Chapter 45
Chapter 45 – Progress
“You, you are?!”
Only then did Batiah recognize Karon, and his face twisted in an instant. The source of his misfortune was standing right there.
His jaw wound suddenly throbbed.
He could never eat properly in front of others because food would spill through the scar.
He always wore a suffocating iron mask, and on rainy days, the pain kept him awake.
“Kaaaaron!!”
Batiah shouted his name as if in a howl, simultaneously drawing his sword and jumping off the gallows.
“Cut off his limbs!”
At his command, the Tripolas Knights, who had surrounded Karon, charged at him all at once.
They, too, recognized who Karon was. A tremendous killing intent enveloped Karon.
At that moment…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of tremendous explosions erupted.
Pillars of fire shot up almost simultaneously from the mineral storage and the command headquarters.
The ground shook, and shockwaves, laden with intense heat, spread out in all directions.
It was all the work of Shong.
‘He’s causing quite the commotion,’ Karon thought as he shielded himself from the heat with his hand.
Screams echoed.
The people gathered in the square collapsed under the powerful air waves.
The same went for the Tripolas. The formation surrounding Karon crumbled.
As people came to their senses and scattered in panic, the square quickly turned into chaos.
Karon didn’t miss the opportunity.
Tap!
Karon swiftly broke through the now-loose encirclement and leaped toward Batiah at the gallows.
At the same time, he retrieved his black sword from the air and struck down fiercely toward Batiah.
Clang!
“Gah!”
Batiah barely managed to block Karon’s attack and even deflected it.
Even though Karon had restrained his sword’s energy, he was secretly surprised.
This man had risen to the rank of commander of Tripolas after earning great merit on the battlefield. He wasn’t an easy opponent.
Batiah was just as shocked. Where did Karon get this sword from? His hand still tingled from blocking it.
In less than a year, Karon had risen to a level equal to his own. He was an opponent that could not be underestimated.
“Everyone, attack together!”
His decision was cold and swift. At his shout, his subordinates rushed toward Karon again.
Even though the mineral warehouse and the headquarters were engulfed in flames, with embers spreading everywhere, they didn’t care. All they could think about was killing Karon.
Karon moved quickly as well.
He dove toward the thinnest part of their formation, dodging a knight’s sword by tilting his head and stabbing with his black blade.
Squelch!
“Urgh!”
As a gap opened in their formation, Karon wasted no time. He swung his black sword sharply, cutting down the knights one by one.
In the meantime, the fire spread to the edges of the square, and the hot wind wrapped around them.
The heat became overwhelming, and it was hard to breathe or move, but Karon continued to move freely.
In a flash, Karon had killed more than half of the knights and rushed toward Batiah.
Clang!
Their swords clashed, sparks flying. Flames licked at their feet, but neither showed any signs of stopping.
The heat had already become unbearable for any normal person.
“Commander! Please get out of there!”
Some of the knights, unable to approach due to the intense flames, took a few steps back, shielding themselves from the heat with their hands.
But the two continued to clash swords relentlessly.
Clang!
Whoosh—
After a fierce clash, a brief opening appeared, and Batiah, as if frustrated, threw off his iron mask.
His horribly scarred jaw was clearly visible.
“I must see you die!”
Batiah swung his sword again.
‘He’s more troublesome than I thought. Should I start using my real power? No, just a little longer.’
Karon thought as he blocked Batiah’s sharp attack.
The knight’s swordsmanship, properly learned, was far superior to Karon’s, who had learned by watching over shoulders.
Moreover, Batiah’s physical balance was overwhelmingly better. He was clearly different from the opponents Karon had faced before.
If not for the black sword, the battle would have already been decided.
“You’re still just a rat!”
Batiah ruthlessly targeted any opening, pressing Karon hard. But Karon, staying calm, never lost track of his movements.
The more they retreated, the fiercer the flames became, but neither cared.
The gray cloaks they wore had already melted or burned away, and their skin was turning red from the heat.
The two of them had fought their way near the gallows, which was also burning bright red.
Crash!
The wooden pillars of the gallows couldn’t withstand the heat and collapsed to one side.
As more pillars collapsed, restricting their movement, the two engaged in an even more intense close combat.
Batiah, dodging Karon’s black sword and swinging his own, began to have doubts.
At first, Karon had barely managed to block his attacks. Now, he was dodging them with ease.
Was his own swordplay becoming dull?
No, that wasn’t it. He was putting more and more effort into each attack.
The change was in Karon.
This damnable man was learning his swordsmanship in real-time.
There was only one option left.
He had to crush Karon with sheer force.
“Haaa!”
Batiah, with no escape left, poured all his strength into his sword. He swung it diagonally toward Karon’s neck with all his might.
‘Huh?’
He had expected Karon to dodge, already thinking of his next move. But instead, Karon met his strike head-on, as if waiting for it.
The problem was the dark crimson energy bursting out of Karon’s sword like a flood. At a glance, it was clear the immense energy was about to engulf him.
