CHAPTER 4: NYXRAEL VS A PLATINUM KNIGHT RANK!

"Won’t they be able to discover us at this rate?" James raised an eyebrow and asked Nyxrael because they have been tailing them at a close range.

"They won’t, unless I let them discover us." Nyxrael replied with a smile.

"Alright then, if you say so." James nodded.

5 minutes later...

"Let them discover us now since we’re already quite far away from the city." James chuckled.

"Stop!" A middle-aged man in his late 50s shouted, then tilted his head and snorted. "Hmmph! Show yourself."

"Heyyy!" James waved his hand excitedly as if he hadn’t met his best friend for a long time.

Looking at their ugly expressions, James sneered with a vicious smile. "Did you already miss me?"

The middle-aged man frowned deeply with an ugly expression for a second and asked. "How are you still alive? I even made sure that you were 100% dead myself."

"Answer my question first, and I’ll tell you." James smiled calmly.

Before the middle-aged man could respond, James asked his question first. "How can you come to this kingdom? Who let you guys in?"

The moment James asked the last question, the middle-aged man deepened his frown more and said in a deep voice. "What are you talking about? Have you gone insane?"

"I might have gone insane, but my memory is still intact and in good condition. I remember that you’re from the Bladeborne family, a ducal house from the Veylmar Kingdom." James smirked mockingly, then looked at the sky as he continued.

"There are actually a few options I have in mind. First, you bribe someone, which is unlikely to happen in my opinion. Second, someone from the Steelheart family secretly lets you in, and this is the most unlikely to happen because I know my family really well. The third and last that I’m 100% sure of is that someone who wants to bring down the Steelheart family lets you in."

He then added something that made the middle-aged man become angry.

"As for how I’m sure, it’s actually simple." James pointed his finger at a man in his late 30s with a short beard. "Ask that man over there, isn’t he from the Wolfsblade Fam—"

Before James could finish his sentence, the middle-aged man immediately slashed out a sword, sending a terrifying sword energy at James out of anger.

Looking at the incoming attack, Nyxrael moved in front of James and unsheathed his sword calmly.

When the sword energy arrived in front of him, he coated his blade with a dark energy and slashed his sword casually, dispersing the attack as if it was nothing.

The middle-aged man knitted his eyebrows and looked at Nyxrael.

"Turner, go back and tell this incident to him." The middle-aged man said in a commanding tone.

"This..." Turner hesitated for a little bit but immediately agreed the moment he was glared at by the middle-aged man.

James laughed out loud at the response for a moment, then sneered mockingly. "It’s confirmed then."

"Leave no one alive." James waved his hand casually.

With Turner leaving the scene, there were only 4 people left. The middle-aged man who was leading the group was someone who had reached Platinum Knight rank, while the others were only at the Gold Knight ranks.

The three people beside the middle-aged man quickly exchanged glances and spread out in different directions, their boots scraping against the dirt as they tried to surround Nyxrael and James.

However, just as they were halfway through their movement, Nyxrael calmly raised his sword. Without even changing his expression, he swung it once as he used his (Netherclad Slash) skill.

Slash!

A crescent wave of violet-black flames erupted from the blade, howling through the air like a demon’s roar.

The slash was directed toward the middle-aged man, forcing him to defend himself as he felt the sheer power behind that casual attack.

Before the others could even process what happened, Nyxrael’s arm moved again as casually but faster while using his (Netherclad Slash) skills.

Three more crescent waves burst forth, each one aimed precisely at the Gold Knight ranks who had tried to flank them.

The waves of violet-black flames sliced through the air and tore through their defenses as if they were paper.

Slash!

Slash!

Slash!

One man’s upper body was separated from his legs, blood spraying like a fountain into the dirt.

Another was cut cleanly from shoulder to waist, his weapon dropping lifelessly from his hand.

The last one didn’t even have time to scream before his head rolled onto the ground with his eyes still wide open in disbelief.

The Platinum Knight rank man watched in shock. He realized that if he didn’t go all out, he would be next to die without even knowing how.

He roared and poured all of his strength into his sword, his entire body shining with silvery-white light as he swung his weapon to block the incoming violet-black wave.

Boom!

The explosion of energy shook the ground, dust and debris scattering into the air as the shockwave spread outward. His arms trembled violently, blood dripping down from his palms as he barely managed to block Nyxrael’s casual attack.

But before he could even catch his breath...

Whoosh!

Nyxrael had already vanished into thin air.

The Platinum Knight’s pupils shrank. He didn’t even have time to turn around before a cold voice whispered from behind him.

"Too slow."

A sharp, dark light flashed as Nyxrael’s sword, coated in dense dark energy, sliced through the air and cleanly decapitated the man’s head in one motion. His body froze for a split second before collapsing forward with a thud, blood bursting out in a high arc.

Nyxrael exhaled softly, sheathing his sword as the violet-black flames around the blade faded away.

James walked forward with a faint smile, looking at the corpses scattered on the ground. "You’re much stronger than I had expected, Nyx."

Nyxrael just smiled slightly. "They were just too weak, my lord."

"Then let’s make sure the one who sent them knows what happens when they touch the Steelheart family." James chuckled, his eyes glinting coldly as he looked at the fallen men.

He then waved his hand casually. "But before that, go kill the earlier guy and bring his body back."

He had a plan in mind to exact revenge, but only after they returned to the Steelheart family’s home, because he still had a mission from his father in an Earl territory, which was governed by Earl Edmund Varrick.

"Yes, my lord." Nyxrael instantly vanished into thin air.

Looking at the disappearance of Nyxrael, James finally remembered that he hadn’t even checked the rewards he received before, as his mind was filled with chasing these people before they could go back and report his death.

Without waiting for long, James checked immediately one by one.