Chapter 657: Let's Settle the Score

Chapter 657: Let's Settle the Score

Compared to the previous ambush encountered on the top floor of the Ankara Hotel, this one was visibly more "unadorned," lacking that immediate, stifling psychological pressure upon arrival.

However, the disparity might not have lain within the strength and caliber of the two attacking parties, but rather in the fact that Karen’s own power had grown so rapidly that his senses had naturally undergone a shift.

This precisely answered the old saying—more often than not, the changes in the world merely depend on the height of the perspective from which you stand.

Yet, because most people have eyes fixed atop their heads, it is easy for them to look at things with a touch of self-importance; Karen, on the contrary, had leapt to the next level before even becoming familiar with the current one, leaving him not yet well-adapted.

The second wave of the assault was already poised to strike, the opposing giant warrior and assassin having adjusted, and even heightened, their combat states.

Drew held a gemstone in each of his hands, and turning to Karen, he spoke:

"Minister Karen, I leave my young master to your protection."

"Very well."

At this moment, Kisen was encircled and protected by the red barrier Drew had previously deployed, while Karen arose, stepping behind the barrier to assume his guard.

Kisen turned his head toward Karen and questioned, "What is the meaning of this? Could it be..."

Reaching this point, Kisen choked back his words, knowing certain things could not be spoken aloud, especially under the present circumstances.

"I am worried someone might launch a sneak attack from behind."

Karen offered a thoroughly perfunctory explanation, then crossed his arms and simply stood there, clearly having no intention of intervening.

Changing his tone, Kisen said, "You should think of a way to get me out of here."

"I will, but not now; turning your back to the enemy at a time like this would be the height of folly."

"If anything happens to me, you will not escape the responsibility."

"My security duties have already been stripped by you, have you forgotten?"

"You..."

"The one taking over my duties is my direct superior; why should I care if that gnome comes to harm?"

Drew cast a final glance at Karen, then focused the entirety of his attention squarely ahead.

The second wave of the assault commenced.

The giant moved first, his body resembling a ferocious beast as he charged toward the pavilion, the ground beginning to shudder with the rhythm of his strides.

Instead of remaining within the pavilion as before, Drew lunged forward on his own initiative, crushing the gemstone in his left hand to conjure the phantom of a black leather whip in his grasp.

The giant swung a fist at him, but Drew evaded with a nimble dodge, the whip coiling around the giant's ankle to instantly leverage his momentum.

"Bang!"

The giant was upended directly by a powerful surge of force.

Drew crushed the gemstone in his right hand, summoning a purple dagger, and thrust it directly toward the giant's chest.

But at that very instant, the giant's body melted, its outer frame turning into molten lava that surged over toward Drew.

Drew crushed a small gemstone between his teeth, and in a flash, a blue barrier of light manifested around his body, weathering the horrific lava while allowing him to drive the dagger home!

"Pfft!"

Success.

As Drew retreated, the dagger remained embedded in the chest of the giant, who had shrunk by a full size.

Yet in the next moment, the giant’s body rapidly deflated like a punctured balloon, and beneath it, a sinkhole appeared.

Behind Drew, the figure of a man materialized, his body possessing a terrifying heat like burning charcoal as he locked Drew in a tight embrace, causing the blue barrier protecting Drew to melt away swiftly.

The barrier on Drew's body expanded violently outward in an attempt to secure room to break free.

But it was precisely then that the assassin moved, sweeping past like a sudden gust of wind.

Drew broke free from the restraint and stumbled before the pavilion, a gruesome wound now yawning across his chest.

Not far off, the assassin stood poised, the dagger in his hand dripping with fresh blood.

Meanwhile, the "giant"—covered in scorch marks—returned to the front of the third figure in black to begin receiving treatment.

Fighting while wearing down, and then healing; though clearly an assassination, they had managed to cultivate the leisurely air of sipping afternoon tea.

The Key of the Rubik's Cube had long been operating within Karen's clothes; the array looming over everyone's heads had not been deployed in a rush, but was likely activated by a sacred artifact, and one of no low grade at that.

It was because of their confidence in its effects that the attackers felt they had plenty of time.

Furthermore, they must have possessed sufficient intelligence; prior to their strike, there had been no mobilization of personnel at either the Whip of Order or the Regional Management Office.

They truly acted without fear or restraint.

Yet, ironically, striking and purging them was the most difficult task, for they were not foreign heretics; they were "pious" believers of Order, and they were even pristine in their official work.

It was entirely possible that a highly trusted, reliable colleague of yours was a member of this organization.

This was why Byrne had told Karen that his method for investigating the identities of the newly appointed bishops was to see who among them was clean, treating the cleanest two or three as primary targets for breakthrough selection.

This could be considered a desperate remedy; the less greedy you were, the less advantage you took, and the more strictly you adhered to your tenets, the more likely you were to be a member of this organization.

Drew lowered his head, glancing at the wound on his chest, and through gritted teeth, another gemstone appeared in his hand.

Karen could be said to have grasped this manner of fighting; while Drew's inherent strength was decent, it was far from reaching a formidable or astonishing degree, and those gemstones were actually like the totems sealed upon Aisli's arms by her parents, except Aisli summoned monstrous beasts while Drew summoned "weapons."

