Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 58: The Crisis Returns (2)

Karon aimed his black sword at Rockhill’s left leg, calculating the trajectory of the greatsword to strike a spot that would be difficult to defend. However, Karon’s plan quickly fell apart.

Rockhill swung his greatsword with one hand as easily as lifting a sheet of paper, bringing it down fiercely toward Karon’s wrist. If Karon didn’t react fast enough, his hand would be severed before his blade could reach its mark.

The speed of the attack was overwhelming. Karon tried to pull back his sword, but it was too late.

Clang!

“Urgh!”

Karon barely managed to avoid the full force of the strike, but his black sword was pinned under the greatsword. At the same moment, Rockhill’s other hand shot toward Karon’s throat, ready to grab him.

If Karon didn’t release his sword, he would be caught by the throat. Without hesitation, Karon let go of the black sword and retreated.

“Smart move. I guess I’ll be taking this sword with me…”

Just as Rockhill moved the greatsword aside and reached for the black sword, it swiftly returned to Karon’s hand as if pulled by an invisible thread, barely grazing Rockhill’s fingertips.

A drop of blood appeared on Rockhill’s finger, and his face flushed red with anger, feeling humiliated.

“You little trickster!”

Enraged, a massive surge of energy flowed through Rockhill, channeled into his greatsword. Karon instinctively knew that if their weapons clashed again, it would be the end for him, but there was no avoiding it.

Whoosh—

A yellow aura surrounded Rockhill’s greatsword, and in the blink of an eye, Rockhill disappeared.

Karon’s eyes widened. He hadn’t lost track of Rockhill’s movement, but even with his awareness, Rockhill’s speed was almost impossible to avoid.

Boom!

The sound of their weapons colliding was like a clap of thunder. Karon had instinctively raised his black sword to block, but the impact sent him flying, crashing into the wall.

Thud!

“Urgh!”

Karon grimaced in pain, his face contorted. But there was no time to recover—Rockhill’s greatsword was already hurtling toward his head.

Karon hastily infused his sword with energy and blocked the attack.

Boom!

The impact sent Karon soaring into the air again, bouncing off the ground multiple times. He barely managed to drive his black sword into the ground, halting his motion. Gritting his teeth, Karon looked up at Rockhill, who was walking toward him casually, confident he had already won the battle.

Rockhill’s strength was beyond belief. If the guard outside the annex was this strong, how powerful were the enemies inside?

“Damn! More soldiers are coming! Finish them quickly!”

A voice rang out, indicating that Hinshan had likely alerted the nearby imperial army as he headed for the imperial palace. It was a small comfort to Karon, but his current condition was far from reassuring.

“Urgh!”

Blood trickled down Karon’s chin. He could feel his insides churning, his body shaken by the powerful blows he had taken. His head was spinning, and he was dizzy. It was the most intense impact he had ever felt in combat.

“Ugh…”

Karon struggled to his feet.

Just then…

Clatter! Clatter!

Several horses galloped past him in a blur.

A man was riding away, carrying an unconscious girl in his arms. For a brief moment, their eyes met.

The man had blue hair, blue eyes, a slender face, and flawless skin.

The blue-cloaked man was none other than the one Karon had seen the day his parents were killed.

The man also glanced at Karon briefly, but it was only for a moment before he continued fleeing the grand duke’s estate.

“Ugh!”

The sight snapped Karon out of his daze, and he quickly rose, preparing to hurl his black sword at the blue-haired man.

“Where do you think you’re looking, kid?!”

At that moment, Rockhill’s greatsword came crashing down toward Karon’s head. Karon had no choice but to block with his black sword.

Boom!

Crack! Crack!

Though Karon managed to block the attack, the sheer force knocked the black sword from his grasp, sending him flying once again. He crashed through two walls before coming to a halt inside the building. The devastating impact shook his entire body.

“Argh!”

Covered in dust and debris, Karon coughed up a mouthful of bright red blood.

As he lay there, his head turned to the side, and through the rubble, he caught sight of Grand Duke Decius and a massive figure. Instantly, Karon knew—this was the same monster who had killed his parents.

