NOVEL NEXT Chapter 47: Ghost [1]
The guard behind Crispin Duvall sheathed his sword, alarming everyone.
"Intruders!" he yelled, taking a protective stance in front of Crispin.
The other guards stiffened and drew their weapons as well.
"Catch them!" ordered the burly man standing before Crispin, who seemed to be their leader.
The others followed his command.
A few stayed behind, while the rest spread out to search the entire manor.
"Shit," Kai cursed and began running down the corridor, looking for an exit.
He turned a corner and slipped into a room.
The guards followed closely behind.
Kai jumped out of the window and started running across the roof.
"Capture him!"
A guard bellowed, and a few shadows blurred behind him, slipping out of the window as well.
Sensing them, Kai quickened his pace, his figure blurring.
He glanced over his shoulder—the figures were slowly closing the distance.
"Fuck."
He closed his eyes, and his blurry form gradually transformed into a white blur.
[<Warning: More than 50% of Soul Essence used.>]
A blue panel hovered in front of him, but he didn't have time to check it.
He just kept moving forward, without glancing back.
After running for a few minutes, he finally stopped on a tree branch.
Leaning against the thick trunk, he panted, gasping for breath.
Kai's knuckles throbbed as he slammed his fist into the thick trunk.
Smack!
Again, and again.
Crack!
Bark cracked beneath his relentless strikes.
But the ache in his hand was nothing compared to the turmoil swirling inside him.
"What the hell is wrong with me?"
The memories of the conversation he overheard resurfaced in his mind.
-
'Did you hear the news about Lady Lira?
No. What happened?
She's been engaged to the crown prince of Velmoria Kingdom.
Really? The empire finally decided to form an alliance with them?'
-
"Why the hell am I so worked up?"
His breath came out ragged as he clenched his jaw, trying to steady himself.
"She's... just a good friend."
He struck the tree again, his movements growing more frantic.
"I should be happy for her."
A bitter laugh escaped him, but there was no humor in it.
"... But I'm not."
His punches slowed. His knees gave out.
"Why does it feel like this?"
He shook his head, his expression a mixture of confusion and frustration.
"I don't... get it."
His head fell forward, his hair covering his eyes, his brows furrowed as his hands fell to his sides.
"Why am I even angry?"
He slumped against the tree, sucked in a shaky breath, trying to calm the storm inside. But no matter how much he tried to push it down...
It wouldn't go away.
Suddenly—
A few growls echoed nearby.
As his gaze shifted downward, two Earth Boars were gnawing at the ground, their eyes locked onto him.
Kai's eyes turned cold as they met the boars' gaze.
His fingers clenched into fists, and without making a sound, he vanished—only to reappear above the left one.
[<Essence Core Coating activated!>]
Kai's fist glowed white.
[<Phantom Slash activated!>
Then suddenly, black energy started swirling around his fist.
Crack!
The sound of bones snapping echoed as his strike shattered the Earth Boar's ribs,
despite its sturdy frame.
[<Phantom Slash: A skill that bypasses physical defenses by targeting the opponent's vital essence, ignoring surface-level toughness and striking directly at their core.>]
The boar roared in pain, while the other one lunged at him—only to meet the same fate as the first.
Before they could recover, Kai reappeared beside them.
Thud!
He began pounding them with full force, his eyes red, locked dead on his targets.
Thwack!
The boars squealed under the relentless barrage of Kai's fists.
They tried to stand and escape—to get away from this crazed human.
But—
Their efforts were pointless.
Kai didn't even give them a chance to breathe.
Eventually, their squealing stopped.
But Kai didn't.
He kept beating them, blood splattering all around the place.
Slowly, he stopped.
Taking a deep breath, he brushed his hair back with his blood-soaked hands.
He stood up and gazed at the twisted, battered bodies, some bones jutting out of their mangled forms.
If any normal person had been there, they would have puked at the mere sight of the poor creatures.
Kai clenched his blood-soaked fists and muttered,
"Just what the hell is wrong with me..."
He took a deep breath and walked forward.
The rest of his journey was peaceful.
No growling.
No beasts dared to attack him.
Was it truly a quiet area?
Or did they simply not dare to come closer, intimidated by Kai's overwhelming murderous aura?
But it didn't matter to Kai.
He was more than happy walking in silence.
Soon, he began hearing the sound of splashing water.
Turning toward the source, he slowly walked in that direction.
He didn't rush; he needed peace of mind to suppress the storm of emotions raging within him.
Emerging from the tall grass, his gaze landed on—
A small waterfall cascading down a rugged cliff.
The moonlight reflected off the flowing water, giving it an eerie silver glow.
The pool below rippled softly.
The gentle sound of the rushing water echoed in the air.
For a brief moment, Kai's mind felt... calm.
He took a deep breath and removed his clothes.
Slowly, he entered the pool and sank into the cool water.
Then, he carefully rubbed his hands, washing away the blood.
He dipped beneath the surface, running his fingers through his hair and scrubbing his body, removing every trace of blood that clung to him.
He leaned against a nearby rock, his gaze drifting toward the full moon.
Calmly.
Sigh!
He took a deep breath and muttered,
"I wonder how they're holding out."
His mind wandered to his temporary party, the one he had joined for the sake of the mission.
"Well... I hope they survive," he whispered under his breath, before closing his eyes, calmly leaning back again.
--
"That fucker!" Felix cursed as he did his best to evade the onslaught of guards.
"Damn it!"
Swoosh!
He ducked as one guard swung his sword, while another slashed at his side. Swoosh!
He narrowly avoided it, backflipping out of harm's way.
'I can't hold them off.'
He threw a black sphere to the ground.
Swoosh!
The sphere cracked open, releasing a thick, dark smoke that spread rapidly,
enveloping the entire area in seconds.
The guards coughed, their vision obscured, as Felix's shadow blurred and vanished within the dense fog.
"You all right?" Aria asked as soon as he approached them.
But before he could respond—
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Six black figures encircled them.
"Get ready!"
Red narrowed his eyes, unsheathing his great sword.
Garren grinned, gripping his large war axe tightly.
Before they could move...
Tak! Tak! Tak!
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed.
The guards who had been stationed nearby were now closing in,
slowly encircling them.
Red's party tensed.
He tightened his grip on the sword, clashing with them head-on was suicidal,
especially since they were completely outnumbered.
But they had no other choice.
Gritting his teeth, he roared—
"Charge!"