Chapter 15: Blood Mission Part 2
Warning: This chapter contains intense fantasy violence. Recommended 16+
Kite lands hard with Jerry in his arms. He rolls once and runs backward to Jack.
The bat titan is still looking at all of them. His eyes are shining white. He screams, and blood from Neik's body is still stuck between his teeth.
Jack steps forward. He closes his eyes for half a second. He uses his mind sight.
He sees it.
Energy is coming out from the bat titan like a storm. Thick. Heavy. It covers the whole of floor three. It presses down on everything.
Jack's nose starts bleeding. A single red line runs down to his lip.
Luis sees it and grabs his arm. "Uncle, what happen? What is it?"
Kite's assistant, Sara, turns to her team. Her voice is sharp. "Officers who are mages and have fire skill shard, attack on the titan by fire throw. Now!"
All the mages lift their wands together. "Fire throw!"
Ten balls of fire fly at the same time. They hit the bat titan's chest, his face, his wings. The tunnel fills with heat and smoke.
Kite looks at Sara and shakes his head. "Sara, there will be no effect on him."
The smoke clears slowly.
The bat titan is standing still. Zero scratch. Not even ash on his skin. He just tilts his head.
Lily whispers, "How can be..."
Jack is still using his mind sight. He sees the titan's energy turning. Spinning faster. He understands something.
He shouts, "Create barrier! Fast!"
He slams his hand down. A green light bursts out. A dome of magic covers Rio, Lily, and Luis. It glows bright green.
Everyone else tries to create barriers too. But they are slow.
The titan's energy hits them.
First their noses start bleeding. Then blood runs from their ears. One by one, the soldiers grab their heads. Their eyes go wide. Their hearts stop.
Like Jerry group soliders, they drop dead on the spot. Ten soldiers. Fifteen soldiers. All at once. Their bodies hit the stone floor, faces frozen in fear. Blood pools under their heads.
Only the strongest stay standing.
Sara holds her chest. She laughs but it is shaky. "Haha... my heart... I'm feeling scared."
Kite is on one knee, breathing hard. "It's titan energy. It releases a grim effect. It makes anyone scared. If you're strong, you can survive it."
Jerry's heartbeat is fast. He is sweating. He crawls back. "I want to go out from here. I want to go out!"
Inside the green barrier, Rio, Lily, and Luis watch what happens to everyone. Their eyes are wide.
Jack turns to them. His face is serious. "My barrier will keep you safe here. If something happens to me, my barrier will break. If it breaks, you three run up and leave the dungeon. Do you understand?"
Rio shakes his head hard. "No, Master. I will not leave."
Luis grabs Rio's shoulder. "Rio, you should understand."
Lily looks up at Jack, tears in her eyes. "Master, can you defeat him?"
Jack pulls his sword from his back. The metal sings. "There is only thirty percent chance I can defeat him."
He takes a deep breath. He runs toward the bat titan.
He pushes his energy to max. External subtype. His sword lights up. A white-blue energy covers the blade, so bright everyone can see it. The air around the sword cracks.
Rio gasps inside the barrier. "So this is Master full power."
Kite stands up next to him. He looks at Jack with new respect. "So he is not weak as I thought."
Kite also runs toward the bat titan.
The bat titan swings his huge hand down to stop Jack.
Jack shouts, "Too slow!" He dodges left. The titan's hand hits the floor. The stone bursts. Cracks spread ten feet.
Jack jumps onto the titan's hand. He runs up the arm, toward his neck.
The titan shakes his arm hard to throw him off. Jack stabs his sword into the titan's skin to hold on. Black blood sprays out for the first time.
Jack yells, "Kite, now!"
At the same time, Kite uses a skill shard. "Fast Runner!"
His body blurs. This skill shard has the speed of sound. He travels fast, right in front of the bat titan's eyes. He lifts his sword, going to stab the right eye.
The titan closes his eye. The eyelid is like iron. Kite's sword hits it. SPARKS fly. A loud metal clang echoes. No damage.
The titan roars in anger. He opens his mouth and releases a shockwave.
BOOM.
Both Jack and Kite are thrown back twenty feet. They land hard and roll.
Jack gets up first, wiping blood from his lip. He charges again. He aims for the wing joint.
He jumps high and slashes. His glowing sword cuts deep into the black skin. Black blood pours down the wing like rain.
The titan screeches. He flaps his huge wings once.
Wind blades fly out. Ten invisible blades of air cut toward Jack.
Jack spins his sword fast. "Barrier cut!" He blocks three, four, five blades. Each block makes green sparks. One blade cuts his shoulder. Blood flies.
Kite appears behind the titan using Fast Runner again. He stabs his sword into the titan's back. The blade goes in half an inch, then stops. The muscle is too hard.
Kite grits his teeth. "This thing is a monster."
The bat titan reaches back with his hand to grab Kite.
Jack sees it. "Kite, behind you!"
Kite disappears just in time.
Both Jack and Kite land on the ground, breathing hard, facing the titan from two sides.
Jack is going to cut the neck. Kite is going to stab the eye again.
