Chapter 1464 (2/2)
Helio returned to the grill and resumed his cleaning. Liam blinked. “Damnit, Helio, you are truly wasted here. Well, actually, nevermind; your food is life-changing. So yea, the Zones will push for tournaments in the future. Maybe the defunct World Council can finally do something useful… but aside from that, did you hear Kharon’s announcement? They will be visiting Ifrenne at the end of the month, and the ogre city at the base of the Nordawn Mountains in two months. They finally aren’t just wandering around anymore.”
“A good choice,” Ning announced. Then she took another long drink of her lemonade. Helio paused briefly with the grease brush, waiting to see if she made the slurping sound that indicated she wanted a refill. Thankfully, she didn’t finish the drink all in one go. He resumed his determined scrubbing.
“People will go to those cities around those times, just because Kharon is there.” Evater looked down at his hands with an intense expression. Then he clenched his hands and spoke with a confidence that made him sound like a fool. “Heh, people are naturally drawn to strength. And at the head of Kharon is Randidly Ghosthound, the most powerful image user on Earth.”
“How can Kharon visit Ifrenne?” Cleary asked. She pushed a few remnants of her hash around the plate with a fork and then looked around at the group. “It has legs right? But the sea is pretty deep… won’t it sink?”
The table considered that. Even Helio couldn’t help but picture Kharon slowly sinking into the sea as the ocean floor dropped away beneath it. Somehow, he doubted that it would end up being a problem.
“...well anyway, I think Cleary raises another good point,” Liam announced. “Is Randidly Ghosthound really that much stronger than we have seen? All the people in the top 8 were Legends. And Alana clearly demonstrated that she might be in another tier of strength above that; how much stronger can the Ghosthound really be? He’s just been sitting around while these people are fighting.”
“And if I can have this much insight just from watching…” Evater muttered mysteriously as he looked down at his own clenched fist. Helio wondered if the man was developing some sort of delusion about himself. He hoped someone else would notice and say something. “...I can only imagine the gains that the fighters have made. Engaging in such struggles would fuel quite a bit of growth.”
“...shouldn’t the winner just challenge him?” Cleary asked the group. Everyone hummed to themselves, considering this.
*****
Commissioner Arrietti felt his breath wheezing out through his swollen and bloody lips. Helen stood above him in the training arena, shaking her head. “You are quick. That first movement you can take is explosive and almost absolute. But you need to capitalize on that opportunity! Don’t you have any attacking Skills worth a damn?”
Licking his lips, Arrietti considered the question. Due to Helen’s relaxed posture, he considered it acceptable for him to push himself out of the small crater that currently served as his resting place. His body creaked as he straightened. His muscles were bruised and sore. “Ah… I mean, I do… but compared to your Skills…”
Helen patted Arietti’s shoulder. “Yes well, I suppose you had the unfortunate handicap of being born on this Earth. Aside from Randidly… well, the rest of you don’t seem to have much of a desire to strike with deadly intent. It makes your attacks flimsy.”
Commissioner Arrietti felt his heart bubbling with helpless despair, but then the door to the training arena opened. His expression immediately brightened. Although it wouldn’t solve his current emotional desolation, it would certainly make him feel better to watch another person struggle underneath Helen’s brutal standards. “I’ll reflect on this. But it looks like someone else-”
“Oh! Helen, this is where you were,” Mrs. Hamilton said, walking forward with a smile on her face. She gestured to the two people following behind her. “Have you met the Huangs? Li has been struggling to recapture the feeling of his image, and I was hoping you would help by applying some pressure to him. Don’t bother to pull your punches; normal methods haven’t been working.”
Huang Li bowed. “Miss Helen, I have heard much about you. I hope you can please give me some guidance in regard to image. And this…? Oh, Commissioner Arrietti. I apologize for interrupting your training.”
Seeing that the goals of these new arrivals coincided with his own, Arrietti released a relieved smile. Finally, something was going his way. “Oh, we were just finishing up-”
“Actually, this is good,” Helen announced. She clapped Arrietti again on the shoulder, sending a painful jolt through his torso. “Arrietti here is working on upgrading a Skill to be more deadly. Your Sky-Slaying Slash will serve as a good example. Why don’t the two of you fight me together?”
Mrs. Hamilton and Huang Shou produced two seats and a table and began to set out a Go board between them. Arrieti’s throat was dry as Huang Li walked over with a bright expression. “Truly? It is my honor to fight by the side of the man in charge of safety for Kharon. Please take care of me.”