Chapter 168 –

They were minions of the High Lords. They were beings that have forsaken their high blood to gain power, abandoning their creators to worship them who could grant an infinite lifespan to the high lords. They were sinners who refused their own goddess out of fear of the wilting of their age.

They have lived long enough to experience hundreds of battle. Indeed, the death of their comrade shook them. No matter how long-lived they were. They are still capable of dying. They fear death. So now their hearts were rattled by that fear.

So their calmness was gone. The fear that the rifle brought to them made them wary. Their overbearing behavior was shattered at the death of their leader. Their leader was confident and a seasoned warrior. But the rifle of Joshua carved the leader’s torso. He was dead.

He had been too brazen that it led to his own demise. But how he would know that Joshua would be able to kill him? How would he know about Joshua’s peculiar power? How would he know that he would be able to avoid his stomp? Now Joshua was fighting the rest of them.

Eiya was spending her time trying to complete the ritual. It was two versus nine. They were fast and they know spells. Their leader was dead but it didn’t mean that they would stay and let themselves be shot at. The garden was vast enough for them to maneuver.

As they dodge Joshua’s rifle. They grew calm. Their head cleared and they focus their minds back to their mission. Yes, their leader was dead. But their goal was not forlorn yet. So their calmness was back. They started to chant spells and threw them at Joshua and Archie.

Joshua was able to dodge their life-threatening attacks. Archie was able to ward them off and steer them away from Eiya. The two had the advantage at first but their enemies were experts. They encircled them while keeping their speeds.

But Joshua was calm with cold fury. His eyes were so lightless that it looks like he was staring at a black void. But that was not it. He was simply focused. He was so deathly focused that it made him feel so light and empty. The nine of them were cunning. Archie was struggling and he was too.

“What should I do?” he thought. “They look like they regained their cool. Most of them are not letting us target them. They know that five or six rounds would allow me to carve their chest.”

He looked around. What could Joshua do? They weren’t foolish enough to go near him. They weren’t stupid enough to fight Joshua while he was wielding his rifle. Archie could also kill them if they got close.

Joshua surveyed his surroundings. “Ah, I could use you,” he spotted the leader of the nine. He thought of an idea and quickly sprinted to the corpse of their leader. He took the bag on his belt and pointed his rifle at their leader’s head.

“YOU!” one of the nine shouted with disdain. He then saw the corpse of their leader defiled and desecrated. Despite being a corpse, Joshua blew their leader’s head repeatedly with his rifle. He fired his rifle until the leader’s brain matter was splattered on the flowers. It was a cruel act, and he did with a provoking smile.

“INSOLENT!” shouted the nine. Their anger flared up. They lost their cool and dashed towards Joshua with the intent of ripping him apart.

“That’s it!” he thought. “If you don’t come near me then I’ll make you so! I could see that you were all shaken by his death! Now come at me!”

The nine encircled Joshua. Their hands flashed with the intent of clawing his flesh out! Their intent was to kill him and do what he did to their leader!

But that what Joshua hoped they would do! And with the threat of death coming at him, time slowed down. He saw their hands moving slowly and he willed his body to focus on the floating words above him. His body moved against his will, and he was able to dodge them by positioning his body oddly. That alone gave Joshua the advantage. He drew the dagger hung on his belt and slashed the throat of the nearest one to him.

For Archie it was as if Joshua was able to dodge nine of them with finesse. He even saw Joshua took one of them. And it didn’t stop there. The eight continued trying to take Joshua’s life only for him to dodge their attacks nimbly as if possessed.

Joshua didn’t forget his rifle and squeezed it. It resulted in the death of another one of them. They were startled and angered. But that death made them back away. Joshua tried to shoot them with his rifle but that didn’t work.

“Looks like I won’t able to use that tactic anymore,” Joshua thought. He could that they were careful than ever. He knew that using the same provocation won’t work. He had to think of a plan. He needs to make sure that Eiya was finished.

“Joshua!” shouted Archie who was near Eiya. “She should be done now!”

Joshua nodded. He looked at the seven remaining and thought of a plan. But they suddenly turned into a mist of smoke. Joshua then suddenly felt that he was caught by one of them. He was up in the air and he was thrown to the ground. The ground was filled with flowers but it didn’t stop him from arching his back in pain.

They were now using another method of attacking. Joshua tried to shoot but they were able to dodge them. Archie lashes out a wind blade but they jumped high and avoided it.

“Shit!” Joshua cursed. He saw that one of them was chanting something dangerous. He tried to rush in and kill the bastard but he was blocked by one of them. The bastard was starting to chant even more dangerously. Joshua’s heart trembled at that chant.

Then it happened. An unrelenting force suddenly pushed and flung the chanter. He was then caught by a green rope made of light and was shot three times in the chest. It happened so fast that Joshua was slow to react. He looked at where that came from and there he saw Alexander walking softly.

“Looks like they really did attack here,” he said calmly. “Well, let’s kill them. They’ll pay for trying to after my sky cruiser!”