Chapter 58: Execution.
Takeshi stayed in the dungeon. He sat opposite Misa and Sai at an old wooden table. Several other soldiers stood behind. His hands were bound by cuffs featuring red-grooved patterns.
Misa spoke with a serious, slightly threatening tone.
"Alright. Now, tell us why you were there with a body injured like that? Were you the one who created that hole?"
Takeshi shook his head slightly. His eyes were wary.
"Of course not."
—"Right now, I must answer carefully."
"I do not remember clearly. I only remember fighting something. And I lost."
Misa raised an eyebrow.
"Only that?"
Takeshi nodded.
"Currently, that is all I can remember."
Sai spoke up.
"Threats are probably unnecessary. Just call Lya here."
Misa nodded. A girl named Lya with black hair entered. She bowed to the two vice-leaders.
"Is it necessary for two vice-captains to be here? Just leave it to our interrogation team."
Sai smiled.
"I came because I was bored."
Misa glanced over. She slammed a fist into Sai's stomach. Sai clutched his belly in pain.
Lya stepped near Takeshi. She looked at him.
"Do not worry. I will not torture you. Just relax your mind and body."
Takeshi nodded calmly. Lya placed her hand on his head and closed her eyes. Her hand glowed with golden light—Lya's characteristic energy color.
After a moment, she viewed Takeshi's recent past. She opened her eyes and turned around. Her face showed disappointment. She shook her head.
"I only saw images of him fighting in some space. About four others attacked him. But the memories blurred. I could not see."
Misa stroked her chin, thinking.
"Is that so? So he only fought those people and lost?"
Sai: "Did he erase his own memories?"
Lya shook her head.
"How could he erase them? There is no way to self-erase. Unless he used an item with memory-erasing capabilities. But I thought everyone picked him up when he was near death."
"Furthermore, he was kept in a strict room. Using any item requires energy. If he used it, the guards would have sensed it immediately."
Misa: "Lya is right."
"So his ability to remember everything is that poor?"
Misa turned to Takeshi. Her voice was interrogative.
"Are you truly not the one who caused everything?"
Takeshi exhaled.
"Of course not. You heard that girl. Stop looking for my flaws. I am telling the truth."
Misa uttered an "oh."
"Quite blunt, aren't you?"
"So, where do you live?"
Takeshi spoke with a calm voice, his face expressionless:
"I traveled everywhere with my friends. But they died."
—"I need to do one more thing. I need to find everyone's ashes and build a grave. Then I will leave."
Misa: "Then do you want to join this guard unit?"
Sai was slightly surprised.
"Is that allowed?"
Misa turned.
"Why not? We do not lack troops, but we are only at a sufficient level. Adding more people is fine."
Takeshi answered very quickly.
"I will not."
Misa was slightly surprised.
"Why? Our treatment is good. We guarantee housing and everything."
Takeshi's eyes turned more soulless.
"My friends are dead. I will not live anymore. What I need to do now is make the most beautiful grave for them."
Misa looked at Takeshi with interest.
"So you want to die?"
"I advise you not to do that. If your friends saw you like this, how could they rest in peace?"
Takeshi's face remained ice-cold.
"Those persuasive lines are a bit old."
"When will you release me?"
Misa sprang up.
"You are truly interesting. It seems you have decided."
"Then I will release you."
Sai spoke with an urgent voice.
"Is that okay, Misa? We need to dig deeper. Doing this might not be okay."
Misa: "Lya saw his memories. That is enough. Besides, if someone wants to die, let him be."
Sai: "You are being too carefree. This is unacceptable."
Misa turned to Lya.
"What do you think?"
Lya answered without hesitation:
"Follow her. He is a dying man anyway."
Sai grew angry.
"What? You are on Misa's side? You are my younger sister and you act like this?"
Lya smiled and hugged Misa.
"I do not care. If you are stubborn, I will not cook for you tonight."
Sai was very angry but could do nothing. Both were vice-captains with different opinions. Since another person supported one side, Sai found it hard to argue back.
"Fine."
Thus, Takeshi was released. He stood before the massive headquarters of the guard unit. He looked back once, then turned away.
