Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 61: Black Shadow

Karon stood silently in the forest for a long while.

The sounds of rustling leaves in the wind, birds chirping, and the faint murmur of a stream blended harmoniously.

Then, an unfamiliar, discordant noise cut through.

Once he pinpointed the sound’s location to some degree, Karon quietly took off his backpack and picked up a few small stones from the ground. Without hesitation, he hurled the stones in three different directions.

His body moved minimally, with only a flick of his wrist.

Thud! Thwack!

The stones struck rocks, branches, and tree trunks, bouncing off unpredictably in various directions.

Thunk! Thunk!

“Gah!”

Amazingly, three people emerged from the blind spots where they’d been hiding.

“No way!”

They were all dressed in black camouflage and seemed visibly shocked and rattled.

These individuals were members of the Black Shadow, an elite assassination group.

Their reputation included the continent’s top-tier tracking and stealth skills, absolute secrecy, astronomical fees, and a 100% success rate.

Yet, at this moment, the very foundation of Black Shadow was being shaken.

They’d selected only the finest assassins for this mission, as per the client’s request, sending three of their best.

Yet their positions had been precisely located, and Karon had hit them from an angle they hadn’t thought possible, using mere stones.

An impossible situation had unfolded.

And their opponent looked like a mere novice, barely past his teens.

The blow to their pride hurt more than the pain from the stones.

But that feeling only lasted a moment.

The three assassins, showing their professionalism, quickly took cover and began approaching Karon from three directions.

Their approach was less subtle than before, but they moved smoothly, like water flowing around obstacles.

Had he been an ordinary person, they’d have closed in without him even realizing it.

As if on cue, the assassins sprang at Karon simultaneously.

Their flashing daggers aimed precisely for his neck, back, and thigh. Even if one of them failed, the others would still deliver a fatal blow.

But they had chosen the wrong target.

Karon swiftly lifted his left leg, dodging the strike to his thigh, and kicked the masked figure attacking him head-on.

Using that momentum, he spun and sent a powerful roundhouse kick into the face of the assassin approaching from behind.

Thunk!

“Ugh!”

The masked figure collapsed instantly.

The force of the kick had been so strong that his neck twisted upon impact.

With only his left leg, Karon had broken through their coordinated attack, and they hadn’t even seen him move.

One assassin fell, and the remaining two, startled, tried to put some distance between themselves and Karon, but he was already closing in on another.

As if he could predict their every move, his steps were swift and precise.

“Ugh!”

The assassin, sensing Karon drawing close, swung his sword instinctively.

But mindless slashing, which lacked any strategy or precision, posed no threat to Karon.

His opponent’s sword sliced only through empty air as Karon stepped forward, his fist smashing directly into the assassin’s throat.

Thud!

The attack was simple yet devastatingly effective.

The masked man was thrown into the air, and before he could react, Karon’s fist drove into his stomach.

Boom!

The shockwave rippled through the air, sending the assassin flying into a tree. He was dead with just those two blows.

Karon slowly turned his gaze toward the final masked man.

“Y-you… monster…”

The third assassin, who had been too stunned to act, panicked and began to flee.

The mission no longer mattered—survival came first. Only by staying alive could he plan for the future, rally more assassins, or even inform their client.

“Damn it! The intel was way off!”

He cursed their client, failing to acknowledge his own complacency, while he weaved quickly between trees and rocks.

Though he might lose in combat, he was confident no one could match his speed in escape.

Meanwhile, Karon picked up the sword from the assassin who’d fallen against the tree.

He held the blade by its edge, scanning his surroundings. Occasionally, he caught a glimpse of the fleeing assassin.

Using his senses, he tracked the man’s path. Then, in an instant—

Whoosh!

Swish, swish—

Karon hurled the sword in a seemingly random direction, away from where the assassin was visible.

The blade spun in a graceful arc, narrowly avoiding branches as it traveled.

And just as it slipped between some vines—

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

As if pulled by a magnet, the spinning blade found its mark, embedding itself squarely in the fleeing assassin’s back. He fell, face down.

The pain of the blade piercing his back was overshadowed by confusion—how had it hit him?

He was sure he’d dodged every possible angle of attack. Yet, the weapon had somehow struck him, as if guided by an unerring force.

Without giving him time to ponder, Karon yanked the sword out, then rolled the assassin’s body over with a kick.

Their eyes met.

Cold, empty black eyes, devoid of any emotion. The assassin shuddered at the chill in Karon’s indifferent gaze.

For a long moment, they stared in silence until Karon finally spoke, his tone indifferent.

“Montecorato, is it?”

The words were vague, hovering between a question and a statement.

The assassin’s eyes briefly flickered, a movement Karon did not miss.

“What are you—”

Thunk!

“Ugh…”

Karon drove the blade deep into the assassin’s heart without waiting for an answer.

