Chapter 11
Grant frowned at the bizarre phenomenon unfolding before his eyes. The thick, dark smoke had already been absorbed into Mitchell's body, thinning significantly. He turned his head to look at the fallen Knox.
‘Dammit! If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve just subdued him.’
Knox was the only person who knew the truth about the object Mitchell had taken. Yet, in the heat of the moment, Grant had finished him off instantly.
‘Think, Grant, think!’
While Grant berated himself, the smoke continued to seep into Mitchell until it was completely absorbed. Grant watched in silence, unable to comprehend what was happening, until fortunately, Mitchell began to slowly push himself up. Grant spoke with worried eyes.
“Mitchell, are you alright?”
Mitchell hurriedly inspected his body and moved his limbs before finally answering.
“I’m okay. I don't know exactly what happened, but I don't think I’ll have any trouble moving for now.”
“Well, that’s a relief, but…”
The magic stone had crumbled into dust and vanished. Since they didn't know what it was, they had to be extremely cautious.
“Let’s get out of here first. We’ll look into it once we’re back.”
“That sounds best.”
Grant nodded at Mitchell's suggestion. As the two stepped outside and reached for their masks, they suddenly froze.
“Dammit….”
It was because of the Lapel warriors surrounding the villa. They hadn't heard a single sound, yet so many warriors had swarmed the area. Then, a man with a powerful presence emerged through the ranks.
“Well, look who it is. If it isn't the Young Lord of House Lunei.”
“Barque… How did you know we were here?”
Barque was the leader of House Lapel’s martial force. It made no sense for a man of his stature to rush here simply because an alarm spell had been triggered. Their primary duty should have been guarding the main estate, not this villa. Barque’s vile smirk soon provided the answer.
“Heh, we couldn't openly pick a fight with the underworld, so we set a trap. I didn't expect such a big fish to bite. The Family Head will be pleased.”
It was a trap, plain and simple. Mitchell mentally pieced the picture together. They wanted to get rid of Knox, but fearing the underworld’s reaction, they lured House Lunei into it. They must have leaked information to draw them in, intending to dispose of Knox and the intruders together and shift the blame. For Lapel, it was killing two birds with one stone.
Mitchell let out a sigh, drew his sword, and looked at Grant.
“You should have looked into this more thoroughly.”
“Dammit… what do we do now?”
“Why are you asking me? You’re the one who swallowed the bait and dragged me all the way here.”
“Ugh.”
The words were so painfully accurate that Grant’s face turned bright red. He hadn't even suspected a thing. On top of that, he had dragged in Mitchell, who wasn't even a member of House Lunei.
“Come to think of it, didn't you get played like this last time too?”
“That was…”
“I guess I shouldn't trust any information that comes out of your mouth from now on.”
At Mitchell's words, Grant hung his head low. He didn't have a leg to stand on. However, they couldn't stay like this forever. Grant bit his lip and raised his sword. The priority now was escaping.
“Be careful. Barque is Lapel’s Captain of the Guard and a 5th-class Aura User.”
“Wow, so we might actually die?”
“…I’ll reward you once we get out.”
“You better believe I’m going to milk you for all you’re worth.”
Grant just prayed they both survived so he would actually have the chance to pay him back. Watching the two whisper, Barque let out a mocking laugh.
“Why don't you just surrender quietly? You might have gotten lucky last time, but you're in the heart of the Lapel estate now.”
Despite his words, Mitchell and Grant’s blades remained steady. Realizing it would only end in bloodshed, Barque clicked his tongue.
“I wanted to negotiate while your limbs were still intact, but I suppose there's no choice.”
At Barque’s signal, the Lapel warriors charged. Seeing this, Grant sent a telepathic message to Mitchell.
[Defend as much as you can and wait for an opening. We need to break through all at once.]
Mitchell gave a slight nod and swung his sword at the first enemy to reach him.
“Aaargh!”
The warrior was sent flying instantly. As he had felt in the previous battle, the quality of Lapel’s warriors was low.
‘But there are so many of them.’
Compared to Lunei, their numbers were several times greater. This time, it seemed even low-level warriors had been mobilized, as many among them hadn't even fully awakened their Aura Holes. In fact, those were the ones being pushed to charge first. Fear was etched onto their faces, but they stood in the vanguard, forced by the warriors behind them.
The result, naturally, was death.
Slash—
Mitchell continued to cut down the oncoming enemies while keeping an eye on Grant. Far more people were swarming Grant. They threw their bodies forward just to land a single scratch, and Grant, overwhelmed by the sheer mass of the suicide attacks, was gradually becoming stained with blood.
‘They’re concentrating on Grant….’
Even if the wounds weren't deep, Grant would eventually tire out at this rate. The only way to survive this crisis was for Grant to go all out. Even if Grant called Mitchell a genius, Grant’s current level was far superior.
‘I have to handle the low-level trash.’
Making his decision, Mitchell unleashed his energy. His strength shone brightest in a chaotic melee like this.
Kieeeeee—
He tore through souls to fill his Aura Hole and simultaneously projected his energy outward. While it was just an emission of pressure, to the low-level Lapel warriors, it looked like a monster had appeared. A flickering, shadowy beast with its maw wide open.