Both attacks are about to land.
The bat titan disappears.
Invisible. Gone.
Both swords hit empty air.
Jack and Kite land hard on the stone floor.
Jerry shouts from the ground, "How can be!"
Sara stands up slowly. "Who is that?"
Luis points, his hand shaking. "It can be... that is human."
In front of Jack and Kite, a figure stands.
It is a human. Tall, thin, with long black hair. And on his back, a pair of bat wings folded neatly. His skin is pale. His eyes are still white.
He smiles, showing sharp teeth with blood on them.
"Wow," he says. His voice is soft. "You two humans are so much stronger. I thought you two will die, but you were so fast. I am the bat titan."
Jack points his sword at him, his shoulder still bleeding. "How can you turn into human?"
The bat titan laughs. "Wow, you don't know? That's why every race says humans are weaklings."
Kite grits his teeth. "And all races say your race is mindless."
The bat titan tilts his head. "See, every titan who is stronger than a special titan, as you call them, they can turn human."
Everyone's eyes go wide.
Jerry is on the floor, shaking. "So it means... he is not a special titan."
The bat titan nods slowly. "Yes. I am not your ranked titan. I am much stronger than that. My rank would be seventh among all titans."
Kite holds his sword tighter. "Why are you here?"
Inside the green barrier, Rio whispers to Luis and Lily, "He looks like a girl."
Lily nods, whispering back, "Yes, you're speaking correct."
The bat titan turns his head instantly. He heard them. "Kids, I can hear you. I am a bat."
Luis whispers loudly, "Just shut up yourself."
The bat titan ignores him. He stretches his wings. "I came here because I was fighting with someone in the up sky. But they injured me too much. I came here for healing. But you humans interfered with me while I was healing."
Sara steps forward, her staff shaking in her hands but her voice steady. "Who was that you were fighting with?"
The bat titan doesn't answer. He bends down, picks up a fallen sword from the cold stone, and throws it.
It moves like a flash of light. Straight for Sara's eyes.
She freezes.
Kite blurs in front of her with Fast Runner and stops the blade an inch from her face. Sparks bite the air.
Sara stumbles back, breathing hard.
Luis shouts, "What was that!"
Lily can't even speak. She just covers her mouth.
The bat titan looks down at them, his white eyes empty. His wings fold slow behind him.
"I don't speak with weak humans," he says, his voice low and cold. "Weak humans can't ask questions to me. And they can't give orders to me."
Jack doesn't move. His sword is still glowing in his hand. "Then tell me. Who was it you were fighting?"
The bat titan stares at him for a long second. The whole tunnel goes quiet.
Then he smiles, blood still on his teeth.
"Astral."
By hearing that, Jerry falls down completely and starts shaking. "No. It can't be. He is here."
Luis turns to Sara. "Who is that?"
Sara is scared too. Her staff is shaking in her hand.
Jack's face goes pale. "Oh my God. We are now dead."
Kite looks at Jack. "We have to tell this to the Artesik government ."
The bat titan folds his wings. "See, I don't want to kill humans now. And I'm going to rest somewhere else."
He flaps his wings once. The wind is so strong it pushes everyone back. He flies straight up. He is so fast he breaks through the ceiling, through floor two, through floor one. Stone falls everywhere. He goes out through the top of the dungeon and disappears into the sky.
Everyone is outside the dungeon. Evening light. The dead soldiers are being carried out on stretchers.
Jack looks at Kite. "So Kite, what are you going to do?"
Kite sheathes his sword. "I am going to the capital to tell this."
Jack nods. "I'm also coming with you. From tomorrow."
From behind them, Rio runs up. "What, Master? You're leaving?"
Lily runs too, eyes red. "Master, really you're going?"
Luis follows. "Who will teach us?"
Jack sits down on a rock and looks at the three of them. "You three, become too much strong. After getting age of fourteen, join Artesik Academy. You will become strong enough to fight A class or S class monsters."
Night time. At Luis's house.
Luis is sitting with his family. Chris and Julia are there. Jack is sitting across from them. He tells them he is leaving.
Chris and Julia get scared.
Luis asks, "Who is Astral?"
Jack looks at the fire. His voice is low. "In your country, a civil war is going to start."
That scares Chris and Julia even more.
Jack continues, "Astral is the most strongest human till now. His power is that much, he nearly defeated the King of Abyss. And he is known as Kingdom Destroyer."
Luis gets scared. He holds his mother's hand.
Next day. Morning.
Jack is leaving town with Kite, Jerry, and Sara. Their horses are ready at the east gate.
Rio, Luis, and Lily came there to say bye.
Kite looks at the kids. "You kids will become strong. And Rio, be better than your brother."
Rio nods hard.
Lily starts crying and grabs Jack's coat. "Master, come again."
Jack smiles and pats her head. "I give you promise. I will come again."
Luis steps forward, his fists tight, eyes burning. He looks straight at Jack.
"Uncle," he says, "I will beat you one day."
Jack looks at him for a second, then laughs quiet. "Good. Then train hard until that day comes."
And they leave the town in the morning light.
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To be continued...