The masked man’s actions had already revealed his response. With an expression of disbelief, he took his final breath.

Karon released the blade, turned as if nothing had happened, picked up his backpack, and continued on his way.

—

“So, he’s supposed to be in this forest.”

A man with long hair stood at the cliff’s edge, gazing out over the vast forest, his voice tinged with palpable hostility.

He was Number 6 of the Black Wolves, a group of skilled warriors. He had once clashed with Karon, only to escape with injuries due to a landslide. It seemed he had let his hair grow quite a bit in the past year.

“This time, I’ll cut his head off.”

Number 6 muttered, his voice filled with lethal intent.

For the past year, he’d relentlessly honed his skills and pursued Karon to exact his revenge.

Eventually, he managed to get intelligence from the higher-ups that Karon was in the Altun Mountains.

“Are you doing this for your own pride, or is it for Number 11’s revenge?”

Number 10, a towering figure, dismounted and asked. A large sword was still strapped to his back as he gave Number 6 a sidelong glance.

He seemed to have guessed the connection between 6 and 11, who had been found dead after the landslide incident.

“Both. But it’s more than that—it’s a matter of the Black Wolves’ honor.”

“Hmph, if you say so.”

Number 10 shrugged dismissively.

Though Number 6 found 10 irritating, he couldn’t openly voice his discontent; 10 had saved him and was now helping him.

The two arrived at the cliff overlooking the forest, a strategic point for those passing from the Altun Mountains to the capital, as one had to go through the forest and gorge.

“Think he’ll even show up today? Camping out here isn’t exactly my idea of a good time…”

“Hold on.”

Number 6 interrupted 10’s grumbling.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

Soon, someone rode up the cliff path, guiding his horse with a leisurely air.

He was a young man with neatly tied silver-gray hair and a simple, tidy appearance. He wore a plain leather vest, a small crossbow strapped to his back, and an unusual short sword at his waist.

It was Hinshan Altord.

“A hunter, maybe? But he seems… different.”

A subtle, hidden aura radiated from him, making the hairs on 6’s neck stand on end.

He sensed the threat instinctively but remained outwardly calm. Hinshan continued past them on horseback, though he soon stopped and turned back toward them.

“Are you two waiting for someone?” he asked with a slight smile, dismounting and approaching.

6 gave him a wary look, and 10, towering over him, glared down with obvious discomfort.

Despite the imposing size difference, Hinshan maintained his friendly smile.

“And what’s it to you? Maybe you should just keep moving,” 6 said, keeping one hand close to his sword.

Hinshan looked mildly troubled, but he responded playfully, as if taunting them.

“Oh dear. I’m waiting for someone myself, so I thought it’d be nice to have company.”

“Hah, who’d be coming here?” 10 scoffed, his tone challenging. Hinshan merely clapped his hands together in agreement.

“Good point. I doubt anyone lives near the Altun Mountains, so there’s really no reason to wait for anyone, especially not by coincidence in a remote place like this. Unless, of course, it were the same person. Haha!”

Hinshan laughed awkwardly.

A tense silence fell.

Although 6 and 10’s gazes were directed at the forest, their thoughts were racing.

Meeting someone who was also waiting for someone in such a remote location?

6 glanced at 10, who also seemed to have caught on. 6 raised a subtle hand signal behind Hinshan, then smiled faintly.

“We never said we were waiting for anyone.”

“Oh, didn’t you?”

“Hmph.”

Shick! Shing—

In a flash, 6 unsheathed his longsword, thrusting it forward while 10 swung his greatsword. Their target was, of course, Hinshan.

“…!”

Their eyes widened in shock as Hinshan vanished, having already taken a few steps back and drawn his bow.

“Fast!”

“Move!”

6 quickly dodged, shouting as he realized his opponent was no ordinary man.

But 10 was a bit slower to react.

Ping!

With immense strength, Hinshan drew back his crossbow and released two arrows in rapid succession.

His target was 10’s legs, opting to disable the slower one.

Thud!

“Gah!”

As expected, 10’s reaction was sluggish, and the arrows struck his calf and thigh, piercing his thick skin and muscle.

“Damn rat!”

10, stunned by the unexpected attack, leaned heavily on his greatsword. His movements were now sluggish, the injuries severe.

‘Impressive strength.’

6’s face hardened. He had sensed that Hinshan was formidable, but he hadn’t anticipated an opponent of this caliber.

Hinshan’s arrows had easily penetrated 10’s seemingly unbreakable legs.

‘I’ll end this quickly.’

Shrrk—

Blue flames began to rise from 6’s sword. He was ready to unleash his full power from the start.

“So, you finally reveal your true colors, Black Wolves.”

Hinshan smirked, sheathing his crossbow and drawing the peculiar short sword at his waist.

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