In a rapid skirmish, one could often gain a great advantage, but once caught in a stalemate, such as the one before them, the reserves would first be depleted, and secondly, one's combat patterns would be figured out by the opponent.

Whether it was the assassin or the warrior, both began to lean more toward inflicting direct harm upon Drew himself.

Undergoing treatment, the reddened "giant's" body turned black once more; his injuries were not healed, but rather his combat state was maintained at a high level through injury-sealing and blessings.

At this moment, he giggled into a giant once more, charging toward the pavilion just as he had done before; he did not seek out Drew, for he knew Drew would take the initiative to block him.

And so it was; Drew appeared before the giant once again, engaging in a fierce struggle, while the silhouette of the assassin drifted wantonly about the periphery, biding time for the next opportunity to deal a heavy blow.

Kisen spoke up, "You should go help him, he won't hold out for long!"

Karen responded, "You know how to fight."

"I do not have much practical experience."

"But you know how to fight."

"Nothing can happen to me; if something happens to me, many people will be in trouble."

A mocking smile crept onto the corner of Karen’s mouth. "You know how to fight."

"If Drew falls, you won't escape either, you should understand this logic!"

"You should understand even better that their target is not me, but you; if you die, they have no reason to kill me."

"Karen, are you a cleric of Order or not?"

"What about you, are you?" Karen countered. "After your death, the high officials of the Church will surely take this matter seriously, perhaps even launching a grand purge, which would be beneficial to the Church. Sacrificing you alone to benefit the entire Church of Order, isn't that exactly what you just said to me?"

Kisen fell silent.

Karen continued, "Why is it that Wolfrun could die, but you cannot? There is no such logic."

"Karen, I am the next generation's successor chosen by my family ancestors. If I meet with an accident here, do you think the ancestors won't implicate you? This is not a matter of whether your duties are here or not; human emotions are something you cannot control."

"You are much older than I am, yet why do you still act like a child? I utterly despise people like you who cannot open or close their mouths without mentioning who is in their family or how their family is; it is truly childish, ridiculous, and farcical."

These words were half spoken by Karen regarding Keessen, and half spoken about himself.

Everyone here was a descendant of a "Temple Elder," yet your family's figure held the status of an ancestor, so many generations higher, meaning by generational rank, your standing was not even as high as mine.

Who is nobler than whom, who can less afford to die than whom... heh, comparing such things is mostly meaningless.

The assassin seized the opportune moment and struck again, sending both sides parting ways once more.

One of Drew's arms was completely ruined, his other hand clutching a black gemstone as blood dripped down continuously.

Meanwhile, the giant returned to his original position and began to heal.

Drew glanced back, then refocused his gaze dead ahead.

He knew clearly that he would not be able to withstand the next round of attacks.

Sure enough, in the next clash, Drew bound the giant once more, but his own chest was completely pierced through by the assassin, his body falling backward like a kite with a severed string, finally landing on the steps of the pavilion.

He wanted to stand, yet he had already lost the ability to do so, able only to lift his head and look up at Keessen, wanting to say something, but his mouth was full of bloody froth, and no sound could come out.

The giant warrior and the assassin returned to their spots once again to receive healing and blessings, while Karen noticed that the man in black who had been controlling the entire situation also let his gaze fall upon him from time to time.

It seemed they did indeed know each other.

Karen had also guessed his identity, but he truly had not expected that someone who was supposed to be serving an official post outside would suddenly return to York City; of course, this might also be an excellent way to deflect suspicion;

But what surprised Karen even more was that this fellow, unexpectedly, was also a member of Dawen's organization.

Did he truly believe in that organization, or were he and that organization merely using each other?

Suddenly, Keessen, whose expression had still carried a distinct tension, looked as though he had shed all his burdens, and a smile even appeared on his face.

At the same time, seeing this scene, a smile also appeared on the face of the critically injured and dying Drew, as if a weight had suddenly been lifted.

Keessen drew a green orb from his pocket, and deep within the orb, a golden light was faintly visible.

"Your attack on me is destined to be futile, because I have already completed its nourishment and activation; this is a sacred protective artifact bestowed upon me by my ancestor, containing the ideational spell-craft left behind by my ancestor.

When it is activated, the family will know that I have encountered danger, and simultaneously, it will grant me the most rigorous protection."

On the periphery, the aura of the three men in black changed noticeably; clearly, they had not anticipated that the opponent would actually carry such an exquisite sacred artifact, no, it had already transcended the level of a sacred artifact because it had received the blessing of a Temple Elder.

This was enough to show just how much that Temple Elder doted on this personally chosen descendant.

Keessen crossed his arms before his chest, and the orb floated above his head:

"Sub-Forbidden Spell—Order—Silent Barrier!"

The orb began to disassemble, and the beams of light within began to pour down as a powerful protective aura manifested.

For Keessen, he only needed to endure the coming period of time and he would naturally be saved, and he even spoke to Karen in a highly contemptuous tone:

"I originally intended to win you over, but now, I have no such thought, Karen; our ledger will be settled slowly afterward."

However, this sub-forbidden spell had only spread out halfway when it seemed to meet resistance from the surrounding environment,