Chapter 20

  The battle had begun before Drakkel even had the time to think. He wanted to grab one of the merchants and bring them with him as a witness but it was difficult to decide how to do so while surrounded by skilled fighters.

  The rest of the Security office wasn’t a problem. The only ones that really bothered him were Lior Gaunlet and Xilto Jervis. He could take them down with only a little difficulty, but not while also securing a prisoner.

  After weighing the pros and cons, he decided he would gather the explanation now and the proof later. Swiftly fighting off those who attacked with only his hands, he shot a large wave of demonic energy at them which pushed them back a few feet. Then he went over to the tied up merchants, cut the rope, and grabbed Master Som.

  This action caused those attacking him to stop in their tracks.

  “Demon King Drakkel! Let go of him!” Lior Gaunlet commanded.

  Drakkel laughed. “Do you really think I will? How about this, you can let me go and I can promise to keep him alive instead!”

  “You despicable devil!” Xilto Jervis spat.

  Hearing him speak, Drakkel was surprised by how his voice sounded. It didn't quite match his thin and muscular frame.

  He scowled. Looking around, it appeared that they had come to an impasse.

  Not sure what would happen next, Drakkel decided to collect the information he needed sooner rather than later .

  He brought Master Som close and whispered in his ear. “Tell me which Sword Clan were you in contact with.”

  Master Som spoke so quietly that only Drakkel could hear. “It was the Golden Pe…”

  But before he could finish, the man began to shake, choking on his own spit and foaming at the mouth. Then his eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp.

  Shocked, Drakkel let go and his body fell to the ground.

  Gasps erupted from Security Office officers; even Lior Gaunlet and Xilto Jervis were at a loss for words.

  Among the mayhem, Xilto Jervis spoke up. “How dare you kill a denizen of Dragon’s Dwelling in front of us! Everyone, after him!”

  Lior Gaunlet shook his head, regaining his composure.

  His face taut and his eyebrows clenched together, he shot Drakkel an angry look.

  Then, together, he and Xilto Jervis rushed forward, aiming their weapons at him.

  Seeing how the situation played out, Drakkel decided that he had to go.

  Before the two could reach him, he quickly grabbed the unconscious Master Tifu from the ground and left the area.

  The officers and the two Sword Masters gave chase, but not being Sword Fighters, eventually, the officers couldn't keep up and it was just Lior Gaunlet and Xilto Jervis coming after him.

  As Drakkel hopped the rooftops, he couldn't help but wonder How Master Som died. No one in the area felt suspicious, yet he felt like he was missing something.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  He shook his head.

  What he did know though, was that with everything happening, the stories would definitely point to him as the primary suspect.

  He frowned. If he was going to be blamed anyway, he should have at least been the one to actually do it!

  But at least he had gained one thing from this predicament. He was now certain that someone was controlling things from the dark and with Master Som’s clue, he knew where to start looking.

  Drakkel's speed was much better than the two on his tail, but holding Master Tifu did hinder him slightly.

  Besides this, the terrain was Lior Gaunlet and Xilto Jervis’s territory. Naturally, they knew it better than him. So when Xilto Jervis took out his metal umbrella and dozens of blades flew out of it and straight to Drakkel, he struggled to dodge without slowing down.

  Finally, he decided to confront the two, knowing he wouldn't be able to easily escape.

  He turned around to face them, his feet skidding back on the wooden planks of the rooftop.

  Then he set Master Tifu down and got into a defensive stance.

  “You could have let me go, but you insisted on chasing me.” He said. “If you get hurt later, I won't be at fault!”

  Baring his black claw-like nails enhanced with demonic energy, he dashed towards the two. Normal fighting styles would be easy to beat as Drakkel had come across them before, but the same couldn't be said for the likes of these two whose unfamiliar weapons he wasn't used to.

  Xilto Jervis manipulated his blades with sword energy to attack Drakkel from a distance and whenever Drakkel attempted to get close to them, Lior Gaunlet would guard with his shield and attack with his hammer.

  Based on their Sword energy, the two were indeed sword masters and about halfway to the pinnacle as well. Drakkel now knew why they gained the monikers “The Iron Wall” and “A Narrow Death".

  Despite this, Drakkel did manage to get a few hits in them while they didn't manage to do the same to him.

  But he was running out of time.

  A crowd was gathering below the building. Soon after, there would be reinforcements. The capital didn't have any Swords Clans, but many of those guarding the fortress before hadn't left yet due to helping escort the empty package keeping the demonic artifact to the palace and being invited to Gian Lita’s party afterwards.

  Looking at the two in front of him, Drakkel already hurt them quite a bit, but they wouldn't give up.

  He knew he could kill them and get it over with, but he still had doubts.

  They were mostly good people who guarded those weaker than them. Not only did he not want his reputation to go down further, but he actually admired the two that stood before him. They were the pillars of good in the capital, so killing and even severely injuring them was really not an option.

  Besides escaping and killing or severely harming them, Drakkel was at a loss of what to do.

  He really might have just had to abandon master Tifu and make a run for it.

  Suddenly, a scream came from the distance.

  “Sir!” It shouted.

  Shia and Drion were approaching him with rapid speed.

  Within Shia’s hands was the origin of the scream: a young boy with a confident composure.

  By the time the three had reached Drakkel, he had already created some space between him and the two Sword Masters.

  Upon seeing the frame of the child the new woman carried, Lior Gaunlet yelled, “You have captured one of the embroiderers as well? And a young child at that! Will there be no lengths of which you are unwilling to go?!”

  Drakkel was about to refute when a voice came from an unexpected place instead.

  “You’re wrong! There’s more to it, officer!” Mori shouted back.

  “And how do you know this?!” Lior Gaunlet asked.

  Xilto Jervis cut in, “Who cares! We should focus on defeating them first. Once they’re in our grasp, we can question them later!”

  Lior Gaunlet nodded. “Come with us quietly and we can figure this out.”

  Drakkel slowly shook his head. “I’m afraid that if I’m captured by you two, I won't have the option to ‘figure it out’. So, of course I will decline your gracious offer.”

  As he spoke, Fargos was already foisting the unconscious Master Tifu onto his shoulders.

  “If we are fated, we will meet again.” Drakkel said.

  Fargos threw a smoke bomb onto the roof and the entire building became shrouded in smoke.

  By the time it cleared, the three demons and two hostages had already disappeared.