ATAPOW Chapter 47
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Chapter 47: The Radiant Knight
“Of course! I’m only afraid that the age gap between us is too big. When you have grown into a beautiful woman, you’ll just reject me for turning into an old fogey,” the knight said teasingly.
“I won’t! I will definitely not reject Big Brother Knight…!” The girl tightly held onto the knight’s armored gauntlets, refusing to let go. As if she was firmly grabbing hold onto something.
“Well then, this is a token of the agreement between us. You need to take care of it and hang in there, otherwise, this agreement is null and void.” The knight carefully placed a knight’s pendant into the girl’s hand.
“Always remember this, citizen. A knight will perhaps arrive late, but he will never be absent.”
“No matter when and where, the radiant knight will always be with you.”
………………
“A knight will never be absent. Big brother… knight…” Her small, blood-stained hands were clutching the pendant the knight had given her. The eyes of the girl gradually brimmed with tears.
She knew that this thought was merely just to console herself. The knight she was waiting for could no longer come to save her, for he was already…
Still, at least she had already achieved the values he had entrusted to her. To be strong and courageous, right?
As fresh, red blood trespassed into the dust-filled ruins, the girl entered into a trance. She felt that she had once again returned to that day, where a warm, large hand firmly held onto herself…
‘Ah, am I close to death? Have I started hallucinating?’
“You’re right. A knight will never be absent,” a voice filled with determination streaked past the girl’s ears. Its tone was exceptionally familiar, this caused the girl to faintly freeze.
“Are you alright, little girl?” When she came to her senses, she was already picked up by the person and put in his embrace.
After stumbling in the pitch-black darkness for a rather long time, Ji Bai had finally found the entrance to the staircase. When he reached the top floor, he discovered this girl that was trapped inside the ruined building.
“Who… Who are you?” As her blurred vision regained its clarity, the girl managed to make out the face of the visitor, causing her to faintly freeze while lying in his embrace. “Are you an employee here? Didn’t I already tell all of you to evacuate? Why are you still staying here… Cough! Cough!…”
A series of trembling coughs caused the girl’s already-fragile body to turn even weaker. When she looked at Ji Bai’s gaze, she couldn’t help but reveal a trace of disappointment.
‘As I thought, it couldn’t be him.’
“I’m not an employee, but a knight.” Ji Bai’s indifferent tone was resolute.
“A… Knight?” The golden-haired girl’s expression momentarily dazed as she looked at Ji Bai’s face. The silhouette in her vision had completely merged with the armed, plated-armored knight from her memory.
‘This is strange. They’re clearly not the same person, but why do I have a feeling that I’ve met him before?’
“That’s right, little girl. Hold on just a while longer, I will safely send you out of this building.” Ji Bai’s tone possessed an irrefutable determination.
Ji Bai princess carried the girl in his embrace while his two legs incessantly ran towards the stairway entrance.
“You’re very brave, little girl. There are very few kids that are as mature as you nowadays. By the way, what is your name?” Ji Bai asked the girl some questions that were of trivial importance as he tried his best to keep her conscious.
“Le… Lemi.” The girl’s voice was extremely delicate as if it would forever fade away in a few seconds.
Ji Bai didn’t dare relax as he carried the girl in a mad dash towards the stairway entrance.
“We reached the stairway entrance. Hang in there.”
“Clang!! Clack!!” Ji Bai, who was still carrying the girl while quickly moving towards the stairway entrance, had no choice but to halt his steps. The stairway entrance had suddenly disintegrated and turned into a large hole. As for the steps, they had broken apart into bits of shattered rubble, they laid broken on the first floor like a pile of dead leaves.
Suddenly, a gale erupted under the moonlit night.
“!!!” Ji Bai’s eyes suddenly constricted. He held onto Lemi with one hand, while his other hand, which was wielding the long sword, turned around and unleashed a slash. As it came into contact with a spike club, which the assailant had used to tenaciously lock onto his back and brazenly attack him, he made use of the force to gain distance away from his assailant.
