Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 67: The Arrival of the Mage (Part 2)

The underground prison of Count Fillmore’s estate.

Utallo and Gletch finally reunited with their captured comrades, who, thankfully, were all alive and unharmed. Their relief was palpable, though it quickly turned into a storm of questions as everyone crowded around them.

“What happened?” one asked, bewildered.

Utallo held a finger to his lips. “Stay calm, everyone. We were on the run from the Empire’s forces… then we ran into Karon, and he saved us.”

“Karon? That kid from the training camp?”

It seemed no one had forgotten Karon. His actions during their escape from the gladiator camp had left an indelible impression.

“Yeah, that devil of a kid!”

They all remembered his relentless survival skills, a trait that had earned him their respect.

“And now, he’s got an Imperial Guard at his beck and call,” Gletch added proudly, causing everyone to gasp in astonishment.

“What? The Imperial Guard?”

“No way, you’re lying!”

Gletch glared, determined. “I saw it with my own eyes, more than once.”

“Could he be royalty or something?” one mercenary speculated.

“Come on, royalty wouldn’t end up exiled to Palemon….”

“Who knows? Maybe he’s a prince ousted by succession struggles.”

Their voices grew louder as they each presented their theories. Glancing at the guards outside the barred window to confirm they were alone, Utallo raised his hand to quiet everyone.

“That’s not the point. Karon’s plan is for us to escape and seize control of the Count’s estate as soon as he signals us.”

“What? Take over the Count’s estate? Why?”

The mercenaries exchanged confused looks.

“I don’t know,” Utallo admitted. “Karon must have a reason. So, are you all in?”

For Utallo and the others, the chance to escape was enough. Knowing the ‘why’ was secondary to the promise of freedom, and a glimmer of hope appeared on their faces.

“As long as we get out of here! But what’s the signal? How are we supposed to break out?”

“We’ll find out soon enough. Just wait and see. I bet Karon has another surprise for us,” Utallo replied with a confident grin, loosening his muscles in preparation.

At that moment—

Boom! BOOM!

A massive explosion rocked the underground prison, shaking its foundations.

“Argh!”

“What’s going on?!”

The tremor caused parts of the ceiling to collapse, and the metal bars warped and tore away. In an instant, the Condor Mercenaries found themselves free.

Everyone stared in astonishment at the fallen bars. Gletch was the first to move.

“That madman—did he set off explosives? He’s as reckless as ever. Let’s get out of here before the place collapses!”

As Gletch led the way, Utallo quickly moved to the opposite side, calling out to Gletch.

“Go ahead! I’ll take those two with me!”

He was referring to the assailants who had ambushed them wearing demon masks. Gletch scowled in protest.

“Leave them! They’re the ones who got us into this mess!”

“Karon’s orders.”

“Tch, fine, but be careful. Let’s go, everyone!” Gletch ordered, and the mercenaries stormed out of the prison, knocking out guards and raiding the armory on their way.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the underground chamber…

Damn it! Damn it! What’s going on?!

The cloaked mage staggered backward, sending one spell after another, only to realize with growing horror that Karon was absorbing every spell, his aura intensifying with each attack.

Now, Karon advanced calmly, his movements becoming smoother, as though he had adapted to the mage’s magic and was consuming it without difficulty.

What kind of monster…?

The mage had tried everything—fireballs, ice arrows, lightning strikes, wind cutters—every elemental spell he knew. None of them had worked. For the first time, he faced a person completely immune to magic.

This is impossible!

Too focused on his spells, he’d left the skeletons frozen like statues. Karon slipped through them effortlessly, moving toward him with eerie precision.

“Take this, you monster!” In desperation, the mage poured all his remaining power into his hands and seized the crimson stone on the altar. Immediately, his power swelled, his robes expanding with an intense surge of energy.

“Hnnngh!”

The mage spread his arms, channeling the energy into a giant magical lance. Dark magical circles stopped spinning around his wrists, and he launched the enormous lance at Karon with everything he had.

This attack was on a completely different level.

Overwhelmed by the sheer energy, Karon clenched his fists, focusing all his will into his hands. He had no idea why this bizarre ability to absorb magic had awakened, but now wasn’t the time to question it.

The energy gathering within him concentrated at his hands, forming into a brilliant, rainbow-hued glow. Karon braced himself and met the magical lance with his outstretched fists, creating a clash that warped the air around them as a powerful explosion erupted.

In that instant, Karon vanished, along with the child who had been lying on the altar.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!

Waves of magic swept through the underground chamber, shattering the protective barrier and tearing through the ceiling, blasting upward to the surface.

It was as though a typhoon had ravaged everything from the underground chamber to the estate above.

Moments later, silence fell.