The giant figure was poised to strike Decius with a massive hammer.

Summoning every ounce of strength, Karon dashed toward them.

* * *

A few minutes earlier, in the annex passage.

Boom!

Big Stone’s enormous hammer smashed into the spot where Decius had been standing. The ground shook violently as if hit by an earthquake, and debris flew in every direction.

Big Stone angrily retrieved his hammer, turning his gaze toward Decius.

Decius had dodged the attack and quickly ushered the grand duchess and Susanna to safety.

Then, without hesitation, he snapped the neck of a Blue Raven nearby and grabbed the fallen man’s sword.

As he looked around, he saw that Councilor Montecorato and his men had already fallen prey to the Blue Ravens.

There was no way he could help them.

“So, this is the grand duke’s skill, huh?”

Big Stone grinned, impressed by Decius’s agility.

“If you’re so confident, why don’t you face me without using women as bait?”

“Hmph.”

Big Stone snorted dismissively at Decius’s taunt and glanced at the leader of the Blue Ravens. The leader seemed to calculate the time briefly before nodding. He was just as curious about Decius’s abilities.

“It’s a predictable move, but fine! I’ll play with you for a while!”

Boom! Boom!

Big Stone swung his hammer randomly in all directions. The shockwaves spread, and debris rained down like knives.

The repeated impacts were wearing Decius down, whether directly or indirectly.

‘This strength is overwhelming. I can’t face him head-on.’

Decius expertly dodged the attacks, looking for openings in Big Stone’s defense.

Despite the size of his movements, Big Stone had plenty of vulnerable spots. The problem was his body, which seemed as solid as a rock.

As Decius displayed his nimble and skillful swordsmanship, Big Stone grew more irritated. He changed his grip on the hammer and swung it horizontally toward Decius.

The sweep was so wide that it included some of his own men, but Big Stone didn’t seem to care.

‘This madman is sacrificing his own soldiers!’

Decius didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With no space to evade, Decius had no choice but to block the hammer with his sword. The hammer’s relentless pressure bore down on him.

Thud!

“Ugh…”

The hammer finally came to a stop after crashing into the wall. Decius was pinned between the hammer and the wall.

Big Stone continued to press, not letting up.

“So, royal swordsmanship is nothing against raw power, huh? What the…?”

As Big Stone gazed down mockingly at Decius, his eyes suddenly widened in shock. His grip on the hammer trembled slightly.

Rumble…

Stone fragments began to float into the air, and a powerful energy radiated from Decius, now pushing the hammer away. Gritting his teeth, Decius summoned every ounce of strength he had left. With his family’s lives at stake, he pushed beyond his limits.

“What… what is this?” Big Stone muttered in disbelief.

“Big Stone.”

The leader’s voice rang out from behind. Big Stone turned his head in confusion.

Swoosh!

A blinding white light shot forth, pushing the hammer aside and grazing Big Stone’s forehead. Had he been a second slower, his head would have been severed.

“Argh!”

Blood trickled from his forehead as Big Stone staggered back, glaring at Decius, who was now rising to his feet. Energy pulsed from Decius’s body and sword, exuding a powerful aura.

“This can’t be… that energy…”

“Big Stone, use the orb.”

The leader’s voice quickly snapped him back. Without hesitation, Big Stone pulled a red orb from his pocket and placed it against the handle of his hammer.

Click!

The demon’s orb attached itself to the handle, like a magnet locking into place.

Whoosh!

“Arghhh!”

A red vortex swirled around the hammer’s handle, enveloping Big Stone’s body. His skin began to crack, transforming into a grotesque, monstrous form, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

Big Stone, now cloaked in black, growled, “To think you forced me to use the orb. I’ll erase you completely.”

With renewed fury, Big Stone charged at Decius once again. But to his surprise, the seemingly exhausted Decius was managing to fend off his attacks, pushing back against the hammer’s relentless blows.

