”Hoh? I’ve heard about them before.” Kenzo flashed a smirk at Giovanni, while he crossed his arms under his chest, trying to remember where he’d heard the name before with a furrowed brow. ”Hmm… was it in Astera? Or maybe Oak?” The merc was unable to place a finger on the memory. Ultimately, the male gave up with a sigh before shrugging his shoulders at the Myras noble. ”Either way, I remember them being hailed as a band of thieves were they not? Why would they need to kidnap the boy?” Kenzo wouldn’t quite categorize a notorious band of thieves as the sort to go around kidnapping people, unless someone really powerful was paying them for it.

In turn, Giovanni took out a cigar from his pocket, lighting it up before speaking. ”Weell.. that’s the problem. In the surface, they are a band of thieves.” Kenzo could notice the discomfort in the noble’s face as he started speaking. ”Quite a popular one if I may add. -You’ve seen the state of the Lower Districts of Myras right? While I can’t say I don’t understand the people living here, the Spiders from the Troupe are known for stealing from the people living in the Silver District and distributing the wealth back in the lower slums. Many young boys and other poor souls revere them as saviors. There’s not a single person in the Lower District that would turn against them.” Kenzo started to understand what kind of organization they were. They were definitely quite a pain in the ass for authorities to deal with, but nothing too out of the ordinary for Kenzo. Furthermore, the explanation didn’t quite solve his question from before. If they were known for siding with the people of the Lower District, why kidnap a boy then?

[300/1875] 25% WC Reduction from Guild Level

”So? Why would they even be interested in Elyon? Doesn’t seem to line up with their line of work” Kenzo asked almost mechanically. ” That’s where the problem starts. In truth, their whole thieve gang reputation is nothing more than a façade, far away from reality. You see, the spider here represents the entirety of the Phantom Troupe. Twelve legs moving in accordance with the whims of the head. In that manner, one could say that the Troupe’s members exist solely to fulfill the desires of the head. Around five years ago, the leadership position in the gang changed, giving way to a prominent member by the codename of Chrono. According to some intel, he means bad business” Kenzo was intrigued by the talk about the Troupe, mafia mechanics had always been something he found interesting.

”I assume this Chrono fella had quite different goals than the last chief then?” Kenzo asked with a smirk on his face. ”Exactly. While the previous head was nothing more than a thief for hire, Chrono has far more sinister rumors going around to his name. Remember I told you about the origin myth of Myras?” Kenzo nodded agreeingly at the question. ”Well… some people say that the calamity dragon had been worshiped for generations by the Midnight Cult. After he was sealed away, the leaders of Myras city decided to hunt down and exterminate every last trace of them… Yet, some people say the cult survived even to this day, and Chrono was hailed as the prophet of legends they’ve been waiting for. The chosen one, the one that shall release the calamity once again from its slumber and unleash it upon the Silver City, ending with life as we know it.” Kenzo’s blood started to boil in excitement. He could hardly wait.

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”That sounds like a dangerous psycho if I’ve ever heard of one.” The prospect of fighting people as insane as them was quite the interesting one. The swordsman had been aching for a good fight for now, he was quite longing for a challenge. ”Are they strong though? The spiders I mean” It would be no fun if they weren’t actually a strong group. Yet again, Kenzo had already crossed the boundaries of what normally one would consider “strong”, the only people stronger in the country than him were the legends of Fiore, Guild masters and Wizard Saints or Lords. ”Aah yes. Don’t underestimate them just because they’re not as famous as most. According to some intel from my family, the weakest spider could be categorized as an A-Rank wizard, most of their bounties classifying them as a Hazard. Much like yourself from what I’ve gathered.” A worried look crossed Giovanni’s face. ”Poor Elyon… hope we’re not too late.”

Kenzo decided he now had sufficient information; it was time to get into action. ”So? What’s the plan then? Why do they need Elyon for?” Kenzo was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that, but he still asked in case Giovanni had left some information out for whatever reason. ”Well… the blood of Mynnei and Rasham flows through his veins, so he’s the only person alive that can dispel the seal of the thousand year door. According to legends, the citizens of Myras built it in order to prevent anyone from entering. That is, aside from the heirs of the couple. Chrono will definitely use Elyon to open the door and unseal the dragon. However, they would still need to collect the seven crystals to unlock it. Thankfully, I have two of them in my possession at the moment.”

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With that, it was decided that Kenzo and Giovanni returned to the Silver District. Up there, the spiders would find it hard pressed to attack as freely as in the Lower Districts. However, since they knew what their plan was, they would imminently try to steal from Giovanni the two missing crystals. ”Why did you abandon Elyon in the slums?” Kenzo asked as the two of them made their way up the citadel. ”Well… I thought he would be safer, away from prying eyes if he didn’t know about his origins. I.- I should have taken better care of him.” Giovanni was clearly shaken over the state of living that Elyon had to endure. ”Well.. at least we can be sure that they won’t lay a hand on him until they’re able to undo the Thousand Year Old Door’s seal. So don’t worry too much. After all, you’ve agreed to pay me to take care of this mess.” The blue haired swordsman commented with a cocky smile. It had been a while since he’d felt so in the zone.

