Chapter 170 Campaign (III)
Groaning in pain, the masked clowns rose with an ache spreading through their bodies. Their masks concealed their frustration as they looked at a green-eyed man on the stage, guarding their two targets. What set this man apart from the other two were five metal spheres the size of chestnuts floating and spinning around him.
Contrary to the situation, the man smiled confidently despite facing dozens of criminals harboring resentment towards him.
"If this is the extent of your abilities, you'd better head home before I break more of your bones," he said.
The masked clowns grew angrier. On the other hand, the two people standing behind them had a different reaction.
Jonathan was surprised when he heard Klaus taunting their opponents, and Richard silently thought that Klaus's actions weren't wise. While Klaus could defeat his opponents all at once, the surprise attack he had launched earlier wouldn't work a second time.
"Why provoke them? Can't you see how many of them there are? You can't use the same trick again," Jonathan whispered.
Klaus remained unfazed. "Don't worry. I can handle them. You should find a hiding spot."
Offended by that remark, Jonathan clenched his teeth, but Richard placed a hand on his shoulder.
"He might sound cocky, but he's not trying to provoke you. You're not an awakener, and this fight isn't within your capabilities. It's better if you hide. You're just an ordinary human," Richard said.
"But—"
"Go. Those damn masked clowns are targeting us. If you get caught up in this turmoil, you won't just lose the election, but your life as well."
Jonathan swallowed hard. The word "death" was something he didn't want to hear in this situation. Loosening his grip, Jonathan changed his mind.
"I leave it all to you guys," he said. Then, he ran down the stage.
Of course, the masked clowns wouldn't let either of their targets escape. One of them grabbed the earth, lifted a chunk of solid soil, and hurled it towards Jonathan. As it chased him, four high-speed metal spheres shot out, shattering it into pieces. Jonathan realized he had narrowly escaped danger, he stopped running and looked back to see what had just happened.
"Go!" Klaus shouted.
Jonathan nodded and continued running away.
Now, only Klaus and Richard remained. There was no hint of fear on their faces, even though they were facing dozens of people who wanted to take their lives.
"You're still here too? You're a gubernatorial candidate. If something happens to you, our plan could fall apart," Klaus muttered, grinning.
"Let's save that conversation for later. Look, they seem really angry."
"Yeah, they should be."
The masked clowns clenched their fists. Mana substance oozed out of them, radiating the pent-up anger within their hearts.
"Here we go," Klaus said.
In an instant, the masked clowns launched their first attack. Blue flashes of light darted toward Klaus, but with a finger gesture, he maneuvered his metal spheres to deflect the attack. Just as fast, sparks of red flames emerged from another clown's hand, but with a gentle tap of his mind, Klaus commanded his other metal spheres to spin at high speed, creating wind to extinguish the flames.
Suddenly, ice rained down from the sky, forming a threatening wall to freeze Klaus. But once again, without any visible movement, he controlled the metal spheres to shatter every ice particle before it reached him.
"What? How is this possible? He's deflecting all of those attacks!"
"Shut the fuck up! We outnumber him! Keep attacking!"
"He can't hold on much longer!"
Massive destructive assaults continued. Flashes of light, sparks of fire, and giant stone chunks flashed through the air, attempting to strike Klaus from various angles. Yet, none of them touched him. He appeared as if he could read the minds of the masked clown criminals, anticipating their moves before they made them. Effortlessly, Klaus deflected each attack that came his way.
On the other hand, Richard was awestruck as he watched Klaus handle the relentless onslaught of attacks without breaking a sweat. Having worked with him for a year, he had heard of Klaus's remarkable achievements, but he had never witnessed him in combat. It never crossed his mind that Klaus could be this skilled.
Richard himself was an A-Class, yet he didn't have the confidence to do what Klaus was doing now. Controlling five objects simultaneously wasn't something any ordinary caster could do. Especially an F-Class.
"If he had a higher rank, he would be an unbeatable monster," Richard muttered.
Klaus wasn't just playing defensively. His metal spheres shot out at an astonishing speed, leaving a trail of blue energy that cut through the air with a whistling sound. The attacks hit the masked clown criminals, creating invisible shockwave explosions.
