Harbinger: The Four Knights

First Experience Of Pain

Right after Marcus told them that it might be their plan to lure us in, a dagger then came straight for one of the kid’s neck to what it seems to be a girl basing from her voice but fortunately not all of them are on the same page as one of them hurriedly pulled the girl away but got stabbed on the shoulder instead. “What is the meaning of this Liasu!? Do you want to commit treason?!” the one who saved the girl shouted as soon as he grabs the other kid away from them, unsure if they are still his allies or not. “What am I doing? Are you seriously asking me that question right now? I am just following orders. This is what its all about! And it’s not just me Kairon, the rest of us are planning to dispose of those filthy royal blood whether you like it or not.” The man said with an extremely angry tone but the one who protected the kids refuse to allow them to do so. 

“Now that’s just sad, as part of the royal guard, the oath that I swore still stands. I will not allow you to touch a single hair on their highnesses heads.” He swore as he pulls a sword from his dimensional ring that uncle Mark told me about, thought it was not our business, Marcus gestured us not to get involved and signaled to leave but then the one who wanted to kill those two kids ordered that they should leave no witnesses. “Kill those three, leave no witnesses alive. I will deal with Kairon myself.” With a single word from him, they immediately run towards us and they are quite fast than everyone else I have seen in this land. I felt my heart beating not from fear but from excitement. 

[Finally I will be able to fight a decent opponent.] the corner of my lips rose with the unexpected opportunity appeared in front of me, I glanced at Marcus and saw how terrified his expression is while Abel just nods his head like I am free to do whatever I want since he can heal me if I get injured anyway. With their permission to do whatever I want, I propelled myself towards the ones running towards us who are fairly surprise of my appearance in front of them.

               FWOOOOSH! BAM!

               Right before collided with them I used my magic to make a wall made of wind as a single stair to redirect my movement downwards, and with all the excess energy and power that I used from those two propelling movements, I spin myself midair and did a frontal sweeping kick which unfortunately landed of one of them.

               RUMBLE!

               “Hahahaha! This is really nice! These guys really are strong to be able to block that kick and still be able to move away from the impact! Strong opponents really are awesome!” I cried when I saw that he survived that single attack but it looks like he is not as unscathed as I thought, his arms are trembling terribly after blocking my attack. He may be able to block it but I don’t think he can use his arms any time soon. After seeing what I am capable of, they stop moving forward and regrouped.

               “Where the hell did this guy came from? That kick is enough to break human bones, if it weren’t for my reinforcement magic, my bones would have protrude out of my arms.” I told the others which really disturbed them. [They know that I am someone who is almost at the peak of using reinforcement magic just like my mentor but if they know that I will not be able to use my arms for a while, it will greatly affect their will to fight. But more importantly where did this monster came from- we planned this thing for almost 6 years now and for it to only be destroyed by a bunch of nobody is a disgrace.] 

I decided not to tell the others of the condition of my hands and told them to fight him cautiously. “That kid is strong, don’t let your guard down-“ is what I wanted to say but then he disappeared right in front of our eyes and the next thing we know, Dan is already down with a single ground breaking punch.

               BAM!   

               “I don’t know what you guys are talking about but if you are facing an opponent, you shouldn’t be distracted. That’s what my father taught me as basics.” He stood there looking at us like a child which we are elder than him for moreover 15 years but his figure did not resemble a kid, in my eyes he is more like a monster, a monster staring at his puny prey, who is ready to annihilate us all.

               It is then that the group felt overwhelming fear that they did not feel in their entire lifetime living as royal guards, guarding the royal family. Some of them froze in fear while some are hesitant to stay there any longer and would like to leave but seeing how their comrade ended up in just an instant, they have no more options than to fight for their lives, a life and death situation but with their fear influencing them far greater than they thought, the group is not in a state to fight in their full strength.

