Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Clash of Shadows
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“The tide of battle has turned!”
“Hmm...”
Sahazana’s face twisted in frustration.
The mage corps had successfully reversed the momentum on the battlefield.
They seemed on the verge of pushing back to the border line.
But then the Namshar Empire’s spirit corps appeared.
Their counterattack flipped the battlefield’s momentum once more.
“What about Gutun?”
“He’s currently engaged with the Tornado Knight Order.”
“What’s the status of our knight order?”
“Half of them have collapsed, and they can’t keep up with the spirit mages’ assaults.”
“Any word on reinforcements?”
“Nothing yet.”
Boom!
Sahazana slammed his fist on the table.
How long had it been since he requested support? There was no news at all.
It was more than enough time for word of reinforcements to arrive.
Something must have gone wrong.
“Send another request for support and commit all forces to the battlefield!”
“Yes, sir!”
The knight swiftly exited the tent.
Boom! Kwaboom!
The distant explosions were drawing steadily closer.
“Is this truly the end?”
As Sahazana moved to this location, an inexplicable sense of foreboding had gripped him.
In terms of raw power, there was little difference aside from Marquis Tano.
From the Namshar Empire’s perspective, however, Marquis Tano was everything—the greatest obstacle.
They could break through his defensive line in a full-frontal assault, but the losses would be catastrophic.
In that state, taking down Emperor Ruan would carry too much risk.
That was why he believed they could lure Marquis Tano far from the border, allowing them to cross with full force and head straight for the capital.
Marquis Tano knew this well, which was why he had guarded the border for years.
But now, a massive incident had erupted—one that would force even him to act irrationally.
On top of that, the Oscar Empire had fractured into three, plunging into its most chaotic year in history.
For Artisan, who had long eyed the Oscar Empire, it was the perfect opportunity to invade.
Emperor Ruan knew this too, which was why he had dispatched Sahazana here.
Reinforcements should have arrived even without his request.
Yet the situation was unfolding contrary to expectations. It felt like they had fallen squarely into the enemy’s trap.
“That doesn’t mean I’ll go down easily.”
Sahazana donned the helmet from the table with a resolute expression. He then drew his sword from the scabbard at his waist.
Though merely an entry-level Sword Master, wielding the magical sword—a heirloom of the Pajurton family—unlocked power beyond that level.
Had he harbored ambitions for the throne, he might have become emperor himself.
The magical sword’s might was unimaginably potent, enough to inspire such thoughts.
“I had hoped the day to use this would never come...”
Sahazana stepped outside, his face hardened.
***
“Damn it!”
Duke Burman, en route to the border under Emperor Ruan’s orders, had been ambushed by unidentified foes.
They waged guerrilla warfare, stalling the knight order’s advance.
The mounting casualties and their ghostlike attacks, leaving no traces, steadily eroded the knights’ morale.
“Avaman!”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Avaman, clad in red armor, approached.
He was the captain of the Hawk Knight Order and the empire’s seventh-ranked powerhouse.
“Select ten of our swiftest men. I’ll handle these bastards—you lead the rest to the border.”
“Your Grace, leave this to me. You press on ahead.”
“They’re too much for you. It’ll be faster if I deal with them myself.”
“Understood.”
Avaman quickly gathered ten knights from the order and sent them to Duke Burman.
Duke Burman set out with them to hunt down the enemy.
Meanwhile, Ghost, tasked with blocking Emperor Ruan’s reinforcements, ambushed the knight order alongside the Shadow Squad.
Outnumbered, they opted for guerrilla tactics to buy as much time as possible rather than direct confrontation.
They had tied down the enemy as planned, but an unexpected figure appeared.
The empire’s third-ranked powerhouse.
Following Jangjarban and Marquis Tano, Duke Burman Kiera was among the strongest.
According to Namshar intelligence, those guarding Emperor Ruan included Jangjarban, the Central Guardian Knight Order captain; Altros; Grand Duke Nartrasian, whose rank was immeasurable; and Duke Burman.
Nartrasian and the top two ranks protected the emperor—an ironclad defense.
He hadn’t anticipated sending one of them to the border.
To counter the third-ranked duke, there was only one way.
But the timing was too soon. He had hoped to save it until after entering Kristen Capital...
‘Is there no other choice?’
As Ghost’s eyes darkened with resolve, one of his squad members rushed up.
“Duke Burman is on the move.”
“And the knight order?”
“They’ve resumed their march.”
“They’re determined to reach the border no matter what.”
Ghost flashed a sinister smile and continued.
“I’ll handle Burman. You deal with the knight order.”
“May we engage in open battle?”
“With Burman separated, rampage as you please.”
“Understood.”
The squad member vanished.
As Ghost sensed the Shadow Squad’s presence fade beyond his perception, he pulled a gray vial from his bosom.
Two Patrium pills remained inside.
There should have been three, but he had used one against Arthur Julius.
Yet it hadn’t even fazed him, let alone defeated him.
Arthur Julius was a monster incarnate.
The foe he faced now, Burman, was no less monstrous.
Thus, he resolved to pour everything into this fight.
“I’ll show you the true power of darkness.”
Ghost swallowed both Patrium pills.
The reaction was immediate.
A scorching energy surged from his mana core, as if his body would burst.
Veins bulged fiercely—a given—and the overwhelming power turned his eyes bloodshot, on the verge of rupture.
“Urgh...”
Ghost gritted through the agony with every ounce of willpower.
At that moment, Duke Burman—who had heightened all his senses to track the Shadow Squad—detected a tremendous aura.
