Chapter 13: The Mad Swordsman

"Max Shadows, you are hereby sentenced to death for the murder of Moon."

Before the confused-looking Max could respond, Rohan charged at him with incredible speed.

Only Max and Pale could react to this showcase of speed as the targeted Max jumped out of harm's way barely dodging a slash from the attacker's Fellium sword.

"Wait! I didn't kill Moon."

"Resorting to lies now are we? And it's Moon!"

"Ahhhhhhh! I've got to get to safety!"

Conroy screamed as he dashed the other way.

"Tsk that coward!" Rex scoffed.

Rohan and Max on the other hand were exchanging blows.

It was more like Max was barely avoiding all of Rohan's attacks.

"You're the worse kind of trash who can't even recall the name of your victims!"

Rohan channeled his aura into his sword as he took a pose with the sword sitting on his shoulders.

"Dai style: Eclipse slash!"

He swung his sword down creating a powerful Shockwave that sent Ace flying as he crashed into the goods they just bought.

"Arghh!"

"Captain!"

Pale summoned Mjolnir and was about to join the battle.

"Wait."

Max got back up and dusted his body, gazing at Rohan with eyes that would have petrified anyone on the receiving end of the glare.

But this wasn't just anybody.

This man who was feared throughout the Retina region was nicknamed "The Mad Swordsman" for his crazy and obscure methods of sword-fighting.

Even the Four Generals could not take him out in a 1 on 1 bout.

He was also the little brother of Moon.

"I will avenge my brother!"

He led out an aura burst that was even more powerful than the one Moon used against the Bouchart district guards.

Rex, not being part of the fight could barely stand upon being exposed to this powerful aura.

Pale stood there with folded arms while Max was letting out his own Aura burst.

'I can't reason with this guy, he's blinded by rage.'

Max realized that he can't talk things out with the enraged swordsman in front of him now.

He wanted to tell him that Moon was alive.

It was during the climax of the battle in Bouchart...

Moon was holding his stomach and crying out in severe pain. It was just a single kick but it felt like a mountain was dropped on him.

"S-stop y-you de-"

He was kicked again.

"I said... SHUT UP!!"

Max kept kicking him like he was an empty can of soda. He stepped on his neck and continued the one-sided assault.

Moon was helplessly taking this brutality.

"P-p-please".

"Please?" The general's begging only infuriated Max more as he was getting ready to finish him up with kill switch.

"This is for Rex... Killswitch!"

Few moments after Max dropped down on the floor, He saw the damaged body of Moon being picked up by a cloaked figure with a scythe, his vision got blurry as he passed away.

'I swore never to take a soul again, not once did I intend to kill him, but how do I tell him that?'

He quickly summoned his shadow and formed two daggers with it as he blocked an attack from the swordsman.

Max then jumps to the sky and used killswitch which his opponent easily cuts off with an aura-based slash.

Max then disappears in the explosion created by the clashing of their moves.

He had used his shadow stealth technique to merge with his shadow and was now slithering around the battlefield towards the back of his opponent.

"Such petty tactics won't work on me."

Rohan blocked an attack that came from his blind spot as he swings his sword backward and managed to cut Max on his arm.

Rex and Pale having been told to sit this fight out had worried expressions on their faces.

Rohan drew first blood as he licked the blood off his sword.

Rex started shaking as he clenched his fists remembering how Moon impaled him and did the very same thing.

Max shrugged his shoulders, smiled upon seeing the wound on his arm, and slowly brought one foot behind his back, he tightened the grip on his daggers.

"Shadow arts: X black!"

He created an aura attack imbued with his shadow.

"Tsk... Eclipse double slash"

Rohan answered by quickly swinging his sword twice sending each aura slash to block Max's attack.

"Stop what you're doing and fight me with the same power you fought my brother, I don't sense any murderous intent from your attacks."

Rohan was annoyed. Ever since they started clashing he had noticed that Max has not targeted any of his vitals with his attacks.

'Is he really the one that killed my brother?'

He even doubted whether Max was truly guilty of his crimes.

He soon shook off this thought as he created another aura slash which Max jumped to avoid only for Rohan to follow through with an even more powerful attack.

"Dai style: Multi eclipse slash!"

Dozens of slashes were sent flying towards Max's direction. He couldn't dodge as he was still in the air.

"Kill order!"

