Chapter 17 – Twelve Gemstones
by lemuel moo
The flames of fury engulfed Zeel as he glared at the man behind the shadows. Electric currents enveloped Zeels body in response, and it electrified the atmosphere.
“DYLAN! You despicable scum! You sold your elder sister to a lynchpin for your own gain?!”
Dylan snickered and emerged from the shadows.
“Don’t talk so high and mighty, Zeel! If it were not for your manager, you would’ve been dead now.
Sis, have you forgotten your agreement with Mr. Raul? Step over to my side now!”
Dinah slumped her shoulders in defeat. Mr. Raul desperately wanted Zeel dead because that might be the only way where Dinah would lose heart and give up on Zeel. However, Zeel had been beating his odds for the previous three rounds, and this fourth round against ‘the Gambling Swordsman’ was supposed to be the final nail on his coffin.
When Dinah saw that Zeel’s match was interrupted by Gale, she predicted they might take the emergency stairway to escape. Little did she know that Sunny would be brought into the underground arena to witness the match. Moreover, Dylan outsmarted her by placing hidden sensors and cameras at the emergency stairways and corridors that connected to it.
Dinah then asked Dylan a question.
“The match was interrupted by Gale. It shouldn’t mean Zeel has lost, does it?”
Dylan laughed at Dinah’s naivety.
“Do you really think both Gale and Zeel will walk out of this place alive when they interrupted the lynchpins’ entertainment?! Millions of dollars have been lost because of this!
However, if you return to Mr. Raul, I can make a special concession to him and pardon their lives. What do you think?”
Everything was played into Dylan’s hand, and Dinah clenched her fists tightly in frustration. It had always been the case when he sold her off to Mr. Raul, and ever since then, she lost her freedom for riches.
Dinah wanted to look at Zeel’s face one last time, but she couldn’t bear to look at him. Zeel was battered and bruised, and looking back would cause her to yearn for him, and it might also cause Zeel to react negatively against Dylan. Thus, she walked a few steps towards Dylan without turning back, and Zeel instinctively grabbed her hands.
“Don’t go! You know it’s a lie!”
Without looking back, Dinah replied coldly.
“Even so. Just forget about me.”
Sunny couldn’t contain her frustration any longer, and she ran in front of Dinah and Zeel, and threw a couple of daggers at Dylan! However, another person emerged from the shadows and used her umbrella to block it!
“My, my! All of you love to struggle in pain, don’t you?”
Ivy emerged with her black dress and umbrella. Even though Gale hurt her, she seemed more than ready to fight if she needed to.
“You can solve his deadlock too, Sunny! Come with me and join ‘the Flowers of Death’! I can promise you that your brother will remain alive. Dinah will marry Mr. Raul, and Dylan will marry you, and both families can relive your childhood fantasies again!”
Sunny took another set of daggers and her body radiated with a red glow. She shrouded herself with her [qi], using her [Steel Maiden Technique], and began to fill the atmosphere with her murderous aura!
“Gale is sacrificing his life for my brother and me, and you expect me to yield to your demands?!”
Ivy activated her [Black Knight Of Carmel Incantation], and she transformed back into a black knight, and her umbrella became a black sword.
“So you’ve decided to be serious, Sunny?
I like you better than Alyssa, but you’re nowhere near my level yet!”
The [Steel Maiden Technique] was created by a master who specializes in throwing daggers and shurikens. In one incident, that master took down one thousand soldiers with her throwing techniques!
This technique boosts the user’s body and penetration power of throwing techniques! It also creates a magnetic radius based on the amount of [qi] from the user, and steel objects can be manipulated freely by the user!
Sunny threw her daggers, and the daggers were faster than a speeding bullet, but Ivy and Dylan dodged easily. There was a pair of daggers on the ground there was throw by Sunny earlier, and she found it with her magnetic powers at the direction of Ivy and Dylan, but Ivy deflected it away, and Dylan dodged again.
“Brother! Take Dinah and run! I will cover for both of you!”
Zeel ignored Sunny and placed his right hand on Sunny’s shoulder. In a flash, Zeel transferred most of his energy to Sunny, and he slumped on the floor out of fatigue.
“There’s no point running if we can’t defeat them here! Dylan’s men are waiting for us upstairs!
Use my power instead, and for the next hour, your body will temporarily generate electricity! Put them down, and I will cover you from your back!”
Sunny and Zeel had spent some time experimenting with their powers in the past. From those experiments, they figured out a way to transfer powers to each other and boost their abilities temporarily!
If Sunny transferred power to Zeel, Zeel could produce a magnetic field by himself further increase the power of his chain attacks! Likewise, Sunny’s daggers were imbued with electricity, and Ivy and Dylan knew that it wouldn’t be wise to touch them!
Sunny supercharged her magnetic powers with electricity and suddenly, Ivy was drawn to her because of her metallic armor! As they were in a tight corridor, Ivy instinctively plunged her sword into the wall and prevented herself from flying towards Sunny, but Sunny threw a pair of daggers at Ivy’s torso, and the daggers plunged through her armor!