“Hiek!”
The low-tier warriors were thrown into a panic, utterly overwhelmed by Mitchell’s aura. One warrior directly in front of him collapsed as his legs gave out. Mitchell swung his blade, splitting the man’s chest open and ending his life.
“W-What kind of monster is that?!”
The others fared no better. Most of the enemies were only 1st or 2nd-class Aura Users, and they were paralyzed as Mitchell swung his sword. Mitchell moved to Grant’s side, clearing the enemies swarming him.
“Recover your strength first.”
“Thanks….”
When it came to dealing with low-level grunts like these, Mitchell was far more efficient than Grant. Taking a breath, Grant gulped down an emergency potion and quickly sprayed some on his wounds. Potions were meant to boost recovery and weren't very effective during active combat, but they sufficed to stop the urgent bleeding.
After watching Grant pull himself together, Mitchell charged forward again. He intended to ensure the terrified enemies remained too scared to act. His plan worked perfectly.
Slash— Gah!
The low-level warriors backed away at the sight of Mitchell, tripping over each other in their haste. Mitchell swung his sword incessantly, and a pile of corpses began to grow. Seeing this, higher-level warriors finally stepped in. Though their level was higher, they weren't enough to overwhelm Mitchell. Whenever Mitchell found himself pressured, Grant stepped in to take over, ensuring Mitchell’s movements remained fluid.
Mitchell continuously poured out his energy at maximum output.
Kieeeeee—
The souls within him were rapidly being consumed. But to the current Mitchell, it didn't matter. Souls were scattered everywhere around them.
Clink—
Chains emerged from Mitchell’s hand, snatching up the lingering souls. The souls he absorbed quickly reached his limit, ensuring his energy supply never ran dry.
“Gah!”
But that was short-lived. Mitchell stumbled heavily under an attack infused with a powerful Aura.
Cough—
A mouthful of blood splattered across the ground. His internals were shaken. He looked up to see Barque, his face twisted like a demon’s.
“You dare disrupt Lapel’s affairs?”
“Mitchell! Fall back!”
As soon as he heard the shout, Mitchell threw himself backward. In an instant, Grant leaped in front of him. Barque didn't flinch, parrying the blade coming his way. Within seconds, their swords clashed several times. They were evenly matched. It was an impressive display considering Grant’s age.
‘I have to open a path while Grant keeps him busy.’
Now was the best time, while the enemies were still reeling from Mitchell’s aura. Mitchell made his decision and funneled souls into his sword, following the principles of the Heaven-Shattering Flash. He compressed them while simultaneously converting them into energy.
Kieeeeee—
The souls screamed, and a pale, misty Sword-Qi formed on the blade. But Mitchell didn't stop there; he began to pour even more souls into it. There were plenty of souls to go around, after all. As several more souls were forced in—
‘Urk!’
The energy in the sword began to go berserk. Instead of the usual screams, the souls merged into his blade began to let out eerie laughter.
Khehehehe!
It was blatant mockery. The merged souls writhed, trying to break free from Mitchell's control. He was holding them back for now, but it was clear they would soon surge back and consume him. In that moment of absolute peril, a voice echoed in Mitchell's ear.
[How arrogant.]
A telepathic message? No. It was different from a message that transmits sound to the eardrums. It was deeper. A voice echoing inside his mind.
[Extremely arrogant. A boy using the sword of death, yet running wild without knowing his own limits.]
Mitchell didn't know what the "sword of death" was. He didn't understand who was talking or what they meant, but he fought to maintain his concentration. If he slipped for even a second, the energy in the blade would backfire. But the voice in his head didn't stop.
[More importantly, why is the cultivation method of the Heaven-Shattering Sword such a mess? To ruin the martial art I spent my life’s blood creating like this….]
The Heaven-Shattering Sword? Spent his life’s blood creating it? The moment he heard those words, one name came to mind.
‘Kallian Lunei?’
The first head of House Lunei and a giant who had left a massive footprint on the world. It was said that the martial arts he completed over his lifetime had firmly supported House Lunei. At least, until the war with the Holy Empire.
‘Wait, was that magic stone earlier a Soul Stone…?’
A vessel that could contain a soul. Soul Stones were made from only a tiny fraction of the highest-grade magic stones and required special processing. He had heard that because they were made from magic stones, it was impossible to tell them apart just by looking at them. But his surprise was short-lived.
‘Dammit….’
None of that mattered if he was about to die. Just as he was struggling to keep a grip on the souls, a faint energy suddenly flowed into Mitchell’s body. Despite being a small amount, its purity gave it a powerful presence.
[Move your energy according to my guidance.]
The intense energy began to flow along his Aura Roads. Mitchell wasn't certain if it was really Kallian, but he was going to die either way. He had no choice but to trust and follow. Mitchell immediately moved his energy. Grabbing onto his fading consciousness, he guided his own energy along that flow.
‘Ah….’
As the Heaven-Shattering Flash cultivation method was corrected, the uncontrollably raging energy was instantly subdued.
‘Is this the real Heaven-Shattering Flash?’
A massive, ash-gray Sword-Qi had taken form on Mitchell's blade.
What should Mitchell do next with this newly found power from the first head of House Lunei?