"Argh!"
Pained cries echoed in the air. Some clowns writhed on the ground, showing no signs of getting back up. However, others managed to dodge the attack. As they caught their breath, Klaus was far from finished.
"Hey, hey, who told you to rest?"
His metal spheres spun rapidly around him, and Klaus launched a continuous assault, forcing the masked clowns to keep moving and evading.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Argh!"
With a single hand movement, Klaus gathered his metal spheres above him. They merged into one, creating a massive energy that filled the air with a bright light. Meanwhile, the masked clowns felt the danger as they saw the metal balls behaving unusually.
"Look at that!" One of the clowns pointed upward.
And then, the metal spheres descended.
Boom!
"Arrrrgh!"
The explosion formed shockwaves that slammed the masked clown criminals in all directions, and brown dust filled the air, swallowing the atmosphere in silence.
"My goodness, is this truly the power of an F-Class?" Richard exclaimed.
The guild master of the House of Blacksmith prepared to fight. However, since the battle began, he hadn't moved an inch. He stood there, frozen, watching Klaus decimate dozens of hooligans with just a flick of his fingers.
Taking a deep breath, Richard digested the current situation. Then, he stepped forward and stood next to Klaus. "I didn't know you could do something so incredible. They clearly aren't low-level awakened beings that an F-Class easily defeats. Who are you really, Klaus?"
"Save your questions for later. It's not over yet," Klaus replied.
Richard furrowed his brow. Then, his gaze turned to the battleground.
As he thought the battle was over, two masked clown figures emerged from the swirling dust. One wore strong iron gauntlets, while the other had bright green hair and held a copper staff. The other masked clowns didn't appear injured at all. Yet, Klaus's previous attack had been devastating. Richard believed these two clowns were protecting them.
Gritting his teeth, Richard said, "They seem different from the others. You need help, Klaus," Richard said.
"No. I can handle them. Stay behind me."
Amid their conversation, the clown with the iron gauntlet suddenly lunged forward with a powerful swing, sending shockwaves through the ground. Klaus and Richard leaped simultaneously just as the stage shattered.
On the other side, the clown with green hair used his magical staff to create a magnetic field, attempting to disrupt Klaus's movements by hurling dozens of metal objects at him. As Klaus landed on the ground, he sent five metal spheres to deflect the incoming attack, but in an instant, they scattered in various directions. The clown with green hair controlled Klaus' weapons.
"Annoying," Klaus muttered, sighing.
While he leaped around, avoiding objects landing on the ground, the gauntlet-wearing clown pursued him.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The ground shattered every time Klaus evaded the deadly strikes. The gauntlet-clad clown didn't stop chasing him, launching a barrage of punches. The impact of the blows created shockwaves that reverberated through the earth.
Thinking quickly, Klaus directed his metal spheres to interpose themselves between him and the incoming blow. The collision sent sparks flying and reverberations echoed through the air. The impact pushed Klaus back a step, but he managed to maintain his stance, his feet digging into the earth to steady himself.
Meanwhile, the second clown, with vivid green hair, wielded a staff that crackled with an odd magical energy. With a flick of the staff, the air around Klaus began to shimmer and distort. The magnetic fields created by the staff's magic disrupted Klaus's control over his metal spheres. The once-graceful orbit they had maintained became erratic, as they were pulled and pushed by the fluctuating magnetic forces.
Klaus deftly shifted his weight to dodge the iron-clad clown's blows, each swing of the gauntlet leaving craters in the ground where it landed. Simultaneously, he worked to neutralize the magnetic forces that tugged at his metal spheres, his mind a flurry of calculations and adjustments.
"Damn, they're quite enthusiastic. I guess I need to teach them a little lesson," Klaus muttered.
Just as he was about to get serious, a surge of powerful magical energy appeared on the horizon. Hail began to fall, attacking the two clowns. Both of them quickly retreated to avoid the damage.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"Attack them!"
The voice of a familiar man echoed in his ears. Klaus turned around, finding Justin and his men arriving to help him.