THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 134: 134. THE CENTRE OF IT

Sagiri staggered back but caught himself before he could fall. he tried to walk again, but he staggered and fell to one knee. The archive had exhausted him, but that was not the reason he was coughing up blood. There had been. The archive must have failed to completely protect him because his ribs had been crushed a little, and they pierced his lungs.

He could have been halfway through healing, but the archive had exhausted him. he had gone all out, even when he had killed the muddy water scorpion. The damned twins had fought back even harder and prepared a trap to bury him alive.

Nokai retracted, having finished its work, and with its killing intent fading, together with his strength, its purpose had come to an end. sagiri bushed back his mask and coughed another mouthful of blood before he pushed his body a little against the wall of the cave and allowed himself to fall finally.

Even with his enhanced healing, it still hurt like hell trying to walk, and every breath was agony. He could feel his ribs heal, but at a snail’s pace, and with his depleted strength, it was going to be an agonizing process.

Sagiri rested his back on the wall of the cave, and his eyes blurred immediately. He pushed Nokai into his pocket before he let his eyes rest on his sides. It was going to be hard to explain what had happened, but it was not like he could run in the state he was in. he would make up an excuse when the time came. its not like there was any witness, and even if there was, he could end up sounding mad.

Footsteps finally started sounding after a few minutes of him suffering with every breath. Eight pairs of footsteps poured into the open cave one by one as if they were maintaining a formation and being careful. They must have smelled the stench of blood long before they entered the cave.

”What on earth,” sagiri could hear two’s voice exclaim. he must have almost stepped on Nakea, depending on his position as Sagiri could perceive him. he refused to open his eyes, however, because he feared he could scream if he did. His being injured might have been a good thing after all for what he planned next.

”It looks like someone had done our work for us,” six said.

”This fast? This corpse is still warm. He could not have gone far. The blade used here is sharper than I have ever seen.” Chera analyzed the situation. Right then, another wave of pain shot through sagiri’s body, and everyone turned around.

”Its eleven, hey its eleven,” three said, and they all turned to him instantly. Sagiri pried his eyes open, and they almost rolled to the back of his head in pain once again.

”Cadet, are you alive? Are you stabbed anywhere?” four asked, touching sagiri’s body to feel for any injuries as three swung a flaming touch to him. When he touched sagiri’s broken ribs sagiri groaned and coughed another mouthful of blood.

”Seems like the boy has a few broken ribs,” four said. He was the squad’s healer as much as he was a full warrior.

”Can you talk? What happened here? Who attacked you? Where is he?” two asked, coming over as well. sagiri remained silent. partly because even trying to breathe caused him an immense amount of pain, and mostly because he did not know what to say. Silence was the best option in times like this because the more you talk, the more the chances to contradict yourself, so he just lifted his hand and pointed to the pool and beyond it. Even the small action made his body ache.

Chera and his team were already covering the pool in big leaps halfway and swimming the other half. The six bodies on the other side of the pool were another mystery.

”The arrows in this place are the same ones as the ones launched in Yoka’s body,” Chera analyzed as he took in the scene. ”But it was not the spears that killed them; it is the same blade that killed the other one,” he continued as he looked at the heads cleanly severed from the bodies.

”What a blade, it seemed that he killed these five in close interval and with such speed and force that he severed their heads clean of their bodies,” seven said

”They still carry the quivers with the same arrows that killed Eight,” Nine said.

”Someone killed Eight’s killers before we even got here? Who could it be, and where is he?” Chera wondered as he turned over a corpse and looked into the cafe exit that the tamelku twins and their lackeys had wanted to use to run. The men had just lost their comrade, but their analytical skills on the situation had not been tainted one bit.

”Captain, look at this?” Seven said, flipping Makea over to look at something tied to his hand.

”This looks like a student’s sash familiar with the fourth-year cadet of Galka War Academy,” he said, untying the piece of clothing from Makea’s hand.

Darn it!

”What is going on here?” Nine said loudly with an accusatory tone as if he was blaming someone.

”Two, four, three,” get the boy back to the healing wing to get treated. he is the one who saw what happened here. call for backup too. No one gets in and out of Ko’alsi without proper identification. Tell General Felunka what has happened here,” Captain Chera said in a flat tone.

The three men saluted their captain before four picked sagiri up, three led with the touch, and two stayed in the rear.

sagiri did not realize how much distance he had covered and how fast until they started walking back to the wall. It was still dark, and sagiri could not tell what amount of time had passed. He tried to stay conscious again, but he must have passed out at some point because when he woke up, he was being pulled out of the carriage.

He stayed awake as four carried him to the healing wing. He did not want to be stripped and prodded, so he pushed himself to stay awake.

”Can I see my friends? or senior instructor Lotaga?” sagiri asked just as four were turning to leave.

”That depends on Captain Chera. We have a case to solve, and the way I see it, Galka War Academy has everything to do with it, and something is telling you are at the centre of it.” Four said before he locked the door and left.