Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 31: The Bloody Battle on the Main Road (2)

Megamon stood in disbelief, struggling to comprehend Karon’s words.

He couldn’t fathom that a mere boy had managed to kill the members of the Blue Raven, a notorious and powerful faction.

However, part of him understood. Seeing the dark, ominous energy emanating from Karon, Megamon realized that this young man was far from ordinary. He must have had some sort of power—perhaps tied to the mysterious orbs, or something even stronger.

Still, it was hard to accept without witnessing it firsthand.

Thud!

At that moment, Karon tossed a faded orb in front of Megamon.

“This should be proof enough.”

As soon as Megamon saw the orb, he knew Karon was telling the truth. Despite its faded appearance, the size and markings were identical to the one that the Blue Raven member had carried.

Megamon looked at Karon with a mixture of shock and fear.

“I don’t want much from you. All I need is for you to answer one question.”

Megamon was momentarily taken aback. Just one question? All of this destruction—for a single answer?

Two gangs decimated, a Blue Raven member killed, and all Karon wanted was a response to one question?

“What is it?” Megamon asked, his face filled with disbelief. This was beyond reason—this boy was far from reasonable from the start.

“Why was the Blue Raven protecting you and your gang?”

“That’s…”

Megamon finally started to piece things together. Karon wasn’t here to take over Bela or seize anything from the gangs. He was after something related to the Blue Raven, likely some personal grudge or conflict.

Suddenly, hope sparked within Megamon. Maybe, if he provided the information Karon sought, he could survive this.

He had nothing to lose now. At least, for the moment, survival was the priority.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. We were helping the Blue Raven find Chakran slaves among those being brought into Bela. The Raven was looking for girls from the Chakran tribe specifically. In exchange, they watched our backs. That’s all.”

Karon’s mind flashed back to the face of a girl he had met in the capital.

He had an excellent memory, but for some reason, her face was etched more vividly into his mind than most.

“Why are they so fixated on the Chakran tribe?” Karon pressed.

“I did some digging myself because of that Raven. The Chakran tribe selects a priestess for every generation. Rumor has it that these priestesses have the ability to transfer the power of demonic orbs into objects, and they can also cleanse evil energies.”

Karon recalled Shong’s cloak. He wondered if it had passed through the hands of the Chakran tribe. If that were the case, Megamon’s story wasn’t entirely unbelievable.

“Where are the other members of the Blue Raven?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I’ve heard they’re scouring the empire for more Chakran tribespeople. They could be spread out anywhere by now.”

Karon’s face contorted slightly in frustration. This task seemed like it was going to be more troublesome than he had expected.

The Rob Empire was vast, and if the Blue Raven had moved beyond its borders, it would make things even more difficult.

“Have you ever seen their leader?”

“I did, once. About a year ago, when he came to Bela by ship.”

That timeline matched what Karon had heard from the bandits. The Blue Raven leader didn’t stay in one place for long; he moved constantly, likely to gather more orbs.

“And after that?”

“I haven’t seen him since. I’ve only run into a few of their members from time to time.”

Megamon racked his brain for more information, hoping it would save his life.

“Wait! You should check the capital. I’ve seen them send information there a few times. It’s where they bring the slaves. If they’re anywhere, it’s there.”

Megamon spoke with uncharacteristic excitement, eager to provide what he thought was a crucial clue.

Standing before the ominous presence of Karon, it was impossible for Megamon to remain calm.

Karon pondered for a moment. He had learned a few new things, but nothing particularly useful.

After all, how much could a lowly gang leader in a peripheral city really know?

Karon looked at Megamon with a blank expression, twirling his black sword in his hand as if contemplating whether to end him or not.

“That’s really all I know,” Megamon pleaded desperately, unable to read Karon’s cold, expressionless face.

He had no idea when—or if—the black sword would pierce his chest.

“Alright.”

Karon finally made his decision, sheathing his black sword as he glanced around.

Megamon, sensing a moment of relief, let out a long sigh and leaned on his hammer for support, overwhelmed by exhaustion.

“So, does that mean you’ll let me live?” he asked cautiously.

“That depends on how you see it,” Karon replied cryptically as he walked away.

The farther Karon got from Megamon, the more he sensed something sinister.

Suddenly, from the alleyways, other gangs that had been watching the entire situation unfolded. The moment Karon disappeared from sight, these gangs, armed with a variety of weapons, emerged.

There was no way they would pass up the perfect opportunity to wipe out both gangs that had ruled Bela for so long.

Not to mention, many gangs held grudges against both Hinjo’s and Megamon’s factions.

Now that both forces had been wiped out, a fierce new power struggle was about to begin.

“Hah… So, this is how it ends, huh?”

Megamon let out a bitter laugh as he hefted his heavy hammer one last time.

***

As Karon returned to his lodging, the city of Bela descended into chaos.

On one side, gangs engaged in fierce battles for control. On the other, near the harbor, a massive slave revolt broke out.

Every iron gate in the slave market had mysteriously opened, as if a ghost had passed through.

The city guards and gangs, who were supposed to be protecting the area, were all at the main road, distracted by the fighting.

It was the perfect moment for the slaves to escape.

As the slave revolt threw the city into disarray, criminals took advantage of the confusion, beginning widespread looting and other crimes.

Fires erupted across the city, and soon, all of Bela was engulfed in pandemonium.

As Karon arrived back at the inn, he saw the innkeeper and a young attendant, both trembling in fear and barricading the door.

Fortunately, the inn was situated on a small hill, a bit distant from the chaos in the city center where the riot had erupted.