As the three men in the banquet hall rushed toward the explosion site, they were met with a devastating sight.

“What in the world…?”

They stared in shock at the wreckage. One side of the main building, where the study had been, was obliterated, with a massive sinkhole exposing the underground chamber. Atop a pile of rubble stood Karon, cradling an unconscious child, both of them entirely untouched by dust or debris.

“Surround him!”

“Don’t move!”

The Count’s guards quickly closed in, raising their weapons as they cautiously approached Karon. But Karon paid them no mind, striding forward and brushing aside a mound of rubble with what seemed like unnatural strength.

As he did, the bodies of missing children buried under the rubble came into view.

“Check who these children are,” Karon said, his tone emotionless.

The guards who saw the bodies recoiled in horror, quickly running over to investigate.

“What is this?!”

“Good heavens!”

“These are the missing children!”

Gasps of horror rippled through the onlookers as the guards began to gather the bodies. No one could understand why the bodies of missing children were found within the Count’s estate.

“How could this happen, Count Fillmore?” Hinshan demanded, eyes narrowing.

Count Fillmore’s face turned red as veins started to pulse at his temples. For the first time, his carefully composed facade cracked. He glanced quickly around, his mind racing, and then his gaze fixed on Karon.

“Arrest him! He’s the one who abducted the children and smuggled them into the estate!” the Count shouted, deflecting attention back onto Karon. The eyes of the crowd shifted again to Karon, who made no move to defend himself.

If words failed, he’d have no problem dealing with them all by force. But that wasn’t necessary.

“Stay back! Anyone who takes a step toward him will face death!”

Emerging from behind the guards were the Condor Mercenaries, who had escaped the prison, using several guards as hostages. Among them was Utallo, who had also freed the two Peacemaker members.

With the situation growing tense, Hinshan called out to Karon.

“Karon, could you explain what’s happening?”

At this, Count Fillmore’s brow furrowed.

Karon?

If the Imperial Guard addressed him with honor, Karon was no ordinary man. But why would he hide his identity, unless he had suspected the Count from the start? The Count’s mind raced with schemes and fears.

In his typically calm tone, Karon spoke, “I discovered a hidden passage in the study. Following it down, I found a man conducting a ritual on an altar, using children.”

A stunned silence fell over the crowd as Karon’s words sank in. The revelation of a secret passage and a ritual altar implied Count Fillmore’s direct involvement, hinting at treason against the state’s religious laws.

Suddenly, Count Fillmore let out a loud, mocking laugh.

“Where do you get the nerve to fabricate such lies! A hidden passage? A ritual altar? And where exactly is this so-called culprit now? In the middle of all this rubble, how can anyone believe your nonsense?”

Seizing the momentum, Count Fillmore pointed a finger at Karon.

“And you—how could you survive such a powerful explosion without a scratch? Who, or what, are you?”

He wasn’t wrong to question it. The study was in ruins, the altar shattered, and the black-robed mage nowhere to be found, leaving Karon’s claims unsupported.

But Karon seemed unconcerned, already aware of familiar presences closing in from all sides.

“If you can’t prove your accusations,” the Count threatened, “then you’ll pay for daring to slander me! Seize him!”

“Hold!”

A figure suddenly appeared at the highest point of the debris, so silently that no one had seen him approach. Fittingly, he wore a mask shaped like a demon.

In one hand, he held a stack of papers, in the other, a box. Addressing the crowd, he announced,

“I have here all the evidence showing Count Fillmore’s secret dealings with foreign powers, smuggling children abroad.”

Another wave of shock rippled through the onlookers, and Count Fillmore’s expression shifted from anger to fear. This masked man was openly revealing the Count’s darkest secrets, leaving him no way out.

The Count clenched his jaw, his hands forming tight fists. He still had his knights and guards, and he would use them all to eliminate the threat, here and now.

Sensing the Count’s intentions, Hinshan smiled lightly and spoke up.

“If you’re thinking of waiting for your knights, I’d give up now. The patrol guards are already holding them off.”

The last glimmer of hope faded from Count Fillmore’s face, and his true colors began to emerge.

“So, you’ve all conspired to frame me as a traitor, have you?” He sneered, a sinister edge in his tone. “Fine! Then I’ll deal with you myself!”

With a sudden, swift motion, he leapt down toward Karon, his eyes blazing with malice.

Karon set down the unconscious child and subtly signaled to Hinshan, who had already drawn an arrow, not to shoot. It would be more effective to capture the Count alive and uncover the full extent of his network.

However, Count Fillmore was not an easy target. A faint red glow appeared around his wrists, forming a pair of magical circles that reminded Karon of the dark energy that had emanated from the mage’s robes.

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