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Chapter 92: The Arcane Blade

The trajectory of the sword shifted instantaneously. The blade tossed into the air, spun around before Karyl clapped his hands together with all his might as if performing a seal.

Boom...!!

The sound of the clap was even more thunderous than the sword strike, resonating from between his palms. At that moment, Karyl staggered under the impact.

"Ugh!!"

Waves of energy rippled from him, cascading across the ground like tidal waves, with sparks of electricity crackling at their crests. Spheres of energy, rising above these waves, spiraled toward Karyl in a coordinated assault.

In an instant, Karyl swung his Freezing Talon with imperceptible speed. A single breath\'s worth of relentless sword strikes deflected all the incoming electric attacks.

The ferocity contained within his refined swordsmanship was evident. Heaving a sigh, Karyl planted his sword into the ground and finally allowed himself to breathe freely.

Magic is becoming increasingly complex to master. He inspected his tingling palms with a bitter smile.

To any onlooker, it would seem odd to wield a sword in magic training.

Unlike typical sorcerers, Karyl’s training required an inverse approach—releasing accumulated mana rather than gathering it. His immediate task was to circulate magic through the two newly opened meridians within himself.

"This method would be impossible without Allen’s foresight," he pondered as he forcefully increased his blood flow with vigorous movements and infused his meridians with magic.

Given the rapid depletion of mana, this would definitely be a suicidal tactic for any other sorcerer. This training was uniquely tailored for Karyl, a parting gift from Allen Javius before his disappearance.

Since when have you harbored such intentions? You really are an enigma. Could it be that even this is part of your plan to meet Narh Di Maug?

Karyl smirked, feeling as if he could hear his voice even now. Certainly, Allen Javius\'s Arcane Techniques are remarkable. The spells he devised are in my head, but they are so complex that I can\'t use them all.

Karyl\'s own Five Sword Step, Calnere\'s Colorless Air Sword, and Allen Javius\'s Arcane Techniques were all considered the techniques of the century. However, this also brought him worries.

I\'m lacking an advisor.

Karyl didn\'t want to admit it, but his vast knowledge lacked the wisdom to go with it. Knowing something intellectually and successfully implementing it were two different things.

I just made a mistake in condensing Arcane Mana. I know that training is the only way, but... Karyl shook his numb hands, pondering. Mikhail has great talent but is still a rookie at this point in time. It might be helpful if we met a couple of years from now when he’s more experienced...

Karyl recalled the great sorcerers from his memories, and the first person that came to mind was none other than Serica Lauren, also known as Supreme.

I\'m once again struck by how amazing Serica Lauren is. She awakened her magic on her own without any master, having started as an aide in a tavern kitchen.

Perhaps it was precisely because she had no proper master that she was able to break the mold and open a new chapter for a sorcerer called Supreme.

The next one would be Serga, of course.

He was one of the seven who had led the greatest renaissance in the Empire\'s history. But Karyl shook his head. Serga was undoubtedly a great sorcerer, hailed by some as the reincarnation of Kaye Aesir, but it seemed unlikely for Karyl to manage to establish a connection with him.

If Serica Lauren was a genius, Serga was a manufactured prodigy. He was likely already receiving training at the Imperial Magic Academy established by the Court Sorcerer, Kadin Luer.

"This world is filled with geniuses," Karyl muttered, unwittingly gripping his sword. "But in the end, the blade remains my answer, always."

Ironically, like many other geniuses, Karyl seemed to have forgotten that he, too, was a prodigy with the sword.

I need to imbue Arcane Mana into the sword.

Until now, Karyl\'s Mana Blade had been an Aura Blade, containing magic itself. However, Arcane Mana could elevate the quality of that magic to a higher level.

Now that preparations are mostly complete, I need more power to uncover the truth.

For him, conquering the lair of the Platinum Dragon was as crucial as uniting the continent.

To do that, I need to finish this first. Karyl exhaled softly as he looked at the blade emanating a purple glow. Arcane Blade...

As his thoughts were concluding, far off, at the entrance of the arena, Suan was hurryingly running toward him.

"Master!" Suan called out, stopping short at the sight of the scarred arena floor but quickly regaining composure to deliver his message. “I have a message from Baron Beryl!”

Karyl read the note and nodded slightly, a smirk of satisfaction forming on his lips.

[The banquet is ready.]

It was a brief message, just one sentence, but countless possibilities and plans had already formed in Karyl\'s mind. He works faster than I thought. He may be full of greed, but his work is solid. It’s good for me.

It had been a month since he returned to Tatur.

Indeed, a rotten tree can still bear fruit. Even as a has-been, he still has this network. I\'m curious about how he managed to win people over.

Beryl\'s confident demeanor flashed through his mind, and the thought that his mug face would soon crumble caused Karyl to smile faintly.

Time to move.

Whoosh!

The note in his hand burned up instantly and disappeared. Then, with a slight smile, he lightly patted Suan on the shoulder.

"Let’s go."

***

"It\'s been a while."

"Spare me the nonsense and get lost."

"...You\'re still as temperamental as ever."

The roar of the Fonein\'s turbulent waters almost drowned out their conversation. Besides, since there was no reason for anyone to come by such a river, Aidan called her name with ease.

"Zouk."

He had introduced the petite girl in front of him as his sister, but in reality, she was his senior from the Eastern Kingdoms, significantly older than him.

"Do not take my name lightly. Have you forgotten all the rules of the Burning Darkness after following that guy to the South? Should I remind you again?"

