Return of the Fallen Volume 8 Chapter 5
The moment Shin appeared several nearby soldiers making their way through the halls of the castle, nearly jumped out of their own skin. At first, they thought it may be an enemy but seeing the way he appeared as well as hearing that signature laugh, the guards recognized Shin right away and felt at ease.
“It’s the Phantom Hero!”
A few called out this nickname and Shin couldn’t help but smile widely.
“Hehehe, it seems I have some fans here.”
Nunully’s angry expression softened a bit.
“Shin, of course, they know who you are. Who else appears and disappears like that. That magic cloak I wonder if it was a waste giving it to you of all people?”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
Asuna’s brows scrunched up.
“You know exactly what she means. You teleported with us yet you were under that magic cloak the whole time. Watching us while being invisible. Just how much of a perv are you?”
Shin held his cloak up slightly and all but his eyes disappeared.
“A pervert you say muahahaha. You think I want to look at that sour face of yours all day. Whether you’re brushing your teeth or taking a crap, I bet no matter what your doing you’ll still have that same dumb expression. Honestly, watching a redhead with no emotions is beyond boring. I’d much rather see some liveliness.”
Shin’s eyes drifted to a few female soldiers and a few of them giggled while one was creeped out. Very quickly though they got back to their duty and left in a hurry.
Asuna balled up her fist and swung without hesitation but Shin, of course, was faster than her. With a simple back step, he avoided her entirely. Wagging a finger in her face he teased.
“So there is some feeling left in that shell. Still not enough to catch me though but hey what’s new?”
Asuna for the first time in a while felt anger boiling up but before she said anything someone stretched out their hand and grabbed Shin by the cloak. Shin had already seen this coming but he couldn’t avoid it even with his speed.
Shin’s cloak deactivated and you could see him fully once more. He looked at the person who held him by his cloak and smiled.
“Triska, it seems you still like to ruin my fun.”
A tall blonde woman wearing silverish-colored armor with a large trident in her other hand, this woman gave off a dominant air. She lifted Shin off the ground by his cloak with ease until the two were eye to eye.
“Enough with the playing, you and I are supposed to follow after Bozek and take down whatever comes through the air. After King Garn, the strongest goes Bozek, then I, Nunully, and then you. Get your shit together, we have work to do.”
Shin wagged his finger once more.
“You forgot Etora and Glacious. While we are at the 5th stage, Etora and Glacious are at the 7th. They are the strongest.”
Triska became annoyed.
“They aren’t a part of our army and they do whatever they want so they don’t count. They may be helping but who knows how much longer they’ll keep fighting like this. We can’t know their minds so we must hurry up and defeat these Azirian bastards before we’re all wiped out.”
“That’s why we have Nunully. She’s family to them. As long as she fights with us, so to do Etora and Glacious.”
Triska shook her head.
“That’s why you’re a fool Shin. You saw the way King Garn treats beings that aren’t 100% human. Bozek is nearly as strong as Garn but because he’s part dragon, Garn sees him as nothing more than an abomination. How long do you think Nunully will stick around if the one leading this whole thing hates her to the core. The moment Nunully decides to up and leave, humanity is screwed. Can’t you see that?”
Nunully got frustrated as Triska spoke of her as if she was not there.
“You think I’m fighting for Garn. I don’t give a fuck about that crusty old shrill. That doesn’t mean I’m going to walk away halfway through this either. I don’t fight for him, nor you. I fight for my mother, for my family, and all of my friends. Yes, that includes Shin as well. I was given a second chance a long time ago and I will not be putting it to waste. If this world is destroyed, then even if I run away back to the tiny world in the Rin mountain range. Even if I have peace for the rest of my days, it will all be pointless if those I care about are no longer with me. Just like your younger sister is counting on your return Triska, people are counting on my return and I on theirs. I don’t plan on quitting, not until every enemy is put to ashes or I have personally turned them to shattered ice! Even though you are responsible for killing my friend Danny, I will put up with your nonsense, again not for your sake but for the people I care about.”
Once she mentioned Danny, everything became quiet. No one had forgotten what Triska had done but that didn’t mean they could simply kill her here and now. This was the middle of a war. If they start to kill one another over past actions, the entire army could easily fall apart. Grudges and anger, love and hate had to be put aside, at least for now.
With an odd mood in the air, Nunully decided to stop here before things escalated further. Turning around, she glanced coldly at Asuna before leaving. Asuna now found herself in an awkward situation. She had come to talk to Nunully but not only did it not go well but Shin and other things showed up one after another. This awkward atmosphere didn’t last long though as another familiar figure came walking through.
A tall yet slender-looking man with long green hair flowing to his waist came by. His eyes were narrowed and yellow like a snake. Surrounding him were many mages, more than natural for a group. Not only mages there was also a soldier and each of them had inscription tattoos. Each of these Mages and soldiers belonged to him personally.
The man ignored Asuna and the others and looked straight at Triska.
“You’re still playing even now. How strange things work out in the world. Back in my city, you would crush fools who didn’t listen to you right away, now however you drag them around like a bad dog and date them as well. The world really is interesting.”
Triska folded her arms over her chest. In doing so she dragged Shin around a bit more before she snorted and spoke.
“Don’t you mean our city, Degra? Last I checked, half was yours and the other half was mine. I thought we had that as an agreement long ago but if you’ve forgotten such a simple fact, I could remind you with these capable fists of mine. Not only are you interested in losing your half of the city but you’re also interested in who I fuck. It seems you aren’t thinking things out as clearly as you used to, or maybe you’ve just grown cocky. Either way, I’m more than happy to correct that twisted viewpoint of yours if you really want.”
Degra’s eyes began to slowly glow brighter and with it the tension as well but only a few seconds later, his eyes dimmed and he laughed inwardly.
“There’s no need for such things. I don’t have the time to waste on you, I have my orders and so do you. We can have a pleasant chat at a later date. Goodbye Triska, goodbye Triska’s pup. Let’s hope you two manage to survive, hehe.”
After Degra and his subordinates left, Triska as well got tired of this weird atmosphere. Dragging Shin by his cloak, she ordered.
“Come.”
Asuna, Sam, and Kimi watched this with mixed emotions. They just heard something that made them even more confused. Shin and Triska, apparently we’re in a relationship. They didn’t know when the two entered such a thing but it was hard to comprehend.
Kimi was angry.
“Shin, that little bastard. He actually formed a relationship with one of the people directly responsible for Danny’s death. What the hell is he thinking?”
Kimi could see little to no reaction from both Sam and Asuna and this made her even more pissed.
“Seriously, you two have nothing to say. Shin is screwing the bitch who murdered our friend, his friend, and you two are just standing there blank. Am I the only person in this world who can feel a god damn thing?”
Sam grabbed Kimi by the hand and dragged her away.
“You’ve said too much!”
Kimi wanted to say something back but Sam looked serious. She looked back at Asuna and could see that Asuna was still unmoving. This only made Kimi feel even more frustrated. Still, she said nothing.
Sam on the other hand, even after everything that’s happened, could still read Asuna a little bit.
“Asuna, just catch up to us, we’ll go on ahead.”
Asuna was left alone in the hall of this large castle. She didn’t know what to think or feel. One thing she knew for sure though was that right now wasn’t the time. She raised her hand high and slapped herself in the face. This sting of the flesh made her snap out of it and she swiftly chased after Sam and Kimi.
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