Chapter 47 Chan's anger
"I have never seen Chan use any echo ability," Vandal suddenly realized. Turning to Sabine, he asked, "Have you seen Chan use an echo ability before?"
"No, I haven't. You are right." The same realization dawned on Sabine.
"That is because he doesn't have one," Yazmeen replied, adding her voice to the conversation.
"You? You will kill us? Guys, did you hear that? He says he will kill all of us," the echo warrior who wore a leaf patterned robe said in glee. He was from the Green Tempest Clan.
"Surround this idiot. Today we will make an example of you." He pointed his finger at Chan. Without warning, his finger was chopped off so fast that he did not realize he had lost it until one of his companions told him. Then he started screaming, blood jetting from the stump.
"Last chance. Leave." Chan said again in that calm tone, like he was a different person.
"How dare you! Attack him!" The others rushed in to overpower Chan, but he was like wind. The glare of his blade was the only thing clearly seen. The rest was a blur, and screams soon followed with limbs being sliced clean off.
"What the hell?" Vandal stared wide eyed. He had been preparing to intervene but was utterly shocked at what he was seeing.
"This is Chan when he is no longer in the mood to joke," Jaclynn said.
"Run! He is insane!" The survivors of the onslaught turned on their heels, but the other two leaders charged with their respective groups. The original goal had been to test the waters with the Enforcers because Enforcers were always feared. The first echo warrior and his group had been sent to probe. Now the leaders had decided to suppress with numbers.
The two leaders came from the Crimson Ash Clan. Behind them, more of their members pressed forward.
"I need to help him," Vandal decided, but he was stopped by Jaclynn.
"Do not. Chan was built for fights like this. He is a former member of the Dark Crow Guild."
"Huh?" Vandal and Sabine said with expressions of puzzlement.
Yazmeen rolled her eyes and explained, "It is an assassin guild. They kill people for a living."
"Oh." Vandal's expression showed understanding.
"He was with them for four years before he left and decided to join the Unseeing Faith after a powerful ocular user killed his lover."
"But he has no echo abilities. How was he able to join the Enforcers?" Sabine asked.
"Pure physical skill as a swordsman," Jaclynn answered.
Everyone activated their echoes and the leaders were about to start bombarding Chan when the ground trembled heavily.
Boom!
"What is that sound?" one of the leaders exclaimed.
"I do not know," the other answered worriedly.
Vandal finally spoke out. Mael was still catching his breath on the ground.
"Something dangerous is coming soon. There is no point in fighting. Let us just share the loot. You can have first picks as a gesture of goodwill from us," Vandal said, much to the surprise of Yazmeen and Jaclynn.
"It is alright. There is no time. Let them take what they can, then we can take too. There is plenty to go around," Vandal said.
"Chan, that is enough!" Vandal said, seeing that Chan was still slicing up echo warriors left and right, causing panic amid the rising fear that something huge was coming.
Chan moved through three warriors like a blade through silk, swift, silent, and devastatingly efficient. A water echo user from the Sapphire Tear Clan tried to flee, but Chan's short blade found the back of her knee first, then her spine. She collapsed without a sound, her body folding like a puppet with cut strings.
"Chan!" Vandal said again, but it seemed Chan was no longer listening.
"Stop! You are forcing our hands!"
Chan was still stabbing, his face serious.
The two leaders started charging a sphere together. Their echo energies merged into an unstable barrier of crackling brown and red elemental energy. Desperation gave them focus. They shot it out, a blend of earth echo and fire together as a compact blast.
This was the first time Vandal had seen such a move. "Shit!"
But Chan walked straight through it.
The barrier shattered on contact, exploding with a resounding blast. Somehow, when the dust settled, Chan had moved quickly like a fish in water, striking both their nexus points. Both leaders fell to the ground convulsing, smoke rising from their ears.
He raised his blade to kill when Yazmeen called out.
"Chan! Stop it! That is enough!" His hand stayed in the air like a hammer of doom, but he killed no more. Thirty bodies lay in his wake.
The rest refused to believe their eyes. Suddenly, people wearing plain white clothes and slicked back hair walked in. They bore the insignia of the Pale Visage Assembly. Their leader, a man who looked to be in his late thirties yet carried an aura that was unimpressive for his age, surveyed the carnage.
"What is going on here?" the man with slicked back hair asked.
"Trust me, guys. Let us just let them have it. It is not worth the hassle. Something feels off," Vandal said. He sensed that something was wrong. How were people suddenly finding this place since they opened the door? It was almost like they were being guided here.
Sure enough, another group of people found their way in. They were from the Stone Jaw Brotherhood. Then came scouts from the Whispering Fern Clan. Soon the treasure hall was crowded with over seven hundred echo warriors from a dozen different clans and sects.
"Oh, there is treasure here. Nice. Our lucky day," some exclaimed.
Vandal walked away toward Chan, who seemed like he might go on another killing spree. "Chan, it is enough. Let us leave the treasure hall for them to take the treasures. We will get another opportunity somewhere, somehow. But this is not worth it."
"Vandal is right. We are all tired and hungry, and I need to get out of this place," Hutrar said.
"Let us go then," Mael said. He tried to stand but was too weak. He had taken many hits today and was injured in all sorts of ways.
They stepped aside for the multitude of clans to enter the hall and take the treasure.
"Our treasure," Chan exclaimed, his eyes full of pain.
"I know, Chan. It is not worth it," Vandal said. Mael was helped up by Hutrar and Chan.
Watching the gleeful packing of gold, silver, ancient weapons, rare herbs, and resonance beast cores of various sizes was enough to make Vandal and his entire group of Enforcers vomit blood in anger. But they could not fight them all. They had to avoid conflict to save their own lives.