Misa stood on a towering balcony at the top of the headquarters. She ordered two other soldiers.
"Follow him immediately. Monitor every action."
Sai stood there, surprised.
"This trick again? You have used it on so many people."
Misa turned back.
"But it is effective."
Sai: "Torture works too."
Misa: "Who knows? But I prefer this way."
Takeshi walked through the busy, crowded street. He walked as if he did not know his goal. He moved unconsciously.
He reached a place with very tall trees planted in a secluded area. The surroundings were beautifully decorated. He looked up at a branch jutting out.
The image of Kazuka appeared. Both were lying on the tree, talking.
He climbed the tree and lay there, looking at the sparse leaves.
He began to sob loudly. Both hands covered his face. Tears flowed down his face.
Grievous, lost tears—they seemed limitless. He wailed louder.
Two soldiers dressed simply, hiding behind distant tree trunks, were confused.
—"Is it true that this guy's friends died?"
Takeshi wailed in helplessness.
"I am sorry... I am sorry everyone... it is all my fault... I failed to protect everyone."
"I am too useless. I am too weak... Why... why was I not stronger?"
"If I were stronger... I... I could have protected everyone."
The scene shifted to when Takeshi faced Maia and Velmuth on a deserted road.
Velmuth: "Where are you going, young man?"
Maia drew the sword from its scabbard. The sound of metal scraping rang out.
Takeshi realized these were not good people.
"What do you want?"
Velmuth, behind the mask, spoke nonchalantly.
"Capture you!"
Maia immediately rushed forward. Takeshi sensed the energy Maia emitted was abnormal. All his senses entered a state of alert.
Energy immediately surrounded his body.
Maia swung her sword from the right. A diagonal slash was unleashed. Takeshi immediately jumped back.
But unexpectedly, it was not a close-range strike. It was an energy slash.
The energy slash flew straight toward Takeshi. The ground shook. A large rock mass thrust up from below, lifting Takeshi high, allowing him to avoid the strike.
The slash cut the large rock in half. Takeshi immediately jumped to the ground. He placed his hand on the ground. A series of stone spikes thrust up toward Maia.
Maia did not dodge. She swung her sword. A vertical energy slash immediately plowed the ground, stopping the incoming stone spikes. That slash headed straight for Takeshi.
He jumped to the left and successfully dodged. Immediately, Maia closed in on Takeshi. She swung her sword. Takeshi threw a punch.
But when the two strikes collided only with energy, Takeshi felt danger. He immediately coated his hand with stone and yanked himself backward.
His eyes observed with extreme caution.
"If that phase lasted a bit longer, my hand would have been split in two. She is too strong."
Velmuth stood behind and said:
"End it quickly."
Maia used more energy. She unleashed a horizontal energy slash flying at extreme speed toward Takeshi.
He immediately put his hands out and erected several stone walls.
—"She will ambush."
Earth Soul Giant!!
His body was immediately covered by stone. But it only covered the whole body; it had not yet become thick and large like before.
Maia immediately closed in, surprising Takeshi. He panicked, but it was too late.
Maia drew her sword back for momentum. A slash was swung.
Takeshi gritted his teeth against the pain. His body curled. The stone and energy coating him could not block that strike. He flew very far and slammed into a house. His mouth spat bright red blood. His abdomen had a deep, long cut bleeding incessantly.
Takeshi knew the opponent had injected chaotic energy into him. He lay still, trying to push the chaotic energy out, hoping he would be okay.
But Maia already stood before him. Her left hand was coated in chaotic energy. She immediately punched Takeshi's chest.
His eyes widened. His pupils rolled up. His body contracted. Intense pain made his body convulse, and he immediately fainted.
Maia sighed.
"Cut a bit too deep. Now I have to heal him."
Back to the present. Takeshi slowly climbed down from the tree. He wiped away his tears and snot.
He began to walk. The two soldiers followed. But Takeshi sensed them when they stepped more than he did and entered his energy sensing range. He walked into an alley and waited for them to enter. Seeing this, the two soldiers did not enter immediately but stood outside peering in.
Takeshi spoke up.
"Who are you? Why are you following me?"
Knowing they were discovered, the two soldiers revealed themselves and stood before him.
