Chapter 14: Red Codex

 The bard step closer to frozen Codex with a madman smile. He gently put his hand to her stomach.

 "Do you like the feeling of zero gravity?" He grin and look straight to her eyes.

 "You... think that would be wise?" She ask as she feel that the bard was caressing her stomach.

 "Oh... Maybe you're no as strong as I thought after all."

 His grin goes wider as he blast Codex's stomach and send her flying to a building. She crashed to the wall and it breaks. She were unconscious at the moment she get the hit. At that time, the bard turn and he say Black Blade and Emerald running to them. The assassin that still alive step in front of the bard and face them while also protecting the bard.

 Black Blade already understand the situation when he see the surrounding. Broken shops, a few dead assassin body and all mess there shown that Codex already fighting them.

 "You finally here... The weakest, Black Blade and his partner, Emerald. What a pleasure to see you in person."

 "Like wise. The famous bard of old Fallidom."

 The bard flinch when Black Blade mention that. He then smile and grin with sinister aura envelope him.

 "You know, me? That... very interesting! You would love to have my performance once again!" He start to play the lyre and all the assassin attack the two at once.

 Emerald in front of Black Blade and cast wind barrier but it breaks immediately when the assassins attack the barrier. Black Blade switch place with Emerald and he parried all attack at once with his Core(Black Blade) that he turned into a greatsword.

 But by that, he get throwned to the back.

 "How come they so strong?!" She ask.

 "The bard. he enhance those pesky assassin with his music. Cover me." He said and fall back even further.

 Emerald start to hurl a few bolts but that ended up giving the oppoturnity to the assassin to attack her from multiple direction. She quickly cast wind barrier but it's immediately broken and she got stabbed a few places.

 "You fool." She said as she turn into black dust.

 The two was standing on top of a building. Black Blade was also a master of illusion magic so he cast afterimage of Emerald and they all were distracted by that. Black Blade with his favourite variant of weapon, Twin Chain prepare his attack.

 The chain expend and in less then a second, all the assassin already tied by the chain. They all struggled but couldn't break the chain even their strenght already buffed by the bard. Emerald take her action, she cast a whirlwind underneath the assassins and send them up to the sky and thrown them away from the town.

 The bard flinching again and his face turn into somewhat a terror. Black Blade turn the core into a sword and he dashed to the bard and prepare to slash him. He seems very terrified and was like he couldn't run at all.

 "You life ends here!" He said and swing his sword.

 Right before the sword touches him, He grin again as Black Blade frozen at place and he couldn't move even a limb to slash him.

 "You think, you can kill me that easily? Weak Black Blade who only rely on his weapon alone and not their magic" He laugh maniacally.

 "I can't move." He saw at the corner of his eye, Emerald fall of the roof since without moving, It's impossible to keep balance on that steep rooftop.

 "You weak... You should quit from Denials, you know?"

 The bard mockingly push Black Blade fall to his back with his finger. He again laugh and put his leg on his face mockingly.

 "Master!" Emerald only could watch as the bard humiliating him.

 "You can't fight now... you even lose to a bard."

 At that exact moment, he feel a heavy impact crashing his body and he get thrown rolling multiple times on the ground and he crashed into a stacks of barrel and he even keep rolling through. Black Blade and Emerald can move again due to him getting far away from them.

 At the opposite side the bard flying, Emerald with her eyes glowing red and black standing there. She just cast a spell that gives impact blast.

 "You mock him." She said emotionlessly and she was holding her book this time.

 In the previous battle, she was fighting with the assassin solely with her own magic prowess and only with a simple relic that give her continuous mana but it's limited. So she can use multiple spell without need to wait for the delay in a short amount of time.

 But, the thing is different when it comes to her holding her red book. The book posses a mysterious power that when used, almost destructive and unstoppable.

 The bard walking back to the three while Codex checking on Black Blade's condition.

 "You... a strong one. I see you can get through my relaxing music. I underestimate you." He played the lyre again and it seems Codex can still move while Black Blade and Emerald again couldn't move.

 "You... mock him." She said again.

 "But let see if you can get past this!"

 The bard cast a spell and immediately sends a golden waves across the town. The spell makes all towns people fallen into deep sleep. The town was completely sleeping.

 "but... how!" The bard shakes voilently when he sees Codex seems unfaze by it.

 "You mock him."she said and still her tone was emotionless.

 "No no no... you can't! Don't step closer!" The bard step back in genuine terror now but there seems to be a force field behind hid back and he could no longer get away.

 She just simply cast a single spell and that's enough to get him heavily injured. She then closed the book and the powerful terrific aura dissipate from her.

 "you're... impossible. How... come... you get past... my strongest... spell." The bard ask as the blood flows out his nose, mouth and ears.

 "My magician code is Red Codex... or actually pronounced correctly as... Red Code - eXterminator. That's where the 'X' in the codex come from." She said with her low voice

 The bard eye widen when he heard the word Exterminator. The name was very significant and a terrifying magical beast. He then died in terror to know that his is fighting in his grave.

 She closed the bard bulking eyes with her hand gently and open her book to look at the mana flow.

 "What? The sleep spell is not this bard ultimate spell? So..." she start to flipping through the mana flow record just to find out that the sleep spell were casted by a group of Light Bearer priest.

 "So, you already find that out, Denial?" A harsh voice greeted her when the person behind the cloak step towards her firmly.

 Madame and a group of other mages and assassin walking along behind the cloaked person. They seems so firm and not shaken after looking at how strong Codex is.

 "Maybe... We can have a little chat while my underlings set this town ablaze." The person raised the right hand and reveal a flintlock with Gin Fang crest on it.

 "You all want what this bard gets?" she ask threateningly.

 "Well... your powerful book must have... a little cooldown before it could be reactivated again... right?" The person take off a mask and the cloak from her head.

 A woman face with long golden hair revealed. Her voice were soothing to be heard when she spoke. The harsh voice come from the mask she wears before. Codex fliched slightly when she heard the declaration because it's true.

 "So... I am... right about it, Little Codex?"

 "What do you want?" She ask as sweats start to drips from her face.

 "Just... wanna draw that 'Crystal' out." She said and points her flintlock to Codex.

 The assassins start to scattered around the town to spot any other magician that still awake or there is another denials still around.

 To be continued...