His shadow multiplied and each formed kill switch as they clashed with the attack creating an explosion that sent Max crashing headfirst.

"Max!"

"Captain!"

The duo had grim looks on their faces as they rushed towards their captain's side.

"That's it! Let's take him on together!"

"No! This is my fight, stand down!"

Max immediately got back up and without a second to spare, he rushed at the Rohan.

Rohan slashed downwards with his sword as Max parried with one of his daggers and the blade clashed against the shadow-formed weapon with a shriek that sent sparks flying into the air.

The swordsman was quick and uppercut slashed at his opponent, attempting to catch Max from stem to stern.

Max sidestepped to the right just enough and the blade passed a hairs breath from his face.

Quickly, before Rohan could respond with a follow-up, Max swiftly created another kill switch to strike Rohan in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of the swordsman, and stunning him for a brief moment.

"I told you, I didn't kill your brother!"

Rohan was still stunned from the last attack and open for more attacks as Max struck him with another kill switch causing the swordsman to drop his sword and groan in pain.

Max was not done.

The quick blow had opened Rohan up for another attack, Max was getting more ruthless as he gave swordsman a sidekick hitting his stomach, doubling him over.

Max followed that up with an uppercut sending Rohan flying, he jumped quickly and was now floating right on top of the swordsman.

He raised his right hand and shouted.

"If I was the killer, I would have admitted and fought you anyway. I did not kill Moon!"

The weakened swordsman closed his eyes awaiting the final blow.

"Kill order!"

"It's over."

Pale seemed to have confirmed something about Max.

'He gets stronger with each battle.'

He first noticed this when he battled him a while back. Max's power increased and his speed and strength followed suit.

It was like the more he fights strong opponents, the stronger he gets.

Take this battle for instance. Max has been struggling at first only to pull a counter and follow up with a massive series of relentless attacks.

By the climax of their battle, Max had effortlessly taken down the man revered as the strongest in all of Retina.

'Is it the ability of his shadow-bound relic, or something else?'

Pale was lost in his thoughts as he develops an even more profound view of respect for his Captain.

Max was currently lying at on the floor across the unconscious swordsman.

"Rex, Pale, pick him up and take him to Infinity."

The duo who had just witnessed their captain dish out a beating to the warrior who attacked them from nowhere and seemed to be pushing Max at the starting of their encounter nodded their heads as they picked up the unconsciously bruised swordsman.

As the two walked towards Infinity leaving Max to his thoughts.

"You don't think..."

"No, he wouldn't."

"Would he?"

They all glanced at their Captain as he had a wide smile on his face.

'Hihihi. I'm going to ask him to join my clan.'

They both had a bad feeling about what's to come as Conroy was seen approaching from the other side of the ark.

Rohan was still lying unconscious as the gang gathered around him to discuss their next move.

"Firstly, when he wakes up I am going to help him locate Moon."

"Demon spawn, don't you think that's dangerous?"

"I do, which is why I'm going alone."

It was one thing to harbor their attacker, but Max was going to accompany said attacker alone.

Rex and Pale had worried expressions as they both looked at one another.

"Just.... Be careful, I know you gave your all in this fight. And I also know it has taken a huge toll on your body, rest up for now. You run the moment you smell danger okay?"

Rex knows that stopping Max from doing something after he has made up his mind was futile.

He figured the least he could do now was tell him to be careful.

"Hihi, don't worry guys."

Max's warm smile vanished on his face as he turned his gaze towards Conroy.

He punched him hard in the face and grabbed his collar before he could collapse on the ground.

"Listen here Conroy cause I will only say this once. I don't mind that you get to tag along with us but..."

His aura flared up as he summons his shadow and formed a dagger.

"The next time you bail on us , I will turn you into minced meat."

Conroy was sweating like a pig and shaking uncontrollably as he musters the courage to speak up.

"O-o-okay."

Max was infuriated at the fact that Conroy dashed out of danger and abandoned them when Rohan attacked.

It was a rare sight for even Rex who has known him the longest.

Meanwhile... In a dark secluded area at the back of Rose town, a man was causing a ruckus.

"You bloody bitch! Get me out of here this instance!"

He had been banging the bars of the cell that he was in with his legs while his hands were spread apart with chains.

"You accursed relic witch! Release me and I will make sure your death is swift!"

This man was Moon.