Chapter 640: Almighty Clouds

Captain Mino stared at his swordsman get flung away by the explosion of flames, and Jono hurried to extinguish them with his clouds. The captain's eyes were surprised as he stared at the woman standing up from her spot, her rifle held tightly in her hand.

"…how is this possible? You should have lost your will to resist us!" shouted Tinto at the woman, who lit a cigarette despite being in this situation. "Did Kino mess up?" she turned toward the swordsman.

"That is not the case," said Captain Mino as he stared at the riflewoman. "The other woman has stopped resisting, but something else is making this riflewoman fight."

"Do not underestimate," muttered the woman before inhaling her cigarettes, "the willpower of a single mom."

The Brave Five, who have turned three plus a badly burned one, stared at the scene with fear and speechlessness. This woman was far weaker than them, and if not for using strange technology and sneak attacks, she would have never harmed them this much.

However, even as the captain with an iron will, Mino could not fathom the person in front of him. Therefore, the only case for Kino to fail was for someone much stronger than him that Kino could not harm.

"You have been hiding your strength… all along?" asked Kino as he tried to sit up with the aid of Jono's clouds. "The people of this world are truly dishonest," he began coughing.

"No, she has not hidden anything this time. You lost, Kino, despite her being weaker than you are," Jono interrupted while watching her from above the clouds. "Never underestimate the enemy."

Captain Mino couldn't help but agree, and the tattoos on his face began to shift and realign. It was time to take this seriously, and he breathed out as the tattoos began to leave his body and surround him.

"It is rare," said Captain Mino as he took a stance, "to meet someone weak, but their will cannot be broken. Those like this either have seen the universe or will harness it."

The tattoos began to crawl on the ground, spread in the air, and dance around Captain Mino's body. The air started to vibrate as the captain was ready to strike, but someone jumped in front of him. It was none other than Jono.

"Your hi…" muttered Mino before Jono raised his hand, and clouds exploded from within them. The woman raised her rifle and fired several volleys, but the clouds absorbed everything as if they were cotton.

"It is no use," muttered Jono as the clouds surrounded the woman, diffusing with her surrounding to lock her up. "My clouds can absorb everything, even mana."

The rifle fell to the ground as the woman rose, suspended by the clouds. Jono did not look away, even when the other target tried to stand. Finally, however, her legs failed her, and she fell to the ground repeatedly.

"Mino," muttered Jono toward the captain. "I want to know her name."

"The target's name is Sarah Silvera," said Mino as he walked toward the other one. "She is the mother of the sorcerer, making her a valuable asset."

"That explains her willpower," said Kino as he stood up with Tinto supporting him. "I never imagined someone so weak would have an undefeated will."

"Is it not weak who has the strongest will to live?" muttered Jono as Mino carried the other woman toward the clouds and threw her. Then, his clouds began to imprison the woman as well. "The most beautiful form of struggle."

"Are you a pervert?" asked the middle-aged woman as her face lost color. Jono was taken by surprise, and he laughed before shaking his head. "How do you know my name?"

"This is the first time such an accusation was thrown at me," he said with a shake of his head and a smile. "I would have loved to chat more, but it is my naptime. Captain Mino can brief you with the rest."

Jono fell backward, and a cloud formed a bed beside him, and he floated beside the two hostages. The woman stared at Jono sleeping without care and turned toward Captain Mino. Her amber eyes stared daggers at him, making the captain feel under pressure.

"There is no need to explain anything to a hostage," said Captain Mino before turning toward Kino and Tinto. "Are you able to walk?"

"His wounds are superficial. If he cannot walk just from this, we should just leave him here to die," said Tinto with a grin. "Are we done over here?"

"There is no way to escape their imprisonment," said Captain Mino before the tattoos seeped back into his body. "The target has been secured, but the mission is to take her back."

"And what about the other woman?" asked Tinto as she stared at the red hair spread over the clouds. "Should we eliminate her?"

"That would be left for Her Majesty to decide," said Captain Mino as he stared at Bono's corpse. "We need to go back now. Our next destination is Alka."

***

Oren stared at the horizon, but there was nothing but the occasional monsters roaming around the city. The citizens had already fled, and the army fought against the calamity. His two teammates have each taken a different side, and Oren chose the one closest to his house.

The only thing that kept Oren from assuming that his mother and Selena weren't already in Alka was them using the SkyBeams. The invaders should not be knowledgeable about the transport system in Kera, so they must be traveling on foot at the moment.

"I need to find Mr. Tate as well," muttered Oren with a headache threatening to make his head explode. "However, if I leave this place, the kidnappers might escape."

"Some help, allow me to offer," said a voice beside him.

"You know, Lancelot," frowned Oren. "You have merged with my soul, making you able to talk like I do, right?"

"A narcissist, you are."

"Just talk like everyone else does, please," sighed Oren. "What kind of help can you provide?"

"I can find the man you are looking for or wait here until the kidnapers arrive," replied Lancelot in a normal manner, making Oren relieved. "However, you cannot use my powers if we are too far apart."

"Then, does that me we can be separated?"

"I am a spirit, after all."

"…I will count you on then," said Oren before pondering. "You should go and seek Mr. Tate and tell him that I sent you. I will try to hold back the kidnappers if they appear until you are back."

"As you command, master," said Lancelot before it turned into a silver streak that left Oren's body and flew in the distance. "I have memorized his face from your memories, so do not worry."

"…I am worried you can do that," said Oren as he watched the spirit fly away. Then, his eyes turned toward the sky. "Please wait for me, Arthur. I will be there as soon as I save the two of them."

After a few minutes of waiting, his telecom lit up, and Kody's voice came from it. "Oren! I see a group of suspicious people coming this way. There are… clouds following them…?"

"What do you mean by clouds?"

"…Selena and Aunty Sarah are captured within the clouds! Are we still doing our plan?" asked Kody with worry. Oren frowned before contacting Lancelot via their connection. After his spirit replied, Oren ran toward Kody.

"We have to hold them off, Kody," then he dialed Maryam. "Head toward Kody's location and follow the plan. Remember… do not engage! We can only assume these soldiers are powerful enough to be sent for this mission."

Oren knew they were risking their lives with this plan because those soldiers might obliterate them with a single attack. However, it was a risk they had no choice but to take. Even if it killed him, he needs to save the two of them.

The engine raved after jumping on top of his SkyBeam, and Oren flew across the sky. The route he was going to proves that the soldiers were taking a detour away, possibly to avoid the army and the battle.

Whoosh!

The SkyBeam flew across the streets and between the buildings at almost two hundred kilometers per hour, whistling across the air. Kody sent Oren the location of the soldiers, making him slow down and stop the SkyBeam a distance away. Then, he called Kody.

"Are you ready?"

"I am close enough to snatch them," said Oren. "Do not fight them head-on, but distract them in any way possible. Maryam should stun them for a few seconds, enough for me to save them and run with the SkyBeam."

"…I will fight if that is what it takes to pull them away from the two," said Kody with determination. "You are not the only one willing to die to save them, Oren."

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