“Gigigi…! There’s actually a fish that escaped the net! In that case, let me smash you to splinters as well!” A boorish voice, filled with a bloodthirsty killing intent rang out like a bell.
“Trolls…” Ji Bai’s eyes narrowed into a line as he stared straight at the nearly three-meter tall humanoid creature with bronze-like skin that was almost like a wild beast. At the same time, the last glimmer of hope he carried in his heart was completely annihilated.
‘The demonic race actually attacked the city. What’s more, they had come with bad intentions… How did they come in?! If they were to count on entering through the barriers and city gate, it would be an impossible feat even if they had a heaven-defying ability…Unless, they were inside the city to begin with.’
As something suddenly came to his mind, Ji Bai’s eyes turned dangerous.
“The Moon Knights?? Haha…” JI Bai lowered his head as he laughed gloomily.
“Gigigi… This human girl is actually pretty cute.” At this moment, a glint appeared in the eyes of the troll that was facing Ji Bai. It was directly sizing up Lemi, who was currently in his embrace.
“Punk, leave the girl you’re holding behind and I will leave your corpse intact!” The lofty troll, who was wearing a suit of leather armor, brandished the spiked club he was holding in his hand and pointed it at Ji Bai.
“A good dog doesn’t block the way, so get lost! I won’t repeat this friendly advice a second time.” Ji Bai knew that the girl’s injuries couldn’t be delayed any further. His icy cold speech carried a trace of anger in them.
“Hmph! Your words are extremely arrogant for a frail human! Since you’re stubbornly insisting on persisting in your ways, this daddy will send you on your way now!” The troll let out an angry cry, like a menacing lion. Gusts of wind were conjured as he waved the spiked club in his hand.
As life and death hung by a thread, Ji Bai grasped his sword in one hand, he barely avoided the deadly strike that brought gusts of wind along with it. With a backhanded swing, he swung his sword down towards the troll’s waist.
“Clank!” As the sound of metal colliding against metal resounded, the long sword had been flicked aside.
“You want to cut open my skin with this piddling human-forged trash?” The troll drew back the corner of his large mouth and revealed a contemptuous expression.
“Mr. Knight… Trolls aren’t something that an ordinary knight can win against. You better hurry up and leave me behind. That way, at least one of us will be able to survive, Cough! Cough!…” Lemi’s small shoulders shivered as she coughed uncontrollably. She felt her consciousness was already beginning to fade away.
Ji Bai didn’t say anything. As the corner of his lips curled into a smile under the moonlight, he gently stroked Lemi’s small head.
“To prioritize the needs of other people over yourself. Little girl, you possess the precious spirit of a knight in yourself… Rest well. With me around, no one will ever think about harming you. ”
‘What familiar words.’
The faintly conscious Lemi slightly froze. Before anything could come to her mind, flawless, holy, and pure particles appeared out of thin air. They converged and wrapped themselves onto every part of Ji Bai’s body and gradually went through a qualitative change.
‘This is…’
A long-forgotten sense of familiarity surged forth into Lemi’s throbbing heart.
“What is this thing?! It’s so fancy looking!” The troll, as well as his compatriot that had arrived afterward, wore a face filled with confusion as they stared at the silhouette that was wrapped up in the pure and holy radiance.
The sliver, holy particles converged on the various parts of Ji Bai’s body. And then, they rapidly dispersed like pollen filling the sky.
In the dim moonlight, a heavy plate armor that was suffused with a silver-grey luster emerged with similar embroidery patterns carved on each side of the shoulder armor. The helmet was adorned with the golden wings of a sparrowhawk, while on top of it, a blue knight tassel was swaying along with the wind. A cross shape was embroidered on both sides of the blue gown’s hem while a silver belt and cross-shaped ornament hung and adorned the side and tip of the armored boots respectively.
There was only a flat V-shaped seam in the helmet, in which a stern gaze was currently radiating outwards from.
After a year of silence, the radiant knight was rearing and ready to go.