Cohen and Miranda stepped on the slushy ground.
In winter, the streets of Dragon Clouds City were messy and random compared to the meticulous and orderly streets of Eternal Star City. Sometimes they were straight, sometimes they were straight, and the width of the roads varied. The houses on both sides of the streets were stacked on top of each other irregularly. Sharp icicles formed under the eaves, and the signs were piled with snow that fell from time to time. But Cohen felt that although the former was orderly, it always gave people a sense of coldness and seriousness, while the latter seemed to be random and messy, but there was a kind of harmonious order in it.
This feeling was especially obvious when he saw the Northlanders walking through the streets and alleys skillfully, working and living in the twisting and turning areas.
The Armor District was one of them.
Loud voices with Northland accents could be heard from afar in the cold weather, accompanied by hearty laughter and curses from time to time. The Northland men, wrapped in thick winter clothes and carrying loads of goods, hurried back and forth. The women carried or hugged baskets and stopped from time to time to talk to the people on both sides of the street. They were as fierce and shrewd as the men when they bargained. The children on the street ran happily in groups.
This seemingly chaotic yet unique Northland characteristic made Cohen feel as if he had returned to the Great Desert, to the Western Frontlines, to Blade Fangs Dune Camp. That chaotic land where soldiers, terrorists, criminals, scum, thugs, desperadoes, mercenaries, and adventurers gathered. It was just as chaotic and messy, but it did not have the darkness, violence, and brutality of the latter. Instead, it was bright, secure, and peaceful amidst the chaos.
Miranda Arunde, the Northlander, could only frown slightly. As someone who was used to the sternness of the Tower of Eradication and the tidiness of Constellation, the lifestyle of her fellow Northlanders made her feel particularly uncomfortable.
A group of Dragon Clouds City soldiers walked toward them on the street. The leader of the group greeted the civilians around him from time to time.
"It's the disciplinary officer," Cohen said in a low voice. "There aren't many outsiders in the Armor District. We're already very conspicuous. Let's find a place to hide."
Miranda nodded slightly and turned on her heel. She and Cohen naturally and skillfully turned into an alley between two houses. They cut into the narrow area and continued to search for their target.
His short career as a police officer had given the workaholic Cohen rich experience in patrolling and searching the city. He skillfully moved along the outer walls of the houses, occasionally looking for possible hiding spots.
Miranda looked at the empty alley in front of her and listened to the still noisy street. She frowned and asked, "Where is the place that Gu mentioned?"
"It should be nearby," Cohen muttered as he searched. "What we need to do is to confirm which of these houses has …"
Right at this moment, both of them were stunned.
Then, they all turned their heads.
In the alley they were in, a person with light footsteps appeared.
He slowly walked toward the two of them.
Cohen looked puzzled, and Miranda's pupils shrank.
It was a young Northland man with a gloomy face and slightly dark skin. He was dressed in a dirty and tattered robe.
He was just an ordinary poor man in Dragon Clouds City.
The young man seemed to have encountered some kind of setback and sadness. He lowered his head and walked towards them, as if he didn't see them.
In the alley, Cohen and Miranda looked at each other and moved aside to make way for the young poor man in tattered clothes.
The latter passed between them.
The moment he passed the two of them.
"Hey, you!"
Under Cohen's questioning gaze, Miranda suddenly turned around and called out to the man.
The young poor man was stunned and turned around in confusion.
"Are you going to assassinate someone in secret?" Miranda said slowly with narrowed eyes.
"What? Assassinate what? "The young man looked even more puzzled.
Cohen furrowed his brows.
Miranda would never do something without a reason.
Miranda's eyes flashed. She gestured with her chin and raised her eyebrows. "If it's not to assassinate someone in secret, then why are you so careful to hide the sword at your waist under your clothes …"
"And you're still pretending to be walking normally?"
The young man's expression froze.
Cohen's breath instantly stopped.
He looked at the man's waist, but he couldn't find any protrusion that proved that this person had a weapon under his robe.
"I don't understand, what does my sword have to do with you —" the young man complained with a confused and dissatisfied expression.
But he was quickly interrupted by Miranda.
"Stop pretending." Miranda slowly placed her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist and her expression became serious. "For the past three years, I've had to deal with dozens of spies, scouts, spies, and smugglers who cross the border every day."
The young man's originally unfocused gaze began to focus.
Cohen tacitly moved his feet and blocked the other side of the young man.
