Chapter 15

Chapter 15 - LOT - Unedited [maybe we will get 16 out today ;-; pls]

“That boy there! He is the one with the faint aura about him from the lord’s death! Seize him!”

Jack jerked his head upward, causing his stomach to feel queasy. His entire body felt like it was on fire, the blood within him boiling ceaselessly. He had a vague idea of what this was, he assumed his ability must be evolving or Awakening, from what his mother had told him earlier.

However, he was only thirteen years old. His mother had Awakened when she was 15, and was the youngest genius ever in the Clan. Jack’s situation was, without a doubt, unique.

With a mental thought, Jack caused the bonded Hunter badge to vanish, feeling it absorb itself into him. He then rested his uninjured right arm on his golden sword, preparing to defend himself.

The powerful looking warrior that was tossing a pair of white daggers between his hands rushed forward, his eyes glued on Jack. A vicious glare emanating killing intent latched onto him mercilessly.

“Hold on a moment!” A loud, booming voice rang out, causing the rushing warrior to glance upward for a moment before continuing his rush towards Jack.

The dagger wielding warrior moved very quickly, far faster than Jack could move, crossing the half the distance between them in a matter of split seconds.

“I SAID HOLD ON A MOMENT.” An enormously loud gong rang out, shattering the air. Immediately, the dagger wielding warrior was tossed backwards like a ragdoll, his earlier rush put to a brutal stop. As he flew backwards through the air, he coughed up a mouthful of blood, injured, landing on the ground hard.

“What is going on, here? How dare you attempt to seize a member of the Hunter Association in our own base without giving an explanation.” The Branch Chief Garmen’s voice boomed as he stepped between Jack and the attackers, a black glare on his face.

“Apologies. My name is Jackal, and I am a representative of the Duchy of Snow.” The warrior who had just been smashed backwards stood up as if nothing had happened, wiping a line of blood away from his lip. He sheathed his daggers as he spoke, apologetically. His eyes glanced at Jack murderously, however, a far cry from his apologetic tone.

“This man here is the famous Seven Aura Tracker, Corker.” Jackal gestured to the large man next to him. Corker gave a low bow, a cheery smile on his face despite the situation at hand. Behind them, the Hunter Association guards glanced at each other nervously, not expecting the Branch Chief to get involved.

“Recently our young charge was brutally murdered out in the wilderness. Corker traced an aura that was found at the scene of the murder to the boy standing right behind you. As such, with the power invested in me by the Duke of Snow, I am ordering his arrest and interrogation.”

Garmen frowned as he heard the words spoken by Jackal, turning his eyes to glanced at Jack briefly. As the Chief of the Branch of the Hunter Association, he knew the rules and regulations he needed to follow. The Hunter Association was a neutral party throughout the world, and he was strongly encouraged to not clash with local powers.

That being said, he quite liked the young applicant, no, young member now. Giving him up to the men before him would undoubtedly spell his death, something Garmen wished to avoid.

It was an irritating situation.

Jackal continued to glare at Jack, his eyes as sharp as blades.

Jack frowned as he looked at the dagger wielding fighter, his stomach queasy due to his writing blood. He was in no condition to fight. Worry filled him as he tried to come up with a solution to this problem. How had these warriors tracked him?

As his mind reviewed what the fighter said, he remembered them claiming an “aura of fire” was found on him. He surreptitiously glanced at the sword at his side, instantly guessing where the aura came from.

Just as the Branch Chief was about to make a decision, however, a blonde haired guard ran into the room, pushing past Corker and the other guards.

“Branch Chief! I have an urgent report!” The guard’s voice was high pitched, one of the younger Hunter Association guards on duty. All eyes focused on the young guard, causing him to wilt slightly.

“What is it now?!” The Branch Chief’s voice was filled with barely contained irritation. The guard wilted further when he heard this.

“Sir, a large disturbance is reported towards the south of here. Enormous explosions of golden fire have caused large amounts of damage to the city, and the situation is ongoing. The Impact Clan representatives have just left to resolve the situation, and requested your presence on the front.”

The Branch Chief rubbed his forehead as he heard this, mentally swearing. Everything seemed to be happening all at once.

The Impact Clan was the Super Clan that oversaw this territory. Since they had requested his aid in the self defense of innocents, the Branch was bound by Hunter Association law to provide succor.

At the moment, all three of the Vice Chiefs were out in the wilderness, looking for a special cave for the Impact Clan.

His strongest Vice Chief, Orbil, had actually found the cave in question earlier in the week, and discovered it was a remnant of an ancient traitorous clan to humanity, the Space Clan.

Upon learning of the contents of the cave, Garmen had immediately reported it to his higher ups, keeping it hidden from the Impact Clan. The cave contained a damaged Space Gate, a legendary artifact used to transport people and goods through long distances. Controlling such an artifact, even a damaged one, would be of extreme use to the Hunter Association, the most widespread of the great powers in this world.

However, as a result of this, he had been forced to keep his Vice Chiefs out allegedly searching for the cave. Sending out the Vice Chiefs to assist the Impact Clan would normally be enough to satisfy the requirements the Hunter Association had set.

Without them here, however… He would have to go himself.

As he rapidly thought through the situation, his eyes fell on the young warrior behind him, looking at his pale face and the sheen of sweat covering his forehead, the rags covering his weapon, his injured arm. Garmen’s eyes tightened.