Clang!
Slash!
The moment Batiah’s sword clashed with the black blade, it was sliced cleanly in half. Karon didn’t stop there—he slashed right across Batiah’s chest.
“Gah!”
Batiah dropped the broken sword from his hand, clutching his chest as he fell to his knees.
The deep gash, impossible to heal, bled profusely.
The dark crimson aura that had enveloped Karon’s sword vanished as if it had never existed. Instead, a thin, barely visible shield now surrounded his body.
Batiah barely managed to lift his head, glaring at Karon. His trembling eyes were filled with a mix of shock and fury.
“You… you deliberately… hid your strength….”
“Thanks to you, I learned well.”
“You… bastard… ugh!”
Bright red blood gushed from Batiah’s disfigured jaw.
Karon, holding his black sword aloft, paused for a moment before sheathing it again. He glanced at Batiah one last time before turning away.
“Wh…?”
Confusion spread across Batiah’s contorted face. But it was short-lived.
“No!!”
Thud!
Crash!
The last remaining pillar of the gallows fell directly onto Batiah’s head.
Simultaneously, hot winds spread flames and embers in all directions.
“Aaaagh!”
A desperate scream echoed through the square before fading into silence.
It was the futile end of the Tripolas commander.
Karon’s hair fluttered in the wind as he walked away, the flames behind him.
“Agh… it’s a demon… that man’s a demon!”
The few remaining knights, seeing Karon slowly emerge from the flames, screamed in terror and started fleeing.
But the moment they turned their backs to Karon, it was already over.
Swish!
Slice! Slice!
Karon’s black sword left his hand, tracing a wide circle as it decapitated the fleeing knights in one swift motion.
Karon now wielded the black sword as if it were an extension of his own body.
The Tripolas Knights were completely annihilated.
Karon felt a strange sense of emptiness. In less than a year, the knights who once seemed unreachable were now nothing but corpses lying on the ground.
Shaking off his thoughts, Karon surveyed his surroundings.
There was no sign of life left in the square. According to plan, Spencer would be rescuing the villagers by now.
By the time the Empire’s forces returned, everything would be over.
“Karon!”
At that moment, Shong came hopping toward him, dodging the flames with his cloak pulled up over his face.
Looking around at the fallen Tripolas knights, he asked, “Is it all done?”
Karon nodded quietly.
“Then let’s get out of here. There’s going to be a bigger explosion soon. These coal bombs are more powerful than I thought, hahaha…”
Shong chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.
Originally, they had only intended to cause a small disturbance, but when the explosives went off, the force was much greater than expected, and they couldn’t contain it.
In the end, they were running from a chain reaction of explosions they couldn’t stop.
The two quickly made their way south of the village.
—
20 minutes earlier.
Three members of the Black Wolf mercenaries had reached the midpoint of the Mekler Mountains when they came to a fork in the path and stopped to discuss their next move.
“Number 10, you head south and look for the Miguel Mercenary Corps. They might be mixed in with them. I’ll go straight north with Number 11 and head to Palen.”
“Why me?” asked Number 10, a large man, frowning.
“Because you stand out too much. It’s better to be as inconspicuous as possible when entering a village.”
“Hmm… I guess there’s no helping it. Should I deal with the Miguel guys if I find them?”
“You can handle them as you see fit. Kill them all or not. But if you find the ones we’re looking for, don’t engage. Wait for us to arrive.”
“Alright, fine. Hehe…”
Number 10 grinned wickedly, licking his lips.
Number 6 didn’t expect Number 10 to actually follow his orders. If he failed, there would be consequences.
Once Number 10 headed south, Numbers 6 and 11 moved toward the northern part of the Mekler Mountains.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At that moment, powerful explosions erupted in the distance.
Birds took flight, startled, and a pillar of fire shot into the sky. From the direction, it appeared to be near Palen.
“Huh?”
The two mercenaries exchanged glances.
Their instincts told them it was the ones they were looking for, and without a word, they both started running up the path at full speed.
“Wait!”
After about ten minutes of running, Number 11 suddenly stopped and pulled a necklace from around her neck.
It had a small pendant in the center, embedded with a yellow stone, which was now glowing brightly.
“It’s them.”
Number 11 placed the pendant on the palm of her hand and said. Number 6 quickly turned to her and asked urgently, “Which direction?”
“Northeast.”
The direction she indicated led into a thick, overgrown forest. Number 6 frowned.
“There’s no path that way.”
“They might have noticed us already.”
“Impossible! No one has such sharp senses. Besides, the pendant just started reacting.”
Her serious expression made Number 6 raise his voice in disbelief.
Normally cautious and composed, he was genuinely shocked.
“This wouldn’t be the first time we’ve encountered something beyond the norm.”
After a moment of contemplation, Number 6 nodded.
“You’re right. I’ll lead.”
He drew his sword and took the lead.
The underbrush was too thick to pass through, but with every swing of his sword, the dense foliage parted like magic.
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