Though she seemed to be barely in her teens, Zouk’s tone carried an authority that few adults could muster.

"How far did you report?"

"Why should I tell you? Are you asking if I told them you\'ve become a dog wagging its tail for the Empire?"

"..."

Aidan responded to Zouk\'s sharp words with a bitter smile.

"Get a grip. We failed to fulfill our mission. Our master clearly ordered us to aid the second prince in ascending to the throne.”

"I know."

"And at the same time, to eliminate the target."

"Yes."

"Have you achieved anything?" Zouk\'s pale face confronted him. "If things continue like this, we might die. Our master will cut off useless branches."

She turned away with a look that said she didn\'t need to see Aidan anymore.

"It\'s the same Karyl who won the magic competition in Azor, right? Not just someone with the same name, but the same person who excels in both swordsmanship and magic... Honestly, I find it hard to believe." Zouk paused, frowning slightly. "We need to keep an eye on this Karyl. He\'s currently the lord of Tatur and is presumably on par with sorcerers. That\'s what I reported."

"..."

"Currently, he\'s rapidly absorbing the immigrant tribes. He most likely possesses the military force of a kingdom. And this would have been in my next report." Zouk emphasized that last part. "But seeing this, I should go ahead and add one more thing, namely that Aidan Hamil is among his key members."

"Zouk!"

"Don\'t say my name lightly! Did you think we’re the only ones acting under orders? There might be others within Tatur. You might already be marked as a traitor!"

At that moment, Zouk De Holde\'s voice grew louder. She had been trying to maintain her composure, but she finally exploded.

"He will rise to great heights."

"You\'re crazy..."

Zouk sneered incredulously at Aidan’s reply.

"Are you really planning to turn the Burning Darkness against you? It seems Tatur is just full of traitors from the Eastern Kingdoms. Just pray that the order doesn’t come through. The moment it does, I’ll be the one to cut your head off."

"You’re right." A third voice came from somewhere nearby. "Aidan, Beryl has sent a message. Everyone has gathered, but they’re looking for you, since you’ve yet to arrive.”

Suddenly hearing this voice, Zouk whirled around.

"It would be wise to pull back your hand."

But then the voice came from behind her.

The fingers pressing down on the back of her hand gripping the dagger\'s handle had moved faster than she could turn around.

Damn it... Zouk\'s face twisted in frustration. The whispering voice was too familiar.

"For a sibling quarrel, this is quite intense. No need to go as far as decapitation, right?"

Aidan looked uneasy as he watched Karyl, who seemed to embrace Zouk.

"Sir Kar... Karyl."

Aidan was surprised to see Karyl here, given that he should’ve been at the arena.

"Lucky or not, I heard voices while I was on my way back. I sent Suan ahead, so no worries."

He heard voices? From this distance?

They were quite far from any village.

He\'s been watching... Zouk thought incredulously, but Aidan seemed less surprised.

"I\'m not planning anything drastic. I knew from the start you were from the Burning Darkness."

"...."

Karyl released Zouk and continued, "Zouk, as you said, there may be other shadows in Tatur sent by the Burning Darkness, but that also means it\'s not just Tatur."

"What are you trying to say?" Zouk scowled.

"Think about it. If there are other shadows beside you in Tatur, wouldn’t it be likely there are more on the side of the second prince? And if that’s the case... Do you think only the second prince has shadows sticking to him?

Karyl flashed her a cold smile before continuing, "There’s a good chance that there are some shadows with the first prince as well. Your masters don’t care who becomes emperor as long as it’s someone connected to the Eastern Kingdoms."

Zouk couldn’t hide her shock at Karyl’s unexpected insight.

"Then it wouldn\'t matter if it was someone else entirely, as long as they are aligned with the Eastern Kingdoms, right?"

"You..."

"I just came here to say that. When are you sending the ship? It’d be great if you could arrange a meeting with the Eastern Kingdoms for me then."

"You’re insane. If I send the report now, they’ll immediately give the order for you to be stopped.”

Karyl casually announced his plan to unify the continent as if it were nothing, which left Zouk dumbfounded.

"Your master won’t do that,” Karyl replied as though he knew her master from the Eastern Kingdoms well. "He’s not foolish enough to order my assassination just on your words.”

"...What?"

"Do what you will. Report or arrange the meeting. But don’t think about drawing your sword on Aidan again." Karyl’s smile was light, but his eyes were not. "You’d die."

Swallowing hard, Zouk De Holde felt cold sweat streaming down her back. She couldn’t move, frozen in place.

"...."

As Karyl withdrew his threatening presence, only then did she clench her damp, tingling fists.

"Well, that’s all I wanted to say. Aidan, prepare for the trip to the Kingdom of Istan. It’s going to get busy. Wrap up the conversation nicely." He waved dismissively and turned away nonchalantly.

Aidan chuckled at his typical behavior.

"Well, that’s him. Zouk, why not observe a bit longer? Maybe you’ll change your mind. Think about when we joined the Burning Darkness..."

"...Shut up,” she cut him off.

Aidan shrugged and then hurried after Karyl. "Let\'s go together!!"

"What about the conversation?"

Aidan replied with an unexpectedly light heart, "It’s done. Now, what will you do in the Kingdom of Istan?"

"What else? You know," Karyl spoke effortlessly. "Take it into my hands. All of it."

In that moment, watching the indifferent yet determined Karyl, Zouk shivered without realizing.