“Remarkable. He’s holding his own without an orb?” The leader muttered in admiration as he observed the duel. His expression quickly hardened, however, his eyes glowing with a cold, blue light.

“I cannot allow him to live any longer.”

Raising his sword, the leader aimed it at the grand duchess and Susanna. A bluish energy gathered at the sword’s tip, forming a small sphere.

Decius, aware of the immense power amassing in the leader’s sword, wanted to intervene but was pinned down by Big Stone’s relentless hammer strikes.

Boom!

Each clash of weapons sent shockwaves through the air, and the force was overwhelming. Decius’s vision blurred with the strain.

As the leader completed forming the energy sphere at his sword’s tip, he launched it directly toward the mother and daughter.

“No!”

Decius deflected Big Stone’s hammer with all his strength and hurled himself toward the grand duchess and Susanna, stretching his sword out to block the sphere.

But just as Decius reached them, the energy sphere abruptly changed its trajectory, slamming directly into Decius instead. The leader had been targeting him all along.

‘No…!’

Boom!

The sphere exploded on impact, tearing Decius’s body apart with a small but devastating explosion.

Thud!

Decius’s body slammed into the wall and crumpled to the ground, bloodied and motionless.

“Decius!”

The grand duchess, her face a mask of horror, rushed toward her fallen husband, but before she could reach him, a blue blade pierced through her abdomen.

“Ugh…”

“It’s bothersome. Finish this quickly. I’ll take the girl and go.”

Without a second thought, the leader pushed the grand duchess aside and grabbed Susanna, throwing her over his shoulder. In her shock, Susanna offered no resistance as the leader mounted a horse and rode off at high speed.

“Get up.”

Big Stone approached Decius, who lay unconscious on the ground, and stomped hard on his back.

Crack!

The sound of Decius’s spine breaking echoed through the hall, jolting him awake in excruciating pain.

“Arghhh!”

Through his agony, Decius caught sight of his wife’s lifeless body lying nearby.

“Liz…!”

For the first time, he called her name, his voice trembling with sorrow. His lower body was paralyzed—he couldn’t move. Desperately, he reached out toward her, but his hand couldn’t close the distance.

“Heh, don’t worry. You’ll be joining her soon enough.”

Just as Big Stone raised his hammer to finish Decius, a thunderous crash echoed through the room. Part of the wall exploded inward, burying Big Stone under a pile of debris.

Thud!

Rubble fell everywhere, and Big Stone casually shielded himself from the falling stones with one hand. As he prepared to strike Decius again, a sharp pain shot through his thigh.

“Huh?”

Looking down, Big Stone saw the broken end of a sword lodged in his leg. A bloodied boy, holding the blade, stood before him, his body battered and bleeding.

Despite the injuries, there was something familiar about the boy. The look in his eyes stirred a distant memory.

“You… could it be?”

Big Stone’s face contorted in recognition. The boy before him was the same child who had stabbed his thigh years ago.

The blade was lodged in the exact same spot as before.

Big Stone’s face twisted in rage.

“You little…!”

Blinded by fury, Big Stone brought his hammer crashing down on Karon. But Karon, like a slippery eel, darted between Big Stone’s legs, causing the hammer to slam into Big Stone’s own foot.

Caught up in his rage, Big Stone had made a careless mistake.

“Arghhh!”

Big Stone roared in pain.

Bang!

“Your Excellency!”

“Don’t move!”

“Freeze!”

Suddenly, imperial soldiers, dressed in pristine armor, stormed through the annex. Among them, wearing golden armor adorned with royal insignias, were the royal knights.

Following close behind were Prince Merka and Hinshan.

“Damn it!”

In that instant, Big Stone spotted Karon, who was still gripping his leg. Furious, Big Stone kicked Karon hard, sending him crashing into the wall.

“Catch them!”

Prince Merka’s commanding voice rang out as the royal knights and imperial soldiers pursued the fleeing Blue Ravens.

“Karon!”

“Karon!”

Flora and Shong rushed to Karon’s side as the chaos unfolded, frantically clearing the rubble off his injured body.

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