Chapter 506: Arc 6, - 122: Knight to Pawn

Chapter 506: Arc 6, Chapter 122: Knight to Pawn

"CLANG!"

The blade flared with sparks as Ben blocked it with both his bracers. The armoured figure was stunned in place and lurched a step back.

An audible ringing blasted throughout the surroundings as Ben pulled back and roiling scarlet flame spun in his fist that he charged forward, "Crush-Fire!"

The knight blocked with his blade, but was buffeted back as the flames licked up till the visor of the helmet, illuminating the interior for a brief second while Ben wound up for the next strike.

"A worthy adversary," the knight proclaimed.

"CLING-TANG!"

"Sorry dude, love the action lines, but we’re on a timeline," Ben limbered up and put up his fists, getting into more of a boxer’s stance. He moved quite light despite the armour; the bracers in full form glowed a scarlet red even under the sunlight.

"Pinfree," Diana uttered, which sent the ramrat scampering across the front of the warehouse with her orders.

"Blinding Light!" two Asobi-s shot a beam of white light from behind the Scorching Inferno.

The knight barely even flinched.

Ben reached his hands out, "Geysers of Flame!" he shot out fire in a flamethrower-like fashion, that clouded up into dissipating smoke once it hit the metal of their target.

The knight’s blade grew in size as he lifted it into the air, and slammed the edge straight back down. "CRASHHHH!!!!"

In the dust and smoke that blew through the air, Ben stood in the aftermath, holding the sides of the blade in between his pair of hands—the tip scraping his chest plate. He had sunk an inch into the earth while he trembled to hold the sword up.

Concrete and brick split apart, ruining the road of this warehouse permanently before the blade shrunk down to its original size.

Ben huffed, and from behind him an arrow whizzed past. "Ftwing!"

The arrow shot right into the gaps in the knight’s helmet and through what would be the skull. However, the knight plucked the lodged arrow right out by the shaft and readied his sword once more. "All at once then; again!"

"You should probs stand back, I don’t think your claws will get through the armour," a third Asobi popped out of invisibility to tell a wolf-woman.

"I already put that together Sobi," Hotaru walked a wide circle around the ongoing fight, towards Diana.

Asobi closed the curtains of invisibility and pulled them aside in front of the brunette and the pale blonde, "Any ideas yet? He’s immune to whatever I did, so I think he doesn’t have eyes."

"And Clyde’s arrow did nothing, I saw," Fumeko replied with an arched brow. "It honestly reminds me of Okod back in Kria. Regardless, I’m not sure about the magic, but that’s most likely not the main body."

"Some enchanter perchance?" Tiffany suggested.

"Maybe. Can you blast the armour apart?" Fumeko turned to the blonde.

"If all obstacles vacated themselves perhaps. Even one such as I lack precision paired with devastating power; tis either or."

"I don’t think Crispy’s fire’s gonna crisp the knight," the magician replied.

"Let’s sacrifice Ben as a last resort," Fumeko, joked? "I’ll find the actual culprit; they have to be watching all of this somehow."

"Alrighty, plan’s that then! Crispy keeps Mr Knight occupied with Clyde, while Stella will wait for an opening to blast the knight to smithereens! Meanwhile, you and me can go looking for the sneaky perp," Asobi nodded.

"Fine. You look outside, I’ll look in," Fumeko walked ahead and around the fight.

’Big, bulky, fast? ...If I could blink, I could open that thing up like a can of sardines in seconds. How Clyde got this information aside, was this the intended target? He’d definitely fail, but he’s been after gangsters.

This... knight? He’s clearly from the cult... Even the way he announced himself cleared any doubt... ... ...’ Fumeko’s eyes scanned the warehouse they had been in once before.

All the equipment, the windows, and even the railings were in pristine condition. It had been weeks after all... ’But this is one of Gratone’s older warehouses; and its off the grid. Why would the employer care to renovate this much of it, especially after the case?’

Fumeko continued to ponder while she walked between boxes and industrial shelves. She held a hand to her chin; an awfully familiar feeling washed over her. ’...This isn’t a trap; but something here isn’t right.’

Meanwhile, on the outside, the fight raged on. Flame and arrows were flung at the knight that glimmered under the Sun.

Hotaru came to a stop near the crates and folded her arms, "Hello again. How were you able to get here before us?"

Diana’s tail swished, as she smoked her pipe, "The answer was in the tavern the elf was squatting in. He left a trail of his sources behind.

Interesting lot these mobsters; there are a lot of low-lives in their little hierarchy, and the bottom ones want just one more step up. Once their foundation starts to shake, the snakes eat the other snakes, and the grassing’s outsourced."