He glanced back at Jackal and Corker, making a decision.

“We will resolve this situation with the boy after we have settled the disturbance in the city.” Garmen preemptively waved away the protests of the two warriors, turning to face Jack.

“Boy, come with me. You’ll get to see firsthand what an A Rank Hunter can do, hohoho!”

..

..

A little girl sat in a mostly destroyed room, her hands shaking. Her delicate appearance was currently marred by a look of pain and struggle, her eyes unfocused.

“…Jack… I need you… big brother… please… I hurt…” Her quiet, pitiful voice went unheard as the world around shook, explosions off to her right.

“Surrender immediately!” Ser Guvas’s voice thundered out as he sent forth a fresh barrage of ice lances, watching as the golden flame clad warrior effortlessly dodged them. The muscular warrior’s movements were surreal, dodging the ice lances with just a millimeter to spare.

The battle had moved from the inn rooftop down the street, and across over to another street, just barely within the perimeter formed by the Frostplate Guards. None of the elite guards dared move forward, however, the strength and power of this fight well beyond them.

“The state of One Body, One Mind.” Ser Guvas grunted, his voice going grim. The ability to reach such a degree of body control was known in the world as One Body, One Mind. Reaching this state was a prerequisite to becoming a Swordmaster.

A dozen more ice lances shot out as the two other Snow Knights attacked in one motion, trying to freeze the fighter. Once more, the muscular warrior dodged them with ease, looking at the Snow Knights with disdain.

“Hmph. You call those attacks? Allow me to show you what real power is.” The muscular warrior jumped, kicking off the ground with a huge amount of force. As he leapt up into the air, he locked the fingers of his hands into the shape of a cross. A halo of golden fire covered his head, the air around him sparking.

“Cross Spear - Incinerate.” Jebraim smiled as he unleashed his technique.

Golden Flames blasted out of hands in the shape of a cross, crackling forward at an extremely fast speed. The flames carried with them a mysterious, powerful burning property, causing the air itself to sizzle.

As Ser Guvas saw this, he immediately knew he needed to dodge it.

“Damn.” Ser Guvas was already pulling on his Spirit to the maximum to enhance his body’s strength and durability. He was no expert in Spirit, preferring to focus on his Natural Ability instead. Thus, when he dodged backwards, he moved without grace, launching himself like a catapult. He ended up smashing into several of the nearby Frostplate Guards, killing two of them. He felt two of his ribs crack, and a deep, bruising sensation spread across his back.

The other two Snow Knights, unfortunately, were not as strong as their leader. Extremely powerful warriors in their own right, they would not lose out against even a Superior Rank B Hunter. In the face of this attack, however…

A small explosion of extremely hot fire decimated the street, golden flames spreading like waves at sea. The two Snow Knights caught in the flames stuttered for a few moments, the blue auras and icy particles surrounding them stalling the flames for a few moments before snuffing out.

Both knights were then instantly killed.

“To dare strike against me, I will show no mercy.” Jebraim’s voice was cold as he landed on the ground, ignoring the golden flames that surrounded him. The nearby storefronts began to collapse, the fire damage too severe. Jebraim frowned when he saw this, waving with his hand. Immediately, the flames sizzled out, leaving behind only smoldering remains and smoke.

He glanced off to the side for a moment, towards the inn he had originally been at before sighing, looking off into the distance as if waiting on someone or something to arrive.

The Frostplate Guards all stared at the red haired man in terror, feeling the enormous level of danger the warrior gave off. They were veterans, one in the same, but not a single one of them was brave enough to try and face down this freakishly strong fighter.

“ARROGANCE.”

A voice rippled through the sky, powerful and domineering. The red haired warrior turned slightly, his eyes gleaming.

An explosion rang out as a figure slammed down from the sky, landing in the smoldering street. A small explosion of rocks and debris shattered out as this figure landed, raising up a small storm of dust.

Immediately after, two other figures slammed down, the air around them crackling with a sense of danger.

“Who do you think you are, to cause such a ruckus in the territory of our Impact Clan?!” The first figure spoke again, a beautiful woman wearing a long, sinuous white dress, the insignia of the Impact Clan gleaming on the front.

The air around the woman shivered, covered in a heavy aura of Spirit. Behind her, two almost identical looking brothers stood, similarly covered in shimmering auras of Spirit.

Jebraim looked at the two fighters and shrugged.

“I am who I am. I will not answer any questions. Come at me if you have the courage, but know, little lady, that I will not show mercy to anyone, no matter what clan you are part of.” The air around Jebraim warped as he spoke, Golden Flames sizzling. As he finished speaking, half of his body seemed to meld with the Golden Flames, giving him an almost indistinct look.

Lyra, an acting representative of the Impact Clan, and the granddaughter of one of the Clan’s Great Elders, frowned as she saw this, her eyes tightening.

“I’ve always wanted to fight a Formless Warrior…”

..

..

Meanwhile…

Jack’s lungs wheezed as he jogged behind the Branch Chief, following the powerful warrior closely. Just behind them followed several guards from the Hunter Association, as well as the two warriors that had chased after Jack, Corker and Jackal.

The golden rag covered blade clanked at his waist, almost causing him to trip as they rounded a sharp corner, moving quickly. He used his Spirit to aid his movements, barely able to keep up due to his currently Awakening body.

The group was currently rushing towards the south of the city, where the battle of flames and might was ongoing.