Ivy screamed in pain and extended her left palm at Sunny!
“[Black Flamethrower]!”
A stream of black flames gushed out of Ivy’s palms, and Sunny held the waists of Dinah and Zeel, and jumped out of the way! Zeel noticed that Dylan drew close, and he threw his chains at the latter, but Zeel was weakened since he gave most of his power to Sunny, and Dylan brushed the attack off with his bare hands.
At that moment, Sunny knew that Dylan had hidden his powers until then, and decided not to take him on directly. She grabbed the remaining daggers from her body, and pretended to throw them at Dylan, causing him to dodge prematurely! Using her magnetic powers, she pulled some of her daggers behind Dylan and attempted to stab him in his back! But Dylan turned, took the daggers with his hands and crushed it!
“H-He crushed my daggers even with your electrical powers helping me! Brother, what do I do?!”
“I will create an opening for you!”
With the last of his strength, Zeel threw as many chains as he could at Dylan, and Dylan repelled the chains with ease. Hiding behind the barrage of chains, Sunny moved forward, and when she got close enough, she aimed at Dylan’s heart and tried to plunge her daggers into it!
But alas, Dylan grabbed her hands!
“I’ve caught you, Sunny!”
Zeel quickly arose and charged towards Dylan, but the latter kicked him aside easily. Sunny mustered all her strength and kicked Dylan at his crotch, but it was as though she was kicking a wall and Dylan pinned Sunny on the ground!
“You’re weak without your daggers, Sunny! Now, let me have a taste of you!”
As Dylan attempted to force himself on Sunny, suddenly, stone swords arose from the ground and impaled Dylan in his torso!
“W-What the! Gale’s supposed to be fighting at the arena!”
Sunny realized why she could feel Gale’s murderous aura! Gale used his aura as a radar to track their movements, and with his [Thousand Elemental Skill] and [Five Elemental Wooden Sword], Gale used his [Sudden Stone Strike] and protected Sunny!
Sunny’s hands were freed, and she thrust her daggers towards Dylan, but a red body rushed in front of her, and the daggers plunged into Dinah’s abdomen instead!
“D-Dinah! W-Why did you do that?!”
“I-I’m sorry, Sunny! He’s my brother after all!”
Sunny quickly removed her daggers and carried Dinah to Zeel. However, Ivy came and kicked Sunny at her side, and Sunny crashed into the wall as a result!
“If I weren’t injured before in our previous fight, your daggers wouldn’t hurt me, Sunny!”
Sunny bled from her mouth and braced herself for a grueling battle. Dylan punched the stone swords, pulled them out of his body and was wheezing heavily.
“I swear I will kill Gale with my own hands!”
At that moment, a voice came from the PA system.
“Ivy! Dylan! Stop right now! Gale has agreed to the terms of the auction! You are not to harm Zeel and Sunny anymore, or I will freeze the life out of the both of you!”
Dylan punched the wall in frustration, and Sunny and Zeel were wide-eyed from the announcement. They looked at each other and wondered what kind of deal Gale had agreed upon.
Dinah was promptly sent to the hospital by Dylan’s men while the rest of them returned to the underground arena. Dylan went straight to the fighting floor to demand the name of the person who stopped him, and he was surprised to find Lucy Adamas with Gale!
While Sunny was fighting Ivy and Dylan, Gale broke out of the [Black Diamond Technique] momentarily and used his [Sudden Stone Strike] to save Sunny, but he was promptly caught by Lucy again with her freezing techniques, and his body was encased by [Black Ice] again. His efforts earned him another kiss from Ivy though.
“L-Lucy A-Adamas?! You won the bid?!”
“Yup! As the leader of the ‘Black Diamond Syndicate’, I outbid Mr. Raul for Gale’s services!”
“B-But you’ve never shown interest in these tournaments even though I sent you plenty of invites!”
Lucy placed her index finger on Gale’s temple, and slide it down to his chin lustfully as though he’s right within her clutches. Gale was embarrassed, but he was trapped by her [Black Diamond Technique], and so he could not do anything about it. Sunny was feeling jealous, and Zeel was wide-eyed at the scene.
“I was bored, and I chanced upon this match on TV since it was broadcasted to everyone in the underworld. I’m in need of a bodyguard anyway, and I saw the lynchpins were bidding for Gale’s life after he interrupted Zeel’s and Yan Kun’s match.
I joined the bidding after I witnessed his brave efforts when he took on the Four Abominations by himself. Since I won the bid, I also won the rights to the outcome of today’s match!”
Dylan was quietly angry after hearing Lucy had interrupted his plans. He banked on Mr. Raul to win the bid so that he could kill Gale, while Ivy and himself would subdue Zeel and Sunny. It was even more infuriating to him that Lucy was the one who saved Gale since he had a crush on her and wanted her to join him in these tournaments at Babel Square, but he was always refused!