In this narrow alleyway, he had nowhere to run, and was blocked from the front and back.
"Do you know what these people have in common with you?" The Arunde family's daughter shook her head mockingly. "That is — they all think they're good at hiding things."
The young man slowly straightened his body, his expression becoming colder and colder.
Miranda sighed. "And I thought that as long as their eyes were calm and their expressions were calm, no one would be able to discover their intentions."
Cohen chuckled.
'My God, Miranda's observational skills — she's definitely more suitable for the police than I am.
'With a little more effort, it's not like I can't join the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department.'
When he thought of the Secret Intelligence Department and Raphael, who was in the Secret Intelligence Department, Cohen's heart sank again.
"Don't be impulsive, sir." Cohen, who was in a bad mood, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and said in a low voice, "We just want to confirm something — this alley is not suitable for drawing a sword."
"What a pity." The young man also sighed regretfully. "If only I had another second to walk to the most appropriate position …"
In the next moment, the battle began.
The young man's right elbow shot backward like an arrow released from a bow. With a whistling sound, it instantly attacked Cohen's head!
Cohen's pupils twitched.
Instead of retreating, he calmly moved forward. Raising his left hand, he used the side of his arm to parry his opponent's elbow.
* Thud! * It was the dull sound of elbows colliding.
Both of them trembled at the same time as they felt the bones in their hands shake violently.
The blond police officer's expression did not change. He extended his right hand, ready to catch the back of his opponent's elbow.
But in the next second, the young man swung his right hand and pressed it against the side of Cohen's left arm. With a forceful push, he borrowed the momentum from Cohen's forward charge to turn around and rush out!
'The elbow just now was a feint.' Cohen's gaze sharpened. 'His opponent's target is Miranda.'
The young man's figure shot toward Miranda.
At the same time, he kicked out with his right leg and attacked the black-haired swordswoman!
With a cold expression, Miranda turned her body in an instant. Her back was pressed against the wall.
She avoided her opponent's fierce attack.
But her left leg was already suspended in mid-air. She lifted it up.
In the next moment, Miranda seemed to move casually with the tip of her foot.
His kick landed perfectly on the side of the enemy's right leg, which was whizzing towards him!
The young man's expression was astonished. He instantly lost his balance.
He quickly pressed his left hand against the wall to stabilize his body.
But the sound of wind came from the back of his head. Cohen's heavy fist was already against his back.
The young man's muscles trembled. He gritted his teeth and turned around.
* Bang! *
Cohen's heavy fist and the young man's right palm collided in mid-air!
But Cohen was the one who took the initiative. It was obvious that he had the upper hand. The young man who hastily received the punch trembled and took a step back.
On the other side, Miranda's hand was already aimed at his neck.
In the nick of time, the young man quickly turned around. Under the robe around his waist, there was a sword hilt with a brass ball on it.
A surge of energy exploded in the young man's body. In an instant, he exploded with astonishing strength in his joints and dodged Miranda's swift and fierce hand knife!
In the next moment, a short and nimble sword was unsheathed as the young man turned around. In the narrow alley, he slashed vertically at Cohen from top to bottom.
Cohen's sword was too long. It could not be used in the alley. Left with no choice, the police could only use the half-unsheathed sword to block his opponent's vertical slash.
* Clang! *
Cohen's expression changed.
A familiar violent fluctuation came from his opponent's sword.
Cohen instinctively activated the Power of Eradication.
The Glory of the Stars immediately rose from the police's body and repelled the violent power.
At the same time, the strength of Cohen's arm muscles increased rapidly. His longsword trembled violently and shook off his opponent's sword.
The enemy seemed to be surprised by Cohen's calmness and decisiveness in the face of his power. However, he did not hesitate when he missed his attack — Miranda's footsteps were already behind him.
In the next second, the enemy leaped up. His legs kicked off the walls on both sides, flipped over Cohen's head, landed on the ground, and dashed away.
He wanted to escape!
Cohen gritted his teeth and turned around. With a swing of his right arm, he shook off the stinging pain and numbness caused by the infiltration of the power.
The police immediately took off and chased after his opponent!
"Is that him?!" Miranda also started running and followed closely behind Cohen.
The young man who was running made a sharp turn and entered another alley that was even deeper.
"I swear on my life!" Cohen followed the figure in front of him. As he turned the corner too quickly, he crashed into a wall.
However, the police, who had a strong physique, did not care. Without hesitation, he got up and followed. As he ran, he yelled anxiously, "It's that Power of Eradication!"
