Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 2: The Emotionless Child (2)

The rain continued to pour down on the darkened clearing. Sparks flew as weapons clashed, illuminating the area briefly.

But even with just that faint light, Karon could grasp his surroundings.

“Die!”

“Argh!”

The number of assailants was unknown. They moved swiftly, their black cloaks fluttering as they blended into the shadows.

Their speed was astonishing, and their attacks were fierce. Meanwhile, the number of mercenaries was dwindling by the minute.

“Hoo.”

Karon instinctively heightened his hearing and sight. It felt as if he could hear the breathing of people right next to him and see the water droplets splashing off the weapons.

At that moment, he noticed Glion, coughing up blood and collapsed on the ground. Karon quickly approached and checked his condition. More than half of Glion’s lower body had been severed.

“Glion.”

“K-Karon… run….”

Glion murmured weakly as he looked at Karon. Karon glanced around.

Could he escape? With his body, it seemed unlikely.

He turned back to Glion, staring at him as if to etch his final moments into memory.

“Heh… I guess I got lucky, skipping out on that debt to Scott….”

With a faint smile on his lips, Glion died, finding some humor in his final moments.

Just as Karon had done many times before, he closed Glion’s eyes and began searching for his parents.

It wasn’t long before he spotted Anessa, fighting against an assailant clad in a black cloak that covered him from head to toe. She was already gravely injured.

Her opponent was twice the size of the others, and the red gleam in his eyes, barely visible beneath his cloak, was terrifying—almost demonic.

As Anessa stumbled backward, she tripped over a mercenary’s corpse and fell.

The cloaked man’s lips twisted into a grotesque smile.

Just as he raised his greatsword to strike her down, a dagger embedded itself into his thigh.

Though the dagger was large, it looked pitifully small compared to the massive figure.

The one holding the dagger was Karon, whose head barely reached the man’s waist.

The giant assailant paused, looking down at Karon with a curious expression.

“I didn’t sense a thing…”

He muttered something incomprehensible in a chilling tone and then struck Karon’s chest with the hilt of his sword.

“Ugh!”

Karon flew through the air, crashing into a rock before slumping to the ground.

“Karon!”

Anessa scrambled to her feet and desperately ran toward him. The towering figure also began to approach Karon, his greatsword raised to strike once more.

Clang!

The clear sound of metal rang out.

Fedder had arrived just in time to block the assailant’s greatsword.

Fedder was in a dire state. His body was covered in gashes, blood gushing from his wounds, and his face was drenched in blood, streaming down from his forehead.

“Anessa… Take Karon and run!”

At that moment, the assailant’s red eyes flared ominously, and a crimson energy began to swirl around his greatsword.

Crack!

Fedder’s sword shattered as the greatsword sliced through his shoulder, cutting down his arm. The strength behind the blow was monstrous.

“Fedder!!”

Anessa’s anguished scream echoed through the clearing. By now, there were no surviving mercenaries.

Thud!

Anessa rushed to the fallen Fedder and cradled his body. She looked at the assailant with eyes burning with rage.

“You… you demon!”

The man showed no reaction to her words and raised his greatsword again, preparing to strike them both down. In that instant, Fedder shielded Anessa with his own body, sacrificing himself.

Slash!

Anessa and Fedder collapsed, falling in the direction where Karon could see them.

Barely able to steady himself, Karon saw his parents lying there.

Fedder had already passed, while Anessa, barely clinging to consciousness, was desperately reaching out toward Karon.

Karon’s body froze like a statue, but his eyes trembled violently, as if shaken by an earthquake.

“Ugh….”

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head, as if it were being squeezed. Was he finally feeling an emotion he had never experienced before? His expression was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Though he didn’t recognize it, that feeling was likely sorrow.

At that moment, Anessa extended her hand.

“K-Karon….”

Karon grasped her hand. The moment he did, the searing pain in his head vanished.

Her hand, slick with blood, was slippery. With the last of her strength, she managed to speak.

“Your… ability… it’s a blessing from the gods… Live… no matter what.”

Thud!

The cloaked man’s greatsword pierced through her back. Blood gushed out, covering Karon’s entire body.

Karon stared at his parents’ lifeless bodies for what seemed like an eternity, then slowly raised his head to look up at the giant assailant.

But Karon’s eyes weren’t filled with anger. They were eerily clear and empty.

What no one knew was that such a vacant look was a sign that Karon’s rage had reached its peak.

The giant man’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at Karon.

Had he ever seen eyes like these in such a situation? Absolutely not.

There was something unsettling, something deeply chilling about it.

“Is the cleanup done?”

At that moment, someone approached on horseback. He had blue hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. His slender figure and fine clothes, along with his blue cloak, gave him a noble air.

In his hand was a small red orb, easily held in one hand.

He adjusted his hood to shield himself from the persistent rain, looking mildly irritated.

“I’ve recovered the Demon’s Orb. Let’s go.”

“The child….”

The giant man, stepping aside, pointed to Karon.

Only then did the blue-haired man notice Karon.

He had sensed no presence, yet here was a child, still alive.

The man raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He pulled on the reins and approached Karon. He glanced at the dagger lodged in the giant’s thigh before looking back at Karon.

Karon’s face was still expressionless, his eyes hollow. It was impossible to believe his parents had just died before him.

But in Karon’s mind, he was imprinting every detail of their final moments—down to the last strand of hair.

“I will find you one day and sever your limbs.”

“Is this the boy?”

“Yes. I didn’t sense a thing.”

The massive cloaked man answered in a chilling voice as he glanced down at his thigh. The blue-haired man stroked his chin, smirking with intrigue.

“Interesting.”

