The Returnee's Hidden Strategy Stream

Chapter: 49

"What?" Lia frowned at the near-command. "You want me to run away without doing anything?"

"Yes. Now that Barreshas information about the Spirit King\'s traces, it wouldn\'t be strange if something happened at any moment."

"But we have evidence! If we steal what my uncle has, can\'t we reveal his crimes?"

"Even so, the feasibility is unclear. The city\'s officials have already been replaced to Barres\' liking."

-Agreed.

-Yeah, the judges are all on Barres\' side.

-101 percent chance the evidence will be covered up.

-But then what do we do?

-Don\'t know.

It was natural to reveal the crimes with clear evidence. However, the people involved in the investigation and tLial were all Barres\' forces. Rather, if they presented the evidence now, there was a high possibility that it would disappear neatly.

Hanbit, listening to the conversation, decided to address the viewers\' questions first.

"Does Barresnot know Lia\'s face?"

"Very few people know your face, My lady. Besides Brook, there are almost no people in City Hall who know you now."

"Then it\'s fine! The pursuers we\'ve seen so far weren\'t exactly targeting me!" Lia interjected, raising her voice.

Although it seemed agreeable at first glance, Cowen only shook his head.

"They were eliminating targets one by one by looking at their faces. If Brook\'s explanation is added, the pursuers will gradually get closer to you, my lady."

"I can just cover my face!"

"...The abnormal reaction that appeared in the ring. That might be the influence of a magical tool that tracks the power of spirits. There was information that the Holy Kingdom\'s technology could achieve this, so it wouldn\'t be strange for Barresto use it. Can you hide this as well, my lady?"

"Ugh..."

-That\'s scary;

-The obsession is insane.

-It\'s understandable if it\'s the Spirit King\'s trace.

-Can\'t Black Dragon use it?

-Would that work?

-It would be really awesome if he could use it, lol.

-Sylph is crying.

The viewers began to pay attention to the power of the Spirit King\'s trace.

However, Lia was just trembling with her fists clenched.

"It can\'t be helped even if you\'re stubborn. I\'ll prepare a place for you to stay right away, so please prepare to leave. I will take charge of the fight using this evidence," Cowen continued his firm declaration.

"But..." Lia murmured, her head bowed.

It was hard to hear, so the moment Cowen took a step closer...

"I said I don\'t want to!" She shouted and jumped upwards.

"My lady!"

Lia disappeared upstairs with an incredibly quick movement. Cowen, who had reached out his hand, couldn\'t chase after her.

However, Hanbit kicked off the ground in a panic.

"Follow me quickly!"

He went upstairs without even waiting for Cowen\'s reply.

Lia was nowhere to be seen in the shabby space.

"What\'s going on?!"

Cowen, who had followed him upstairs, expressed his confusion.

Without even a moment to answer, Hanbit immediately kicked open the door and went outside.

\'Where is she?\'

An unexpected, sudden action. Lia, who was incredibly fast, could easily disappear from sight in a short amount of time.

Thud-!

Hanbit quickly climbed onto the roof using the gaps in the building\'s walls. Because of the complex alleyways, he couldn\'t see the surroundings at a glance, but there was no other choice.

\'...There she is!\'

The blonde girl caught Hanbit\'s eye as he focused all his senses.

Whoosh-

As if sensing something, the spirit\'s wind enveloped his body.

Immediately drawing his sword, Hanbit kicked off the ground towards where Lia was.

Swish-!

Thanks to the power of the wind, his body gained speed and moved quickly.

And the moment Lia\'s back was right in front of him, he swung his sword with all his might.

Clang-!

"...Huh?"

A sharp noise rang out along with her bewildered voice.

"Ugh!"

The tremendous shock of hitting something pushed Hanbit back.

But he couldn\'t back down.

Thud-!

"Whoa!"

He grabbed Lia\'s hand and pulled her hard. When she was pulled back by his force, Hanbit steadied himself and looked ahead cautiously.

"You were able to read that?"

Standing before him was someone dressed in black and white clothes.

A bizarre voice that didn\'t even reveal their gender. In their hand, they held a very thin and sharp sword.

-Who is that?

-Did Barres send them?

-Isn\'t that the Holy Kingdom?

-They look really strong;

As some viewers predicted, that person was an assassin from the Holy Kingdom. A group that handled all sorts of things in the shadows, you could say. Naturally, each and every one of them was incredibly skilled.

"My lady!"

At that moment, Cowen, who had started late, arrived.

"Are you alright?!"

"Huh? Uh..."

Lia, still unable to grasp the situation, slowly nodded.

Cowen, holding his sword, turned his gaze to the unknown enemy.

"Who sent you?"

At his question, the assassin pointed their sword and said, "Leave that child and disappear. Once the objective is achieved, meaningless sacrifices are unnecessary. That is God\'s mercy."

"It is the Holy Kingdom, huh? What\'s your objective?"

"To seize the ring passed down through the Norton family and eliminate its owner. That is all that is needed."

"...There\'s no need to hear any more."

Cowen gritted his teeth and took a stance. However, he wasn\'t foolish enough to misjudge the enemy\'s level.

"Black Dragon, take the young lady and escape from Edlen."

"Cowen!"

"My lady, I will take care of that guy and follow you. Please leave first."

"No!"

-Ah;

-Flag ON.

-Is he going to lose?

