BXBX NOVEL Chapter 577 - 577
Not to mention the still fleeing army, but even those on the walls of Fraterina were struck with anger and fear over the death of such a powerful heroine of their kingdom. Gerria was known as a Speedsword, someone who would have minced you into pieces before you yourself would even realize it.
It was thanks to her and some others that Fraterina had not ended up like Andrato throughout these years, yet now she was dead, her life extinguished in an overly brutal way. They could only grit their teeth and stare at Gunner with hatred, to which the fellow actually responded by flashing a smile!
The half-giant entered into a running stance as green light emerged around his form, spreading across his body in waves. To the horror of all onlookers, Gunner burst forth like a missile, striking the air before him so hard that he created a shockwave from breaking the sound barrier.
When he reappeared, he was right in front of the city gates, and he simply blasted through it with ease, causing the entire wall to shatter like an armored titan had kicked his way through.
The area behind the wall was mostly clear, as civilians had long been evacuated just in case, Gunner could see shops, restaurants, and hotels near the entrance that had been deserted quickly.
He casually walked into one of the restaurants and threw a bunch of pastries into his mouth and chewed them noisily before swallowing. Gunner gave it a \'meh\' evaluation before opening a flask of 100% concentrated Lunar Dew to wash it down.
The half-giant casually put his bottle back and returned to the main street to see that his way was now barred by three women.
The leftmost one wore a military general\'s attire with the jacket hanging from her shoulders, her blue hair tied into a knot and her dark red eyes glaring at gunner coldly as she folded her arms.
There was a lovely purple-haired maiden who looked like she was floating from the ground, her light azure robes fluttering in the non-existent breeze while she gently held a greenish-blue staff. Her emerald eyes looked Gunner up and down while she wore a friendly smile that looked strange.
The final woman was one who was extremely buff, wearing a fullplate of armor that covered her body, only leaving her eyes visible, those burning yellow pupils that seemed to want to sear Gunner alive. She held a large tower shield before her as well as a spiked mace that was bloody with bits of human meat on it.
[Fergie Lnyx - Level 71 Flame Pugilist
HP: 21,168/21,168 MP: 6,248/6,248 STA: 10,437/10,437]
[Berry Lias - Level 73 Aero Sage
HP: 3,933/3,933 MP: 10,804/10,804 STA: 5,037/5,037]
[Kirstien Dunmerst - Level 78 Blockade
HP: 27,405/27,405 MP: 2,262/2,262 STA: 14,742/14,742]
Gunner simply gazed at them boredly while readying himself to end their lives. However, before he could move, one of them spoke to him.
"Vile ape of a man, how dare you attack a kingdom that is part of the Fallon Continental Council without a cassus belli?!" Fergie, the fiery commander-looking woman, shouted.
Gunner simply gazed at her and suddenly disappeared. Fergie\'s face changed greatly as she defended her abdomen, yet a resounding \'pah\' resonated as Gunner slapped her face once he reappeared before her.
Fergie held her now red cheek with shock, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.
Did… did a filthy man-ape actually slap her…? She must be dreaming right? Never in her wildest nightmares would she ever suffer such humiliation, right? It must be an illusion, right? RIGHT?!
Gunner simply gazed at the other two who were alarmed and sweating, realizing the gap between them and this man for the first time. The half-giant then stated coldly: "Talk well, or never talk again."
He then returned to his former position and picked up a few more pastries before chewing them down. Berry and Kirstien shared uncertain looks before the windborne woman with a good nature moved forward.
"Forgive my compatriot for her words, but we have different beliefs here in Fraterina. Let us not waste time and go onto the main topic, we would like to inquire as to why you are attacking us, whether it is legal or not, and whether we can come to a truce if necessary." Berry spoke eloquently.
Gunner drank down some more Lunar Dew, which made the noses of the three ladies twitch as just the scent of it alone filled their bodies with power. They couldn\'t tell what he was drinking, but they were sure it was an elixir that should not be treated as a mere casual drink.
Then, they remembered that Gunner was not dispatched from Andrato, but rather Safemoon, and suddenly the three of them understood that their assumptions were likely correct.
Gunner faced them and put his flask away before saying. "Punishment, up to me and unlikely."
The three paused as they tried to parse his words. Gunner was usually silent, so he spoke less to enemies than he did to even friends and family. Berry was the first to put two and two together, or in this case, the question, and the answers.
Why was he attacking -> punishment.
Is it legal -> up to me.
A chance for a truce -> unlikely.
Berry thought back to the political situations between both parties and the events that had occurred behind the scenes. Oh, she was definitely aware, just like all the other top echelon of their state.
They had all approved the operations personally and collectively, after all. Now she also understood that Gunner was here for their heads in order to punish them for their actions, as well as to send a message.
As for the laws of war... he cared less about them than whatever he chose to do... basically, he would decide what was legal or not based on his own power.
Finally, there was very little reason for a truce because he came here to destroy, yet Fraterina was unable to pose a threat to him. The only reason he would accept a truce was if they offered him irrefutable terms, but the kingdom likely would not bend that far, so it was objectively unlikely.
Berry\'s heart sunk. Essentially, Gunner had come here to kill them all, and from the power he had displayed, he would not have a hard time doing that. Right now, she needed to find a way to buy time, so she could convince the kingdom to offer meaningful terms to get this brute to back off.
Fergie seemed to recover from her shock and was about to explode when Kirstien patted her on the shoulder. When Fergie turned to gaze at the stoic woman, Kirstien shook her head with a grave look in her eyes.
This poured a bucket of cold water over Fergie steaming rage, which had gotten her into trouble more than once. To see Kirstien who had even traded blows with an early Grandmaster look like this, they were facing a humanoid behemoth.
She put away her secret disdain of Gunner and gazed at him seriously, entering a fighter\'s stance as her fists burst into flames. Kirstien also wielded her tower shield and mace with crouched knees, getting ready for a fight.
Berry still seemed calm as she spoke soothingly. "Well then, Sir, I understand. However, I would like to relay this to my superiors so that they can come to a decision on what to offer you in order to pique your interest."
Berry canceled her floating skill and bowed. "We recognize that we are no match for your power, and so would like to directly surrender in order to save lives that would be lost in futility."
Kirstien and Fergie were shocked by this, but did not contradict Berry. She had the power and right to make such decisions, as she was the older sister of the current Queen of Fraterina.
Her wisdom and far-sightedness had been what had kept her rash and foul-headed sister from ruining the kingdom. Otherwise, it would not just be espionage missions against Safemoon or some slight probing against Andrato back then, but far more drastic actions with serious consequences.
Gunner heard this and only poked his ear lazily. "Sure, do that."
At his level of power, he could have thrown down with Hercules without even going Earth\'s Guardian mode. Once he did, only the likes of Atlas and Baal would be able to contend with him one on one.
So it didn\'t matter what tricks they tried to pull, he could easily vaporize their city with one shot of his Eraser Cannon in his base form. That was why it was the only move he had yet to use in this situation.
Berry seemed moved by his calmness and knew this was her chance. Immediately, she contacted her sister using special means and began speaking with her. She even contacted their mother for backup, because this situation was truly too dire to play games.
Gunner, over by the side, suddenly saw Fergie walk over with a serious expression.
"Lower your strength to my level and spar with me!"