Evening began to fall as Kael and Darius left the city center.
But they didn't know that ever since they had left the Grand Armament Hall...
they had been followed.
Four men walked several dozen yards behind them.
Their clothes resembled those of city guards.
But Kael quickly noticed something.
Their swords bore no royal insignia.
Kael stopped.
Darius stopped as well.
"Why?"
Kael looked back.
"Four men."
Darius turned around.
"Them?"
Kael nodded.
"Don't move yet."
The four men finally approached.
Their leader smiled.
"Kael Ardent."
"Come with us."
"Who are you?"
"City guards."
Kael pointed at their swords.
"City guards carry weapons with royal insignia."
The man fell silent.
Then he smiled.
"Good observation."
He drew his sword.
"Unfortunately..."
A murderous aura exploded.
"...you've seen too much."
Darius immediately summoned the War Hammer.
BOOM!
Lyra, who happened to still be nearby, summoned the Frost Bow as well.
Kael gripped the Broken Sword.
The battle erupted.
Darius faced two of them.
Lyra fired ice arrows.
Kael faced the man with the short knife.
The knife was strange.
It had no powerful aura.
Yet as it drew near...
the Broken Sword felt heavy.
Kael recognized the sensation.
Weapon Suppression.
A technique that weakened the bond between wielder and Weapon Spirit.
The man thrust.
Kael dodged.
Then he attacked.
CLANG!
The two weapons collided.
Kael saw the Runes on the knife.
One Rune.
Two.
Three.
One Rune was extremely dangerous.
Soul Severing.
Kael immediately understood its purpose.
They didn't want to kill him.
They wanted to sever his bond with the Broken Sword.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled.
"People interested in your sword."
The next attack came.
Kael parried.
But this time, he saw something.
The structure of the knife.
There was too much pressure concentrated at a single point.
Kael twisted the Broken Sword.
TING!
The tip of his sword touched a specific spot.
CRACK!
The Rune on the knife cracked.
The man was shocked.
"What did you do?"
Kael didn't answer.
He struck the same point.
CRACK!
The knife shattered.
The man was sent flying.
Darius stared at Kael.
"Since when could you do that?"
Kael didn't know either.
He simply understood the weapon.
As if someone had taught him for years.
One of the wounded attackers looked at the Broken Sword.
His face paled.
"That technique..."
He whispered.
"Weapon Analysis..."
Kael stared at him.
"Who taught you that name?"
The man didn't answer.
He bit down on something in his mouth.
Kael moved.
Too late.
The man's body turned into red smoke and vanished.
Lyra stared at the spot.
"Blood Armament."
Kael turned toward her.
"What?"
Lyra explained that there were rumors about a syndicate that stole human Weapon Spirits.
However, according to the official records...
the Blood Armament Syndicate was nothing more than a small criminal organization.
Kael didn't believe it.
Their abilities were far too well-trained.
Before they could say anything more...
the Broken Sword trembled.
Kael looked down.
A thin red light emerged from its cracks.
Far beneath the city...
something answered.
DANG!
Kael raised his head.
"What was that?"
No one knew.
But Kael felt the sound within his soul.
The clang of a hammer.
And for some reason...
his heart ached.