               “Hmmm- is there any chance that guy is getting up?” Amon asked them as he pointed to the guy he knocked unconscious and was lying next to the boulder where he landed. [What kind of question is that? After knocking him down you have the nerve to ask him if he is ever getting up?] I stare at Amon indifferently like I am seeing someone who is seeing someone knocked out for the first time but then I guess he did not have an experience such as this in the past. Amon turned to the one who survive his attack and flashed a smile. “Looks like you are the only one who can quench this thirst of mine then I will be saving you for the last.” The horror, the look on that guy’s face is priceless, he instantly turned pale and the fear is clearly showing on his expression right now.

 That would only mean that Amon will target him last and see the others as appetizers which is utterly embarrassing. Amon’s declaration made one of them realize how embarrassing it was to be seen by a kid his age as utterly useless and only good for warming up before the main dish is served. “I may not be as strong as these guys are but my self-respect is greater than them, so if you think that I will back down because you are able to beat one of us then you are wrong. I can’t let a kid look down on me like that, I did not train for years just to be a laughing stack!” even with his clearly frightened complexion, that bald guy charge towards Amon wielding his weapon that he grabbed from his dimensional ring, a great axe. An axe large enough as tall as Amon. Just by looking at it I can imagine how heavy it would be but that guy is carrying it like it was nothing but a stick and swings it towards Amon with a doubtful expression whether his attack would be effective or not after seeing how fast Amon can be.

               BOOOM!

               That guy’s attack sent shockwave to the ground below us, that guys is definitely not weaker than these guys and I am sure of it. “Is Amon going to be okay?” I asked Abel who is quite fascinated of the situation. “There is no need for you to worry about the young master, once he sees and opponent worth fighting. He will do his best to give out everything he got as well so that he will not disrespect his opponent because that is how he had been from the beginning.” I have a bad feeling about Abel’s remark there and with the smile that he is showing right now. I feel like there is something that will happen out of our expectations. The dust cleared and the figure of both Amon and the guy who attack are standing at the center of the impact site but surely my feeling turned out to be true.

 Amon block the axe as huge as his body with another peculiar shaped axe of some kind that’s emitting a fairly frightening aura and sent chills to my body just by the sight of it. “I apologize for my rudeness, but if you are going all out then I must not answer with half-hearted performance, I am going all out as well.” Amon said with a smile on his face like he is delighted to have brought his weapon. But the question is where did that thing came from? He did not bring anything and yet he has a weapon? [Impossible- don’t tell me Amon has a dimensional ring as well?]

I was shocked beyond belief. A dimensional ring is not something a kid like us can have except if you are wealthy enough to have one but most of the time. High ranking officials and personnel only has something like that. So what the hell is his real identity? “Hey- Abel, do you have any  idea where that ominous weapon came from?” I asked him but Abel shook his head with a smile on his face. [He definitely knows something, who the hell are these guys- really?] my curiosity of their identity grew even larger and larger as we spent more time with each other so I doubt this is the end of it.

               “Impossible- where did that thing came from? Does he also have a dimensional ring or something?” one person from the royal guards muttered after Amon blocked their comrade’s attack. The attacker fall back  after his attack and went back to his comrades with a pale expression. “This is bad- I don’t think he is human. That weapon- that is something that a human can wield.” He muttered right after arriving by their sides which surprised and disturbed them greatly without taking their eyes off Amon. “What nonsense are you talking about? You’re close to him right? Did you see a dimensional ring or something? A dimensional ring is priceless and are only given to a few number of people. It can fetch up to a hundred thousand gold and are sought after by many. If he has one then the risk of taking it from his hands are worth it.” One of them muttered blinded by greed after seeing the possibility but the attacker is disturbingly quiet so they slightly took a glance at their comrade’s face and saw how horrified he was after that single exchange.

