Chapter 7: How to Win a Man's Heart
A charred figure plummeted from the top of the wall, crashing directly into the melee below. The impact sent dozens of brawling soldiers and refugees flying.
This sudden development made both the heavily armored figure with the black oni horns and the current king cease their fighting. Wary, they both turned to look at the blackened, fallen figure.
"A CP0 agent? How did he end up like this? Who else has interfered?" King Nathan's face changed drastically as he recognized the familiar form. He couldn't understand how, in the East Blue, someone could beat one of the World Government's top agents so brutally.
Then, under everyone's gaze, Joseph, charred black and reeking of burnt flesh, struggled to his feet.
After coughing up several clots of blood, he turned towards Nathan and gasped, "Vice Admiral Nathan, capture the target now and bring him to the Five Elders. I will hold off this unknown third party!"
"..." The king in his magnificent armor fell silent. He never expected that Joseph, even in this state, would still be thinking about the mission. Even he, the king of a nation affiliated with the World Government, was astonished.
What in the world did the Five Elders give these CP0 agents to make them so willing to die for them?
Seeing Nathan's silence, Joseph's ruined face stiffened. His eyes widened as he shot Nathan a terrifying glare. "Are you going to defy the orders of the Five Elders?"
"Don't think that just because you're the king of an affiliated nation, you can defy the will of the World Government!"
Hearing this, Nathan's expression instantly darkened. "Are you threatening me?"
"This Oni was only targeted because of his exceptional talent. Once he's dead, the matter is settled. Why would the Five Elders make a fuss over a dead man who has nothing to do with them?"
Nathan's words infuriated Joseph, who subconsciously tried to stand up. But in the next moment, he froze, his bloodshot eyes trembling violently.
The air currents around him swirled as wisps of dust flew in a circle. A winged shadow had enveloped him at some unknown point, its pair of wings slowly closing.
He snapped his head around to face the silently descending Louis, his eyes wide as he stared at the boy whose face was cast in shadow by the bright sun.
"When did you—"
POW—
A blazing spear swept out, swatting Joseph through the air. He crashed into a small bunker, smashing it to pieces.
Louis flicked the charred tissue from his spear and slowly exhaled a breath of hot air. "When will you people... ever fix this bad habit of chatting with others in the middle of a fight?"
From a distance, Nathan witnessed this scene firsthand and subconsciously tightened his grip on his weapon. He finally understood why the CP0, feared by countless people around the world, had been beaten so badly.
If the threat from the Oni born among the natives was like an unarmed adult meeting a cheetah, then the feeling this winged boy gave him was like that of a lion—inspiring instinctive awe and terror.
But decades of service in the Marines and the bearing of a king allowed him to quickly regain his composure. He asked tentatively, "Who are you? Why are you getting involved in this—"
Suddenly, a heavy shield tore through the smoke and slammed directly into Nathan. The immense kinetic energy was focused entirely on his chest. Even with the protection of his masterwork armor, he was severely injured, coughing up blood as he flew backward. He stumbled to a stop only after crashing through several wooden chevaux de frise.
A pained expression crossed his face, and the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth soaked his heavily dented armor and the fine clothes beneath.
Louis glanced at the pained, retired Vice Admiral, feeling a bit speechless. It hadn't even been ten seconds since he'd last spoken.
Then, Louis turned his head. With a flick of his wrist, he threw his sharp spear, pinning the CP0 agent—who was preparing to launch a final, suicidal attack—to the wall.
After doing all this, Louis shifted his gaze to the figure who was slightly taller than him, completely encased in heavy armor, its gender indeterminable. He used his superhuman senses to perceive its physical information.
The next moment, a thoughtful look appeared on Louis's face.
"He is..."
"No, this person seems to be... dying..."
The heavily armored figure, head concealed by a gas mask with only the straight, sharp oni horns visible, casually tossed a man wearing a "Justice" cape into a bonfire. It took a step forward, advancing slowly with its long-handled war hammer. Muffled, short words came from under the gas mask: "He's right."
It leaped up, war hammer in hand, and smashed it down on the man with whom it shared a blood feud.
Nathan gritted his teeth, pushed away the debris of the barricades pinning him down, and met the attack fearlessly with his saber.
"You brat! When I was fighting pirates in the New World, your mother was still playing in the mud on the plateau!"
The war hammer and blade clashed, and a deafening sound exploded. A massive shockwave erupted from the point of impact, instantly blowing away the debris scattered around the two of them.
After a brief stalemate, they both retreated, only to collide again moments later. The two figures, one tall and one short, rampaged within the walls like demolition machines. Swaths of ruins were thrown up by the aftershocks of their battle, scattered outside the city. Everywhere they passed, the soldiers and refugees engaged in close combat were sent flying.
King Nathan, a man of high station, was completely unconcerned, treating the soldiers caught in the crossfire as if they were nothing.
But the other person in the fierce battle could not accept this. The face under her gas mask gradually contorted. Then, gritting her teeth, she began to lead her opponent away from the battling refugees.
This was all immediately noticed by Nathan, who had sailed the seas for decades. Using his vast experience, he landed numerous cuts on her, the blood staining her armor red.
On the other side, Louis stood before the CP0 agent pinned to the wall, expressionlessly pulling out his spear.
SPLAT... Blood gushed out, soaking the wall and the grass below red.
The intense pain forced the dying agent out of his daze. He opened his blood-reddened eyes and glared at the golden-haired boy before him.
To this day, Joseph still couldn't understand why this guy who had popped out of nowhere had targeted him without saying a word. It didn't seem like he had any intention of interfering with the matter of the person with the Oni bloodline.
Louis ignored the dying man's furious glare. He raised his palm and reached toward the enraged agent.
How do you win a man's heart in the fastest way possible?
To this, Louis now provided the model answer.
Step one: Plunge your hand into the man's chest and grasp his still-beating heart.
Joseph's eyes widened, blood erupting from his mouth and chest like a fountain. The intense pain made him want to scream, but his throat, already destroyed by flames and multiple heavy blows, couldn't support a single sound.
Louis paid no mind to the blood splattering on him as he silently executed step two.
Quickly rip the man's heart out and display it before its owner's eyes, letting him clearly watch his own heartbeat.