those words entered Oz’s ears. He didn’t say anything, and the teenager wasn’t waiting for a response. Oz could hear the footsteps growing fainter and fainter, then they disappeared.

Oz didn’t try to get up. He turned over and faced the sky. Curses and insults escaped his mouth. Frustration and anger were truly radiating from his expression and his swearing. However, Oz still made no attempt to rise.

"You didn’t kill him," commented Nico, eyes staring at Mariel.

"I leave his fate to you," Mariel replied without stopping. "I don’t kill Oz, and there’s no harm in giving him a chance. But if you want him dead, do it with your own hands. As I said, his fate is in your hands."

"Oh."

Mariel stopped for a moment after passing the rebel.

"Nico," Mariel called while glancing back. "In two weeks, I’ll be in the capital. Tell Girhamvell I’m waiting for him there. After all, I was born in this empire. I’m interested in talking to him and the empress."

"I’ll tell him."

Mariel nodded, then without saying anything else, he quickly left.

There was nothing more Mariel could do here; he had done what he needed to do, even though it didn’t lead to anything significant. He had failed to find the right individual to become his subordinate in conquering the world. Oz had disappointed him.

It was time to meet Celinee and leave this place.

It didn’t take long for Mariel to find his companion.

The woman had just finished off two demons. And, she didn’t look pleased with Mariel’s presence. Frustration was clearly evident in her sharp gaze. Mariel didn’t know how many demons she had killed, but it was clear that his two hands couldn’t count them all.

"Good job, C." Mariel said while clapping. "Seeing you here, I can assume you’re—"

Celinee immediately attacked Mariel, showing her immense frustration.

However, the ninja’s kunai only struck empty air. Mariel had already switched places with a piece of the demon’s arm that Celinee had killed. The half-demon woman snorted and immediately turned around, but this time she didn’t continue her attack.

"We didn’t come here to make a mess, but look at what you’ve done. You really like to cause trouble, Mariel. You need to be disciplined."

"Fufufu~"

Both Mariel and Celinee immediately turned their gaze to the owner of the sensual laugh. She was ten meters to the right of Mariel. Medea was sitting on a bench that hadn’t been there before. Her right leg was over her left, and the woman’s magic staff floated horizontally above her thigh.

"I agree with that girl, Mariel~"

"Who is she, Mariel?" Celinee asked, but her eyes didn’t leave Medea. Celinee was alert and cautious, ready to strike if the mage tried anything.

"Medea Samareas."

Celinee was shocked to hear that name come from Mariel’s mouth.

"She helped me free the slaves and eliminate One Eye members. Of course, I paid her; you don’t need to worry about that."

"Fufufu. As Mariel said, half-demon girl. I’m the super beautiful and sexy woman, Medea Samareas. Remember my name and etch my beauty into your memory."

Mariel could tell that Celinee was annoyed by Medea’s words. However, the name Medea Samareas couldn’t be easily dismissed. The mage was quite famous and respected across many continents. She wasn’t as popular as Merlin, of course, but compared to Semiramis herself, Medea’s name was more well-known.

"Hmph. What’s a mage like you doing on this continent?"

Medea turned her gaze from Celinee, looking provocatively at Mariel.

It seemed like the mage wasn’t interested in entertaining Celinee any longer. She completely ignored the ninja. Mariel didn’t know if Celinee’s question had turned her off, or if she had never intended to engage with her in the first place. One thing was clear: Medea no longer considered Celinee a part of the conversation.

"My business here is done, Mariel," Medea said as a glowing magic circle appeared beneath her. "Meet me when you step foot on the Southern Continent. At that time, I won’t mind giving you all the information about Merlin."

There was no chance for Mariel to respond; Medea, along with the bench she was sitting on, disappeared without a trace.

"How did you meet her?" Celinee asked, walking toward the young man.

"Luck," Mariel shrugged. "Have you finished off all the targets?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

Mariel let out a small laugh. Just like her sarcastic question, there was no need for him to ask. But what could he do? Mariel enjoyed getting under Celinee’s skin. Her reactions were always interesting to him. He wanted to see all the expressions he could carve onto Celinee’s beautiful face.

"Good job. Now then, let’s go. Our business here is over."