"Don't forget your mission!" Miranda, who was behind him, had a cold expression. She nimbly leaped with her right hand and grabbed onto a window at the corner. Her body swung like a swing through the sharp turn.
She landed, rolled, got up, and ran out. Her movements were smooth as she reminded her companions.
"Investigate, not fight! The disciplinary officer is still patrolling! "
In the narrow alley, a wall of earth that was as tall as two people appeared in front of the young man who was running.
However, he seemed to have anticipated the terrain. When he was still a distance away, he quickly leaped up, first stepping on the left wall, then the right wall.
As he kicked back and forth, the young man flipped over the wall like a spider.
Although Cohen was tall, his speed was comparable to that of an elite scout. As he followed behind the young man, he leaped up with all his might and grabbed onto the wall with his upper arm.
Cohen, whose face was flushed red, exerted strength in his upper arm muscles. Like a terrifying black-headed ape, he pulled himself over the wall and landed on the ground before giving chase again!
"Be careful! It's a trap!" Miranda, who was following closely behind, turned to the right side of the narrow alley. A rhythmic force rose from her body. "He's waiting for us there on purpose!"
Unlike the young man who borrowed strength from the left and right sides, the lithe Miranda took six steps on one side of the wall. Her body tilted, but her speed did not decrease. Instead, she climbed higher and higher until she flipped over the wall as if she was walking on flat ground!
"Even if it's a trap, we have to chase after it!" Cohen, who was chasing at high speed, furrowed his brows and gritted his teeth. He was a man of few words. "As long as we can stop him in advance!"
"Hit the back of his head! Safe, low-profile, and efficient! "
The young man crouched down and dashed up three steps. After passing by two stunned Northlanders, he quickly turned into an empty alley.
Kohen hurried over and climbed three steps in one step. While apologizing, he rudely pushed aside two Northland residents and squeezed into the alley.
'Damn it … How can this brat run so well?'
"I'll follow him!" Cohen felt his strength draining away and shouted, "You go intercept him!"
Miranda, who had a tacit understanding with Cohen, did not reply, nor did she follow him into the alley.
After she stepped on three steps, the Power of Eradication known as Pegasus' Music erupted from her body again, and she leaped up from the ground.
'It's time to take a shortcut.'
Under the astonished gazes of the two Northlanders, Miranda leaped into the air and agilely grabbed onto a protruding clothesline pole. She swung forward agilely, reached out her hand, and grabbed the edge of a window that was three stories high. With the help of her legs, she quickly flipped onto the roof!
Then, without stopping, she dashed towards the two people who were chasing each other in the alley, taking a shortcut on the roof!
The young man quickly dashed out of the alley and entered an empty space between three houses. Cohen gritted his teeth and sprinted after him.
At this moment, Miranda's figure leaped into the air!
Miranda gripped the hilt of her sword with a determined expression. She knew that she would land on the empty space, two meters in front of the young man.
A perfect intercept.
But an accident happened.
At the moment when she leaped off the roof, Miranda's entire body exploded with a chill!
An extremely ominous premonition of danger instantly enveloped her heart.
Without thinking, Miranda unsheathed her sword in an instant. She turned around and thrust her hand fiercely downwards!
The blade of the sword pierced the roof platform that she had just leaped off from, forcefully stopping Miranda's momentum.
In the next second, the figures of the young man and Cohen both disappeared into another alley.
Miranda hung on the hilt of her sword with one hand. Her lower body swung with inertia. When her foot swung to the highest point, a piercingly cold sword light slashed out from the side!
It barely grazed past Miranda's boots.
Miranda broke out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, she managed to stop her momentum in time.
'Otherwise …'
She watched the piercingly cold sword light land on the empty space with its master after it missed its target.
The master of the sword light, a middle-aged man with short hair, slowly stood up on the empty space.
Miranda pressed one hand on the roof, pulled out her sword, and landed on the ground.
She looked at the middle-aged man in front of her with a grave expression.
'An elite above supra class …' She judged the strength of the enemy in front of her.
"Disaster Sword." Miranda stood up. She adjusted her breathing and said calmly, "We finally meet."
The middle-aged man did not answer.
He only stared at Miranda as if he was looking at a dead person.
"Is this a trap that you specially set up?" Miranda carefully observed her opponent, trying to find any useful information and intelligence. "But … why are there only two of you?"
"Are you that confident?"