  [There is no way we can face that monster- no way- no way- no way- no way- no way- no way- no way- no way- no way- no way.]  is the only thing the attacker had in his mind as he warns the others not to act rashly. “Do not attack him- the thing that I saw when that weapon appeared is not something a dimensional ring does naturally.” He muttered and added. “All I saw is nothing but pitch black, the void.” After saying such words their focus turned to the peculiar weapon that Amon has in his hands but to their surprise, the weapon is spinning on Amon’s hand and is producing a strong wind surge around the blades of the weapon. 

It is the first time the group had seen something like that and their eyes are glued to it. “I will be ending this right now as my apology for making fun of you.” Amon said as he unleash the peculiar weapon on his hands and threw it towards them with striking accuracy that cuts off the attacker’s head the instant it reach his neck.

               FWOOOOSH! SPLATTER!

               Their comrade’s blood gush out of his neck like a fountain and without any delay, they all immediately run towards their leader who was still fighting with the guard who defended the two royal kids but one by one, they are picked up by Amon’s spinning axes. It was too late before the leader noticed and there is only one of them left from the group, furious of what has happened, he asked the one who survived Amon’s kick with an angry tone. “What happened? Where are the others?!” and just before that person could answer, Amon’s spinning axe struck his back and almost run through that guy’s chest.

               SPLATTER! SPLATTER! FWOOOSH!

               The furious leader turned his head as he ceased his attacks to the one he was dealing with who also was shocked of what happened and also turns his head to where the peculiar weapon in their eyes flew and to their surprise it landed on Amon’s hand, one of the kids that he ordered to be killed. “They all started running towards so I expect that you are far stronger than them.” Amon said as he swing his spinning axe to get rid of the blood that was on it’s blades. All four of them are utterly surprised of the scene that all they did was stare at Amon’s figure but the leader of the group was the first one to regain his senses. 

“You- did you take them all out?” he muttered in surprise and Amon just nods his head. The furious leader grip his fist in anger and looks around only to see that all of them besides his from his group are already dead. “Looks like I have more important things to take care of Kairon, someone even disturbingly stronger than you appeared. I will have to postpone our fight, I will deal with you later-“  before he can finish what he was saying, Amon’s knee is already coming  towards his face as he instinctively twist his head to dodge Amon’s attack.

               FWOOOSH! c***k!

               After evading Amon’s attack, Liasu then swings his dagger to make a counter attack to Amon while he is still in the air which was then blocked by Amon’s spinning axe. Both of them tumble on the ground after their fast exchange. “I will be taking your opponent for myself Mr. I hope you don’t mind.” Amon apologize for taking Liasu from Kairon who is heavily wounded.

               [Looking at Mr.’s condition, this guy must be far stronger than those guys earlier. I can see why they would run towards him earlier. If I did not deal with them by that time, it would be troublesome to deal with once they united.] I thought to myself as I glance behind me and saw that big brother Marcus and Abel are on their way. “I will take care of him so you need to deal with those wounds Mr.” I spin my axe with the help of the wind magic that my great grandfather taught me. 

After getting my hands on this spinning axe, I have been thinking of how far the spinning axe can go since all it need is to be spun to get stronger. I wonder who is the owner of such a weird weapon. Looking at my opponent right now- he should be a lot stronger than the others, the way he dodged my attack and even launch a counter only shows that he is leagues better than those guys. [I think this guy is ready.]  I thought to myself after as the spinning axe is spinning at the speed that I no longer see the blade. I immediately put my left feet forward to give more strength to my throw and throw the spinning axe towards that guy but to my surprise his figure disappeared as if he was not there in the first place and the next thing I know, I have already a wound on my left side.

               FWOOOSH!

               “Did you think that you are strong enough to face me after dealing with those weaklings? You picked the wrong person to fight hatchling.” He whispered to my ear as he passed by and leaving me a wound in the process. It is the first time that got wounded over my carelessness and it hurts but that is not what’s overwhelming me right now. The feeling that I have found a decent opponent is what’s overwhelming me. A kind of fight that I longed for, I have it right now. The spinning axe returned to my hand after striking the air where that guy stood. 

