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Continuation...
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After a playful banter between two acquaintances, they recalled the past of themselves and their old personalities that they had left behind. The quest for the artifact continues; even if there were unexpected blockings in their paths, they can take care of it themselves. A repetitive event that Isamu always encounters, no matter where he is. Accursed fates embraced those who walked in the path of danger.
In the distance, a large city enveloped the plains.
Walls thick and strong, it seems like they could block a lot of siege weapons.
Banners around the walls, a kingdom that is under the Keikokshou Empire.
A strong empire, an empire that has a long history of blood and iron, men under the empire are hardened with tons of experiences from war.
The strongest empire that occupied the east.
Isamu's eyes gazed at the Kingdom of Illarumn, a holy city of light.
Then, a sudden headache slapped Isamu's head, a forceful faint recollection of this specific city.
The horns of lords and the screams and shouts of the civilians all experienced a tragic death.
Blood and tears surrounded the eyes of said people, and the sounds of swords clashing could be heard from the air.
Clang!
Boom!
Sounds of explosions, cannonballs flying through the air.
And lastly, ice spikes etched from the buildings.
Chingkk!
Impaling the soldiers' hearts and stomachs.
A silhouette of a familiar woman in a blue robe, her back turned as her head and eyes glared through Isamu's eyes.
The fake reality that Isamu's head made, no... That was not fake.
The memories were replayed vividly, yet it was so short.
"A trauma?"
Isamu was not sure. But maybe it is the answer.
Akari, unable to turn a blind eye, got closer to Isamu and held his arm.
Akari's expressions, filled with worry.
"Isu? What's wrong?"
Isamu's face was pale; his breathing was a little ragged.
A momentary silence filled the air between them.
...
Finally, Isamu was able to calm himself down.
A memory that he could not remember or a memory that he long abandoned, Isamu was on edge with this one.
"N-No, hah... I'm fine. Just a little headache, that's all."
Isamu reassured Akari; it is true, a half-truth he revealed that is.
"Let's keep going."
Isamu sighed as he held a hand on his chest.
Woooosh~
A breeze of air came by, subtly grazing their clothes as a result.
Isamu, sensing this as a sign that they must keep going.
"Yeah... Let's keep going."
Akari nodded, saving the yipyap for later.
As they got close to the gates, Akari and Isamu's eyes noticed a party in the distance.
A mage, a warrior, an archer, a priest, a paladin.
It's a common party line that anyone does.
But then that party noticed the two.
They started approaching the two with a motive that Isamu could not identify.
Isamu could sense the holy magic emitting from their bodies.
Isamu's eyes narrowed, sensing it's not only the holy magic that they emitted.
Isamu could sense the gods' aura on them, but it is only natural that they would harbor such, as people in this world believe in countless gods and goddesses.
"Tsk. I could sense the foul energy from here. We should leave."
Isamu clicked his tongue in disgust, remembering the battle he had with the divine.
"Akari, let's leave. I don't want to hang out with fools."
Isamu rolls his eyes, his hand taking Akari's as he takes her out with him.
Suddenly, a loud yell echoed from the distance.
It was the party that was trying to get close to Isamu and Akari.
"Hey! You two! Hey!"
Their annoying voices pierced Isamu's ears; it angered him a little, though it's not the time yet to be killing the gods' believers.
"Tch. There annoying motherfucke—"
Isamu paused, calming himself down as Akari's hands squeezed his arm, letting him know that she's there for him.
There's no choice left but to give attention to the party.
The rest had arrived in front of Isamu and Akari.
They panted, their breath dripping of exhaustion.
The group's eyes then averted towards the familiar woman that's next to Isamu.
The black-haired woman, clothed in noir, nodded.
Upon recognition, the group bowed respectfully.
"G-Greetings, Miss Akari."
They all said in unison.
"We apologize, we didn't recognize you from afar!"
The swordsman of the party spoke.
Isamu was weirded out and was also left puzzled.
"Could it be that... Akari is much more popular than before?"
Isamu chuckled.
Isamu's thoughts ran wild in his brain, trying to figure out what's happening.
Akari noticed the confused look on Isamu; she then gave a light giggle.
"It seems that you know of me. Speak, what are you doing here?"
Akari stepped forward, her voice stern and cold.
The group leader, the paladin, scratched his head.
"W-We're sorry, Miss Akari. We thought that there was something suspicious. We really couldn't recognize you from afar!"
The paladin bowed, asking for forgiveness.
The paladin's voice was shaky; he was basically in fear.
That's what you get for approaching strong people.
Akari nodded as she gave a sigh of helplessness.
"I see. You're heading towards the kingdom of Illarumn, right? We're also headed there."
Akari's arms folded across her chest, her sheathed sword grazed the grassy land.
The group understood Akari's words as a whole.
"We understood. We'll accompany you then."
The group nodded, and so did Akari.
Akari was clothed in noir—black. She was called the Black Swordsman.
None could defy her sword, not even the knightly order of holiness.
Many had witnessed the massacre she caused in the previous war, and it is with some of her help that the Empire achieved a victory.
Isamu, on the other hand, kept his eyes glaring.
Though he kept it well hidden so that he could not be a subject of suspicion.
Not before long the group noticed Isamu, and they started asking who he was.
Akari was about to stand up for Isamu, and it was for the sake of keeping Isamu's identity a secret.
But then, Isamu stopped Akari from doing so.
Isamu took a short step forward; the wind blew as he stepped in.
He made light steps as he gracefully etched a smile.
Leaves fell as it gracefully rode the wind, allied with Isamu's aura.
Bweoom~
The smile remained creeping up on his face, and with a low bow, he introduced himself.
"I'm Isu. I'm Miss Akari's old acquaintance, here to visit one of the kingdoms she protected before. Pleased to meet you."
Isamu remained smiling, successfully removing any suspicion from him.
Though the party felt something was off, they stopped thinking about it.
A man that the group hadn't seen before was an old acquaintance of Miss Akari, the Black Swordsman herself.
They wonder who he truly was.
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To be continued...
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