Chapter 42
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Shadows from the Imperial City
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Shadows spilled out from the Imperial City.
An elite knight named Hugo was one of them.
"All hands, attention!"
He had been appointed squad leader, tasked with leading ten Black Lions to assemble in Hatchling Village.
Pa-pa-pat.
In sync with Hugo's calm voice, hazy shadows descended to the ground all at once.
"Our target is extremely dangerous. Move in pairs of two, and if you spot anything suspicious, the junior partner breaks off first to report it."
Put another way, it meant the senior partner buys time with their life.
Everyone gathered here understood that perfectly.
But not a single one voiced any complaints.
They were the ones who always staked their lives on every mission. That was the Black Lions.
"Two days from now, at midnight, assemble in Hatchling Village. Search your assigned areas en route."
There were no replies.
Sruruk.
The moment Hugo finished his orders, the shadows melted naturally into the darkness and scattered.
Confirming that all the Black Lions had dispersed to their operational zones, Hugo moved out last.
Sotton Village.
The area assigned to Hugo for the search was the most suspicious—and simultaneously the most dangerous.
'This is where the first report came from.'
Eight Black Lions had vanished overnight without a trace. The starting point was Sotton Village.
'There has to be a clue here somewhere.'
Hugo arrived at the spot where the magic crystal orb had been found and scoured the surroundings for a long while, but he came up empty-handed.
'Too clean. How could they leave absolutely nothing behind?'
It was clear an incident had occurred here, yet not a single trace could be found.
There weren't even signs of battle nearby.
In truth, it was only natural.
The Divine Bow had passed through here. With no real fight to speak of, how could any traces remain?
'Not here? Maybe the incident didn't start in Sotton Village after all.'
It was a completely off-base line of reasoning, but astonishingly, Hugo was inching closer to the truth.
Then, in that instant, Hugo's eyes, meticulously searching, wavered sharply.
'Who's there?'
He had sensed an extremely faint presence.
It was so stealthy that even an elite knight like Hugo had nearly missed it.
'No ordinary foe.'
The suspicious presence had already closed to within 30 meters behind him.
To fool his senses until this close, it was no opponent to take lightly.
'Hoo, this could get dangerous.'
But Hugo was no pushover either.
Tense inside, he showed no sign of it on the outside.
Pretending to be oblivious to the intruder, Hugo kept up his fervent search.
In response, the unfamiliar presence crept slowly closer, eventually tailing him to within 10 meters.
And when the distance was close enough!
Paa-at.
The assassin tore through the darkness and lunged like lightning.
'Hmph, finally showing yourself!'
Already prepared, Hugo kicked off the ground and retreated swiftly.
Shiiik.
The sword flying in at tremendous speed brutally ravaged the spot Hugo had just vacated.
Kwaaaang.
A deafening roar erupted, ear-splitting in its ferocity. That spoke to the strike's sheer power.
"Who are you?!"
Having safely evaded the ambush, Hugo finally got a look at the assassin.
A woman in a black leather jacket, her face masked.
And...
'A greatsword?'
The massive weapon she wielded caught his eye belatedly. A glint flashed in Hugo's eyes for a moment.
"So it was you! The cocky rookie who dared challenge the Black Lions."
The assassin who ambushed Hugo was, of course, Alize.
Alize stared straight into Hugo's eyes, swallowing a silent groan inwardly.
'This fast?'
Even with every precaution, the ambush had failed.
It was nothing like what she'd expected.
'According to the intel, he shouldn't have been anywhere near this level.'
To fail this spectacularly meant Hugo was far stronger than his public profile suggested.
Alize masked her tension and gripped her greatsword tighter.
"You're the fearless one. You bastards strutting around so openly."
"You seem to know who I am, yet you still talk big. I like your guts, at least."
"Sorry to disappoint. Never had any intention of winning you over."
"Hahaha! Keep yapping while you can. I'll rip that mask off and tear your mouth soon enough."
"Bring it."
Unyielded by the grim threat, Alize even smiled leisurely to provoke him further.
"You'll regret it."
Hugo's eyes gleamed murderously as he drew a slender dagger.
Chaeng.
Compared to Alize's greatsword, it was little more than a toothpick.
But the moment that small dagger entered Hugo's hand, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
Wuuuung.
Mana vibrated fiercely as azure mana surged from the dagger.
Two meters long!
The tiny dagger had transformed into something even more threatening than Alize's greatsword.
'No slouch, as expected.'
Alize watched, gulping dryly.
Just the mana blade alone proved he was no inferior to her.
But unfortunately for her, Hugo's prowess didn't end there.
Hwaaak.
The towering mana condensed swiftly, seeping into the dagger.
Even its color shifted to a blinding pure white.
'No way!'
Alize's feigned composure crumbled there.
Aura Blade! The realm where mana itself became a sword!
The Black Lion before her eyes was a Sword Master.
*
*
*
'What the hell? The info said peak Expert level...'
Information on Black Lions was so scarce it fetched a high price.
Hugo was elite-grade among them.
Alize had paid two gold—a fortune—for intel that he was operating solo in Sotton Village.
But that expensive intel was outdated, not updated in time.
'Damn it. Charging that much for crap like this?'
Infuriating, but money was the least of her worries now. Faulty intel carried a deadly cost.