The middle-aged man shook his head slowly.
"Disaster Sword? Although it's not the first time I've heard of it, to be called that … is really ironic. "
He turned to the side and flashed the strange sword in his hand.
It was supposed to be an ordinary longsword, but the spine of the sword was hollowed out, and a hollow groove appeared out of nowhere. The groove extended from the middle of the sword to the tip of the sword, taking up about one-third of the length of the sword.
Miranda narrowed her eyes. It was common to have a groove on a sword. The groove on a sword was not for the purpose of bleeding, but to reduce the weight. Hence, the groove would start from the base of the sword and end at the center of the sword.
However, there were two things different about the middle-aged man's sword. First, his sword had a hollow groove. This would undoubtedly greatly reduce the weight of the sword, but it would also cause the quality of the sword to decrease. Second, the groove started from the tip of the sword and ended at the center of the sword. This meant that it was very likely that the groove was forged for the function of bleeding.
To achieve these two things, the swordsmiths had to have extremely high forging skills. Miranda was certain that she could only find such excellent swordsmiths in the Tower of Eradication, elves, and dwarves.
"You're very good." The middle-aged man's expression was indifferent. He spoke in a hoarse voice, "You actually managed to find your way here from Constellation.
"It seems that the Tower of Eradication has also improved."
'They know that we're Constellatiates?'
Miranda was acutely aware that something was wrong.
'How did we get exposed?
'Is it really like what Kaslan said? In the eyes of experts, there's no way for us to hide our origins?'
"So, why did you become the lackeys of a certain Archduke of Eckstedt?" Miranda was not in a hurry to draw her sword. Instead, she tried to continue gathering information. This was what the Fortress Flower had told her, the most important principle as a commander: know yourself and know your enemy.
"You actually assassinated the Prince of Constellation for them? What benefits does this bring to you? "Miranda continued to probe." Other than entering the Tower of Eradication, what is your goal? The throne of Eckstedt? The throne of Constellation? Or a war between the two of them? "
"Our goal?" The middle-aged man's expression was still indifferent and calm. "The throne, war?"
There was disdain and coldness in his words. "Such short-sighted goals are not qualified to enter our sights.
"Even entering the Tower of Eradication is just a small effort that we took advantage of the situation."
Miranda frowned fiercely.
'If it's not for the throne, and not for war … Then, why did they hide in Black Sand Region and use the Mystic Guns to assassinate the Prince of Constellation?
'It can't be for justice!'
"It seems that you've been entrenched here for a long time." Miranda's heart sank. She decided to change her approach. "You've even infiltrated Dragon Clouds City's arms black market and Black Sand Region's Mystic Gun Unit.
"Since you've already been exposed, why didn't you use a few units to deal with us?"
"Mystic Guns?" The middle-aged man raised his sword gently and paid no attention to Miranda's words. "As a swordsman, you'd better focus on your own sword … no matter how powerful those weapons are."
Miranda let out a long breath.
'Damn it.
'Watertight.'
"Draw your sword. We come from the same source, but we're destined to be enemies," the middle-aged man said flatly. "Before the disciplinary officer and the soldiers arrive, we have five minutes to settle the battle."
'It seems like I won't be able to get anything out of him.'
Miranda took a deep breath, turned her wrist, crouched down, and seriously made a starting gesture.
'Unless …'
'Capture him alive.
'Or …
'Kill him.'
The two of them approached each other slowly. Miranda let go of her senses, and the Pegasus' Music rose slowly.
'To feel the rhythm of the other party's battle.' Miranda told herself this time, just like in countless previous battles.
However, in the next second …
The sword flashed!
Miranda's pupils instantly dilated!
* Whoosh! *
There was no rhythm for her to feel at all.
Because …
Under Miranda's shocked gaze, the middle-aged man's sword … instantly crossed the distance of five steps!
Before she could react.
It pierced her left chest.
— —
Cohen, who was in hot pursuit, turned a corner, only to find that the young man had stopped in the alley in front of him. He was no longer running.
The police officer stomped on the ground and stopped abruptly after taking three steps.
Cohen held the hilt of his sword and adjusted his breathing.
"It seems that the swordsmen of the Tower of Eradication aren't that great after all …" A smile appeared on the young man's face.
'Miranda did not follow.'
Cohen's heart skipped a beat.
'Was she intercepted?'
Cohen took a deep breath and quickly calmed himself down.
'They've been separated into two battlefields.'
