Martial Arts Worlds

"It has become quite chaotic!"

Julian said from behind the ice hill.

This wasn't something he expected after waking up to the sound of the cell door opening a few hours ago.

An all-out war between the navy and pirates was happening!

"…This is also beyond my expectations."

Kiernan said, and then pulled his thumb to dislocate it.

He looked around for something and then saw a cannon shot flying towards the air a distance away.

"That's where our transport is."

Kiernan pointed in the direction of wherever the cannon shot was and tapped Julian's shoulder, telling him to follow him.

They started running down the forest, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the trees, and everywhere they looked, people were fighting.

Crack! Crack!

The twigs cracked nearby, and as Julian turned around to look, he saw a navy soldier pointing a rifle straight at him.

"A rifle!"

Julian shouted.

"Blackout!"

Kiernan shrouded the navy soldier's face with the dark smoke and suffocated him until he turned limp and fell to the ground.

BOOM!

A cannonball tore through the trees, smashed into Kiernan, and sent him flying through the forest.

"Kiern… Shit!"

Julian screamed.

He was about to say his real name until he realized and swallowed his words.

At the side glance, he saw someone approaching him and turned around to see a navy soldier approaching him with a sword in hand.

The navy soldier was already injured and bleeding profusely.

"You should go take a rest."

Julian took the stance of his Metal Style, and faced the sword-wielding navy soldier.

"And let the evil roam free? No… You will either die or go back to where you belong!"

The navy soldier screamed.

"So frustrating…"

Julian whispered.

In that moment, footsteps sounded behind them, and they saw Kiernan stumble back at them with a few scratches in his clothing.

The cannonball only did some minor damage.

"We can't waste any time."

Kiernan moved towards the navy soldier—fast as hell—and chopped his hand at the soldier's nape, knocking him unconscious.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Wherever they looked, explosions were wreaking havoc across the black forest.

"Which way?"

Julian asked.

"Follow me."

Kiernan started running, keeping his pace slow enough for Julian to keep up with him, and they were making their way through the battlefield.

The corpses of both criminals and navy soldiers were strewn across the ground.

"Huff! Huff!"

Julian followed behind Kiernan, but then, he saw a glimpse of a fight happening a distance away.

Two very familiar figures were dueling it out, and the level of the fight was significantly higher than any other fight.

It was a fight between Mauricio and Ethan.

It made Julian completely silent, as it resembled the sight of the Swording Port, and the last time they fought, there were many innocent lives lost.

"Those two…"

Julian gritted his teeth, and the faces of his mother, father, and little sister flashed in his mind, making him clench his hands into fists.

"Julian, we must go!"

Kiernan pulled on his arm, but he wasn't willing to move.

"…Is it possible for you to kill them? Maybe you can order that Immortal to kill the two of them?"

Julian asked.

"…"

Kiernan looked at them over there, turned silent, and then patted Julian hard on the shoulder.

"You don't want others to kill them. You want to be the one to do it. I know you're feeling anger seeing the two of them, but have patience.

"You will be the one to do it in the future."

Kiernan said.

"…ARGH!"

Julian screamed loudly, and it caused Ethan to look over to them, and his eyes clearly showed surprise.

He didn't expect to see Julian.

"You…"

Ethan growled, but before he could do anything, Mauricio swung his black blade at him, forcing him to dodge out of the way.

He didn't want Julian to escape after trying to kill him, but there was no room for him to think about anyone other than Mauricio.

"Let's go!"

Kiernan pulled on his arm and started running towards the sound of the cannon shot, and he was quite sure that he was going the right way.

However, to make sure, he dislocated his thumb once more, and a short while later, another cannon shot echoed a distance away.

The escape, of course, couldn't be that simple.

A distance away, the navy's reinforcement landed on the ground and marched towards them with looks that only veterans would have.

Leading the reinforcements, a beautiful woman, dressed in all white, with the navy jacket draped over her shoulders, landed her gaze on the two of them.

"No way…"

Julian whispered.

"…"

Kiernan stayed silent and avoided his gaze, despite the fact that she wouldn't be able to recognize him under the fake face mask.

"Take aim!"

The navy officer shouted.

Around them, navy soldiers took a knee to the ground, pressed the butts of the rifles against their shoulders, and took aim.

'My darkness powers aren't known to my mother or to most of the people, which is why I have been using them discreetly.

'But if I use it now, I need to ensure that they won't see me using these powers in the future, or they might connect me to Captain Jack.

'Or I shouldn't use those powers now.'

Kiernan thought and clenched his hands into fists.

'It doesn't look like she recognizes me.'

Julian thought as she looked at Bella and wasn't surprised, as he had never had proper conversations with her.

In that moment, Kiernan also caught sight of Zeus and Messiah behind Bella, and it gave him conflicted thoughts.

"What should we do?"

Julian whispered.

"This…"

In that moment, Kiernan grabbed Julian from the back of his shirt and leaped over the small army of the navy soldiers.

BANG!

The navy soldiers fired their rifles, and the bullets whizzed past the two flying men, narrowly missing them.

Swoosh!

Bella jumped high in the air, blocked their path, and elegantly kicked her foot out, connecting with Kiernan's leg.

The two legs made contact.

In that moment, Kiernan reached his hand towards his face and peeled off the fake face mask to show his real one.

Bella's eyes shook.

She then narrowed her gaze, grabbed Kiernan's shirt, and hurled him through the air towards the navy battleships.

Kiernan and Julian landed on the ground, rolling through the dirt until they finally came to a stop.

"Huff… huff…"

Kiernan huffed and puffed, and when he stood up, he noticed that they were much closer to their transport than before.

"…Is your mother angry? I can't honestly tell."

Julian asked.

"I have never seen her angrier."

Kiernan said with a sigh and then kept running with Julian.

…

Bella landed back on the ground, and the navy soldiers wondered where those two criminals went to.

"Should we go chase them?"

The navy officer asked.

"No… I think we should regroup with the rest of the navy and deal with the pirates. We shouldn't spread our forces thin just for two measly escapees."

Bella said with a soft tone.