One soldier waved his hands hurriedly.
"We mean no harm. We just saw you crying and followed out of curiosity."
Takeshi's eyes seemed to see through the two soldiers. His voice remained calm.
"Your energy creates a similar feeling, proving you have the same training method. And I have already interacted with people from the guard unit. No need to hide."
Takeshi's voice shifted to a threat.
"You released me and then followed me?"
The two soldiers still tried to smile friendlily.
"You misunderstand. We just learned from our older brother in the army."
Takeshi lost patience. He growled a threat.
"One, go back. Two, you cannot go back."
The two soldiers knew they were being threatened. They entered a state of alert.
Seeing them take combat stances, Takeshi emitted his energy and coated his body. His right and left hands created two energy blades.
The two soldiers saw this and also emitted energy around their bodies. They drew swords from their hips and watched Takeshi warily.
Takeshi stomped hard on the ground, causing it to crack. He leaped powerfully and rushed straight forward.
The first soldier also rushed to face Takeshi directly.
Two energy sources collided without a sound. Both immediately retreated.
Takeshi continued to swing his blade. The first soldier immediately put his sword in front to block. The two energy sources collided. He retreated.
Takeshi immediately rushed in. He widened his shoulders and took momentum for a thrust.
But the second soldier rushed in from his left. He unleashed a downward slash. Takeshi's left hand swung the energy blade away.
The two energy sources collided. The first soldier unleashed two energy slashes toward him.
Grasping the situation as the strike was unleashed, the ground beneath him shook. An arc of earth and stone appeared around the first soldier and covered him.
The light faded for the soldier. That earth dome descended and crushed him.
"Aaahhh!"
Only a painful scream rang out before turning silent, as a life quietly departed.
The remaining soldier widened his eyes in shock and fear.
Takeshi said nothing.
Earth Soul Giant!!
Takeshi was covered by earth and stone like a giant golem.
The soldier retreated. He did not panic; his eyes flared with determination.
"I must live."
He unleashed an energy slash toward the Giant's shoulder joint. It immediately fell.
Boom!!!!
The ground shattered as the giant stone arm fell.
He continued to exert strength for the next slash. But Takeshi did not stand still. Though the slash was unleashed, the Giant put out an arm with a thick stone layer. The slash cut deep inside. But it was not enough.
That arm descended to crush the soldier, but the Giant's speed was slow. The soldier jumped to one side to avoid it.
Boom!!
The arm fell, shattering the ground. Before the soldier could rejoice, the right arm recovered and swung.
The soldier was knocked away and hit a wall, cracking it. His mouth spat blood. His expression was pained.
Explanation: Although the Giant was created by energy, maintaining it was very difficult when distributed everywhere. Therefore, it was hard for the Giant to unleash a high-energy strike. But the soldier was still injured; simply the pressure from the force caused internal organ damage. Although energy reduced the damage, it was negligible against such a massive power gap.
The Giant extended a finger. That finger turned into a sharp point and stabbed straight into the soldier. The soldier spat blood. The light faded from his eyes.
Takeshi reverted to his normal form and landed. He turned and walked away.
Evening. Aoto and Ayaka stood on the balcony looking out. Noise echoed everywhere.
Ayaka looked toward the distant sky.
"We will wake up early tomorrow, right?"
Aoto spoke nonchalantly and pointed to the left.
"Why worry? Our inn is right near the city gate."
Indeed, this inn was only about 15 houses away from the city gate.
Airi sat thinking about her Blood Chains:
—"Why can I not use Blood Chains anymore? It feels as if they no longer exist."
She widened her eyes upon realizing something.
"No way... Is there someone more suitable for Blood Chains and they automatically transferred to that person?"
She manifested the Blood Night Sword from her hand. Her face looked worried, staring at the sword.
"Will you also leave me? Sword?"
Suddenly, Raiga, who was lying on the table, crawled toward the window where Aoto and Ayaka were standing.
Airi followed with confused eyes. The Blood Night Sword in her hand vanished into thin air. She followed and walked past Kazuka, who was dozing in a chair. He startled awake at the sound of Airi's footsteps.