-He\'s going to lose.

A conversation that felt like a final farewell. Although he didn\'t know their feelings, choosing that option was impossible in itself.

"In the end, innocent blood must be shed."

The temperature in the assassin\'s voice dropped even further.

And the moment the direction of the sword in their hand shifted slightly...

Swish-!

The assassin lunged forward.

"You think I\'ll just let you do that!"

Cowen, who had been on guard, swung his sword powerfully. It was an agile movement that didn\'t match his physique.

However, the enemy was skilled beyond ordinary standards.

Swoosh-

Twisting their body in the middle of the charge, the assassin easily dodged Cowen\'s attack. Their undiminished speed was carried into the next attack.

Hook-!

The sword flew towards his neck with incredible speed. Cowen, already in an attack stance, couldn\'t dodge it.

"Cowen!" Lia\'s scream rang out.

At that moment.

Clang-!

Hanbit, who had slipped between the two, forcefully deflected the assassin\'s sword.

Whirl-

Switching their grip on the deflected sword, the assassin immediately struck down towards Hanbit.

It was Cowen who reacted to that attack.

"Ha!"

Choosing his hand instead of the sword, he threw a punch towards the assassin\'s face.

However, the assassin raised their hand and blocked the attack.

"Did I seem that weak to you?"

Clench-

Strong force was exerted by the hand gripping his fist.

"Ugh!"

With the excruciating pain that felt like it was crushing his hand, Cowen pushed it away and stepped back.

Swoosh-

At that moment, a faint white glow enveloped the assassin\'s body. Hanbit quickly grabbed Cowen\'s shoulder.

"Get away!"

Whoosh-

Simultaneously, the assassin\'s sword charged again. Gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands, Hanbit gathered the surging wind into the blue-white blade.

"Haa!"

Hanbit threw himself forward, swinging his sword downwards as if to cleave the assassin in two.

And the moment their swords clashed...

Boom-!

A huge shockwave spread through the surroundings.

"Ugh!"

"My lady!"

Cowen caught Lia just before she was blown away, shielding her with his body. As he looked up, all he could see was the assassin.

"Shit..."

Hanbit, flung backwards, crashed straight into the wall. There was no pain.

However, the overwhelming difference in power he felt for the first time in a long time stirred up vivid memories.

-Whoa;

-Is he really losing?

-Black Dragon is being defeated like this;

-How can he win against that?

-The story is -over-

Thud-

Hanbit pulled himself out of the wall and regained his stance. Perhaps due to the tremendous damage he had received, his movements had become extremely sluggish.

"What a peculiar power," the assassin muttered, looking at Hanbit\'s sword.

However, they didn\'t think it was the power of a spirit. The Spirit User massacre that took place 100 years ago had nearly erased the true power of spirits from people\'s memory.

"You won\'t be able to withstand it twice."

The assassin, lowering their sword, slowly started walking. Seeing this, Cowen kicked off the ground.

"You think I\'ll just watch?!"

He swung the sword he held in both hands with all his might. However, the assassin simply moved their hand without even turning their head.

Bang-!

A sound that was impossible to believe came from swords clashing.

"Ugh!"

Cowen, thrown back by the impact, fell to the floor. The sword in his hand was broken exactly in half.

"Ah..."

Lia, who had been watching the situation with a hardened expression, let out a short sigh. Trying to regain her senses, she shook her head and gripped her dagger.

"You are all so foolish."

The assassin\'s gaze shifted to Lia.

"My lady...! Run away!"

Cowen desperately tried to get up. However, the pain resonating throughout his body showed no signs of subsiding.

"Ha..."

Hanbit, who could at least move his legs, slowly moved to Lia\'s side.

"Black Dragon..." Lia choked out his name, tears welling up in her eyes.

The assassin approached, sword in hand.

If that arm moved, the two of them would die. Even with the spirit necklace, it would only be a momentary reprieve.

The obvious, desperate outcome crashed over Lia’s mind. That emotion finally turned into rage.

"Because of you...!"

Her father\'s false accusation and death. Even if it was her uncle and Barres\'s scheme, the Holy Kingdom was behind it. She felt nothing but anger towards those who tried to ruin her past and present.

"It\'s okay."

Hanbit, who knew her heart well, stood firm in front of Lia. Even with his immobile body, he gripped his sword. He had experienced countless situations like this.

"I bear no ill will towards you. God will watch over you, so abandon your wicked emotions and die."

The assassin, lowering their sword, kicked off the ground.

And the moment that cold blade was about to reach their necks...

Boom!

An intense wind descended.

"Ugh!"

The assassin was thrown back by a gust of wind completely different from before.

"I told you to be careful."

A familiar voice came from within the wind.

Hanbit raised his head at the voice he had been waiting for.

"Master."

"Focus on healing your wounds. I cannot lose the disciple I gained after decades," the white-haired old man said with sincerity.

The one who appeared at the critical moment was Asla, the Swordmaster of Wind. Hanbit\'s master and the most skilled person in Edlen.

-Whoa.

-Why is Asla here?

-Master ㅠㅠㅠ

-That\'s so reassuring;

-He hit him.

-Teacher, please kill him.

"You are..."

The assassin, correcting their posture, glared at Asla cautiously.

The old man, meeting their gaze leisurely, raised his sword and said, "Come. I shall cut you down along with your twisted faith."