Hail the King

He was a man who they were familiar with.

He was a man who they could never forget.

He was Michael Owen, one of the [Four Spikes] under the command of the King of Chambord. Even though he was only a young man who was about 14 years old, he looked quite mature. This arrogant black knight from the morning already switched to a tight-fit warrior suit that was made from the fur of an unknown demon beast, and he looked very impatient as he stared at the mercenaries like a beast that was looking at his prey.

“Mr. Owen, how come you are here?” the man with the red bandana and the cross scar asked emotionlessly. At the same time, his grip on his war blade tightened, and he made a hand gesture behind his back.

The more than 20 mercenaries in the yard spread out in silence, and each took a position. They formed a vague array formation, surrounding Owen in the middle.

“[Dragon Hunt Operation]. What is this operation that you just mentioned?” Owen frowned and asked as if he didn’t notice the changes around him.

[Dragon Hunt Operation] was the only useful phrase that he heard after hiding in this courtyard for more than ten hours. If this captain who had the red bandana didn’t discover the strangeness and wanted to move out, he wouldn’t want to come out this quick and disturb them.

The captain of the mercenaries licked his blade and suddenly smiled viciously. “Since Mr. Owen wants to know, we will tell you. It is simple! We are going to hunt down and slay the evil dragon that is known as the King of Chambord!”

As he said that, the red warrior energy flame started to shine on him. Also, the mercenaries surrounding Owen also closed the distance between them and Owen quietly.

“Oh, since you are willing to talk, why not say more?” Owen also licked his weapon, which was a black dagger, as excitement appeared on his face.

“If you want to know this much……. Hahaha! Ask the Grim Reaper in hell yourself! Hahahaha! [Fire Python’s Kiss]!!!!!”

The man with the cross scar on his face suddenly attacked, and heavy blade in his head turned into a huge fire python. This was the illusion created by the Five-Star Combat Technique, and it made a series of deep muffled noises as well, enough to disturb opponents’ mind.

This python made from fire dashed forward in an unpredictable pattern as its belly rubbed against the ground, leaving deep trails in the ground.

It quickly approached Owen, and it opened its big mouth and flicked its tongue, biting toward Owen mercilessly with the fire-elemental warrior energy.

At the same time, all the mercenaries in the yard jumped at him.

This was a battle array the mercenaries in the [Wind Horse Mercenary Group] used frequently. Even though it wasn’t complex, it was effective. Many people could use it at the same time, and their powers would be increased by many folds temporally. If the timing was right and they were in place, they could even kill Moon-Class Elites. They rarely missed their target.

The violent warrior energies instantly enveloped Owen.

The man with the cross scar was thrilled, but a gust of cold wind blew by his back. He instantly felt like a poisonous snake was targeting him, and the chilling and dangerous sensation overflooded his nerves.

“Damn it; he has helpers…… Damn it!”

At this moment, this captain of the mercenaries finally understood that Owen wasn’t working alone. He had comrades who were also hiding in the dark, and they suddenly targeted him and struck toward him.

At this critical moment, this man with the cross scar no longer had time to deal with Owen. His warrior instinct made him retreat for a few steps, and his blade turned by 180 degrees and struck behind him from a strange angle.

Since he was a mercenary who danced on the verge of death, his reaction speed was insane!

He did all that in one go without any delay as if he had practiced this move hundreds of times.

However, all of that was useless.

After he reacted in a speed that even himself was satisfied with, that chilly sensation behind his neck didn’t go away at all.

There was a short pause, but that chilly sensation appeared on his neck. As a cold blade pressed against an artery on his neck, a casual voice sounded by his ear, “Move if you want to die.”

This voice sounded ethereal, and it felt like it was from a hermit who saw through life.

From the beginning to end, the man with the cross scar on his face didn’t know who this deadly assassin was.

Without their captain who was the key force in this battle array, the mercenaries weren’t able to operate the array in full effectiveness.

Without control, the warrior energies around Owen weakened, and he was able to dash around like a phantom. Every time he made a turn like lightning, an experienced and vicious mercenary would fall quietly without having the ability to fight back.

It seemed like the [Wind Horse Mercenary Group]’s battle array was within their opponents’ expectations.

In fact, it felt like Owen understood this battle array better than the mercenaries! He was able to calculate and catch the weaknesses of this array formation that would only exist for a split second, the more than 20 elite mercenaries who were chosen for this operation all lied on the ground.

As he sensed the chillness by his neck, and the man with the cross scar on his cheek was furious but couldn’t do anything.

Owen stopped moving and stood still after he did all that, and he licked his black dagger habitually as he looked at the captain of these mercenaries in mockery and disdain.

“Who! Tell me who are you!” The man with the cross scar on his face felt like his heart was sinking little by little, and he asked the man who was behind him.

“One of the [Four Spikes] under the King of Chambord, [White-Suit Spike] Gonzalez Raul,” that ethereal voice sounded by his ear.

……

-In the backyard of a unique-looking hotel at Chambord City-

“Hey, I already told you that this place is reserved for the [Fire Blood Mercenary Group]! It doesn’t accept other guests! Hey, are you deaf? Why are you still walking in? Stop! I’m talking to you! What is going on? Stop!”

Two cute female mercenaries in tight-fit clothes chased after the three strangers who walked through the gate without saying a word. The two of them quickly caught up and blocked them with weapons in their hands, and they observed these three unwelcome guests in hostility.

“Little girl, you better move. I’m here for your captain.” Among them, the thin and tall young man who looked 15 years old smiled and showed his pearl-white teeth.

“Humph! Do you think you can see our captain just because you want to?” the girl with short red hair replied angrily.

“Yeah! Tell us who you are first! I will put your name in line! When our captain is free, we will let you know. We already kicked out more than 100 obscene men like you! If you want to pursue our captain, go look in the mirror first!” the other girl who had her long black hair into a ponytail also added.

“I can’t do that. I’m afraid that you guys will try to run away after I tell you our names,” the thin and tall young man winked at the two girls.

“Who do you think you are? Our captain couldn’t run from anyone!……” the cute girl with short red hair said with disdain. However, she wasn’t dumb, and she understood something in the next moment. As she pulled the sleeve of her peer, she gave the latter a warning glare and pulled out her sword.

“Tell me! Who are you guys!” she said viciously.

“Alright, Lisa, let the three honorable guests in.” At this moment, a crisp yet soft voice sounded from the backyard. Then, a beautiful woman who was wearing a black mage robe and had a colorful parrot-like demon beast on her shoulder walked out.