“What should we do? If we let him live, he could become a problem later—”

Before the man could finish, the blue-haired figure cut him off.

“Sell him to the slave traders.”

The giant cloaked man looked at him with confusion, but the blue-haired man continued, his lips curling into a sinister smile.

“If my instincts are right, this boy will survive no matter what and come back seeking revenge. That in itself will be an entertaining game.”

Then, turning to Karon, he added one final remark.

“Unlucky, kid. You should never have been part of this caravan’s guard. But if this is your fate, then so be it.”

The man spun his horse around, the blue cloak fluttering as he moved away.

The cloaked giant glanced down at Karon with displeasure and struck him lightly on the head with the hilt of his sword once more.

* * *

A few days later.

Clunk, clunk.

Clunk, clunk.

“Ugh…!”

The shaking of the cart brought Karon back to consciousness. His head throbbed as if it would split open from the pain.

He clutched his head with both hands, writhing in agony, foam forming at the corners of his mouth, and his face pale as a ghost.

Suddenly, someone gently cradled his head. Strangely, Karon felt a brief moment of comfort, and then, he fell back into unconsciousness.

It felt just like his mother’s embrace.

* * *

A few more days passed.

“Wake up, you worthless maggots!”

Karon was rudely awakened again, this time by someone yelling obscenities and prodding his body with a long stick.

When he jolted up, he noticed the girl who had comforted him earlier. She was around his age, her disheveled hair barely hiding the gem-like brilliance in her eyes. However, fear had her trembling due to the harsh man wielding the stick.

Karon quickly assessed his situation. His hands and feet were shackled. Fortunately, all his limbs were still intact.

Instinctively, Karon touched the pendant hanging around his neck and let out a small sigh. It was his mother’s only keepsake.

Although he wasn’t fully conscious of it, he had already begun treasuring the necklace she had given him.

He looked around calmly. The place was packed with people, giving off the bustling atmosphere of a marketplace.

The sound of merchants and the crowd’s chatter overwhelmed his senses, mixed with the pitiful cries of slaves.

“Hurry up and get out!”

The cart’s iron gate opened, and someone grabbed Karon by the scruff of his neck, throwing him onto a small platform. He rolled helplessly across it.

An older slave trader lifted Karon to his feet, shouting to the crowd.

“Here we have a healthy young boy! As you can see, his body is in good shape, and his teeth are clean. Perfect for errands or as a servant. Starting bid at 500 shillings!”

As soon as the slave trader finished, jeers erupted from the crowd.

“That boy looks half-dead!”

“He’s so scrawny! What use is he?”

“You’re trying to rip us off! Selling us damaged goods!”

Karon indeed looked like he could die at any moment. He had always been frail and quiet, with a small appetite. Now, he was practically skin and bones.

His face was pale, his eyes hollow, and dried blood and saliva caked his mouth.

“Bad luck today, huh? This kid’s a sickly one. Hey! Send him to the Colosseum to be used as fodder. At least we’ll make a few coins off him.”

“Yes, sir.”

The slave trader kicked Karon aside and gestured for the next slave to be brought out.

“Next!”

This time, the girl who had comforted Karon earlier was dragged out. She looked at Karon in terror, reaching out for him as if pleading for help.

Karon glanced back at her several times, imprinting her appearance into his memory.

* * *

A short while later, Karon found himself in the grand and imposing Colosseum.

The circular exterior walls were made of marble and brick, with arched windows adorned with intricate designs on each level.

The building’s height was dizzying, and throngs of people were coming and going from the Colosseum.

At that moment, Karon realized where he was—Pontania, the capital of the Rob Empire.

He vividly remembered passing the Colosseum during his travels with the mercenary group when he was younger.

Karon’s mind automatically began recording every street from the slave market to the Colosseum, storing the details away.

“Offering!”

A man standing at the Colosseum’s underground entrance shouted, and the doors opened. Someone handed over a small sum of coins in exchange for Karon.

Karon was dragged underground by another person with such force that escape was impossible. His legs, shackled in iron, repeatedly tripped him, causing him to stumble again and again.

He was in such a daze that he barely registered the series of events.

As they descended deeper, a pungent stench of blood filled the air, making his head spin.

Dim light filtered through here and there, barely illuminating the surroundings.

One corner of the room was piled high with unrecognizable, torn corpses, with blood flowing down grooves in the floor.

As they walked along the bloody channels, a group of frail, lifeless individuals approached Karon, dipping their hands into the blood before smearing it all over his body.

Karon looked down at his bloodstained body with his usual expressionless gaze.

“Strange kid. Has he gone mad from fear?”

The soldier escorting him stared at Karon with curiosity.

Normally, at this stage, slaves would be either crying and begging to escape or collapsing in defeat. Yet, Karon remained oddly calm.

The march resumed.

This time, they ascended a staircase, moving up from the depths. Along the way, countless injured or dead bodies were being carried out on stretchers.

Weapons lay scattered about, all soaked in blood.

As the light grew brighter, they reached the surface.

When they arrived at the Colosseum’s entryway, a crowd of children, all smeared with blood like Karon, stood trembling in fear.

In front of them was a massive iron gate, firmly shut, obscuring what lay beyond.

Waaahhh!

The roar of the crowd outside suggested that the gate would open soon.

Grrrnnnng!

Just as Karon expected, the heavy iron gate began to creak open.

Sensing movement behind him, Karon turned to see soldiers armed with spears, slowly pushing the children forward to prevent them from retreating.

Assessing the situation, Karon was the first to step into the Colosseum arena.

His expression remained as calm and indifferent as ever—unbelievable for a boy of just fourteen.