Chapter 297: Simon Coden

Thunk—!

In one swift motion, Karyl struck Simon Coden in the jaw with the hilt of the Freezing Talon.

“Ugh?!”

Simon’s head snapped back, a trickle of blood running down from the corner of his mouth.

“Oh? The master of the Eastern Land bleeds so easily?” Karyl remarked wryly.

“...You bastard!”

Karyl clenched and unclenched his fist a few times, then thrust his palm toward Simon’s face.

Whoosh...!!

However, his arm only managed to disperse a thin cloud of smoke instead of hitting its mark.

Ssssss...

Simon Coden reappeared behind Karyl, thrusting sharp, thorn-like scales at his neck.

Swish! Clang!

Karyl spun into the swing, his blade tearing through the air, but smoke billowed up once more, and Simon vanished from sight.

Shadow Arts Stage 1 Awakening: Cloud Spirit

The technique allowed the caster to dissolve into smoke, erasing their presence entirely. It granted inhuman speed, enabling them to strike before their victim even realized what was happening.

This was the pinnacle of assassination.

“...”

Simon Coden materialized from smoke once more, his brow furrowed as he stared at Karyl.

Karyl flashed him a smirk, showing the murderous thorns between his lips before spitting them out.

“Grrrrrr...”

The basilisk let out a low growl, seemingly in irritation at the thorns falling onto its head.

“Ugh!!”

Simon’s groan was followed by a loud crash. As if struggling to regain his senses, he shook his head frantically and looked ahead.

“Tsk!”

With a swift flick of his wrist, the fan snapped open with a sharp metallic sound. He attempted to shield himself from the next attack, but Karyl was faster, landing a crushing kick to his face.

Smack!

However, Simon Coden never hit the ground. At the last moment, he managed to disperse into smoke, reappearing on top of the basilisk once more.

“...”

His expression was twisted in confusion, almost disbelief, as he wiped away the blood from his mouth. He was visibly shaken by the fact that, even in his awakened state, he hadn’t been able to dodge Karyl’s attack.

“Hmm...”

At that moment, Karyl took a deep breath.

Bang!

Crack...!!

He then jumped and stomped down with all his might, forcing the basilisk to buckle under the impact. Its thick, log-like bones shattered, protruding through its skin. But more shocking was Karyl’s sudden disappearance—dissolving into smoke, just as Simon Coden had earlier.

Moreover, he had vanished almost instantly, way too fast for the naked eye to follow.

No way...?! No, it’s different.

Simon glanced around in bewilderment before shaking his head. No, there was no way Karyl could know the secret arts of the Eastern Land. He quickly concluded that Karyl had achieved the same effect through a combination of teleportation magic and sheer physical prowess. But the real problem was...

“Huff...”

With a faint breath, Karyl emerged right in front of Simon and swiftly swung his fist.

“Gah!”

The problem was that even in his awakened state, Simon couldn’t keep up with Karyl’s speed.

Smack!

Karyl landed a direct punch to Simon’s face, shoving him back with his fist. Unable to fade into smoke, Simon was forced all the way to the basilisk’s tail.

“Ugh...!”

“Simon, how much is the empire paying you? Let me tell you something.”

Karyl then lifted two fingers and said, “I’ll give you double.”

“Pff...! Pfahaha!”

Though still in pain, Simon couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

“So you need the power of the Eastern Land as well, don't you?"

“No, you’ve got it wrong.”

“...What?”

“Pay me double what the empire offered. If you do, I shall spare you.”

Simon’s face twisted into a scowl, but it quickly shifted back to a wide grin.

“Hah... Hahahaha!!”

This time, he was clutching his stomach.

“Fine. Our deal might just come to fruition after all.”

“Yes, perhaps.”

Karyl nodded as he watched Simon Coden slowly walk toward him. The latter extended his hand, his face twisting into a sneer.

“Yes, the empire will pay that sum... as your passage to the afterlife!!”

In that instant, Simon Coden’s expression darkened. His skin hardened like armor, and his eyes glowed a menacing green. His nails stretched into sharp, claw-like spikes.

“...”

He moved with an almost inhuman speed. Though he had been fast before, this was something entirely different—far beyond the smoke dispersion technique from earlier.

Shadow Arts Stage 2 Awakening: Ghost Form.

Flash―!!

But even as the monstrous Simon Coden charged at him, Karyl remained strangely calm.

“Raaargh!!”

Simon Coden’s aura rivaled that of a Sword Master—perhaps even exceeded it. And further still, another stage of the Shadow Arts lay beyond. This kind of strength proved why Simon Coden was counted among the continent’s most formidable warriors.

I can feel the difference in caliber.

But still, something felt off to Karyl. Was it perhaps due to his recent duel with Kuwell, something he hadn’t managed to experience in his previous life?

Although Simon Coden displayed impressive power, he seemed pitiful in Karyl’s eyes.

