Lord of the Mysteries: I Married the Queen Mystic

Odis knew full well that the Chipman before him was one of the leaders of the fighting organization Simon had mentioned earlier...

Simon had only vaguely gathered some intelligence about that fighting organization, but Odis had long been fully aware of its existence and was very familiar with their methods of recruiting new members.

Generally, fighters who defeated their members would first be recruited. If recruitment failed, they would resort to retaliation.

Odis also had a clear understanding of the organization's overall strength: there were three leaders in total; two at Sequence 7 and one at Sequence 8. Chipman was the Sequence 8 among them. As for the other members, they were mostly of the same caliber as Eden.

Upon hearing Odis's taunt, Chipman sneered and turned to leave...

At that moment, a servant brought Odis's reward, and the butler-like middle-aged man warned him, "You should leave by carriage as soon as possible. If possible, avoid going out unnecessarily these days."

"Thanks," Odis replied casually, "I was just looking for a real opponent to fight."

The persona he had crafted for Lelouch was one of arrogance and a love for challenges...

...

After pocketing the 260 pound reward, Odis left. Next to him, Simon, who was already sweating nervously, hurriedly hailed a carriage to leave the place.

Inside the carriage, Odis handed Simon 31 pounds, saying, "26 pounds of this is the reward I promised you earlier, and the remaining 5 is for you to continue gathering information for me."

Simon took the money but said anxiously, "Just now... you offended Chipman. Will he send people to attack us?"

"He will," Odis glanced back, "We're already being followed."

Simon grew even more tense.

Odis, however, seemed to have anticipated this. He checked his pistol and cane, then instructed Simon, "Later, go to any church and pray for half an hour to see if anyone is still following you. If someone presses you for my whereabouts, tell them I live at Unit 176 Riverbay Avenue..."

Simon was taken aback, he stammered, "That... that's..."

"That's one of my hideouts," Odis said calmly, "If you reveal the address of Gale's Herbal Shop or Unit 77 Hailin Avenue, the consequences will be severe."

Simon thought of his bar and his daughter, then immediately replied, "I understand."

Odis nodded and added a final reminder, "Make it convincing. Also, if their people come to you a second time, don't bother being polite."

With that, he holstered his pistol, picked up his cane, and jumped off the carriage.

Odis didn't stumble despite the carriage's rapid movement. He strode quickly into an alley.

A carriage following behind also stopped, and two men got out, immediately giving chase.

When Odis reached the middle of the alley, two more carriages pulled up ahead...

Chipman, whom he had just seen, stepped out of one of them, removing his hat as he called out loudly, "We meet again."

"Indeed," Odis grinned, "You seem like a decent opponent."

A few doors in the alley that had been open quickly shut as people inside noticed the tension.

Three pedestrians in the alley pressed themselves against the walls, waiting for Odis to pass before hurrying away.

Chipman took off his coat and tossed it to an assistant behind him, "Kid, I'll show you what real combat is."

With that, he charged at Odis.

Odis set his cane aside and rushed toward Chipman as well.

As they closed in, Chipman suddenly leaped and threw a punch.

Odis immediately spotted the opening and aimed a kick at his abdomen.

Chipman smirked, twisting midair to evade the kick while swinging his elbow backward, accurately targeting Odis's temple. The opening at his abdomen had been a deliberate trap to lure Odis in.

Though Odis was standing on one leg, he pivoted sharply, dodging Chipman's elbow strike and driving his shoulder into Chipman's back, shoving him away.

The shoulder charge (Kao) was a devastating move from Bajiquan... a sudden forceful push that could easily topple an opponent.

Odis's explosive strength was enough to send Chipman crashing into the wall.

But Chipman reacted swiftly, planting a foot against the wall to stabilize himself and land firmly.

The two faced each other again, both smiling...

This was the opponent Odis had been looking for!

Chipman's companions held their breaths as they watched the exchange. The series of moves had happened in the blink of an eye, yet they were executed with such precision, that even these seasoned fighters felt they were witnessing a masterclass in combat.

They also realized that Lelouch hadn't gone all out during his fight with Eden.

Odis and Chipman clashed again, trading blows at lightning speed. Odis unleashed a flurry of Bajiquan techniques; shoulder charges, upward strikes, and body slams, all with with devastating efficiency.

Chipman matched him move for move, neither gaining the upper hand.

After close to four minutes, they separated again, breathing slightly heavily as they sized each other up for the next round.

Chipman suddenly spoke up, "Join us."

Odis shook his head again, "I prefer my freedom."

At that moment, two of Chipman's subordinates behind Odis drew daggers and moved to surround him.

Sensing this, Odis laughed heartily, then said, "Let's call it a day. We'll fight again another time."

With that, he suddenly stepped back, grabbed his cane, and bolted in the opposite direction of Chipman.

The two men with daggers raised their weapons to block him.

But Odis didn't dodge. Instead, he abruptly raised his cane vertically. The daggers in the men's hands seemed to twist against their will, sticking to his cane as if magnetized!

Odis shoved one of them aside and sprinted toward the end of the alley.

Chipman glared at his dagger-wielding subordinates, but quickly led the chase, "Stop running! If you don't join us today, the next team sent after you won't be led by me, and they won't hesitate to kill you!"

Still running ahead, Odis understood the warning in Chipman's words. Without turning back, he waved dismissively. Once on the main street, he agilely climbed onto a speeding carriage.

Chipman immediately ordered some of his men to continue the pursuit on foot while others went to fetch carriages.

By the time they regrouped, Odis had already put some distance between them. He stopped in front of a department store, slipping in through the bustling front entrance and exiting through the back.

He glanced at a corner of the parking lot, where several carriages bearing noble crests were parked. Spotting a coachman smoking nearby, he swiftly approached and stealthily boarded one of the carriages.

The noble's carriage was spacious and carried a faint scent of perfume. Beneath the seats was a large storage compartment containing supplies and drinks, and enough space to hide a person.

Odis concealed himself inside and secured the hidden panel.

After a few minutes, he heard someone board the carriage...

A sweet voice asked: "Susie, what's wrong?"

...

{T/N: The mtl of this fic is actually pretty decent. Especially if you're the type to subconsciously fix errors in your head as you read...}