Chapter : 21

  "Oh no! This is the part where I should make a scared face!" Ken yelled out loud, even though nobody was listening to him. He put his hands on his cheeks and made a silly, exaggerated face of pure terror. "Let's make a scary cat face! Meow! Please do not hurt the potato boy!"

  While Ken was acting like a total coward, the real battle was getting dangerous. The girls of the 13th Unit were elite warriors, but there were simply too many enemies. For every mercenary Naomi slashed, three more stepped out of the shadows.

  Grandmaster Finlay leaped out of the front car. His silver armor shined in the firelight. He swung his massive broadsword, knocking away five men at once. "Protect the Princess! Do not let them near the car!" Finlay roared.

  But the enemy had a plan. Four enemy mages stood on a high hill overlooking the road. They raised their staffs together.

  "Poison Smoke!" the enemy mages shouted.

  Thick, dark purple smoke exploded from their staffs. The smoke quickly rolled down the hill and covered the entire road. It was a heavy, blinding fog. It smelled like rotten eggs and burning plastic.

  "Cough! Cough! I can't see!" Naomi yelled. The wind magic she used to move fast was useless if she didn't know where she was running.

  "Hold your breath! It’s a trap!" Sayma shouted, quickly putting up her golden hexagon barrier to protect herself and the girls near her. But the barrier could only cover a small area. The mercenaries, who were wearing masks to protect themselves from the smoke, used the cover to push closer.

  The sound of swords clashing and people shouting filled the heavy fog. The 13th Unit was completely surrounded. They were swinging blindly.

  From his spot behind the tire, Ken watched the purple smoke cover the cars. He wasn't coughing. He had automatically used a tiny bit of magic to filter the air entering his lungs. He sat on the grass, holding his half-empty bag of potato chips.

  "This is getting annoying," Ken thought, sighing deeply. "If they keep fighting like this, we are going to be late. And if we are late, we miss the registration. If we miss the registration, the Princess loses. And if the Princess loses, I am out of a job and I won't get my paycheck."

  Ken looked at the thick smoke. The girls couldn't see anything. The Grandmaster was busy fighting a giant group of men near the front car. Nobody was looking at Ken. Nobody could see him in this dark, purple fog.

  "Well," Ken mumbled, dusting off his pants. "I guess it is time to do a little bit of overtime work. Just a little bit. I am not getting paid enough for this."

  Ken stood up. He left his potato chips on the grass. He turned around and slowly walked away from the car, slipping completely unnoticed into the dark woods behind a massive oak tree. It was time for the lazy joker to disappear, and for the secret boss to take the stage.

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  Behind the thick oak tree, hidden perfectly by the shadows and the purple smoke, Ken Eliot stopped slouching. His lazy, sleepy posture vanished instantly. He stood up perfectly straight. His eyes, which usually looked bored and tired, turned sharp and cold.

  "Anime logic, equip," Ken whispered.

  He tapped into the massive, ocean-like seal of magic hidden deep within his soul. He didn't use an explosion of power. He used a highly advanced, instant clothing swap spell.

  In a flash of dark, soundless mana, his messy blue servant uniform disappeared. It was replaced by a high-collared, dramatic black cloak covered in elegant gold embroidery. The cloak flowed around his legs as if an invisible wind was always blowing against it. Finally, a smooth, terrifying mask appeared over his face. The mask was completely black, except for a single, glowing purple eye in the center.

  Ken was no longer the goofy slacker from the Iron Rose District. He was his secret persona. He was "The Sovereign."

  "Fools," The Sovereign spoke. His voice was no longer high and whiny. It was deep, echoing, and commanded absolute authority, like a god speaking to insects. "You dare to interrupt my peaceful ride? You dare to block the path of my chosen pieces? Your punishment is absolute."

  He reached his hand into the empty air. Dark mana gathered in his palm, solidifying into a long, sleek black sword. The blade hummed with dangerous energy. It wasn't just sharp; it was coated in a special sword magic that carried a fast-acting paralyzing poison. It wouldn't kill them, but it would put them to sleep instantly. Dead bodies caused too many questions. Sleeping bodies were much easier to explain.

  The Sovereign raised the sword. "Speed Mode," he whispered.

  Instantly, the world around him seemed to slow down. To Ken, the falling leaves froze in mid-air. The thick purple smoke stopped moving. The shouts of the mercenaries became slow, deep groans. He was moving faster than the speed of sound, faster than the human eye could possibly process.

  He dashed out from behind the oak tree. He looked like a literal shadow skipping through the fog.

  Near the middle car, a large mercenary raised a heavy iron axe, aiming to strike Naomi in the back while she was blinded by the smoke. Naomi didn't see him coming.

  Whoosh!

  The Sovereign appeared directly behind the large man. He didn't even look at the mercenary. He simply swung his black blade in a perfect, elegant arc.

  Slash!

  The poisonous energy sliced through the mercenary's armor like butter. The man's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground, completely paralyzed. Naomi spun around at the sound of the falling body, but The Sovereign was already gone.

  "What was that?" Naomi gasped, holding her dagger up to the empty smoke. "Who is there?"

  The Sovereign did not answer. He was already thirty feet away. He moved through the battlefield like a phantom. He treated the fight exactly like a game of chess, and he was clearing the board.

  Three mercenaries were charging toward Sayma’s golden barrier, holding explosive magical staffs.

  "The only ones who should attack are those who are prepared to fall," The Sovereign said. His deep voice seemed to come from all directions at once, echoing in the fog.

  Before the three men could even look around, a black blur passed between them.

  Slash! Slash! Slash!

  The dark poisonous sword struck all three men in the blink of an eye. Their legs gave out, and they hit the dirt, snoring loudly as the magic poison knocked them out cold.

  The Sovereign didn't stop. He dashed from left to right, his cloak fluttering wildly behind him. Every time his foot touched the ground, another enemy fell. He was completely merciless, yet perfectly graceful. He didn't waste a single movement.

  Slash! Down went a swordsman.

  Slash! Down went an archer hiding in the trees.

  Slash! Slash! Down went two more men trying to break into the Princess’s car.