The noise outside rang out. Airi approached with curious eyes. Kazuka walked right behind.
Airi: "What happened?"
Aoto and Ayaka were somewhat panicked. Aoto pointed forward.
"Look."
The four looked into the distance. A familiar silhouette appeared.
Outside was a mess from a short battle. Takeshi lay flat on the ground. His hands were pinned behind his back, held tightly by a man about 30 years old sitting on his back. This man's eyes were serious, looking down at Takeshi, who grimaced in pain. This man's sword was planted right beside him.
That was Asd, the captain of the Goland city guard.
"Bring the cuffs here quickly."
Takeshi tried to resist but could do nothing.
"Why capture me? You said you would release me."
Asd leaned down and growled. Hostility was clear in his eyes.
"Indeed, we released you. But you killed people of the city. You must pay."
"What the hell?"
Looking through the small gaps created by the soldiers standing around Takeshi, the four widened their eyes in surprise, knowing it was Takeshi.
Kazuka panicked. He immediately turned to run outside.
Airi and the others followed right behind.
The group ran up but was blocked by soldiers. Their eyes were extremely fierce.
"Please do not enter. This man just killed someone."
Kazuka was annoyed. He wanted to run through the gap, but two spears were immediately crossed, blocking Kazuka's path.
Kazuka glared at the two soldiers with an annoyed gaze.
"I want to go in."
The two soldiers shook their heads.
"Sorry. You cannot."
Aoto placed a hand on Kazuka's shoulder from behind. Kazuka turned to look at Aoto. Aoto's eyes were sad. He shook his head slightly.
Kazuka was confused. He turned back.
"Why shake your head? Takeshi is right there and you let him go?"
Airi and Ayaka approached from the left. Airi peered into the crowd then turned back.
Airi: "It is no use, Kazuka. Follow me. We will discuss."
—"It seems things are not good."
As soon as Airi sat on the bed, she let out a long breath. Aoto sat in a chair. Ayaka sat next to Airi. Only Kazuka did not sit.
Airi: "I just asked a soldier."
"Takeshi killed two people from the guard unit, leading to that scene."
Kazuka took a deep breath.
—"Calm down."
"But why did he kill anyone?"
Airi: "I heard that: When the explosion happened in Kari city, they only found Takeshi there near death. They saved Takeshi and brought him here. After interrogation, they felt Takeshi was not the one who caused the explosion, so he was released. As for why he killed anyone, I do not know."
Kazuka remained silent.
Aoto: "This city has very strict laws. Good people are spared; bad people are punished."
"If Takeshi killed two of their soldiers, they likely will not consider much. It will be an execution. Everyone in this city supports that. No mercy for anyone."
Kazuka wiped his face repeatedly. He was confused and desperate. Then he stopped as if he had a thought.
"So what do you all think?"
Airi observed Kazuka, then turned back and sighed.
"The problem is we can do nothing. Whether he is guilty or innocent, we have no power to intervene."
It was not Kazuka or Airi who suggested it first. It was Ayaka. She had sat silently until now and finally spoke.
"How about we break him out of prison?"
Everyone was surprised by Ayaka's words. Airi turned to look at her with surprised eyes.
Kazuka breathed in and out. He spoke with worrying calmness.
"I thought of that too. But if we do, we will definitely be wanted. Maybe wanted in several countries. But if we go further, maybe not."
Aoto immediately stood up. He walked to the window and turned back, smiling.
"I'm going out for a bit."
Airi frowned. She said loudly:
"Where are you going?"
Aoto kept that smile.
"Do not worry. I will not do anything stupid. I promise."
Then Aoto pulled up his cloak and jumped out the window.
Before Airi could stop him, Kazuka said:
"I think this idea is good. Let's break him out."
Airi was panicked.
"Wait. Have you considered this city has a bunch of soldiers and strong people?"
Kazuka sighed.
"Then think of another way, Airi."
Airi froze at Kazuka's question.
"I... I..."
Kazuka turned to walk outside, leaving only:
"There is no other way. Agreed."
Airi sat there. She did not know what to do and watched Kazuka leave.
Ayaka spoke to reassure her.
"Do not worry. It will be okay. We are friends, so we will help each other at all costs."