‘Found you!’
His eyes gleamed as he raced toward the source like a bolt.
Arriving instantly at the epicenter, Burman’s face stiffened.
A man stood there, wrapped head to toe in white bandages.
He recognized him at once.
Ghost, leader of the Shadow Squad—Artisan’s shadow and Namshar’s elite force.
Burman had expected a formidable opponent on his way here, but not a titan like this.
His presence here meant Artisan was on the move too.
In other words, the full might of the Namshar Empire was committed.
Duke Sahazana was in peril.
This was no force one man could repel.
No time for hesitation.
He decided to unleash his full power from the start to crush him.
Drawing up mana, a deep crimson aura rose from his sword hand.
It soon enveloped the blade, blazing fiercely like flames.
Simultaneously, crimson aura flowed from Burman’s eyes.
Ghost’s eyes flashed at the sight.
‘Power on par with Marquis Tano!’
Sensing the enemy’s intent for a one-strike finish, Ghost rapidly summoned his mana.
Pitch-black mana enveloped him. The white bandages turned aura-darkened, blending into the shadows until he vanished.
But Burman clearly felt his presence.
He stood motionless in place, a reverse-gripped dagger oozing lethal intent.
The enemy was preparing his own decisive strike.
‘Fool.’
Burman stepped forward with his left foot and swung his sword diagonally with full force.
Fwoosh—.
The flame-infused aura shot forth with devastating momentum.
A strike worthy of an ultimate technique.
‘Such a straightforward attack won’t work.’
Ghost vanished faster than the incoming aura.
Burman’s attack pierced only an afterimage, slamming into a house-sized boulder.
Kwaaaang!
The rock disintegrated, the area reduced to rubble from the sheer power.
But it dealt no damage to the enemy. Startled inwardly, Burman braced for the counterattack.
He heightened all senses, attuning to every sound around him.
Something was wrong.
No sounds, no presences at all.
Lost in concentration, only his own breathing echoed in his ears.
Burman, who had never experienced this, panicked internally.
‘What the hell?’
As he unconsciously licked his parched lips, killing intent bloomed.
“How dare you!”
He swung his sword.
It sliced only empty air, feeling nothing.
The moment he thought he had missed, a chilling voice came from the opposite side.
“You’re already lost in the darkness.”
Thud!
A dagger plunged into his side and withdrew.
“Hk.”
His breath caught.
“You can never escape.”
Ghost materialized before Burman.
In the pitch-black void, only his blood-red eyes gleamed clearly.
Terror surged for an instant, freezing Burman’s body.
Ghost curled his lips beneath the bandages and slit Burman’s throat with the dagger.
Slish—.
With the sound of parting wind, Burman’s head hit the ground.
His headless body toppled backward like a felled tree.
An anticlimactic end for the Oscar Empire’s third-ranked.
That was how formidable Ghost was.
‘Before the effects wear off...’
Ghost seized Burman’s head and pursued the knight order marching toward the border.
Showing them the duke’s head would plummet their morale and plunge them into chaos.
Even without the main force, he and the Shadow Squad could annihilate them.
He planned to sweep them away in one go, then head straight to Kristen Capital.
To pave the way for the main force to advance swiftly and easily.
Ghost gazed toward the border with a sinister smile.
“Your Majesty, I’ll ensure your path is clear.”
***
“Bishop!”
Sahazana swung his sword at the oncoming horde and shouted.
Bishop, who had been unleashing wide-area attacks on the enemy, rushed to his side.
“You called, Your Grace?”
“What’s the status of their mage corps?”
“They’ve taken near-total losses and can’t attack anymore.”
“Then let’s take out those bastards together.”
Sahazana pointed to the spirit mages supporting knights and soldiers from the rear.
Bishop had already marked them as the next target.
“Do you have a plan?”
“I’ll charge in and wipe them out. Draw their attention around me.”
“Shouldn’t Sir Gutun join us?”
“With him as their primary target, moving together would expose us immediately. The moment all eyes are on him is our chance.”
“Then I’ll draw their gaze, and have the mage corps cover you.”
“But they mustn’t suspect a thing. Begin.”
Sahazana wiped the enemy blood from his face and glared at the spirit mages.
Unlike before, they avoided direct assaults, supporting knights from the rear.
Like mages casting buffs, they infused spirits into the knights’ swords.
This dramatically boosted their attack power.
Even Sword Expert knights rivaled Sword Masters in might. The spirits weren’t limited to offense—they aided defense too.
The Silverado Knight Order’s attacks were frequently blocked.
Even Gutun, who had disrupted their formation, was at his mana limit, focused solely on defense.
They had to find a breakthrough somehow.
Boom! Boom!
Bishop’s assault began.
The mage corps joined, shaking the enemy lines.
Sahazana seized the opening and charged toward the spirit mages.
He mercilessly decapitated any who blocked his path.
The magical sword’s power was tremendous.
Each swing felled three or four heads.
Its immense might rapidly drained his own mana.
This attack had to succeed.
‘Without fail!’
He parried the endless enemy assaults and counterattacked.
Through endless repetition, he reached the spirit mages’ formation.
“I’ll slaughter you all! Fire Sword!”
He swung with all his might.
Flames whipped from the blade, extending like a lash to cleave through the spirit mages—when someone’s hand seized the fiery edge.
“...!”
Sahazana’s eyes widened.
A massive man grinned chillingly.
Namshar’s strongest!
Artisan Sharman had appeared.
“Long time no see, rookie.”