Alize might pay for it with her life right here.
'Tch. Can't die here!'
Biting her lip, Alize steadied her grim resolve.
In that moment, Hugo's body flickered, then shot forward at blinding speed.
Paat.
Fearsome velocity.
A true Sword Master!
The knight, reinforced by aura, wielded power beyond imagination.
Shiiik.
The dagger danced in too dazzlingly to track with the naked eye.
Alize reeled backward frantically, raising her greatsword with all her might.
Chae-chae-chae-chang.
In an instant, four slashes hammered the greatsword.
But it didn't end there.
The fifth slash, which Alize couldn't block, raked long across her abdomen.
Chwaaak.
Her jacket, tough as armor, was powerless before aura.
The dagger tore through it, deeply slashing Alize's belly.
Crimson blood sprayed high into the sky. Gushing gore drenched heaven and earth.
"Kuhk."
Alize desperately tried to stem the wound with mana, but it was futile.
The aura had severed it perfectly; the gash refused to heal, only spurting more blood.
Was the wall of Sword Master this insurmountable?
Alize's vision blurred.
But she couldn't die so pointlessly.
'Get it together!'
Grinding her molars, Alize swung her greatsword.
Shyik.
The greatsword cut fiercely through the air.
Mana blazed pitifully, clawing at space with sharpened nails.
A desperate counterattack.
Even Hugo couldn't press his assault and had to withdraw his dagger.
Chaeng.
The dagger and greatsword clashed, forcing them apart.
As combat paused, Hugo's eyes burned even fiercer, lips curling.
"That blade's no ordinary piece."
Aura swords could only be parried by fellow aura.
Yet Alize had blocked a Sword Master's strikes four times with mere mana sword.
Proof her greatsword was extraordinary.
"No idea, but it's not for the likes of you to speak of."
Alize shot back venomously, though breathing raggedly.
"Wait. I've heard of a sword like that. A greatsword that repels aura... don't tell me..."
A flicker of alarm crossed Hugo's smug face.
"So that's it? Then you must die here."
Hugo's expression turned savage in an instant. Resolve hardened in his eyes.
Hwaruruk.
White aura flickered like flames, blazing fiercely.
He was going all-out.
Tension hung heavy, weighing down the air itself.
Then, without warning or stance, Hugo charged.
Paa-at.
Even faster than before!
Alize couldn't even react now.
Shyik.
The blinding white dagger plummeted toward her crown.
Death Sword!
A Sword Master's blade infused with killing intent.
Yet for some reason...
Hugo, about to cleave Alize in two, flinched and shuddered.
His gaze, fixed on her, snapped urgently behind—to something beyond her.
Like a herbivore facing a terrifying predator.
'Chance!'
Incomprehensible to Alize, but a golden opportunity nonetheless.
Miss it now, and no second chance would come.
'Stake my life!'
Alize abandoned defense.
Instead, she thrust her greatsword forward with everything she had.
Hwooung.
The blade, cloaked in blue mana, speared toward Hugo's face.
Mutual destruction!
They would both perish simultaneously.
'Tch. Getting messy!'
In the end, Hugo withdrew first. With crucial intel at stake, he couldn't die here.
Taat.
Kicking off with full power, he retreated at light speed.
Shyik.
The greatsword pursued relentlessly.
But it fell short. The thrust halted just shy of Hugo's nose.
A bit deeper!
A bit longer arm!
Agony for Alize, opportunity for Hugo. His turn now.
'Finish this one first!'
Hugo's dagger surged upward at her wrist.
A do-or-die crisis.
Any onlooker would see Alize at an absolute disadvantage.
'No, wait...'
But in the final moment, locking eyes with Alize, Hugo realized something was wrong.
Not fear or resignation. The emotion in her eyes was 'pity'.
'Oh no! That sword...'
Only then did Hugo recall the greatsword's hidden function.
Jjeoeoeong.
The greatsword exploded.
The massive blade shattered into tiny fragments, devouring the area in one gulp.
Chwarururuk.
Mana-infused shards pierced his retinas, blinding Hugo.
Chwak.
Countless needles ravaged his throat, stealing his breath.
In a blink, hundreds, thousands of fragments embedded in his body.
Pa-pa-pa-pak.
Utterly pulverized, Hugo toppled backward without a word.
Kuung.
The Sword Master's pathetic end.
Not even such a mighty warrior could survive the fragment storm.
"Hic."
Confirming Hugo breathed no more, Alize collapsed to the ground.
Bleeding too profusely; her vision shook wildly now.
Yet amid the dizziness, the pathetic hilt of her shattered greatsword stabbed painfully at her eyes.
'In the end, like this...'
Her greatsword was a family heirloom passed down since her grandfather's time.
How many vows and resolves had she made before this blade!
Now, even that was lost.
For Alize, it was as if half her life had vanished.
'But still...'
Alize forced strength into her eyes and clutched the hilt.
'Still! I have to live!'
The Black Lions would swarm soon. She had to escape before then.
Summoning every ounce of strength, Alize staggered to her feet and took shaky steps. But will alone could only carry her so far.
She blacked out before ten paces, crumbling down.
Teureok.
The instant Alize fell, a man who had silently approached caught her firmly.
"Tch, this woman always makes me carry the load."
Muttering in annoyance, the man carefully scooped her up.