A loud laughter burst through there growing pressure. When his laughter died down, he wiped the corner of his eye. The kid lying on the stone turned to the red-eyed one
"What do you mean by that, Captain?"
"Wow!" I muttered in surprise. That seemingly little kid's voice had grew deep and mature, completely at odds with his appearance.
The red-eyed one turned and looked at me and began, "That kid got some.. " before the could expalin further the man with bandages interrupted
"GOOD EYES!" he proclaimed. The little kid-like man turned to him and demanded to know what the hell they were talking about.
"You explain it, " the red-eyed one said to the bandaged man
"That little kid over there... has already grasped our strength, levels and has even fought us multiple times ! If he's telling the truth, then he must have fought us thousands of times ! "
" Nonsense we didn't even move an inch?" the child-like man asked incredulously.
The bandaged man replied flatly "What a blind man you are, 9th... Even at this level, you can't tell that the kid fought us in his mind, taking in every minor detail about us. Fighting us mentally... at a certain level, that's considered real combat. I just can't believe a child like him is able to perform it."
The bandaged man turned to me and stood silent for a few seconds before asking, "How old are you, kid?"
I was growing bored, but the pressure they exuded was so intense that my senses forced me to focus on their every small movement.
"Ah... I am nine years old," I answered.
At that moment, all seven of them made slight movements that put me on alert. I gripped my iron blade tightly and moved it defensively in front of me.
"Take it easy, kid. We won't harm you right now," the banded one said.
Their leader with blood-red eyes tilted his head, studying me. "What a shame. If he just hadn't committed these sins, I would have been eager to take him as my apprentice. But what a shame indeed ? ."
The silence that followed felt oppressive, crushing down with the weight of their collective power. Then unexpectedly, the child-like man clapped his hands together with enthusiasm that seemed jarringly out of place.
"Why don't we make this interesting?" Now his voice sounded even more mature. "A game to decide the matchups."
The others turned to him, expressions ranging from amusement to exasperation.
"We don't have time for your games, 9th" said the man in black armor, his voice ringing strangely again
"Oh, come now," the child-like man countered him , a mischievous glint in his eyes. "We're the Seven Stones. We have nothing BUT time."
The tattooed man sighed deeply. "What do you propose?"
9th produced a small pouch from within his simple clothing. He emptied its contents into his palm: seven small stones, each marked with a different symbol.
"Rock, leaf, water, sun,moon , air and fire " he explained, holding them up for all to see. "Each stone defeats certain others. We each draw one, and fate decides who faces whom."
"This is absurd," the man with the staff muttered.
"I agree," the old merchant said, though his eyes crinkled with amusement. "But when has that ever stopped him?"
The leader with blood-red eyes seemed amused as well. "Very well. The 9th Stone's game it is."
I watched this bizarre exchange with disbelief. These beings of immense power, who had appeared with such menace and gravity, were now engaged in what essentially amounted to a child's game to determine who would try to kill us.
Jaipa leaned closer to me. "Are they... serious?" he whispered.
"I think so," I replied, not taking my eyes off them. "Use this time to recover what strength you can."
The Seven Stones gathered in a tight circle, their backs to us as they conducted their game. I could hear the click of stones against each other, followed by exclamations of triumph or dismay. The black-armored man seemed particularly displeased, while the child-like Stone clapped gleefully.
Finally, they turned back toward us.
"It is decided," the leader said while looking at the group "I shall face the kid " His crimson gaze turned to me, and Jaipa stiffened beside me
The man in black armor stepped forward with clear reluctance. "And I shall test the servant."
My mind started calculating every possible outcome, our winning possibilities. The red-eyed one was too powerful to grasp anything definitive about him, but his presence was like a silent storm confined within human form. The Square technique that allowed me to teleport within a ten-meter boundary was already forming in my mind, the boundaries mapping themselves against the terrain
"I accept," I said before Jaipa could speak
Jaipa's four eyes flashed with concern "Rudra..."
"It's fine," I said, not taking my eyes off the red-eyed one "This was inevitable."
The remaining five shifted their positions, backing away and leaving only the red-eyed one and the armored one there. The leader stepped forward to face me, while the armored man approached Jaipa.
I raised my hand. "Before we start, I want to clear these bodies to the side."
The armored one spoke in a frustrated voice. "We don't have that much time."
I looked at the red-eyed one and said, "I want to have a proper match up ."
After studying me for a moment, he nodded. "Let's give them some time."
At his word, they backed up. I turned to Jaipa and said, "Move the bodies quickly, as our lives depend on it."
Looking at the setting sun, I thought, "What cursed luck I have."
We started moving the remaining bodies into the well, but as I threw the first one in, the red-eyed one stood up abruptly.
"Why are you throwing those bodies into the well?" he asked with a cold tone with his cold tone the pressure was increasing
I shook my head. "No reason..just couldn't find a proper place "
His expression darkened. "Those are knights deserving of respect more than your life ! "
"Let's not waste time on meaningless things," he said with a grim face
"Huh? Wait, what !"
Before I could finish my response, he appeared right in front of me, his blade closing in on my neck with each passing second....