Karon instructed the innkeeper to prepare some jerky, dried rations, and water for their journey. Since he had given a heads-up the previous day, the supplies were ready quickly.

He also told the young attendant to prepare the horses and headed up to the second floor.

In the room, Shong was already there, with a large sack of coins sitting in the middle of the floor.

“Hey! Did everything go smoothly?” Shong greeted him warmly.

“Did you carry all that here by yourself?” Karon asked, frowning and pointing at the sack.

“I picked it up on the way. Don’t worry. I freed all the slaves like you told me,” Shong said with a smile. It seemed that after Karon had told him to release the slaves during the gang war, Shong had decided to loot Hinjo’s hideout as well.

Karon was curious how Shong had managed to carry so many coins.

“And how do you plan to carry all of that?” Karon asked.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not that heavy. Ha!” Shong hugged the sack while glancing nervously at Karon, knowing what was coming next.

“Just take the gold. The rest is unnecessary and will draw attention.”

“What? Are we leaving now?” Shong asked in surprise as Karon grabbed his packed belongings.

“The empire’s army will be storming the city soon because of the riot. It’s best if we don’t get caught up in it,” Karon replied coolly.

Shong scratched his head in frustration, torn between staying and leaving, as Karon headed toward the door.

“Then ditch the copper coins. Otherwise, I’ll go alone.”

“Alright! Alright!” Shong finally conceded.

Clatter!

He quickly dumped out the sack, sorting through the coins to take only the gold and silver. Most of it was copper, so it didn’t take long to sort out the more valuable coins. His pouch still felt satisfyingly heavy once he was done.

The two of them gathered their things and headed outside the inn, where the horses were waiting. The horses looked healthy and rested, their coats shiny after a few days of recovery.

Karon tossed a silver coin to the young attendant, then immediately set off on his horse.

Shong, however, stopped by the innkeeper to plead with him to keep the copper coins safe in his room, promising to return for them. It seemed Shong couldn’t bear the thought of someone else taking what he couldn’t keep.

They passed through the northern outer gate of the city, avoiding the coast where the imperial army was stationed.

The city gate was packed with fleeing residents. With no guards or gang members at the gate, the authorities were too occupied elsewhere to enforce security.

Blending in with the refugees, Karon and Shong easily slipped out of the city.

Once they reached a small hill, the entire city of Bela came into view. It was crumbling, much like a city ravaged by war. Off in the distance, the imperial army was approaching.

“Wow, what a sight,” Shong said in awe, gazing at the burning city below.

“How do you manage to leave chaos in your wake everywhere you go? You really have a talent for destruction,” Shong teased, but Karon ignored his remark and urged his horse forward.

As they left the city behind, they found themselves on a quiet country road. The contrast between the desolate outskirts and the chaos of the city was stark. They gradually slowed their pace.

“So, where are we headed now?” Shong finally asked, realizing he hadn’t bothered to find out their destination. He seemed to have grown accustomed to traveling with Karon, taking their journey together for granted.

Karon, as usual, didn’t offer much explanation.

“Pontania.”

“The capital?” Shong blinked in surprise.

Karon nodded slightly.

“Are the people you’re looking for in the capital?”

“It’s likely. And more importantly…” Karon’s voice trailed off.

“More importantly, what?” Shong asked, intrigued by Karon’s sudden pause.

Karon stayed silent for a moment, unable to shake the image of the girl from his mind. Then, almost to himself, he muttered, “There’s something I need to find.”

“What is it?” Shong pressed, but Karon remained silent. Shong furrowed his brow, frustrated by Karon’s secretive nature.

Setting aside his curiosity, Shong shifted his focus to a more practical concern.

“By the way, do you realize how far it is?”

“I do.”

“Of course you don’t… Wait, what? You know?” Shong was taken aback by Karon’s confident response.

“Yeah.”

Shong began to pull out his map, only to stop mid-motion, dumbfounded by Karon’s certainty.

“How do you know?” he asked suspiciously.

“I looked at the map.”

Shong scoffed, a smirk forming on his lips. “Just from looking at it once? Don’t be ridiculous. You’re bluffing.”

Karon calmly laid out the route, “We head northwest from Bela, pass through the Yasper Forest, cross the Ash River, traverse the Mecklen Range, and then we reach the Kennet Plains.”

Shong stood frozen, mouth agape, staring at Karon. He slowly took out his map and checked it against what Karon had said.

Sure enough, Karon had accurately recited the entire route. The only issue was that Karon had described a straight path, cutting through difficult terrain.

After confirming Karon’s words, Shong tucked the map back into his coat and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Ahem. Well, you sure know how to surprise people. If you’ve got any more shocks up your sleeve, give me a heads-up next time, will you?”

Shong patted Karon on the shoulder, then turned serious again.

“But, seriously, are you really planning to go through Yasper Forest?”

Karon didn’t respond, prompting Shong to ask again.

“Hey, I’m asking if you’re really going to cut through Yasper Forest.”

“Yes,” Karon answered without hesitation.

Shong’s expression darkened.

“Sigh… There’s something unsettling about that place.”

“Why?”

“I’ve heard rumors. Something about ghosts or something.”

“It’ll take two extra days to go around it. Cutting through is faster.”

Karon’s tone was firm, and Shong, knowing how stubborn Karon could be, resigned himself to the decision.

“Hmph. Well, I suppose you’re scarier than any ghost, so what am I worrying about?” Shong laughed half-heartedly, riding his horse alongside Karon.

They continued their journey into Yasper Forest, and after traveling for half a day, the sun began to set. They decided to set up camp as night fell.

That’s when they stumbled upon a small mercenary group deep within the forest.

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