"Do Burntish gangs usually have these sorts of casters? This knight seems at least above or around master level," the redhead assessed.

"No. They tend to be more subtle—cordial. This thing is clearly some machination of the Deuctus Cult."

"So, this is a trap for us?"

"Doubt it," Diana took another drag of her pipe. "If I had to take a guess; this is a response."

"To what?"

"You are an accomplished woman of diplomacy, figure it out yourself."

Hotaru side-eyed the detective. She shrugged at the scene, "That the cult are in fact supporting or protecting the gangs in Burnetrout?"

Diana leaned back against the crates and continued to watch the fight.

The redhead rolled her eyes.

...

"I assume Kria is still Kria?"

Hotaru’s ears pricked, "In what sense?"

"Locked in their ways despite the war. It’s hard for any of us to get anywhere if you’re from there; just curious if I ever visit again."

"I didn’t even know there were piercings made for us till I got here," Hotaru remarked while watching the roiling red flame engulf the knight, only for him to walk out and lunge into the air.

Diana smirked. The giant sword plunged into the ground, which Ben punched several times in quick succession, creating molten cracks in the blade.

"So yes, Kria’s the same. I’m glad I’m out of there," the redhead continued.

"You clearly haven’t lingered in Fordwin long enough."

"Anywhere’s better than Kria," her ears folded.

"You say that longingly," Diana replied. "It’s the same treatment wherever you go Ms Kinoshita, it just shows differently."

"I don’t want to doubt you, but I’ll believe it when I see it."

Diana tapped out her cigarette, "Given your title, you most likely won’t."

"CRSH! SHING!-clik-cling-clink..." The blade was shattered into pieces with one fiery fist.

"Home will always come calling," Diana set her gaze on the open warehouse.

Hotaru’s eyes waned. "I’m the one always calling; I just can’t hear her back right now," she muttered to herself.

...

"You’re calling Kria? On what? And you can hear a country?" three Asobi’s popped into glittery existence around her.

"Sure Sobi..." the wolf-girl pursed her lips. "What are you doing?"

"Finding the secret sneaky person behind that," all three pointed at the knight punching at Ben while Ben blocked with the bracers and Clyde shot at it to no avail. "I haven’t found anyone though. I think Meko’ll have a better chance inside."

Inside the warehouse, Fumeko made no haste to find the culprit. Her mind wandered while her senses took in her surroundings.

’Could the owners of Gratone be in some partnership with the cult? They denied any allegations during the trial, but that’s not good evidence. It’s also clear that the cult wants to work with the gangs if they sent this knight...

Or do they? There’s clear motive for the gangs wanting to work with the cult, but not the other way around. An unassuming organization like Gratone has a lot more potential for the cult rather than a known underbelly of the city.

One with strife and internal conflicts that would easily break the cult’s usual meticulous operations and sell out their secrets. It’s safer to assume that the cult is not working with the gangs—yet.

Even so, Clyde finding these gangsters isn’t hard to believe. Did they know we’d be on Clyde’s trail? Hence, the knight’s appearance here? This is a ruse.

They want us to think that they are currently working with the gangs, which means they knew we were with Clyde. They’ve been watching like always. Which is why this all feels like it did before—this ploy, this warehouse—you can’t help but be dramatic. This is all easy.’

"Too easy," Fumeko uttered as she opened up the room on the upper floor, where a thin man with glazed over eyes, was moving his fingers over a puppet knight on the desk.

His eyes rolled back down to notice the intruder, and all of a sudden, the knight from outside halted its combat. It turned and made a massive leap from the ground to the upper floor.

Fumeko reached her hand to her side and pulled out a pistol.

"BRSH!" The knight landed and burst through the door.

"Blast!"

The bullet hit the man right in the forehead and sent a jolt down his entire nervous system that made him jerk back and groan. The knight’s gauntlet about to bash the brunette in the back of the head collapsed right before it touched a hair.

Clanging into pieces, the hollow knight fell apart behind her in the dust and the rubble while she walked with a silent glare at the enchanter.

His puppet fell and as he regained control of his limbs he scrambled to take control of the doll in front of him.

Fumeko grabbed the knight puppet and aimed the pistol in between his eyes; she flicked the lever at the side. "You’ll probably enjoy this, so it’s up to you if you want it to be quick or painful. I don’t give a damn either way, just answer where the gangster is."

The man started with a smile, then a single chuckle that evolved into a laugh. "Blast!" She sighed, "I’ll have better luck getting info from the gang member."

She looked at the bullet that shot clean through his head, and leered at how easy it was to do so. She pouted at her pistol and put it back in its holster. ’Forty-two. I could’ve saved that shot...’