[Just as I thought, I am not ready to wield this yet.] I thought to myself as I hid it away in my void ring. A dark and purple space opened where I hid the spinning axe and grabbed a different weapon where I am taught meticulously, the sword. “I’m still not good enough at using that weird axe, so I guess I should stick to the weapon where  I am most comfortable with.” I said and I immediately use a secret art that only my father knows. “Equilibrium strike.”

               BOOM!

               [What the hell was that? If I didn’t move away immediately, I would ended up dead.] I thought to myself as I saw the boulders and rocks split in half from where I am from. [Even the aura that he release is different from before. Where the hell a kid this strong came from? how come the empire doesn’t know about this?] my thoughts are cut as the kid immediately attacked me after releasing something of that caliber. His movements became insanely fast even for a person like me who is speed oriented, his attacks became really sharp and calculated, its like I am looking at a dancer. I started to admire it but then something struck me, the pain. The moment I realize it, I already have countless wounds all over my body, something that I should have felt instantly.

               “What the heck, was that a hypnotic blade dance?” I muttered as I drink a pill that would make the bleeding stop and even give me a boost in strength for half an hour. [I only have one pill, it will help me last for half an hour. If I don’t finish this fight any sooner. I would face serious trouble, this guy is a great trouble and not to mention Kairon and the other two who did not show any interest in fighting me.] I stopped calculating the time I need to defeat the kid when I sense that he is about to attack again.

               FWOOOOSH!

               I resorted to use my magical abilities like I did earlier and it proved to be effective, I landed a hit on his shoulder but even with the wound that I inflicted, he still continues to fight unfazed by it. [What the hell? Doesn’t this kid know pain?!] I thought to myself but just as I took a glance at his face, I saw the smile that he is wearing. A smile that you can only wear when you are enjoying something to the fullest, a smile of delight. The sight of sent shivers to my spine, this is the first time that I have seen someone happy after getting a wound and the worst part is that he is only a kid, a kid younger than me for almost 15 years or so.

 I kept defending and counter attacking to the point that my dagger’s blade became dull and almost useless but it was still enough rather than having nothing to use to defend from this fiend’s relentless attacks. And just when I thought that my situation can’t get any more worse, he started using magical attacks as well along with his ridiculous secret art.

               I started getting addicted to the feeling of pain for the first time that I could not help but allow this guy to wound me even thought I am well capable of defending and keeping myself from getting an wounds from any weapons but the moment my emotions took over, my body just kept wanting more. It was then that Abel stepped in and heal me. “That is unnecessary Abel, there is no need for you to be doing that.” I muttered as I turned to him thought I don’t know what expression I had on my face that was enough to make big brother Marcus flinch but Abel still has the same smile on his face. 

“I know young master, but my role is to keep you from dying as per the great elder’s order. He is not someone I can defy and you know that.” He responded with calm tone as the one I am fighting with had his eyes widened after the wounds on my body disappeared like there was nothing there in the first place and let out a painful laugh. “Hahaha! No wonder you are reckless! That guy is a healer, I thought you are an i***t but to think that you have this all calculated. Wow! You don’t know how jealous I am, you are all well and dandy while I on the hand looks like shxt. I can’t even think of how long I can last with that guy on your side.” He said with a painful tone. 

“Well I don’t want to be healed in the first place. It was just he is ordered to do something by someone whom we respect so much.” I responded with a calm tone and pointed out the pill that he took earlier. “And besides, didn’t you took a pill earlier? I guess that was able to stop the bleeding and boost your strength so were even.” His eyes widened after I pointed out that fact and then he laughs hysterically. “Ahahaha, so you have noticed. Well, I did but I think the effect is wearing off fairly rapidly. I don’t think I have more strength to pour into your next attack.” He said as he takes out a really familiar orb from his pocket. “Might as well take you all out with me.” It was then that I felt like something is about to happen after he muttered those words that at the same time, the very orb that he holds is glowing brightly.