Woosh!

Karyl raised his sword above his head and then slowly brought it down.

Colorless Air Sword, The Third stance: Crown Posture.

Karyl met Simon’s ferocious charge with a single step forward. Just with that, he managed to throw off Simon, causing him to lose his sense of distance and stagger.

“Let me ask you again.”

Crack... Crack!

At that moment, the massive basilisk’s head was cracked open.

Sssrrk―

Simon Coden felt a gentle breeze brush through his hair.

Splurch! Crack...!!

As the breeze vanished, the basilisk’s head split open like a watermelon, and in that instant, the monster was cleaved in two, from head to tail, with a grotesque sound filling the air.

Thud―!!

Simon Coden fell to the ground. He didn’t move at all, only lifting his head to look at Karyl.

Gulp...

Despite his monstrous appearance, his shoulders trembled slightly.

Did I dodge it? No, that’s not it. He intentionally missed...

Simon looked down at his feet. The basilisk’s blood streamed down, soaking the ground beneath him. If that strike had been aimed at him... it would have been him cleaved in two, not the basilisk.

“...”

Of course, Simon had no idea that his opponent was the one who had overpowered his Shadow Arts technique with pure swordsmanship in a previous life.

To someone like Karyl, the current Simon Coden posed no threat.

“Will you make a deal with me?”

Clang-clang-clang!

At that moment, Simon quickly turned around and opened his fan. Sparks flew in all directions as their blades clashed.

“Whew! That was close,” a light voice, as casual as the swift slash, echoed across the battlefield.

Upon hearing that, Karyl’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“You’re late.”

“But I survived, didn’t I? That’s fortunate enough. Besides, if you so much as wished it, my lord, that man’s head would already be rolling on the ground.”

“...”

Simon Coden scowled at the unexpected intruder.

“You have better judgment than that man.”

“I’m just used to seeing monsters all around me.”

Aidan tossed aside his broken dagger and pulled out another from his coat.

“Aidan Hamill...!!”

Though anger welled up inside him, Simon couldn’t deny it. Just moments ago, he had been on the verge of admitting defeat, succumbing to the terror of death.

“A dagger won’t last long at this rate.”

“Indeed.”

“Once this is over, I’ll have to ask the northern immigrant tribes to craft you a sword when I head up there. They may be crude, but they’re exceptional with blades.”

“I mean, Agnel would be perfect,” Aidan remarked, pointing at Karyl’s chest. Being more accustomed to daggers, Aidan had always admired the sharpness of Agnel’s blade, even though the dagger itself lacked any ornamental flair.

“Forget it. I can’t give you this one.”

At that, Aidan shrugged lightly.

“Simon Coden, let’s make a deal.”

Karyl glanced at the two of them with a slight smile, as if amused by a sudden thought.

“If you can defeat Aidan, I’ll spare your life. It’s a cheaper option than paying up, don’t you think? You can use all the assassins of the Burning Darkness as well.”

“Huh?” Simon grunted, bewildered.

Karyl turned to Aidan and asked, “What do you think?”

Aidan looked ahead. Although they all wore masks, he recognized some of the assassins by their eyes. Naturally, they were all elites. After all, the master of the Eastern Land was directly involved, making this matter important for the entire kingdom.

“Mikhail would be envious,” Aidan chuckled. He couldn't imagine a more perfect stage for himself. It wasn’t because thousands of enemies were watching him, but because Karyl himself was there.

To prove himself before Karyl MacGovern himself—Aidan had never longer for anything more.

“Shadow Arts,” Aidan muttered as he gripped his dagger, locking eyes with Simon. “I shall attain them.”

Step, step, step...

With that, Karyl walked past Simon Coden, showing no further interest in him.

“W-Wait...!!” Simon shouted after him, panic rising in his voice. But his voice trailed off, silenced by the sight unfolding before him.

Fwoooosh...!!

“Allen,” Karyl whispered.

Suddenly, violet flames, reminiscent of hellfire, flared up around him, and a dark apparition manifested.

“You once told me that my technique for sharpening magic into my blade was lacking compared to Kuwell’s, didn't you?”

“Huh, you still remember that,” Allen chuckled.

Ramine’s flames gathered in Karyl’s hand, and Ethereal’s frost slowly accumulated in his other hand. Even though these two forces were fundamentally opposed—and thus incompatible—Karyl condensed them with precision.

“Kyaaaak...!!”

As Mael’s form swirled around his arms, baring its sharp fangs, the power of the two Spirit Kings surged into the serpent. The energy then flowed back into Karyl, merging with his own power.

Seeing this, a sudden realization hit Simon Coden—the only reason Karyl had faced him was to buy time for Aidan’s arrival. Aidan hadn’t exaggerated when he said Karyl could have ended his life with a single stroke, had he wished it.

“Let’s see if that’s true.”

With that, Karyl slowly walked toward the border fortress of the Istan Kingdom.