Chapter 58: Phantom of Lightning (1/2)
Chapter 58: Phantom of Lightning
Lan Jue’s appearance caused the gathered Enforcers to heave a quiet sigh of relief. Outsiders may not know have known of his status, but they certainly did. One of the eighteen Council members, newest of their ranks, but in a short time capable of rising to great heights. It was a poignant display of ability.
“Jewelry Master,” the Enforcers respectfully greeted.
“You’re the owner of this establishment?” The golden hooded man’s voice sounded almost metallic, strange and tinny.
“That I am!” Lan Jue appeared at ease, a lopsided smile on his face. He turned then to the Enforcers. “Take the wounded for treatment. I’ll handle things from here.”
“Right away.” From among the gathered Enforcers a few stepped forward to gather the injured. The remainder waited respectfully behind the Jewelry Master, awaiting his orders.
“Relinquish the stone from the other day, and we’ll leave immediately.” The golden man’s voice was as cold as ice.
Lan Jue shook his head. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. You’ve hurt my people. To leave now would be running away from the consequences. As for the stone, it’s already turned to dust.” As he spoke the final sentence he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret in his chest.
He hadn’t lied, for in fact the stone had been reduced to powder. Such was the result of the Keeper’s experimentations, in finding the stone’s limitations.
“What did you say?” The golden man took a menacing step forward. It was a small motion, but one that spoke volumes. A step that spoke murder. Though no face was visible, the man’s homicidal intentions were palpable as he faced Lan Jue.
To enter Skyfire one had to possess awakened Talent. In the face of this man’s dark aura, everyone present – be they Enforcer or onlooker – allowed their Disciplines to exude forth.
Standing beside Lan Jue, Mika’s brows raised at the scene. She made a motion as though to engage, but was cut off by her employer.
As ever, Lan Jue’s face only betrayed that signature indifference. His right hand lifted, slowly and purposefully, to snap his fingers. At once an azure photosphere appeared floating in the air. But it did not rush towards the golden man, instead floating to about a meter before Lan Jue before bursting in to oblivion.
At the sight of the explosion a pale red flame hung in the air. Stranger than that, however, is the fact that the flame raced towards the golden man as though it had a life of it’s own. At was as if an invisible cloud of gasoline had ignited in the air, and the flame was racing back to it’s source in the golden man.
The murderous aura suffocating the area dispersed almost immediately, like the fires had burned it away. The golden man howled and retreated a step, his right hand raised and flailing to shield himself. A sanguine light cut through the link the fire had established.
“Phantom of lightning, who are you!” The golden man lifted his head, revealing the contours of his face. Unfortunately, it was further hidden by a golden mask, but a pair of light-blue eyes were visible. The pupils dilated, then began to stretch vertically, emitting a palpable field of fear.
Still Lan Jue held his lazy smile. “I see you are of the Moonfiend Empress. Each of you shall leave a finger, and five million in medical expenses. Then you may go.”
“Now that you know our identity, you should understand the Way of the Moonfiend Pirates. Give us Oliver and the stone, or we’ll hunt you until death even if you are phantom of lightning!”
As the name of the Moonfiend Pirates hung in the air, nearly all the onlookers took a collective step backwards. The crowd that had surrounded Zeus’ Jewelry Store had suddenly grown thinner. No small number of lookers wordlessly dropped their heads and fled.
Flippantly, Lan Jue responded. “You came today of your own accord, am I right?”