"So," Cohen looked at the calm young man with a solemn gaze, "you knew we were coming?"
'A genuine supra class fighter.
'And … so young.'
"Of course." The young man chuckled and shook his head in satisfaction. "Otherwise, do you think you could find us on your own?
"We wanted to be found by you, that's all."
Cohen furrowed his brow.
He touched the hilt of his sword at his waist. "Gu, did that Far Easterner betray us?"
'Sh * t, this damn alley is too narrow.
I'm at a disadvantage when I draw my sword. '
"Not really. We paid him enough money." The young man slowly pulled out the half-sword that was nimble in the alley. "We agreed that if anyone comes to inquire about our existence …"
The young man shrugged and revealed an expression that said, "You know what I mean."
"Oh?" Cohen's gaze did not leave the young man's shoulders and legs. His tone was calm and his words were calm. "We also paid him."
"Is that so? That must be the tip you gave. "The young man grinned and took a step forward. He raised the half-sword horizontally." Not enough. "
Cohen sneered and got into a stance as well.
'The terrain is too narrow. Horizontal slashes and diagonal slashes will be at a disadvantage.
'Looks like I'll have to relive the swordsmanship taught by one of the scions, Kulader, a long time ago.'
'I hope I haven't forgotten everything.'
"So, we're the first contact between the scions inside and outside the tower in the past forty years." The young man snorted and drew closer to him.
"The Tower of Eradication and the Disaster Sword? Of course not. "Kohen carefully recalled the previous battle and remembered the red-and-black swordsman in Red Street Market. He calmly replied," One or two months ago, I met one of your companions in Constellation … He and I are the ones who received this honor. "
The young man's gaze turned serious. His smile disappeared and he stopped moving.
"So, you're the one who killed Groudon," he said flatly.
"Not all of it." Cohen carefully moved his feet. "I only took half of the credit … maybe less than half."
Their gazes collided in the air.
"Did you know?" The young man took a step to the left and said meaningfully, "The Tower of Eradication is the legitimate successor of the Temple of Knights. In the Battle of Eradication, other than a few heroes, they were the most dazzling and noble existence. They fought for the survival of mankind. After the war, in order to prevent the Mystics from making a comeback, they worked even harder to maintain the inheritance and development of the Power of Eradication for hundreds of years. "
"You want to tell me about the history of the Tower of Eradication?" Cohen sneered. "Just because of you traitors of the Tower of Eradication?"
"Traitors?" The young man shook his head and sneered.
"Do you know how we defeated the Mystics back then?" His gaze on Cohen became sharper and sharper. "Those legendary existences that can't die, grow old, weaken, or perish?"
"They are immortal, but they have their biggest weakness. With this weakness, the Mystics can't even withstand a light blow." Cohen gradually found the best place to attack.
"And the warriors with the legendary anti-mystic equipment opened a path with the Power of Eradication that could resist mystic energy. They carried the will to die …" Cohen's expression was calm and unwavering. "The commoners may not know, but we in the Tower of Eradication know very well."
"The legendary anti-mystic equipment? The Power of Eradication that can resist mystic energy? Haha … "The young man laughed. Suddenly, his expression turned cold." No, you don't know. "
"You live in the shameless lies of the Tower of Eradication. Ordinary Power of Eradication cannot resist mystic energy," the young man said solemnly. "And the legendary anti-mystic equipment? Before it was invented, what did you think we relied on to resist and survive in the face of such an immortal existence? "
"Hmph." Cohen's gaze became sharper. He did not care about the young man's words at all. Instead, he actively locked onto his enemy's every flaw. "The last Disaster Sword I met didn't talk as much as you."
The next moment, the young man moved his feet and thrust the half-sword in his hand forward!
The violent Power of Eradication erupted from the young man's body. The half-sword in his hand flashed!
'I can't even feel where the blade is pointing …' Cohen gritted his teeth.
'Does the other party's Power of Eradication change the path of the sword, obscure my senses, or speed up the sword?
'Sh * t!'
* Ding! *
At the last moment, Cohen relied on his instincts and intuition, which he had trained on the battlefield, to block the sword.
The half-sword in his hand pressed against Cohen's saber, only two inches away from his throat.
But what was even more terrifying was his opponent's Power of Eradication.
Compared to the swordsman in Red Street Market, this young man's Power of Eradication was as brutal as ever, but there was an unbearable piercing pain.
It attacked Cohen's sword and arm!
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