Chapter 667: Opposing Abilities

In a place far away from the battle, where the fate of this city was being decided, two unlikely opponents met. One of them was capable of cutting through anything, and the other was capable of shielding everything.

"You are not one of the targets," said Kino with his hand resting on his hilt. "If you leave now, then I will forget about you. Otherwise, prepare a coffin."

"Youngsters these days are so disrespectful," sighed the middle-aged man. "I was asked to take care of this young lady. However, it does make me wonder why she is being targeted. Is it for wealth?"

"Mister…" muttered Selena while holding her wounds. "I don't know who you are, but you mustn't risk your life for me. Please, run from here."

"My name is Mirani Tate, a friend of Oren's father. You can call me Mr. Tate or Uncle Mirani," said the man with a smile before turning toward Selena. "It seems Oren has found himself a kind young lady, but I never expected you to be a member of the Nightroad Family."

"You know me, um, Mr. Tate?" asked Selena with confusion as she leaned on the wall.

"I do," nodded Mr. Tate as he turned toward Kino, still holding his hilt. "Back in the days, I was best buddies with your father. We always fought about whether technology or runes were more useful."

"A friend of my father?" blinked Selena before she smiled. "This is more reason for me to ask you to leave. I cannot let a friend of my family suffer because of my weakness."

"You are still a child, for heaven's sake," Mr. Tate raised his brows as he turned toward her. "Weakness or strength is yet to be determined for you."

"Mr. Tate, careful!" shouted Selena as Kino jumped to strike the unaware Mr. Tate. However, the man did not turn toward him. Instead, he smiled.

"I was asked to protect you, not the opposite," said Mr. Tate as Kino slashed with his sword. The attack went through their bodies without resistance, and the blade was back in its sheath. Kino landed on the ground before starting to walk toward Selena.

"What a foolish man," said the soldier. "For him to turn his head around mid-battle… he deserved to die. I have cut down his life and her resolve. This should be enough to take her back."

"Wait a minute, arrogant youngster," said Mr. Tate as he seized the soldier's throat and raised him in the air. "You should always check whether your enemies are truly dead before letting your guard down."

"Wha…" barked Kino as he squirmed around midair. "How can you… alive…" asked the soldier with a hoarse and breaking voice. However, Mr. Tate simply tightened his grip on his neck, making him squirm.

"You seem capable of cutting down anything, even 'resolve' that cannot be cut down. I always wondered when a day such as this would arrive where I meet the man who is the total opposite of me!"

As he said so, Mr. Tate raised his hand, and a small shield appeared on top of it. Kino opened one of his eyes to stare at the shield, which widened in realization.

"You bastard… can block… anything?" struggled the soldier to say it, and Mr. Tate nodded with a smile. Then, instead of being fearful, Kino smiled as well. "I have been waiting for you, too!"

After he said those words, Kino's body went limp. His eyes lost focus as his neck turned to the side. Selena gasped as Mr. Tate squinted his eyes at the man.

"I did not do anything to kill him, but he died?" pondered Mr. Tate without releasing his grip. "Is he faking it? However, I can feel no life-force from his body anymore."

Mr. Tate threw the body away, and it rolled on the ground. He did not let down his guard even after the soldier died because it did not make sense to him. He did not attempt to kill the soldier, and the latter did not carry the look of a dying man.

"Mr. Tate… killing him is…."

"This is not my doing," said Mr. Tate as he stepped forward to protect her. "Step back. This man is plotting something."

"Plotting?" winced Selena as she tried to move. "I can tell that he is dead now. How can he plot anything if his body no longer moves?"

"I… don't know…" muttered Mr. Tate while gritting his teeth. If this had been any other soldier, he would have ignored it. However, the man whose ability opposes his cannot be such a weakling. The ability to cut anything is capable of so much more. "Wait, he can cut anything!"

Mr. Tate turned and grabbed Selena before pushing her to the ground and rolling. At the same instant, a deep gush appeared on the wall, stretching from one end of the hallway to the other.

"You've dodged that?" asked a distant voice with surprise. "This is the first time… that a man survives after I use this technique. But, of course, I expect no less from my nemesis."

Mr. Tate threw his arms out to erect a shield around them. Selena was on the ground beside him, and she tried to stand. "He is still alive," said Mr. Tate with apprehension. "I would have never considered the possibility of him severing his soul!"

"What?" frowned Selena while her eyes widened. "Are you saying this man severed the connection between his soul and body?"

"That is right," answered the distant voice. "In this form, I am invincible. Nothing can harm me, and I can harm everything. Of course, I never expected to be forced to use it early on, but this is expected from the man who blocks everything."

"Mr. Tate… we should run!" said Selena as she realized the situation. However, Mr. Tate shook his head before standing to protect her. "But why? There is no way to win against a man with nobody!"

"This is exactly why we cannot give our backs to him," said Mr. Tate with sweat rolling down his face, but he was smiling. "I never expected to be cornered by a brat. My comrades would be ashamed."

Selena was quiet as she tried to stand as well. The sound of laughter came everywhere in the underground tunnel, reaching their souls directly. A soul cannot produce sounds, so this laughter went to their souls.

"Are you insane?" asked Mr. Tate with a frown. "If you sever your soul, you are no different from a dead man!"

"That is wrong, Mirani Tate," said Kino while the sharp energy surrounded them. "A soul can never be separated from its body, only pushed out by damage to the vessel. Therefore, I am not dead!"

"This is why youngsters die so quickly," sighed Mr. Tate. "You just told me that to kill you: I just need to harm your defenseless body. If that is the case…!"

"…wait, no!"

Mr. Tate rushed forward as a sword appeared in his hand. Something slashed behind him as he tried to pierce through the soldier's heart. In an instant, Mr. Tate turned and waved his hand, creating a shield to protect Selena.

The attack struck the shield, turning it into nothing. This was the first time a single attack could destroy his shield, but it was to be expected from the man who could cut anything.

"I found a weakness," muttered a voice behind Mr. Tate before he could feel pain in his left side. Then, as he turned to look down, he found blood dying his clothes.

"Are you willing to let go of your life to harm her?!" shouted Mr. Tate as he waved his arm, but nothing was there. Before it was too late, he retreated toward Selena and created a shield around them.

"That is far from it, but I knew such an absurd ability cannot be without limits. It seems the limit is the number of things you can protect simultaneously. If there were a distance between us, then you would've been able to protect the both of you. However, since the girl is far away, you had to choose her over yourself…."

"You have a big mouth," grunted Mr. Tate as he coughed blood, making Selena rush to him with tears in her eyes. "Do not worry. I wouldn't die just from this."

"Mr. Tate… for my sake," sobbed Selena as she stared at his wound. Mr. Tate couldn't help but smile, thinking that Jude Nightroad has raised his daughter well.

"This is nothing," said Mr. Tate before standing up again. "However, it seems we cannot approach the body again. Furthermore, judging from the wound, his soul is still lingering around his body. This is the direction of all his attacks."

"Then, we can move together until we are close to him," said Selena while wiping away the tears from her aways. "This way, you can protect us both using one shield."

"It is not that easy," muttered Mr. Tate with a frown. "There are other limits to this ability of mine."

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