Moreover, winning a bid among the lynchpins was not a trivial matter. Every participating lynchpin in the tournament backed the winner’s authority to decide the outcome of the match. Dylan knew he couldn’t offend the lynchpins, so he attempted to make a deal with Lucy.
“If you want a bodyguard, I can recommend a dozen more bodyguards who are better than Gale! Why don’t you sell your winning bid to me and you can name your price?”
Lucy stood upright and walked towards Dylan gracefully.
“Sure, I will name my price. Will you sell your soul to me and plunge Sunny’s dagger into your throat right now?”
Dylan was mortified and didn’t dare to speak another word.
“From the expression on your face, I guess you wouldn’t take up my offer, would you?”
Dylan took a couple of steps backward and started retreating from the arena. Ivy followed him behind.
“Before you go, Dylan, keep your hands from Zeel and Sunny, is that clear? I struck a deal with Gale for the protection of his friends, and if you dare to mess with them, you mess with me!”
Dylan clenched his fist tightly in frustration and walked away. Zeel and Sunny were immensely relieved and ran to Gale, but the latter’s body was encased in [Black Ice]. Zeel turned towards Lucy for help.
“Could you free him already?! He’s your bodyguard now!”
“He’s a naughty man that needs to be punished for attempting to break free from my clutches. However, I guess it’s about time to free him.”
Lucy started activating a particular breathing technique. The [Black Ice] began to melt, but it didn’t turn into water. Instead, it directly turned into black vapor, and it was absorbed back into Lucy through her nose and mouth. Gale broke free of the [Black Ice] and Sunny hugged him tightly.
“Are you alright?! Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine, Sunny!”
Lucy started to walk away, and Zeel called her for another request.
“C-Could you save Dinah too?”
Lucy stopped and didn’t turn her head towards Zeel.
“Gale didn’t know she was your friend, so he didn’t strike a deal with me about her, and now it’s too late.
Besides, she cares about her brother, doesn’t she? Does she really want to be protected by me?”
After finishing her sentence, Lucy walked away without saying another word. Zeel dropped his shoulders in disappointment as he didn’t know how to help Dinah. Sunny grabbed Gale’s collar and demanded an explanation.
“You didn’t sell your body to her, did you?! Why did she stroke your head so lustfully?!”
“No, I didn’t. I merely agreed to be her bodyguard, and nothing more.”
“Tell me what happened here!”
Gale related his battle between the Four Abominations and how Lucy interrupted the match. After Sunny realized Lucy violated Gale’s lips and tongue, she grabbed his head and plunged her tongue into his mouth as well!
Gale was out of his ‘near-death’ state since he activated his healing techniques while he was trapped in the [Black Ice], and so his weakness towards girls overwhelmed him immediately! Sunny’s tongue wrestled with Gale’s, and Gale could not push her away as he drowned in ecstasy and embarrassment!
After some time, Sunny peeled herself away from Gale.
“There! That should overwrite her kiss, doesn’t it?”
Gale was red-faced as he struggled to respond. It was embarrassing enough to be kissed by Lucy in front of the camera and the audience in the arena, and Sunny just added another layer of embarrassment to it!
Besides, how could a kiss be that easily forgotten or overwritten?
“L-Let’s get out of here, shall we? It’s pretty late, and we have school tomorrow!”
Dylan broke the wine glass in his hand in frustration, and Ivy sipped her drink nonchalantly. They were in a bar situated in Babel Square, and both of them took some time to digest what had transpired earlier at the underground arena.
“Stop acting like a baby, Dylan! There is no one among the lynchpins who dares to defy one of the ‘Twelve Gemstones’ in the world!”
“…Is the ‘Twelve Gemstones’ that great?! Why did Mr. Raul lose to Lucy Adamas in the auction?!”
“They are universally known as the twelve most beautiful and deadliest women in the world! We would love ‘Scarlet Ruby’ to join our ranks, but the ‘Flowers Of Death’ has no power to subdue her at all.
You’re also talking about Lucy Adamas, who is widely known as the ‘Black Diamond’! Her powers to freeze and then crush bones with her [Black Diamond Technique] is unparalleled since her [Black Ice] cannot be melted by heat, and it absorbs energy from heat or foes!
She’s definitely rich as her wealth was inherited from centuries! Don’t be stupid and sulk over such an overbearing opponent!”
Dylan glared at Ivy and Ivy paid no attention to it.
“So I’m just going to let Zeel, Sunny and Gale go and not vindicate my humiliation?!”
Ivy arose from her seat and walked towards the exit.
“You’re so whiny, Dylan! If you carry on like this, you will go bald.”
“And you’re going to let Sunny go just like that?!”
“I have plans that you don’t know of. However, if you want to continue with our partnership, stop acting like a baby and be a man for once!”
Ivy walked out of the bar, leaving Dylan to drown his frustrations with alcohol.
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