Soon after, the two men finally arrived at the Silver District. Getting straight to Giovanni’s office at the mansion he’d visited before, the noble took out a large map of the Lower District from one of his cabinets before extending it over the fine wooden desk. ”If my intel is to be believed, we know of the following Phantom Troupe hideouts. Where Elyon is though, I cannot be sure.” Kenzo scratched his chin as he saw the different marked dots in the map, trying to memorize their locations. ”Do you know how many more there are?” He asked. ”From what we’ve gathered. Only 1 more with unknown location. Once you storm these others, make sure you find out where it is”

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Without further ado, Kenzo made his way to the first location in the map. After the explosion from earlier, his Dwarven Armor had sustained severe damage. Yet, the magical armor had fully repaired itself by now. The Bellan couldn’t help but smirk at how awesome dwarven runes were. In such a short amount of time, the silver chest plate was as good as new. With it, he was now able to fight at full potential. Hopping into the roof of the nearest building with a single jump, Kenzo instantly sprung into full speed. It had been a while since he’d gone all out. The last time being in Marigold when he sparred against Noel. Kenzo grit his teeth as he remembered that day. ”What the fuck was that by the way?” Having forgotten about it, Kenzo was irritated the way their fight was cut short. Seemingly out of nowhere, the warrior had a blackout and passed out without sustaining any damage. The only thing he remembered as his consciousness faded was the sound of an ominously familiar voice resounding in his head. ”What did it say?” Kenzo couldn’t quite remember the exact words of the voice, but he was sure there was something going on with his body. After all, the whole thing about the curse in his body was still present.

Either way, he’d have to deal with that later. As he was thinking about all of this, the lair came into vision. The male was still in the Middle District, but he could clearly see the exact building all the way from the top. With a smile of excitement, the warrior’s eyes widened as he jumped into the air. Free falling from a height that would definitely kill most, the Bellan mercenary prepared for the incoming battle. ”Knock-knock”

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CRAAASSSHH!!! Smoke and debris flew everywhere. An object had crashed against one of the Phantom Troupe’s hideouts seemingly out of nowhere. ”WHAT THE-!?!?!!” ”WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!” Kenzo knew there were at least two spiders hiding in this place. Before wasting any time, Kenzo made use of the unsettled dust to seize the initiative. Instantly summoning forth Masamune, the male lunged towards the nearest figure. Even if it were physically impossible to see through the cloud of dust he’d just created, he had no need to while using his eye’s ability. In a second, the male slashed through the torso of a small figure, cleaving it in half before it had any time to react.

Blood splattered the place as the lifeless corpse of the first spider fell limp into the ground. As Kenzo took a glance at the lifeless body, he couldn’t help but feel some pity for it. It looked like a young woman, younger than him for at least a couple of years. ”Too bad you had that spider tattoo in your neck kiddo~” Kenzo said in a tone devoid of regret or mockery, but still intending to provoke his partner.

”SEVEN!! SEVEN!? WHAT THE HELL? FUCK!!!!!! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU BASTARD!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?? I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” Kenzo’s plan worked to perfection. Assuming a defensive stance, the male waited for the attack. His opponent was an older man, sporting a tacky moustache and an ugly top knot. Going by his clothes, he was definitely a Joyan. Well… the katana in his hand also hinted at that, but his clothes were definitely Joyan. ”Hoh? So you’re a fellow swordsman then?” A cocky smile appeared in Kenzo’s face as he got prepared to receive his attack. ”I think I’ve lost the count of how many samurai I’ve killed in the past” The enemy was visibly shaken by the surprise attack, rage roaring through his face. ”I don’t care who the fuck you are bitch! I just know you’re a dead man!!!” The samurai lunged at Kenzo as he prepared to strike at him.

For an instant, Kenzo was hopeful over his opponent. From what he could see, his lunging attack had no openings. For all intents and purposes, he was a sword master. However, the thing that decided the outcome between two warriors with equal talent was the quality of their blades. With a smirk, Kenzo met his attacker’s strike with one of his own. Both blades clashed violently as they met in the middle. Even if the Joyan held an exquisite sword in his hands, it was no match for the Bellan’s. The spider’s eyes widened in surprise and fear as he noticed Kenzo’s sword. ”It can’t be! Masamu-“

Slash.

Kenzo’s strike cut cleanly through both the sword and body of the spider. Elyon was definitely not here, he’d have to visit the next hideout for the moment.

-EXIT-

[1990/1875] 25% WC Reduction from Guild Level